Taking folk tales from around the world, British company 1927 bring their latest category-busting show to Paris in English in March. Roots began with a book writer Suzanne Andrade found in the British Library. The Aarne-Thompson-Uther Index is a treasure trove of the world’s folk tales. It gives short descriptions of stories, variations of which … Continue reading “An Extraordinary Theatre Experience”
San Francisco theatre company Word for Word’s annual French tour is being postponed to the autumn. This year their show is a coming-of-age story by Mexican-American writer Octavio Solis, Retablos: Stories from a Life Lived Along the Border. They will perform it in Nancy, Paris, Angers and Lyon. For 25 years, Word for Word has … Continue reading “Tales of the US Border in Theatres Around France”
A new film tells the true story of a battle against endemic racism in the American justice system. It’s based on a memoir by Bryan Stevenson, a lawyer in Alabama, and tells the story of his firm’s battle to prove the innocence of Walter McMillian, who was condemned to death for a murder he didn’t … Continue reading “Just Mercy”
In an exhibition in Bordeaux, a British artist pulls African characters from the background of European paintings and puts them centre stage. Lubaina Himid was born in Zanzibar, Tanzania but brought up in England. She was a leading figure of the Black British Art Movement in the 1980s and won the prestigious Turner Prize in … Continue reading “Bringing African Faces to the Foreground”
What does it mean to be British, French or European? In the light of Brexit, journalist Alex Taylor will discuss this thorny question in a free talk at the British Council on Thursday 5 March. Taylor is proudly bi-national, bi-cultural and multilingual. A convinced European, he has been reporting on Europe, and Britain, in France … Continue reading “Alex Taylor on What it Means to Be British”
Greta Gerwig’s new adaptation of the classic coming-of-age story Little Women retells the story of the novel in parallel with the life of its author, Louisa May Alcott. Alcott wrote the novel in 1868. She had been writing stories commercially for several years when a publisher asked her to write a novel for girls. Alcott … Continue reading “Little Women: Big Film”
It’s one of those ideas that seem so obvious you can’t imagine why someone has already had it. A Christmas movie inspired by one of the most perennially popular (though bittersweet) yuletide pop songs: “Last Christmas” by George Michael. The 1984 song, a hit for Wham!, is a sad love song about heartbreak at the … Continue reading “Last Christmas: Rom-com with a Message”
The This is England short films festival is returning to celebrate British films in Rouen. The expanded version runs from 16 to 24 November. Short films are a brilliant way to introduce British culture to language learners, and special schools screenings and teaching packs are provided to spread the message. Many of this year’s films … Continue reading “This is England… in Rouen”
The 2019 Booker prize has been awarded to two authors: the established star Margaret Atwood for The Testaments and the first ever black woman winner Bernardine Evaristo for Woman, Girl, Other. Atwood’s long-awaited sequel to A Handmaid’s Tale seemed a shoe-in for the prize (although another literary icon, Salman Rushdie was also on the short-list). … Continue reading “Two Books for the Booker”
Ken Loach is famous for his socially committed films, and his new film, Sorry We Missed You, is no exception. Loach brings the kitchen-sink drama bang up to date with this indictment of the gig economy in the UK with a family struggling to survive in the modern world of work. The gig economy, or … Continue reading “Ken Loach Takes on the Gig Economy”
