Impressions June-August 2012

Le magazine de l’Alliance Française de Bombay

No. 121 June/ Aug 12

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No. 121 June/ Aug 12

JUNE-AUGUST 2012 IMPRESSIONS 65

© Pixxart | Dreamstime.com

Editorial In June, Alliance Française de Bombay celebrates the Fête du cinéma with a visit to the Liberty cinema as well as many screenings in the iconic Liberty and swanky PVR Juhu. Take a look at our cover story and learn more about heritage cinema in Mumbai as well as in France.

Spend time at the mediathèque and pick up dvds to stock for the rainy days. Register yourself for our upcoming workshops and do not miss on our classes in the newly opened Santacruz center. Happy rains to all and see you in September!

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Retour Sur

On y était Urban Culture Project

Discovery 24 Cinema trails in Paris 26 Alliance Française de Chittagong Français en marche 48 Actualités 50 Inauguration du centre de Santacruz 52 Dis-moi dix mots 53 Débat: la censure au cinéma

8-9

Rencontre avec…

Nojazz

10 12 13 14

Books Voyagez en lisant De vive voix : Sylvain Tesson Voix d’hier : Jules Verne Notes de lecture

16 17 18

CINEMA Indian cinema on the Croisette Jules et Jim a soixante ans !

Our DVDs’ selection: work on your classics

Buzz 56 New faces at AFB

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Watch (Out) Frenchies for summer

Calendar 60 June 2012

France en Bref French streets, an open stage for arts

FRENCH CORNER 62 Ravi Gupta

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Regards croisés 54 Une monteuse française dans les

studios indiens

France Pratique 58 Visa for France

28-46 COVER STORY: A celebration of cinema Indian cinema is celebrating its first centenary in 2013. Cannes just got over and cinema is as vibrant as ever. Impressions decided the moment was just right to remind its readers about the long association between French and Indian cinema.

Also a great occasion to discover heritage cinemas and historical movies with Alliance Française de Bombay (The Old days P29) or have a glance at French movies and trends (France in a few movies, P37). However, as articles unfold the new trends in the Industry, why not stock a few recent films for the coming monsoon (Starry Dreams)?

Directrice de la publication Anne DUBOURG Rédactrice en chef Clea CHAKRAVERTY Maquette Neaha NAGPAL, Spenta Multimedia Impression Spenta Multimedia Traductions Sheryn MULLA Correctrice Meera ACHAREKAR Illustration et photographie Rafique BAGHDADI, David CORDINA, Amrit GANGAR, Ivan GERMON, Somaya JRONDI, Gael LE NY, Akshay MAHAJAN, Sandeep TORNE, ATOUT France, Consulat général de France Mumbai, MAEE, AF de Chittagong, UNIFRANCE, Editions Gallimard, Compagnie ACTE, Stefan ZAUBITZER. Ont collaboré à ce numéro Meera ACHAREKAR, Seema ANVARUDEEN, David CORDINA, Amrit GANGAR, Nadir GODREJ, Alice LAMY, Prachee PALSULE, Consulat de France à Mumbai.

Remerciements Rafique BAGHDADI, Lionel BEDIN, Déborah BENATTAR, Catherine DOMAIN, Christian GIUDICELLI-Gallimard, Nazir HOOSEINLiberty Cinema, NOJAZZ, Meenakshi SHEDDE. Tirage 2500 ex

ALLIANCE FRANCAISE DE BOMBAY http://bombay.afindia.org contact: mag.mumbai@afindia.org Theosophy Hall 40, New Marine Lines, Mumbai 400020 Tel: (91-22) 22 03 59 93 / (91-22) 22 03 61 87 Fax: (91-22) 22 06 61 57

June-august 2012 Impressions

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Retour Sur..

Arties celebrated classical music at the NCPA during their March festival.

Under Kontrol's workshop and concert was a huge success at the Blue Frog! Watch out for more hiphop events to come soon.

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Retour Sur..

The students of Alliance Franรงaise de Bombay got together during the Francophonie week and celebrated French with literary workshops, among which was held the famous concours "Dis moi dix mots" at the auditorium.

200 students participated! Three poems were selected (read P53) and their authors won regular French courses at Alliance Franรงaise de Bombay.

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On y ร tait

The Consuls Generals of France, Belgium, Canada, Quebec and Switzerland.

The Francophonie was celebrated with humour and fun at the Novotel Juhu, as the Consuls Generals of French-speaking countries and vice-consuls all selected a word and made puns with it.

The Alliance Franรงaise teachers The committee of Alliance Franรงaise de Bombay

Miguel Nosibor and Astad Deboo's performances, a duo organised by Alliance Franรงaise de Bombay, was a hit at Prithvi Theatre on the 3rd of May.

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On y ร tait

Artist Caecillia Tripp was on a residency in Mumbai thanks to the Institut Franรงais and in association with Clark House. Her video about a musical bike touring the city, was screened at Alliance Franรงaise's auditorium.

Sandeep Torne

In March, Theosophy Hall received the visit of Naseeruddin Shah, Nandita Das on a meeting with Eric Vignier, Cyril Brody, theatre personnalities from France, working on the play "India Song" as a future project. More to come soon...

During the Urban Culture Project, graffiti artists from France, Norway and Germany added colors and vibes to Cool Chef Cafe

June-august 2012 Impressions

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rencontre AVEC

NOJAZZ Nojazz, entre rythmes efficaces et colorés, fête la musique au Blue Frog et relate ses expériences indiennes par courriel. Entretien.

Quel regard portez-vous sur le jazz en France aujourd’hui ?

Phillippe Sellam : Le jazz français est très vaste, il a maintenant sa propre identité, de nombreux musiciens ont un esprit d'ouverture qui fait voyager leur musique dans de nombreuses directions.

Quels sont les artistes contemporains de jazz que vous recommanderiez ?

Sylvain Gontard : Sylvain Gontard, Philippe Sellam !

Nojazz

Phillippe Sellam : Les artistes que nous aimons ne sont pas tous issus du monde du jazz, pour rester dans le jazz on aime aussi bien des gens comme Roy Hargrove RH Factor, Kenny Garrett que Richard Bona par exemple.

Nojazz est déjà venu en Inde, qu’aviez vous retenu de votre expérience indienne ?

Pascal Reva: De nos premiers voyages en Inde nous avons été frappés par les sourires et la gentillesse des gens, les couleurs dans les rues, nous avons d’ailleurs fait la photo de notre album précédent à Mumbai.

Sylvain Gontard : Le partage avec un public enthousiaste !

Phillippe Sellam : Cela a été une joie immense de venir chaque fois en Inde, ou cette culture est unique, on se sent à la fois très loin géographiquement et très proche de tous ces gens que l'on a pu rencontrer. On a un sentiment de bien être et tout y semble possible. Nous avons aussi pu vérifier au vu de notre succès que notre musique n'a pas de problèmes de frontières ou de langue.

Connaissez vous des artistes indiens ?

Pascal Reva : Nous connaissons surtout les maitres comme Ravi Shankar, Trilok Gurtu. Moins la nouvelle génération malheureusement.

8 Impressions June-august 2012

Sylvain Gontard : Ravi Shankar !

Phillippe Sellam : Chaque voyage en Inde ayant été très court nous n'avons jamais eu le temps de rencontrer et de travailler avec des artistes indiens.

L’esprit collaboratif et composite est au cœur de Nojazz, envisagez-vous une collaboration indienne ?

Pascal Reva : Oui. Partager la musique, sur scène ou en enregistrement a toujours fait partie de nos envies.

Particulièrement dans un pays comme l’Inde où la musique est d’une grande richesse. Nous avons déjà jammé avec des musiciens indiens, mais nous aimerions bien sûr aller plus loin dans la collaboration.

Sylvain Gontard : Toute collaboration est bienvenue, c'est la base même de l'enrichissement de la musique.

Phillippe Sellam : Cela reste un de nos grands souhaits que cela soit dans la musique ou pourquoi pas la danse; la culture indienne est tellement riche qu'elle donne de nombreuses idées créatives.

Mumbai fut un jour une « capitale» du jazz en Inde… Le jazz reste une musique très urbaine, dont l’histoire est liée à plusieurs villes. Comment placez-vous cette musique en regard de la ville, des densités urbaines, et des «nouvelles » villes du monde telles que Mumbai par exemple ?

Pascal Reva : C’est vrai que le jazz est une musique urbaine. En cela Mumbai a une pulsation qu’on peut même comparer à New-York, et il n y a pas un club comme le Blue Frog à Paris !

Phillippe Sellam : Il est vrai qu'un jazz comme le groupe Nojazz n'a pu être créé que dans l'urbain, c'est une musique qui peut être tendue, rapide, violente même. Les grandes métropoles sont des laboratoires où tout s'entrechoque, même les gens; le fait de vivre "vite", de rencontrer en permanence de gens de cultures différentes crée une émulation et fait jaillir des idées nouvelles. C'est aussi cette densité qui fascine et donne le tournis quand on se retrouve à New Delhi ou à Mumbai.

C.C

Nojazz

Nojazz

Nojazz

rencontre AVEC

All that jazz about Nojazz

A funky, rocking Parisian electro-jazz five-piece dance band about whom Le Monde, the most "intellectual" of the city of light's daily papers, questioned: "Is Nojazz the future of Jazz?"

