Photo of the Week
Another view of the Centre Pompidou. Photo © Darren Palmer of Paris by Photo.
Wednesday, 30 May 2012 00:00
Paris Update What's New in Paris
RESTAURANT/CLUB/CAFE
Wanderlust: Finally, part of Les Docks, Cité de la Mode et Design will open to the public on June 6. Brunch on the terrace, take a yoga class, take in a concert or dance all night. 34, quai d'Austerlitz, 75013 Paris.
SHOPS
Stella Cadente: The designer of very feminine clothing and accessories has a new Paris store that's like a gold-lined tunnel. 102 boulevard Beaumarchais, 75011 Paris.
Ecolo-Chic: Pop-up store in the Marais selling ethically resourced products, from toys and design to organic wine. 90, rue des Archives, 75003 Paris.
SMOKING
A new organization, L'Union pour les Droits des Fumeurs Adultes, has been formed to lobby for the rights of French smokers
JUSTIN ON THE ROOFTOPS
Keep your eyes peeled: Justin Bieber will be filming for the Web TV program live@home in an undisclosed location on the rooftops of Paris on the evening of May 31. Click here to win a pass to the taping.
Wednesday, 30 May 2012 00:00
Paris Update Flash News
CAKE THE WAY WE LIKE IT
Goodies on display at Merce and the Muse.
Nowadays, American expatriates in Paris can easily satisfy almost all their nostalgic food cravings, from hamburgers to Reese’s peanut-butter cups or Oreo cookies. Until Merce and the Muse opened in the Upper Marais, however, it wasn’t easy to find good homemade, American-style cakes. The desserts at this homey, flea-market-furnished café are not just good, they are scrumptious and original, made from owner Merce Muse’s own recipes. The other day I shared a slice of chocolate layer cake with vanilla icing and another of pistachio cake with rose icing with a friend, but in truth I wanted to eat all of both of them. 1 bis, rue Dupuis, 75003 Paris. Tel.: 09 53 14 53 04. Open Tues.-Sun. for breakfast, lunch and coffee; brunch on Sunday. Heidi Ellison
Paris Update This Week's Events
For full details about an event, click on its name to visit the official Web site (in English when available).
 Art Saint-Germain-des-Prés
>Left Bank gallery walk. Collective opening, May 31, 6pm. May 31-June 3.
Carré Rive Gauche
>Another Left Bank gallery walk, with 120 participating galleries. June 1-June 3.
Champs-Elysées Film Festival
>A new Franco-American film festival, presided over by Lambert Wilson and Michael Madsen. Various locations, Paris, June 6-12.
Chartre en Lumières
> The town of Chartres illuminates its monuments and the cathedral with colorful light installations. Through Sept. 15.
Designer's Days
>Design shops, galleries, schools and more participate in a city-wide design event. Various locations, Paris, May 31-June 4.
Festival de l'Imaginaire
> Performances by troupes from around the world, Maison des Cultures du Monde, Paris, through June 17.
Festival de Saint Denis
> Music festival featuring both stars like Sir Colin Davis and young talents; ends with a dawn performance by horse whisperer Bartabas and oud player Mehdi Haddab, Cathedral and Legion of Honor, Saint Denis, through June 30.
Festival Extensions
> Concerts, dance, films and more, various locations, Paris and Val de Marne, through May 31.
Festival International des Jardins de Chaumont-sur-Loire
>"Gardens of delights, gardens of delirium" is the theme of this year's garden festival, Chaumont-sur-Loire, through Oct. 21.
Festival Jazz à Saint-Germain-des-Prés
>Jazz acts ranging from amateur to big names like Ahmad Jamal and Yusef Lateef (together). Various locations, Paris, Through June 3.
Le Court en Dit Long
>Festival of short films. Centre Wallonie-Bruxelles, Paris, June 4-9.
Nomades
>Cultural festival in the third arrondissement; art, poetry, concerts and more. Various locations, Paris, May 31-June 3.
Quinzaine des Réalisateurs
>The features and short subjects entered in this category at the Cannes Film Festival shown in Paris, Forum des Images, Paris, May 31-June 10
Salon du Vin de La Revue du Vin de France
>Annual wine fair. Palais Brongniart, Paris, June 2-3
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Film
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/ Drama
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Created on Tuesday, 31 March 2009 23:00
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Published on Tuesday, 31 March 2009 23:00
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Written by James Gascoigne
The rightwing tabloid press in Britain rarely takes an interest in French cinema, but nothing raises their hackles quite like a sympathetic portrayal of an immigrant trying to enter Britain ...
The rightwing tabloid press in Britain rarely takes an interest in French cinema, but nothing raises their hackles quite like a sympathetic portrayal of an immigrant trying to enter Britain illegally from France. The ironically titled Welcome, a new film directed by Philippe Lioret, has already attracted attention in the British press and no doubt will provide material for more editorial rants when it is released in the English-speaking world.
In fact, the movie has provoked outrage in France also, as Lioret made a remark recently comparing the treatment of refugees in France to that of the Jews during World War II, leading to a vigorous denunciation of him by the French immigration minister, Eric Besson. Lioret says that he started this particular project as a filmmaker and ended it as a citizen in revolt, because of the draconian French law that prohibits French citizens from housing or helping foreigners en situation irrégulière (a deliberately vague term, meaning something like “without permanent status”).
Vincent Lindon plays Simon, a Calais-based swimming coach and former champion swimmer who, while going through a divorce from his wife Marion (Audrey Dana), takes a young Iraqi Kurdish refugee, Bilal (Firat Ayverdi), under his wing and gives the boy swimming lessons to help in in his bid to swim the Channel and join his girlfriend in England.
The story is simple but never simplistic, and, with the exception of the underwritten part of Marion, the main characters avoid stereotypes. The evolving relationship between Simon and Bilal is touching, and the performances of both actors are excellent.
Lindon certainly deserves to be nominated for best-acting awards (if the judges have not already forgotten by the time the next round of prizes crop up). He is as convincing as he is affecting in his role as an ordinary man who becomes sensitized to the harsh reality of immigrants trying to make a better life for themselves in the face of hostility from the police, the judicial system and even the residents of Calais (the title of the film comes from the English word written on the doormat of one of Simon’s most hostile neighbors).
From the very first scene, the film is characterized by a crepuscular, transitory gloom, strengthened by its setting in Calais, with scenes of ferries passing each other in the harbor.
Even though it is still relatively early in the year, I believe that Welcome will qualify as one of the top films of 2009.
Those who lack confidence in understanding French but would like to see the film before its subtitled version comes out will be glad to hear that much of the dialogue between the two central characters is in English.
James Gascoigne
© 2009 Paris Update
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