West Side Story will return to Châtelet in Paris this autumn. The musical comedy by Bernstein, Sondheim and Robbins is a reworking of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, with the Capulets and Montagues being replaced by rival gangs in New York. Keep an eye on their schools’ page for group reservations and workshops, available in the … Continue reading “Save the Date: West Side Story on Stage”
The Lumière Festival in Lyon from 15 to 23 October has a great programme of films in various languages including English. And it will be giving the prestigious Prix Lumière to American writer- director-animator Tim Burton, as well as showing a retrospective of his films like A Nightmare Before Christmas, Edward Scissorhands and Charlie and … Continue reading “Tim Burton and Sidney Lumet Honoured at Lyon’s Lumière Festival”
The Irish Central Statistics Office recently announced that the country’s population had surpassed 5 million for the first time since the Great Famine (1845-49). A notable event in a country whose history and culture have been marked by waves of emigration. This excellent infographic would be a great addition to Shine Bright 1e File 9 … Continue reading “Irish Population Returns to Pre-Famine Levels”
It’s a very overused phrase to say that a series is eagerly awaited, but with The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, it’s completely justified. There were more than 250 million views of the teaser trailer in 24 hours after it aired during the Superbowl in February. The 8-part lavish first season of … Continue reading “Back to Middle Earth”
A new production of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird as a play is now running in London as well as Broadway. Aaron Sorkin has dramatised the classic novel to put the focus on, and give a voice to, Tom Robinson, who is falsely accused of raping a white woman. To Kill a Mockingbird is … Continue reading “To Kill a Mockingbird: Changing the Point of View”
Do some armchair travelling with the Big Jubilee Read: a list of 70 books, ten for each decade of Queen Elizabeth II’s record-breaking reign. As befits its head, the authors and settings range all over the Commonwealth: representing 31 countries on six continents. It includes eight Nobel Literature Laureates, and a lot of Booker Prize … Continue reading “The Big Jubilee Read”
Ever since Jane Campion burst onto the world stage with an Oscar for The Piano, she has shown a deft capacity to depict buttoned up, repressed emotions. The Power of the Dog, nominated for 12 Oscars, is no exception. The Netflix new-generation Western stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Jesse Plomens as Montana ranching brothers Phil and … Continue reading “The Power of the Dog”
The trailer and the featurette for Belfast are both used in our Ready-to-use resource on the film. Trailer Featurette
Belfast is the story of nine-year-old Buddy growing up in the Northern Irish capital in a friendly, working-class community until the Troubles brutally disrupt his life in 1969. The film and these activities will help the students discover more about the Northern Irish conflict and its human consequences. It is actor-director Kenneth Branagh‘s most personal film … Continue reading “Branagh’s Belfast”
Belfast is actor-director Kenneth Branagh‘s most personal film yet. It’s the story of nine-year-old Buddy growing up in Belfast in a friendly, working-class community until the Troubles brutally disrupt his life in 1969. Belfast is set in 1969, when what were called “the Troubles” went from protests to violent riots in the space of a … Continue reading “In the Streets of Belfast”