Indeed this group is set to re-define the genre with its syncopated, danceable rhythms, words, modalities and melodies from around the world. It all

began in 2000, with the meeting of five musicians ready for anything, proud of their multiple respective experiences but determined to explore new musical territories. Philippe Balatier, aka Balat, keyboardist and sample, fan of James Brown and of the Propellerheads, and composer of ad soundtracks. Virtuoso jazz trumpeter Sylvain Gontard, aka SilverSly, who joined the group in June of 2008. Pascal Reva, aka Bilbo, bassist and drummer, Philippe Sellam, aka Slam, saxophonist who’s played everything from free to big band, and has accompanied the likes of Gil Evans, Paco Sery, Roy Hargrove, and last but not least the guest star HKB

Finn, talented spoken word artist and singer from London who embodies all the wordly influences that are present in that cosmopolitan city. The band’s concept is very simple: to mix the original celebratory spirit of jazz with hypnotic rhythms and contemporary sounds. Acoustic and Jungle, Trip Hop and Fanfares, melodies and samples, funk and jazz happily mingle with drum and bass. They have performed in about 40 countries so far, appearing at clubs and festivals. Their shows are explosive, fantastic displays of energy and rhythm where the magic of George Clinton, Frank Zappa and Miles Davis fuse to create an otherworldy experience.

NoJazz have released 3 albums on Warner Brothers internationally (with many guests, including Stevie Wonder, Earth Wind & Fire...). Their newest, fourth album “Zooland” came out in December.

Did you know?

Taj Mahal Fox Trot Bombay (aka Mumbai) was till the late 60’s the capital of jazz in Asia. Doubt it? Check the recently released book by Naresh Fernandes , journalist and former editor of Time Out Mumbai, Taj Mahal Fox Trot. Rediscover our city in music. http://www.tajmahalfoxtrot.com/

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books

Voyagez en lisant

Partez loin, très loin, découvrir la vie sous d’autres cieux sans bouger de votre fauteuil. Les écrivains- voyageurs vous entrainent à leur suite. Une tendance toujours au goût du jour en France et décryptée pour vous.

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« Le récit de voyage a d’abord été une sorte de « reportage » sur le monde connu comme par exemple avec Hérodote. C'est la narration qui est au service de la description, contrairement à ce qui se produit dans les récits de fiction. Puis un récit des choses vues: les grandes découvertes, les explorateurs, le monde géographique à découvrir avec Bougainville, Jean de Léry, les récits des missionnaires vers l’Orient, Jean Chardin… Enfin on perçoit un besoin de se découvrir de façon intime où le narrateur est au centre de son récit comme chez les romantiques (Nerval) ou sentimentaux (Stendhal) et de découvrir le monde. explique Lionel Bedin. Ce romantisme du voyageur n’a pas complètement disparu, comme le rappelle Christian Giudicelli, 10 Impressions June-august 2012

directeur de la nouvelle collection Le sentiment géographique chez Gallimard.

«J’eu eu envie de confier à un écrivain un territoire, un pays ou ville, qu’il souhaite évoquer de façon littéraire, comme s’il tenait un journal d’impressions ».

Egalement auteur, Christian Giudicelli publiait Tunisie, saison nouvelle en février 2012. Chez Gallimard, les lecteurs pourront découvrir de jeunes auteurs comme Elodie

Bernard avec Le vol du paon mène à Lhassa (2010) ou des plumes déjà connues, telles qu’Olivier Germain-Thomas, auteur de plusieurs ouvrages sur l’Inde et l’Asie (Borobudur, mai 2012).

«Au XIXe siècle le voyage demeurait une passion élitiste. Aujourd’hui, c’est très démocratisé, tout le monde peut faire le tour du monde et en rapporter un carnet de

© Vuk Vukmirovic | Dreamstime.com

enri Michaux, Alexandra David-Néel, Joseph Kessel, Pierre Loti…Ces noms ont fait plus d’une fois vibrer les lecteurs, intrigués par ces récits se déroulant dans des plaines à perte de vue, des jungles impénétrables ou des cimes enneigées. Souvent clichés, parfois romancés voire inventés, ces récits de voyage ont néanmoins nourri l’imaginaire du grand public et contribué à explorer de nouvelles contrées. Pour Lionel Bedin, concepteur du site Etonnants Voyageurs : «La littérature de voyage est une littérature du réel bien au-delà de son aspect «exotique » qui confronte une réalité et le point de vue du voyageur avec la réalité et les points de vue de l’autre et de l’ailleurs. Le résultat de cette rencontre, de ces échanges, est le récit de voyage ». Michaux explore ainsi l’Asie, comparant dans son célèbre Un barbare en Asie les différentes ethnies qu’il y rencontre, et s’y confrontant luimême. Chez Kessel, on découvre de façon plus brute des pays et des situations. C’est ainsi le cas dans La vallée de rubis, où l’on plonge avec l’auteur dans l’enfer des trafics de pierres dans la Birmanie du début du XXe siècle. Alexandra David-Néel dans L’Inde où j’ai vécu se targue de décrypter un pays et ses mœurs « interdit aux femmes ».

Explorateurs et aventuriers partagent leurs fragments d’histoire et de lieux, nourrissant bien souvent de nouvelles expéditions.

Titi Robin joue au festival Etonnants Voyageurs

Gael Le NY

changé. Désormais les gens restent en contact en permanence, il n’y a plus d’immersion réelle dans une autre culture ou un autre monde» souligne Catherine Domain. Certains pays, acquiesce-t-elle, marquent plus que d’autres. Comme l’Inde, « un pays tellement vaste qu’on y revient toujours». A la frontière entre le journalisme, l’ethnologie, l’essai sentimental et le roman d’aventure pur, la littérature de voyage perpétue l’envie d’ailleurs, la possibilité d’un autre monde, de cultures différentes permettant une réflexion en profondeur sur sa propre identité ou appartenance socio-culturelle.

Pour Christian Giudicelli, revenir à un récit sentimental de voyage permet d’explorer d’autres aspects du périple.

«L’écrivain se promène sans se soucier de l’aspect statistique du reportage de voyage.

Il hume une atmosphère ».

Ecrivains-Voyageurs

Gael Le NY

books

Courte sélection

Gael Le NY

Les plus récents: Sur la Route 66 (La Martinière) de Stéphane Dugast et Christophe Géral, un ouvrage hommage réalisé suite à un voyage en Harley Davidson sur cette fameuse route mythique de l’Ouest.

Mimlu Sen -Etonnants Voyageurs

voyage. Mais la qualité des textes littéraires varie » explique Catherine Domain, ancienne grande voyageuse, fondatrice de la Librairie Ulysse, à Paris, la première au monde uniquement dédiée au voyage.

«La tradition de cette littérature demeure forte, avec une véritable passion pour l’Asie. Le concept de collection littéraire attitrée est plus récent, cela permet de donner de la visibilité à ce style» analyse Christian Giudicelli. Catherine Domain soutient cette littérature depuis plusieurs années avec le prix Pierre Loti du récit de voyage, récompensant un ouvrage chaque année par un séjour en pays basque. En 2012 parmi les auteurs finalistes, outre le déjà célèbre ouvrage de Sylvain Tesson (lire P12), on pouvait découvrir «Sur la Route 66 » ou encore « L’aventure de Tara-Tari » de Corentin de Chatelperron au Bangladesh. «La librairie attire toutes sortes de gens, avec des motivations et des envies différentes, c’est ce qui me fait voyager aujourd’hui » explique l’ancienne baroudeuse. « La façon de voyager a

L’aventure de Tara-Tari (La Découvrance) de Corentin de Chatelperron, qui part en solitaire à la voile sur un navire de fortune construit avec de la toile de jute, du Bangladesh à la France.

Dans les forêts de Sibérie (Gallimard, 2011) Sylvain Tesson, voyageur et écrivain médiatisé en France, son dernier ouvrage traite de ses six mois d’isolement en Sibérie.

Les classiques: L'Usage du monde de Nicolas Bouvier En Patagonie de Bruce Chatwin, Chemin faisant de Jacques Lacarrière, La Route (les vagabonds du rail) de Jack London, La Voie cruelle d’Ella Maillart, Longue marche de Bernard Ollivier, Le Description du monde (ou Le Devisement du monde) de Marco Polo, Rome, Naples et Florence de Stendhal Le voyage avec un âne dans les Cévennes de R.L. Stevenson, La Route bleue de Kenneth White La collection « Le sentiment géographique » chez Gallimard.

Nicolas Bouvier, Stendhal, Jacques Lacarrière, Ella Maillart, Alexandra David Néel, Piere Loti, Joseph Kessel, Olivier Germain-Thomas sont disponibles à la médiathèque de l’Alliance Française de Bombay.

Retrouvez les chroniques et actualités de Lionel Bedin : http://www.ecrivains-voyageurs.net/ http://ecrivains-voyageurs.blogspot.fr/ Et n’oubliez pas de visiter Ulysse à Paris : http://www.ulysse.fr/

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books

De vive voix: Sylvain Tesson

The insatiable wanderer, Sylvain Tesson is a renowned writer, and the latest fad in France amongst authors and explorers.

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ylvain Tesson, born in 1972, pursued geography studies before taking off for a world tour on bicycle in 1993 with co traveler Alexandre Poussin. He renewed the experience in 1997 in the Himalayas, which he explored on foot. A few years later he discovered Central Asia on horseback with photographer and writer Priscilla Telmon, 3,000 kms from Kazakhstan till Uzbekistan. He is a member of the prestigious Society of French explorers and an avid reader. A prolific writer, he chronicles his travels and experiences after each journey. In 2004, he followed the journey of another traveler, exinmate from Siberia, Sławomir Rawicz (The Long Walk,1955 that inspired the movie in 2010 The Way Back), a journey that brought him to India. Tesson is also known for his acrobatic experiences on the Notre Dame Cathedral and other high pieces of monuments and architecture in France. An insatiable traveler, he actually only spends time in Paris to prepare another trip or to write. In 2010 he decided to live for six months in a cabin in Siberia in the midst of forests, close to the Baikal lake, a hundred and twenty good kilometers from the nearest town.

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Sylvain Tesson makes a living out of his writings and various collaborations with magazines and tv channels on travel.

He was awarded the Goncourt de la Nouvelle in 2009, for Une vie à coucher dehors (Gallimard, 2009) and the Médicis essai award on 2011 for Dans les forêts de Sibérie (Gallimard, 2011).

Cachemire indien : Ladakh – Zanskar –Kashmir : « Le contraste est violent entre nos journées d’efforts, de marche incessante, aiguillonnées par notre lubie de traverser intégralement l’Himalaya, et la quiétude de nos haltes. Purement nomades, nous sommes engagés dans une grande course contre la montre, contre l’hiver à venir, contre les centaines de kilomètres qui nous séparent du Tadjikistan, contre l’espace. Et tous les soirs nous pénétrons un temps immobile, dans des sanctuaires d’éternité où la course des jours, les prétentions des hommes, tout désir et toute ambition grillent au soleil cru d’altitude sur le bûcher des vanités. Peu à peu, nous sommes pétris par cette ambiance et ce détachement, et notre anxiété du cours des choses devient totale sérénité. Faut-il franchir un col dans une tempête de neige? Ne pas voir âme qui vive pendant trois jours ? Pénétrer dans une région interdite ? Nous abordons toutes ces difficultés sans états d’âme car nous avons pris l’habitude de n’avoir pas d’objectifs à court terme, ni de désirs bornés. Notre unique ressort est d’avancer, qu’importe le reste, pourvu que nous rencontrions, innovions, découvrions.

Le danger aurait été de casser ce ressort, de nous enliser. Comme nous quittons le monastère de Ringdom, les moines qui observent le fond de la vallée récitent au soleil de leur terrasse ce vers de Milarepa: “Tu fuis toujours ailleurs, mais ton désir de liberté et de savoir est illusion. Reste donc ici pour détruire les illusions de ton esprit.” Nous partons. » Extract, Himalaya, Visions de marcheurs des cimes, éditions Transboréales, 1998.

« Assez tôt, j'ai compris que je n'allais pas pouvoir faire grand-chose pour changer le monde. Je me suis alors promis de m'installer quelque temps, seul, dans une cabane. Dans les forêts de Sibérie.

J'ai acquis une isba de bois, loin de tout, sur les bords du lac Baïkal.

Là, pendant six mois, à cinq jours de marche du premier village, perdu dans une nature démesurée, j'ai tâché d'être heureux.

Je crois y être parvenu.

Deux chiens, un poêle à bois, une fenêtre ouverte sur un lac suffisent à la vie.

Et si la liberté consistait à posséder le temps?

Et si le bonheur revenait à disposer de solitude, d'espace et de silence – toutes choses dont manqueront les générations futures ?

Tant qu'il y aura des cabanes au fond des bois, rien ne sera tout à fait perdu. » Extract Dans les forets de Sibérie, Gallimard 2011 Bibliographie: 1996 : On a roulé sur la terre (Laffont) 1998 : La marche dans le ciel:

5000km à pied à travers

l'Himalaya (Laffont) 2002 : Nouvelles de l'Est (Phébus) 2007 : Éloge de l'énergie vagabonde

(Équateurs) 2008 : Aphorismes sous la lune et autres

pensées sauvages (Équateurs) 2009 : Une vie à coucher dehors

(Gallimard) - Goncourt de la

nouvelle 2009 2011 : Dans les forêts de Sibérie

(Gallimard)

books

Voix d’hier : Jules Verne

Last May, the prestigious Pléiade collection (Gallimard) published a series of novels by famous author Jules Verne, the master of adventurous journeys in literature. The man considered to be the father of French science-fiction was indeed a visionary and a vivacious writer.

J

ules Gabriel Verne was born on February 8, 1828, in Nantes.

Raised in a middle-class family, he was a rebellious child . Verne learned to escape into his own world of imagination. Those feelings would show up in many of Verne's works as an adult.

In 1847 Verne went to Paris to study law, although secretly he was already planning a literary career. Owing to his friendship with French author Alexandre Dumas the Elder (1802– 1870, author of The Three Musketeers), Verne started writing comedies and operettas and began contributing short stories to a popular magazine, Le Musée des familles.

DR

A Journey to the Center of the Earth (1864) describes the adventures of a group of explorers and scientists who descend on the crater of an Icelandic volcano and discover an underground world. The Adventures of Captain Hatteras(1866) centers on an expedition to the North Pole (not actually reached by Robert Peary until 1909). In From the Earth to the Moon (1865) and its sequel, Round the Moon (1870), Verne describes how two adventurous Americans—joined, naturally, by a Frenchman—arrange to be fired in a hollow projectile from a gigantic cannon that lifts them out of Earth's gravity field and takes them close to the moon. Verne not only pictured the state of weightlessness his "astronauts" experienced during their flight, but he also had the vision to locate their launching site in Florida, where nearly all of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) space launches take place today.

Verne wrote his two masterpieces when he was in his forties. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (1870) narrates the voyages of the submarine Nautilus, built and commanded by the mysterious Captain Nemo, one of the literary figures in whom Verne incorporated many of his own character traits. Around the World in Eighty Days (1873) is the story of a successful bet made by a typical Englishman, Phileas Fogg, a character modeled on Verne's father, who had a mania for punctuality, or the art of timeliness.

DR

Verne's first long work of fiction, Five Weeks in a Balloon, was an account of a journey by air over central Africa, which, at that time, was largely unexplored. The book, published in January 1863, was an immediate success. He then decided to retire from stock broking – a profession he took in the late 1850’s- and to devote his entire time to writing.

Other popular novels include The Mysterious Island (1875) and Michael Strogoff (1876). Verne's total literary output comprised nearly eighty books, but many of them are of little value or interest today. One noteworthy feature of all his work is its moral idealism, which earned him in 1884 the personal congratulations of Pope Leo XIII (1810– 1903). "If I am not always what I ought to be," Verne once wrote, "my characters will be what I should like to be." His interest in scientific progress was balanced by his religious faith, and in some of his later novels (such as The Purchase of the North Pole, 1889), he showed himself to be aware of the social dangers of uncontrolled technological advance.

In 1886 Verne was the victim of a shooting accident, which left him disabled. He spent his old age in retirement and died on March 24, 1905 in Amiens.

Find out more on Jules Verne's books in Alliance Française médiathèque.

Ask the librarian for help.

(Extract and source: notable biographies. com) June-august 2012 Impressions 13

books Niveau de lecture: facile moyen

Notes de lecture La vallée des rubis, Joseph Kessel, Gallimard, 1955 Ce récit transporte le lecteur dans la lointaine Birmanie, pays aux accents magiques pour l’Européen du milieu du XXe siècle. Le narrateur y fait la rencontre de personnages peu scrupuleux, d’aventuriers et de chercheurs, partis à la conquête des pierres précieuses dont certaines, les rubis, sont parfois qualifiées de « sang de pigeon »… On découvre des paysages inattendus et un appétit pour le gain inexorable. A lire de toute urgence pour découvrir Kessel et les récits d’aventures.

L’ Inde où j’ai vécu, Alexandra David-Néel, Plon, 1951 La narration de l’auteur oscille entre réflexions d’analyses et commentaires parfois cocasses sur les situations dont elle est témoin. Elle relate des pratiques religieuses et culturelles tout en gardant une distance très européenne, à remettre dans le contexte de 1951, juste après l’Indépendance de l’Inde. Le langage est soutenu mais les thèmes seront familiers aux amoureux et natifs de l’Inde.

L’ Inde sans les Anglais, Pierre Loti, Kailash, 1903 Pierre Loti appartient à la vague d’écrivains influencés par l’orientalisme et le classicisme. Il relate dans cet ouvrage ses expériences en Inde en 1900 au départ du sud de l’Inde. Son style amusé, poétique, rend la lecture assez agréable même si l’ouvrage est assez long.

L’usage du monde, Nicolas Bouvier, Droz, 1963 Un grand classique de la littérature de voyage sous la plume du voyageur suisse Nicolas Bouvier, L’usage du monde nous fait parcourir des milliers de kilomètres accompagnés des magnifiques illustrations de Thierry Vernet. De la Yougoslavie à l’Afghanistan, les deux compères glissent leur regard avec malice et candeur sur le monde.

L'Inde, Mircea Eliade, L'Herne-Méandres, 1988 Mircea Eliade est considéré comme l'un des fondateurs de l'histoire moderne des religions. Savant studieux des mythes, Eliade élabora une vision comparée des religions, en trouvant des relations de proximité entre différentes cultures et moments historiques. Au centre de l'expérience religieuse de l’homme, Eliade situe la notion du «Sacré».

Romans et nouvelles, Stendhal, la Pleiade Gallimard, 1952 Lisez le très célèbre romantique et prodigue auteur grenoblois avec ces nouvelles, une bonne entrée en matière avant les classiques Le Rouge et le noir ou La Chartreuse de Parme. Les descriptifs des lieux et des situations invitent par eux-mêmes au voyage.

Voyage en Orient, Gérard de Nerval, Nouvelle librairie de France, 1851 Poète, romancier, essayiste né en 1808, Gérard de Nerval a voyagé durant trois mois en Orient en 1842,passant successivement par Alexandrie, Le Caire, Beyrouth, Constantinople, Malte et Naples. De retour à Paris dans les derniers mois de 1843, il publie ses premiers articles relatifs à son voyage en 1844. Son ouvrage parait en 1851 et présente un très bel exemple d’orientalisme, une fascination pour l’Orient mêlée d’exotisme.

Carnets d’Orient, Jacques Ferrandez, Casterman, 1987 Très agréable à lire et parcourir, entre le carnet de voyage (planches crayonnées ou colorées) et la véritable bande dessinée, cette série de six tomes vous emmène dans l’Orient de la décolonisation, jusqu’en Inde. Facile à lire et instructif.

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14 Impressions June-august 2012

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books

March-May 2012 Impressions 15

CINEMA

Indian cinema on the Croisette Far from being part of the typical and traditional Bollywood genre, are three Indian independent films that have been selected at the 65th Cannes Film Festival in the main selections.

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he Indian director, screenwriter and producer Ashim Ahluwalia, whose documentary film “John and Jane” had its world premiere inToronto in 2005, was presented in the official selection “Un Certain Regard” with his first fiction feature film “Miss Lovely”.

Anurag Kashyap is considered one of the patrons of the new age Hindi cinema. "Udaan", written and produced by the latter, was selected in “Un Certain Regard” in 2010.

Also, the Indian project "The Untold Tale" by director Shivajee Chandrabushan was one of 15 projects selected for “l’Atelier de la Cinéfondation.”

At the invitation of the French National Centre of Cinematography (CNC), two particularly active young Indian producers have participated in the Producers’ Network: producer Guneet Monga, working alongside Anurag Kashyap (Anurag Kashyap Films) and director–producer Onir (Anticlock Films) recently awarded the National Film Award (equivalent of the “César”) for his film I AM. Also worth noting is that the young director Bikas Mishra, founder and chief editor of DearCinema.com, was invited as one of the four members of the " Jury Révélation France 4" of the Cannes Critics' Week, new category of awards that reflect the passion and enthusiasm of young moviegoers for 16 Impressions June-august 2012

A still from the set of Miss Lovely.

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Producer, writer and director, Anurag Kashyap, an important personality in the Indian cinema, has been doubly present this year on the Croisette. On one hand with his action drama Gangs of Wasseypur at The Directors' Fortnight, and on the other hand for "Peddlers" by Vasan Bala that he has produced and which was selected in the Critics' Week.

new filmmaking talent. The selection of the above-mentioned 3 films at Cannes reflected the amazing vitality of Indian independent film productions that are still unknown to the international audience and survive despite little local support.

is a new mode of financing feature films in India and particularly in the commercial capital of Mumbai. Quite a few producer directors like Onir and Anurag Kashyap have financed their films ("I AM","Peddlers") through social networking websites.

An important point to note is the emerging of “crowd funding” which

For more information: www.festival-cannes.fr

Jules et Jim a soixante-ans !

Le film de François Truffaut célèbre son soixantième anniversaire en 2012. Une occasion de revoir ce film, disponible à la médiathèque de l’Alliance Française de Bombay.

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n mars 1961, alors qu’il prépare son troisième long-métrage, François Truffaut écrit à une amie américaine : « J’ai un trac absolument effroyable en ce moment. Il entre sûrement là-dedans de l’orgueil, de la vanité, de l’arrivisme et je ne sais encore quoi d’infamant mais d’irrésistible aussi: je désire pour Jules et Jim un succès le plus complet possible. » Cela fait alors près de cinq ans que Truffaut a découvert, à la librairie Delamain, à côté du Palais-

Royal, le premier roman de Henri-Pierre Roché, illustre inconnu déjà âgé de 76 ans. Entre l’apprenti cinéaste de 25 ans et le vieux dilettante naît une grande complicité. « L’un des plus beaux romans que je connaisse est Jules et Jim, écrit immédiatement le cadet dans un article des Cahiers du cinéma, qui nous montre, sur toute une vie, deux amis et leur compagne commune, s’aimer d’amour tendre et sans presque de heurts grâce à une morale esthétique et neuve sans

Unifrance

CINEMA

cesse reconsidérée.» Ce roman paru chez Gallimard raconte, sur un ton et avec un esprit si singuliers, les amours de deux hommes, français et allemand, pour une belle femme libre, Helen Hessel.

Truffaut pense très vite en proposer une adaptation au cinéma et l’écrit pour

Jeanne Moreau, qu’il vient de rencontrer au festival de Cannes. (…) La Nouvelle Vague trouve avec Jules et Jim l’un de ses accomplissements les plus aboutis. Sorti le 24 janvier 1962, le film tient l’affiche près de trois mois, attirant plus de 250 000 spectateurs.

Extrait de l’article publié par Antoine de Baecque, professeur d’histoire du cinéma, à l’université de Paris Ouest Nanterre pour les Archives Nationales (Ministère de la culture), Culture.fr.

A new genre of cinema emerges On the 25th May, Studio X screened the first collaborative film The Owner as part of its worldwide release.

Is this the birth of a new genre? Discover the movie this fall, as Alliance Française de Bombay will organize a special second screening.

Dates and venue to be confirmed.

Get more information on: http://www. collabfeature.com/

Caption clockwise: Paris, Mumbai, Dublin, London

CollabFeature.com

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he first-of-its-kind, this movie, filmed by 25 filmmakers on 5 continents, follows the adventures of an old backpack that is passed from one character to another around the world. As the journey progresses, we learn details about the mysterious owner of the bag.

The story, written collaboratively over the internet, brings together a variety of cultures, languages, and film styles into a singular narrative plot. On May 25th, the filmmakers, most of whom have never met, have hosted same-night screenings in theaters in their own cities. The French filmmaker involved is Nicolas Fogliarini, from Paris. He has directed the segment called "Mistakes of a Busy Man". Vikesh Mankal, Varun Mathur from New Delhi, Asmit Pathare and Neha Raheja Thaccker from Mumbai are the names of the directors for the segments based in India.

June-august 2012 Impressions 17

CINEMA

Our DVDs selection Festivals like Cannes are great to discover new filmmakers…But it is better to know your classics first! Choose and pick from our special selection as mentioned below.

Le mépris (the Contempt), 1963, by Jean-Luc Godard with famous Brigitte Bardot.

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Paul Javal is a writer who is hired to make a script for a new movie about Ulysses, which is to be directed by Fritz Lang and produced by Jeremy Prokosch. But because he let his wife Camille drive with Prokosch and he is late, she believes, he uses her as a sort of present for Prokosch to get a better payment… (IMDB) A classical.

Les enfants du paradis (Children of Paradise), 1945, by Marcel Carné with Arletty.

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This tragic tale centers around the ill-fated love between Baptiste, a theater mime, and Claire Reine, an actress and otherwise woman-about-town who calls herself Garance.

Garance, in turn, is loved by three other men: Frederick, a pretentious actor; Lacenaire, a conniving thief; and Count Eduard of Monteray…

Léon (The Professional), 1994, by Luc Besson, with Jean Reno, Nathalie Portman.

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A professional assassin rescues a teenage girl whose parents were killed in a police raid.

He teaches her how to survive.

Violent scenes can be disturbing but the film is a must-watch.

La pianiste, (the piano teacher), 2001, by Michael Haneke, with Isabelle Huppert, Benoit Maginmel.

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A young man romantically pursues his masochistic piano teacher.

For a mature audience.

La guerre des boutons (War of the buttons), 1962, by Yves Robert.

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The boys from the village of Longeverne and those from Velrans, a neighboring village, have declared war. Tactics and strategies are all they think of after class. Lebrac, the Longerverne’s inventive leader declares that a treasure has to be made by collecting “enemies” buttons…

A movie to watch at any age, anytime.

All movies available at the library of Alliance Française de Bombay.

18 Impressions March-May 2012

Niveau de compréhension: facile  moyen  difficile

watch OUT

THE GIFT OF TIME

One-piece bathing suit.

Swing, «petit h» workshop.

The Oberoi Hotel, New Delhi Ista Hotel, Pune Horniman Circle, Mumbai Hermes.com 19 June-august 2012 Impressions

watch OUT

Frenchies for summer

Every June, France celebrates music during the Music Day festival, in villages, town squares, parks and streets! This year, follow the latest French artists with our own special bites for 2012.

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n 2012, do not miss the French artists who will make you groove this summer. Daughter of Jacques Higelin, Izia, has made it through the charts with her rock album “So much trouble” (AZ, Universal) which won an award at the Victoires de la musique in 2012.

Soko (also an actress) is also to watch for. She has been one of the first French

musicians to be discovered on Myspace in 2007 and has enchanted France with her vocals and soft songwriting style.

If you want to discover another tiny region of France which has been celebrated for its weather as well as for its rich cultural diversity, fly to La Reunion island with Lindigo and his album Maloya Power, a contemporary

funky way to discover maloya, the groovy, militant and freestyle music from La Réunion. One is reminiscent of Danyel Waro, the famous maloya artist, who had been invited by the Alliance Française network in India for an Indian tour during the Francophonie week in 2011.

Another revelation according to the magazine Les Inrocks (available at the Médiathèque) : the promising Grimes, a native from Montreal and already a mini-star.

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Next in line, the duo Brigitte bringing along their French bohemian chic touch.

One would have seen them perform at the Printemps de Bourges, one of the most exciting French music festivals known for scouting talents. This year at Bourges the 77 Bombay Street might impress you as well. The name has nothing to do with Mumbai. It in fact refers to a street where they once lived in Adelaide, Australia!

This formation of four brothers delivers an exceptionally fresh pop-rock. Check out their LP, Up in the sky!

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Frantic crowd at Vieilles Charrues and Eurockéennes festivals.

20 Impressions June-august 2012

In July music will resound in Carhaix, in Brittany during the Vieilles Charrues festival. Declared as francophone artist of the year by the Indie Awards in Canada last March, Coeur de Pirate, will perform on the same stage as The Cure ! For those who prefer to download legally, France has seen the rise of many websites, introducing young talents such as the collective Jeunes Pousses. This is a great occasion to discover indie music from France as well as from the rest of the world.

Related links : www.cherryred.co.uk www.printemps-bourges.com/fr www.vieilles-charrues.com www.goutemesdisques.com www.beatport.com

watch OUT

Celebrate music in France

Check out the many French festivals happening during the summer. From Belfort to Brittany, from Paris to Lyon, discover France in music. famous artists performing on a charitable basis during three days. The profits made from the festival are donated to the NGOs and other charitable associations aiming at improving the conditions of those suffering from the disease, all over the world. Among the first line up for 2012, one can count Skip The Use, Joey Starr, Tiken Jah Fakoly, Arthur H, Orelsan, The Bloody Beetroots, The Kills, Zebda… and many more.

The Eurockéennes de Belfort is one of France's largest rock music festivals. The Eurockéennes, a play on words involving the words rock and européennes (Europeans), is a festival based in a nature reserve in Malsaucy near Belfort. In 1989 the festival was launched under the name Le Ballon - Territoire de musiques, named after the nearby Ballon d'Alsace (a local mountain). This year, program for the end of June, you will see artists such as Dyonisos, Dropkick Murphys, Lana del Rey or Justice.

A summer rock festival in Paris!

The famous Rock en Seine festival draws a massive crowd to Saint-Cloud every year.

You can expect to see a fantastic line-up of international performers, and not only rock, but a whole range of musical styles will be represented. Is this just another music festival in the Paris region? No, in fact this festival is bigger and better and takes place in an easily accessible and beautiful landscapes. Three whole days of top musical talent performing and its only a metro ride from the city centre!

Pop, rock, electro, there is something for everyone at Rock en Seine. Even the kids have a Mini Rock festival with a specially adapted program which runs alongside the main festival. Other than the concerts,

numerous forms of entertainment take place on site, some being exhibitions and workshops.

In the old city of Arras, in the North of France, discover the Main Square Festival in Nord - Pas-de-Calais. in the heart of Europe, this city is located between Brussels, London and Paris. Built between 1667 and 1672 on the Vauban maps, the old city is classified by the UNESCO. In 2010, the Main Square Festival was started in a central park to offer public and artists the best of contemporary music.

If you stay in Paris, do not miss the Solidays festival, from 22 to 24th June.

This unique festival is entirely dedicated to create awareness about HIV and AIDS with

The Vieilles Charrues Festival (French: Festival des Vieilles Charrues; Breton: Gouel an Erer Kozh; literally: Old Ploughs Festival) is held every year in mid-July in the city of Carhaix located in the west of Brittany.

This festival is the largest music festival in France, attracting more than 200,000 festival-goers every year. This festival was created in 1992 in Landeleau, a small village nearby. At that time, less than 500 revelers were present and the festival ressembled a private party. The following year, the festival welcomed more than 2000 people and that was the beginning of its success story. In 1995, due to lack of space at the original site, the festival moved to Carhaix city center and in 1998, for the same reason, the festival shifted to a site on the outskirts of Carhaix.

More on Franceguide.com (source: Wikipedia) June-august 2012 Impressions 21

FRANCE EN BREF

French streets, an open-stage for arts

In France, more than 200 street arts festivals are organized every year. This year will mark the 27th anniversary of the oldest street art festival.

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All photographs: Compagnie Acte

Fresque aux Baclons_ Frederic Pfisterer

treet arts include really diverse aesthetics. From spectacular scenography to more intimist performances, art goes from deambulation to art exhibition. A large range of arts are performed: theater, circus, fine arts, music, dance, pyrotechnic, new medias and so on. Given their name, street art performances take place in public places not dedicated to the arts. It can be a town square, a railway station, a mall or a car park. In those specific settings, the audience is composed of

22 Impressions June-august 2012

people who come specifically for the festival. It also consists of passersby who stop by on their way back home. What distinguishes street arts from arts in dedicated traditional locations is that, thanks to the setting of the performance, the artists need to keep in mind the position of the spectators. The spectator doesn't have a passive role any longer.

Far from the comfortable theaters, the spectators sit on the floor, walk with the artists, ride a bike, gather around a lake

or look up to see the performance held on heights. This is happening because one of the goals of street arts is to grab the daily use of the public space. To street artists, using the public space to create art is a way to claim the social role of artists in the city. They reject the idea of a culture made by and for the elite. They are seeking new audiences. They explore everyday life by performing in everyday's venues.

Street arts contain a political commitment: they want to revolutionize, surprise and protest against the opacity of the everyday and the drifting of the industrial and individualist society. In their shows, they present a new model of society which gives a place to each and everyone. Performances are for free and open to all. Streets arts are fighting for equality and trying to open everyone to the consciousness of our belonging to the same world. Given that, all are responsible for the building and the evolution of this common world.

France gathers 1040 out of 1150 companies specialized in street arts in the world. 200 new creations are made every year. It still remains an ever-growing field despite the weak support given by the state. In 2010, street arts received 1.6% of the global budget for live arts.

Performances' success is mainly due to festivals. Let's have a look on one of the bigger festival of street arts : the Aurillac Festival.

Aurillac is a small medieval town with 28 000 inhabitants in Auvergne. A few days before the kick-off, about 600 street art companies arrive. The festival-goers follow them later either by car, train, van or by hitchhiking.

People from all age and regions converge at the very heart of les Monts du Cantal.

The camps get full quite fast while some

Prologue_Frederic Pfisterer

Voltige_Olivier Mignot

FRANCE EN BREF

prefer to sleep in their van. The city rapidly grows up to 110 000 inhabitants!

Walls and store windows are covered by posters announcing the upcoming shows. In three days, this usually quiet city is transformed. The festival starts and no less than 700 shows each day are performed around the city. In the streets, on the road, or even in public gardens, artists perform. Spectators watch the shows sitting on the grass, on the concrete or on little chairs for the more foresighted, wearing their summer clothes or their rain outfits depending on the weather.

From 10 am to midnight, there is at least one show every 20 meters. Strange deambulation occupy the streets: who are those colorful giants wearing stilt?

The festival-goers dance on the music following the giants and clapping their hands. At midnight, the last shows wind up and a giant urban party takes place.

Non professional jugglers and dancers reveal themselves while batucadas (Brazilian percussions) are playing until late in the night. The atmosphere is lively as the artists and festival-goers shout to one another, chat, and share some beers.

After a few hours of sleep, everybody is ready the next morning for another day of live performances.

Alice Lamy Sources: Le Figaro (27 mai 2011) Hors les Murs

Street Art festival in india From the artists-wanderers to the circus, India too has seen various form of street art festivals, the latest being the development of flashmobs in the city of Mumbai (at VT station for example) or performances from Indian contemporary artists.

However the political dimension of these events has not been so prominent compared to the French ones. The famous Kala Ghoda festival in Mumbai, to which Alliance Franรงaise de Bombay has been previously associated, offers a platform for all sorts of arts and handicrafts. Some of the stalls do have a voice in the NGO field but none could be really considered as activists The Art Loft has launched a series of street performances; however it was viewed more as a festive event.

June-august 2012 Impressions 23

DISCOVERY

Cinema trails in Paris

If you love cinema, you will love visiting France on a special movie trail. Hollywood and Bollywood have plenty of competition!

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The rat Remy of Ratatouille dreams of becoming a chef in Paris.

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ant to stop by the Café des Deux-Moulins at Montmartre and have a coffee where Amélie Poulain worked? Or perhaps track the phantom at the Opera Garnier? Perhaps you are adventurous enough to try a special visit of the Louvre at night, as proposed in the Da Vinci Code…

Try for example the Rat trail of Ratatouille, in which the rat named Remy dreams of becoming a great French chef despite his family’s wishes.

The Eiffel Tower, is how Remy realizes he has arrived in this beautiful city.

The Eiffel Tower was designed by the engineer Gustave Eiffel for the universal exhibition of 1889. It is however is no longer used for scientific purposes, a radio and television transmitter is still located on top of the tower. The Eiffel Tower, 324 metres high, has become the symbol of France and of Paris: it has received more than 220 million visitors since its construction.

Remy’s family settles in the sewers of Paris upon their arrival in the city.

Visit the Musée des Egouts (Paris sewer museum). The visit goes deep into the bowels of Paris, in subterranean galleries, where the role of the Paris sewer workers 24 Impressions June-august 2012

are presented. Around 1200 AD, Philippe Auguste paved the streets of Paris and provided a drainage channel below the city. In 1850, the Baron Haussmann, Prefect of the Seine, and the engineer Belgrand developed the sewer network and water supply. A double water distribution network (drinking and nondrinking water) and a sewer network were thus created. The Paris network includes 2100 km of galleries.

Trying to escape from Skinner, the tyrant chef, Remy jumps between the boats on the river.

The Seine : From the Eiffel Tower, historical Paris is waiting to be viewed.

Yachts are moored at the Arsenal bassin, dug into the moats of the former Bastille fortress. Paris is both the second river port in Europe and the first in the world for tourist trips: more than 5 million visitors each year.

Cinema in Paris

Paris is a city soaked in cinema over than a century. The number of cinema houses offering some 500 films every week for a variety of public make Paris a cinema capital. Paris is also an inspiration to filmmakers, with 800 films being shot every year shot in more than 4,400 locations in natural backdrops throughout the city. Institutions like the Cinémathèque

Must do: A break between two films Some places enable you to take a break between two films by allowing you to liner in the hallway of the theatre. For a snack or drink before or after a film, there is the bar, or to exchange first impressions in a more tranquil environment, there is the restaurant. This is the case at the Lucernaire and the Entrepôt, which also offers a small garden under a very pleasant glass roof. At the Bistrot des Cinéastes, you can enjoy specially selected vintages accompanied by regional produce. At the Café du Cinéma du Panthéon, the public curl up in huge armchairs and it’s also a place to enjoy, wonderful simple dishes in stylish decor, composed by Catherine Deneuve.

Le 7th bar Forum des images Forum des Halles, Paris 1st – M° Les Halles, RER Châtelet-Les Halles – www. forumdesimages.fr Le Café du Cinéma du Panthéon 13 rue Victor-Cousin, Paris 5th – RER Luxembourg – www.cinema. pantheon.free.fr Le Lucernaire 53 rue Notre-Damedes-Champs, Paris 6th – M° Notre-Dame-des-Champs – www. lucernaire.fr L’Entrepôt 7-9 rue Francis-dePressensé, Paris 14th – M° Pernety – www.lentrepot.fr Bistrot des Cinéastes – Cinéma des Cinéastes 7 av de Clichy, Paris 17th – M° Place-de-Clichy – www.cinemades-cineastes.fr française, the Maison européenne de la photographie, the Jeu de Paume, show rich and diverse works of photography and cinema. www.cinema.paris.fr

DISCOVERY

June-august 2012 Impressions 25

AF du Monde

Alliance Française de Chittagong, Bangladesh L’Alliance Française de Chittagong ouvre ses portes pour Impressions. Après une très belle actualité avec l’événement Tagore, Samuel Berthet, directeur, revient sur la francophonie au Bangladesh et les projets à venir. dans laquelle le pédagogique et le culturel sont en constante interaction. L’esprit AF, pluralisme, convivialité et ouverture, sont les principes de base qui l’animent.

Quelle est l'importance du français au Bangladesh ?

Le français est très présent grâce aux deux Alliances Françaises du pays qui touchent un public de plus en plus important, motivé par l’attrait de la culture française et les perspectives professionnelles offertes par la langue française. Il n’existe pas dans les universités du Bangladesh de département de langues vivantes autre que les départements de bangla, d’arabe et d’anglais ce qui accroît l’importance du rôle des Alliances Françaises. Grâce à l’AFC, le français est d’ailleurs un module obligatoire pour les étudiants d’anglais de l’université de Chittagong et de fait, tous les départements d’anglais des universités de premier rang font appel à nous pour leur proposer un module. Quant à l’AF de Dhaka, elle est en plein boom, avec ses trois branches et des effectifs également en constante augmentation. Le contexte est extrêmement favorable.

Quelle est la taille de votre AF, comment s'organisent les cours et quelles sont les particularités dans votre équipe ?

Outre ses cours traditionnels, l’AF de Chittagong déploie ses activités en direction des écoles, des universités et des officiers de l’armée de la seconde ville du 26 Impressions June-august 2012

pays. En tout, ce sont plus de 1200 étudiants différents qui ont reçu un enseignement du français. L’ équipe est essentiellement composée d’anciens élèves francophones de longue date. C’est une équipe solide portée sur le renouveau des méthodes et l’adaptation aux nouvelles technologies

Quelle a été la participation de votre AF sur le projet Tagore?

En tant que directeur de l’AF, j’ai tout d’abord trouvé ces clichés photographiques qui étaient déclarés perdus, et dont j’avais appris l’existence lors de mes recherches pour ma thèse de doctorat sur l’histoire des relations culturelles entre la France et l’Asie du Sud. C’était en partie vrai car la plupart des négatifs des clichés sont perdus, mais pas pour les tirages positifs. Il y a avait également un défaut d’identification auquel j’ai pu remédier du fait de mon séjour à Shantiniketan, l’université créée par Tagore, et de ma qualité d’historien.

Je suis donc devenu de fait le commissaire de l’exposition et c’est à l’AF de Chittagong qu’est revenue l’intégralité du montage de l’exposition (digitalisation, retouches, impressions, catalogue, levée de fonds,

AF du Monde

promotion de la jeune scène artistique franco-sud asatique. Parveen Khan, la compagnie Cie al et les Astrolobi suivront bientôt. Le Caribou Volant et Alexandre Jurain en ont été les fers de lance en 2010, puis l’agence de photographie Zeppelin en 2011. Celle-ci a débuté une collaboration dès 2009 qui se poursuit avec une équipe de photographes du Bangladesh formés à la publication dans la presse internationale. En 2011, ils ont poursuivi une résidence qui a marqué les esprits en collaboration avec Roland Michaud, dont les clichés de l’Inde notamment sont mondialement connus.

Enfin, à l’AFC, la biodiversité est au cœur de nos activités avec un club très actif depuis 2010, année internationale de la biodiversité, qui en plus d’un festival annuel a organisé les premiers festivals de slow food, qui furent d’énormes succès.

événementiel) en collaboration avec la fondation Harsharan, détentrice des droits et le soutien de l’ambassade de France à Dhaka.

Quels sont les retours?

Les retours ont été nombreux : une centaine d’articles dans plus de 25 pays, une dépêche de l’AFP, des diaporamas sur le site de la BBC visible depuis un an, du Point… Cela a dépassé toutes nos attentes.

Les commentaires des visiteurs furent également très enrichissants et suivis de demandes de prêts de photographies pour d’autres expositions ainsi que des publications. Les habitants de Shantiniketan où l’exposition a eu lieu grâce à l’Alliance Française du Bengale ont également vivement apprécié cette mise en lumière d’une partie si importante de leur patrimoine culturel. Lors du vernissage, Supriya Thakur, un petit-fils de Rabindranath Tagore, a délivré une allocution pleine de fougue et très touchante.

Comment s'organise la vie au Bangladesh culturellement?

La vie culturelle s’organise au Bangladesh autour des écoles et des associations d’art et de musique, très nombreuses, mais aussi des festivals traditionnels et de plus en en plus à Dhaka des galeries. Il y a une grande soif d’ouverture et un des aspects les plus étonnants est certainement le développement de la photographie parmi la jeunesse qui constitue un phénomène majeur.

Quels sont les projets de vos AF? Après Tagore, cette année les synergies se déploieront autour de quelques événements majeurs tels qu’un festival de hip hop en partenariat avec le Goethe Institute, ou encore un programme autour du Printemps arabe, mais aussi la venue de la danseuse de kathak Isabelle Anna qui avait connu un succès énorme en 2010. A ce sujet, un des axes majeurs de notre programmation est la

Les échanges entre la France et le Bangladesh se développent-ils et sous quelle forme?

Les échanges entre la France et le Bangladesh se développent sous la forme de différentes coopérations: formation au français des futures officiers de la force Pronu dans nos Alliances, développement du service hydrographique des armées qui a permis la reconnaissance des eaux internationales du Bangladesh au mois de février, ce qui a été célébré comme un grand succès diplomatique, échanges commerciaux bien évidemment, notamment dans le secteur très dynamique du textile, mais aussi au niveau archéologique avec les fouilles menées par la Maison de l’Orient, de l’université de Lyon, conservation et innovation du patrimoine maritime avec l’ONG Taratari ou encore coopération architectural avec le groupe de recherche de Grenoble CRATerre qui aide à la lutte contre les catastrophes naturelles par la mise au point d’un habitat adapté selon les critères du développement durable et dont les travaux ont été mis en avant grâce au soutien de l’Institut français.

Ce sont quelques-uns des aspects des échanges très nourris entre les deux pays.

June-august 2012 Impressions 27

Amrit Gangar

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28 Impressions June-august 2012

Watson Hotel, a forgotten heritage

Archiv e A,G

The Old Days

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Walking along the Mumbai University, one comes across a grey faded building which appears out of the place, amongst the other splendid structures surrounding it.

After John Watson’s departure in 1909, the building came under the ownership of different people including the Tatas.

Previously a residency, it is currently occupied by commercial establishments especially those of lawyers and shopkeepers. The wall in the hallway plastered with nameplates of lawyers gives us a proof of this fact. As one proceeds towards the center of the edifice, a mountain full of garbage appears in sight, lying below a broken glass skylight which lies gathering dust. Neglected, lies the atrium, which served as a ballroom once upon a time. Also the place is infested with cats and rats. Inspite of the negligence suffered by it, Watson Hotel still retains its strong skeleton. As mentioned by Mr. Nafiz Ahmad, the owner of Smart & Hollywood, a children clothing store, whose shop has inhabited the building for the last 70 years, “The building can stand strong for more than 50 years. The original stairs were made of brass; however they’ve been replaced by plywood.” The shop is situated on one end of the atrium thus showing the actual extent of the original structure. The balcony flooring is non existent on the first floor as well as in some parts of the other floor. Paint lies clinging on the walls, on the verge of fading away.

Sadder is the fact that the restoration work was abandoned by the Government two years back. The rear side lies unattended where the Army restaurant is also located.

Akshay Mahajan

foreigners although the Indian staff might have seen it. Also, one of its notable guests was Mark Twain who wrote about the crows outside the hotel's balcony in Following the Equator.

Akshay Mahajan

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splanade Mansion was once a swanky hotel in 1870’s known as Watson Hotel, which presently lies neglected and unattended by the Government and MHADA. Built in 1871 by Rowland Mason Ordish – also associated with St Pancras station, London- the building was named after its owner John Watson. Amrit Gangar, a renowned film historian shared the following information with us: “Watson realized the potential offered by the prominent sites on the Western side of the Esplanade that became available when the Fort ramparts were demolished. At the government auction held in 1864, he bid successfully for a plot on the Esplanade at a steep rate of Rs.110 per square yard, according to the records documented by the author and city historian, the late Sharada Dwivedi and the eminent architect, conservationist and town planner, Rahul Mehrotra. Watson was his own architect and engineer. All the building materials for the handsome five-storied, cast-iron frame structure of the hotel, equipped with 130 rooms, were imported from England. The red stone plinth and bases of the columns came directly from the town of Penrith in Cumberland, the county from which Watson hailed. The hotel was auctioned in 1909 and Watson returned to his country in England.” The ‘Whites’ only hotel is of historic significance due to various other reasons as well. Incidentally the Lumiere brothers screened their movies for the first time in India at the Watson hotel in 1896 after the invention of the ‘Cinematographe’ (a machine that took pictures but could also print and project them). However it was only viewed by

The edifice also housed the first office of Air India and houses various film and ad shoots. The tenants of the once famous Watson Hotel hope that the long forgotten heritage structure can be restored back to its glory.

Meera Acharekar

June-august 2012 Impressions 29

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Watson Hotel, the epicenter of Indian cinema Amrit Gangar held open-air film shows in Kala Ghoda’s parking lot, opposite Watson’s Hotel (now Esplanade Mansion) building, where the first Lumière Brothers’ moving pictures were shown on the 7th of July 1896. familiarizing the audiences about the new apparatus. What is interesting is the admission ticket price, which was a fat one rupee, extremely expensive in those days. I assume they fixed it at one rupee, following one franc ticket that was at the first Lumieres’ screenings at the Salon Indien of the Grand Cafe in Paris on 28 December 1895. This also provides us a clue that the Lumières’ moving pictures took only six months to reach Bombay after their birth in France. The rest of the movies shown on 7 July 1896 included Arrival of a Train, The Sea Bath, A Demolition, Leaving the Factory and Ladies and Soldiers on Wheels.”

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he Lumière Brothers screened their movies at the Watson Hotel at a time when a fierce race was going on between innovators and entrepreneurs to become first in producing the ‘moving pictures’ and show and sell them across the world.

On 7 July 1896, Lumières’ representative Maurice Sestier, who was on his way to Australia, presented the “Cinematographe” show in Mumbai (then Bombay) at the Watson’s Hotel on the Esplanade (in the Kala Ghoda area).

As we can see in the Times of India advertisement (see P28) published then to lure the audience, six Lumière short films were presented in the programme that had four evening shows, 6, 7, 9 and 10pm. Of the six moving pictures, the opening one Entry of Cinematograph seems to be an introductory one,

30 Impressions June-august 2012

Amrit Gangar is a Mumbai-based writer, curator and film historian. He was curator of Film Programmes for the Kala Ghoda Artfest in its initial few years, right from its inception in 1998.

Why Watson’s Hotel in Bombay?

Obviously there were no special cinema houses around that time and hence hotels as exhibition places provided good venues to attract the ticket paying audience, from their patrons as well as the local elite. When I curated film programmes for the Kala Ghoda Artfest in its initial years, right from its inception in 1998, I held shows in the open air on the parking lot area just in front of the Watson’s Hotel, as if paying tribute to its hosting of the first Lumière ‘moving pictures’ show in the city of Bombay, which was the first city in India to have done so.

Dadasaheb Phalke was not at the Watson hotel in 1896 “At the Lumieres’ first screening at the Watson’s Hotel in Bombay was present not Dadasaheb Phalke but a local photographer and photographic equipment dealer – Harishchandra Sakharam Bhatavdekar, popularly known as Sāwe Dādā. He was keen on getting hold of the Lumiere Cinematographe. Though history does not record whether he was present at the Watson’s Hotel or at the Novelty theatre, but most historians so far have assumed that he was present during the first show of the Lumiere Brothers’ moving pictures at the Watson’s Hotel. However, having acquired the apparatus by late 1898, Bhatavdekar set about making his own films. He got together two wellknown wrestlers, Pundalik Dada and Krishna Nhavi, and staged a mock bout at the Hanging Gardens. He then exposed another reel on some monkeys being trained by their madāri master. Thus were made the first two all-Indian, fully 3 indigenous short films: The Wrestler and The Man and His Monkeys. Bhatavdekar’s short film was shot and exhibited in February 1901 under the title The Return of Wrangler Paranjpye. The lost film is commonly accepted as the first Indian newsreel. Thus H.S. Bhatavdekar or Sāwe Dādā became the first Indian to create moving pictures in India. "

Amrit Gangar

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Dadasaheb Phalke, le père du cinéma indien Si plusieurs réalisateurs comme Save Dada et Dadasaheb Torne ont tourné des films avant la sortie de Raja Harishchandra, c’est Phalke qui est considéré comme le père du cinéma indien.

Pour mieux connaître les techniques de tournage, il part en Angleterre. Il réussit à produire son premier film Raja Harishchandra en 1912, qui sort le 3 mai 1913 à Coronation Cinema, Girgaon, à Mumbai, alors Bombay.

Le film raconte l’histoire du roi bénévole Harishchandra qui a sacrifié son royaume et sa famille à cause d’une promesse qu’il a faite au sage Vishwamitra. Tous les acteurs étaient des hommes car à cette époque là, le cinéma n’était pas une profession acceptable pour les femmes. Le film dure environ 40 minutes. Il marque le début du long-métrage en Inde.

Puis Dadasaheb Phalke tourne plusieurs films muets basés sur la mythologie indienne. Son dernier film Gangavataran fut son premier film parlant.

Malheureusement, Gangavataran n'eut pas de succès.

Phalke prend sa retraite, dans des conditions plus que modestes . Entre 1913 et 1932, il aura réalisé 95 longsmétrages et 26 courts-métrages.

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Meera Acharekar

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é le 30 avril 1870 à Trimbakeshwar, Dhundiraj Govind Phalke, plus connu sous le nom de Dadasaheb Phalke, étudiant de la J.J School of Arts, étudie ensuite à Kala Bhavan, à Baroda dans le Gujarat. Il commence sa carrière

Le film Harishchandrachi Factory (2009) est une biographie qui traite de la vie de Phalke autour du tournage de son premier film, Raja Harishchandra. Ce film fut sélectionné aux Oscars, mais ne remporta pas de prix. comme photographe à Godhra et travaille dans une imprimerie avant d’entrer dans le monde du cinéma. Contrairement à la légende, ce n’est pas Phalke qui était présent en 1896 au Watson Hotel à Mumbai, même s’il eut l’idée d’un film indien représentant les dieux indiens.

Aujourd’hui, le ‘Dadasaheb Phalke Award’ est un prix prestigieux remis chaque année aux membres du cinéma indien par le Gouvernement indien.

June-august 2012 Impressions 31

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A visit to the Liberty Cinema Liberty cinema, nestled amongst the buildings in Marine Lines is one of the few single screens remaining in the city. Aptly named ‘Liberty’, since its construction started in 1947, it welcomed Indian public on 21st March 1949.

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pure Hindi cinema when Eros, Regal and Metro were showing only English movies.

After the death of Mr. Habib Hoosein in 1971, Liberty was inherited by his sister, Ms Perin Hoosein and his son, Mr Nazir Hoosein. Ms Perin Hoosein passed away in 2004, leaving Mr. Nazir Hoosein as the sole heir.

A remarkable feature of this structure is its use of Art Deco style. Cream

Nazir Hoosein

he day Impressions visited Liberty, the cinema was celebrating its 63rd anniversary. Liberty Cinema was the brainchild of Mr. Habib Hoosein, father of Mr.Nazir Hoosein, the current owner. An avid film buff, he had established around 45 cinema halls in and around Mumbai by the end of World War II. However he decided to build a single theatre in place of these small theatres and ‘Liberty Cinema’ came into being. It started out as a theatre showing

The main theatre. One can still notice the spacious front area.

32 Impressions June-august 2012

colour and large motifs highlight the spacious interiors of the cinema hall.

The structure was designed by a British architect named Mr. Ridley Abbott, who unfortunately died in a plane crash right after the construction of the building’s first floor. The project was further continued by an Indian architect named Mr.Namjoshi along with Habib Hoosein.

In 1949 it opened its doors to Indian audiences by showcasing Mehboob Khan’s ‘Andaz’ starring Dilip Kumar, Nargis and Raj Kapoor. Since then it has

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However due to the invention of television, there seems to be a decrease in the number of movie goers. Also with the upcoming multiplexes, Liberty remains one of the few single screens in the city. Mr. Hoosein believes in catering to the lower middle class by keeping the cost of a single stall ticket to a minimal R70 instead of charging them heftily unlike the former. Inspite of the soaring tax cuts imposed by the Government, Mr. Hoosein will keep running this theatre for therein lies his passion. He

welcomes every movie buff to his theatre to be entertained. Tagged as the ‘The Showplace of the Nation’, it still remains one of the oldest running theatres in Mumbai and is home to innumerable Indian movies.

Meera Acharekar Alliance Française de Bombay organizes a special tour of the cinema at 3.30 pm on the 23rd of June and screenings. See Calendar.

Nazir Hoosein

been showing movies produced by Raj Kapoor, V.Shantaram and many more.

Rajashri Productions’ ‘Hum Aapke Hai Kaun’ ran housefull for 45 weeks. The 1200 seats theatre screened the movie for 125 weeks. M.F. Hussain saw the film 50 times at Liberty theatre itself.

He was so enamored by Madhuri Dixit that he would dance and disturb other spectators. In addition to the public theatre; the top floor has a small theatre used for private screenings and film previews.

The walls, lamps and overall style have been kept in the pure Art Deco tradition.

June-august 2012 Impressions 33

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The last posters in Mumbai

Ivan Germon

Ivan Germon*, painter, graffitti artist, DJ and graphic designer, has been meeting, during his visits to Mumbai, with the last of the painters of Bollywood films. He recalls interesting encounters.

How did you discover the existence of the painters of Bollywood film posters?

I am a collector of objects from the pop culture period of the 60’s -70’s80’s, primarily records. My love for original film music records brought me to India for the first time in 2006.

Since then I have bought around a 100 records per year. Moreover, being an artist-painter, it was but natural that I should be fascinated by the visuals on the covers of these 33 rpm records and also the posters of these films. I was part of a documentary produced by Canal + in 2010 which did a story on this very popular art form and I had the opportunity to visit the studios of poster painters like Balkrishna from Dadar and Rehman from Peela house.

To my knowledge only the Alfred Theatre at Peela House has preserved these poster paintings of films on their walls. We can still see some of these paintings in the smaller localities in

34 Impressions June-august 2012

M. Rehman, Alfred Theatre

rural towns which cannot afford the expensive modern printing machines but it is only a question of time before they become digitalized. If memory serves me right, these kind of painted film posters still existed in France till 15 years ago.

As an artist what was your reaction when you actually saw their work for the first time? Which of the posters attracted you most?

The colors are codified, the scenes and the expressions of the actors are ultradramatic and what makes this art in India different, is that instead of reproducing a single image they paint different scenes for the film thus creating, a new and unique poster each time. Of course some are very ‘kitsch’ but others are quite fabulous and can be compared to the best of the posters from the golden era of cinema in Hollywood. Being a graffiti artist also, I am drawn to their work and am always amazed by the way these artists work in the ‘traditional’ manner (oil paints and

brush) on the 8m x 3m posters. It’s a style of working and a skill that has completely disappeared in the West.

This art-form is fast disappearing from Mumbai, can it be revived and why?

Unfortunately not. The expense and the delay in completing such posters and competition from digitalization have rendered them obsolete and it seems to me that Indians have not yet realized their true value of this cultural heritage. Any museum preserving them is unlikely. They could end up in the private collections of a handful of western collectors or in the dustbin.

If only a fraction of the production could be transferred on a CD together with the original music track. The whole era of Indian ‘pop’ culture is fast disappearing. *Ivan Germon has performed for the Urban Culture Festival (12th of May at the Blue Frog) in partnership with the Alliance Française de Bombay. He had previously participated in many workshops organized by the Wall Project in Bandra in 2011.

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Conversation with…

Rafique Baghdadi, known film critic and writer, on the old and the new movies in Maximum city.

Why, according to you, does Mumbai play a significant role in the movie industry?

Mumbai is the city where the screening of the first movies took place in the Watson hotel in 1896. Later talkies appeared in 1930 and 1931. Besides Mumbai there were two other cities associated with movies too: Calcutta and Lahore.

Calcutta was more focused on Bengali movies. During Partition, the industry went down in both cities, while Mumbai retained the best technicians and money flow suffered no obstacles.

How did Indian cinema change, especially in Mumbai?

Earlier each studio was associated with a particular movie genre, unlike today.

Directors and actors were tied-up to particular studios and each studio generated movies of particular subjects like the message conveying movies of V. Shantaram’s Prabhat Films, the historical movies showcased by Minerva, and the social–urban movie screened by Bombay Talkies. With the passage of time, everybody became more professional.

The outlook has since then changed and there is an increased versatility amongst the studios and theatres. Realism was witnessed thanks to the New Wave Indian directors such as Shyam Benegal and young actors like Naseruddin Shah during the 70s’. It changed the approach towards filmmaking. Today I would

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How did you get associated with Indian cinema?

My father used to work as a technician in the Bombay Talkies studio. As a result, I ended up watching a lot of Hindi movies.

Later I discovered English and American movies as well, which further enhanced my knowledge of cinema. I further joined film societies; which included Alliance Française de Bombays’ ciné-club. Here I was exposed to some of the best French movies, back in the 60s’. In those days, the sole source of entertainment was either cricket or movies.

Rafique Baghdadi in the auditorium, Theosophy Hall

say that the screenwriting is taken much more seriously. Hindi cinema has improved technically too and many recurring themes have been erased like those dealing with poverty issues. Today, Indian cinema is catering to an aspiring middle class. We are selling hope.

Bollywood is still prominent in Mumbai…

Yes because it appears to be influenced

by American industry, especially in its marketing strategy. But otherwise the Marathi cinema is very strong, realistic and honest. It is garnering accolades in most of the festivals abroad, a growing trend since the last five years.

What is your opinion on the destruction or abandon of many theaters in the city today?

It is unavoidable like that in the rest of the world. In the area of Grant Road alone there were 19 theaters. Today they mainly cater to a lower income group male crowd. Once upon a time, going

for a movie was an event. One would put on their best attires to watch a movie in the 50’s and 70’s. Hindi and English theaters were separated. Today people want more comfort and the lower classes who cannot afford to watch every movie will buy DVDs or wait a TV release. The relationship with the movie has changed too. No one dances or throws money on the onscreen actress anymore!

Which places in Mumbai are synonymous to cinema for you?

Grant Road of course! Marine Drive used to house many actors and then it was Bandra, Lokhandwala and Malad for the new crowd and studios; also Madh Island for the shooting location.

How would you qualify Indian cinema in the future?

It is very bright, indeed. I think Indian cinema has a unique narrative woven with many emotions and they are catchy.

It is an expanding market due to the ever increasing Indian diasporas abroad.

June-august 2012 Impressions 35

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Harishchandrachi Factory is a 2009 Marathi Film directed by Paresh Mokashi. The film revolves around the making of India’s first feature film, Raja Harishchandra by Dadasaheb Phalke. Initially a press owner, Phalke has fallout with his partner and is left jobless. In addition he has a family to support with a third child on the way. One day he stumbles upon the screening of silent movies and watches ‘The Passion of the Christ’. Enamored by their concept, Phalke decides to start his own productions and revolutionize cinema in India. In the process, he sells his household goods in order to go to England to learn the filmmaking techniques. On his return he gathers actors and technicians to bring back to life, the story of the benevolent ‘Raja Harishchandra’. The sequence when they show the first movie of a growing pea plant confirms the dedication of Phalke. However one of the major problems was finding female actors to portray women in the film. The search of female actors is one of the most amusing scenes in the movie. Eventually it’s the men who portray the women inspite of initial hesitance. The film highlights Dadasaheb’s wife, Saraswatis’ role who washed the clothes and cooked the food for the entire crew during the filming.

After all the hard work put in by them, the movie is released and is immensely successful, thus making history in the cinematic world.

It is a light-hearted film narrating the story anecdotes of Phalke’s life. His journey from hardships to success is not smooth yet the fruit of his effort is sweet. Nandu Madhav has portrayed the role of Phalke brilliantly. In fact all the actors have slipped in their role with so much ease, that they appear real. The movie was released commercially on 29th January 2010 after touring various film festivals. It was India’s official entry to the Oscars in the Best Foreign Film Category.

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Film Review: Harishchandrachi Factory

Chronique: Harishchandrachi Factory

Harishchandrachi Factory est un film marathi sorti en 2009. C’est un film dirigé par Paresh Mokashi racontant l’histoire du tournage du premier film indien ‘Raja Harishchandra’.

Le propriétaire d’une imprimerie, Phalke et son partenaire se sont brouillés, et Phalke se retrouve au chômage. Chef de famille, il se reconvertit en magicien temporairement.

Un jour, par chance, il voit un film muet appelé « La Passion du Christ ». Fasciné par ce concept, il décide de réaliser ses propres films. Pour étudier la technique du tournage, il part à Londres. En rentrant en Inde il crée son équipe d’acteurs et techniciens pour réaliser un film sur la vie d’un roi débonnaire, ‘Raja Harishchandra’. Pour financer son film et ses études à Londres il vend les meubles de sa maison. Un grand problème se pose: trouver les actrices pour jouer les femmes dans son film. A ce moment là, travailler comme actrice n'était pas une profession honorable. Finalement ce sont les hommes qui ont joué les femmes après hésitation. Ce film montre aussi le rôle de Saraswati, la propre femme de Phalke qui a lavé les vêtements et cuisiné pour toute l’équipe. Après une période laborieuse, ‘Raja Harishchandra’ rencontre le succès.

C’est un film simple avec des moments inoubliables. Son périple n’est pas sans difficultés mais il les surmonte avec brio. Phalke est interprété par Nandu Madhav, qui joue son rôle brillamment. Tous les acteurs ont joué leur rôle efficacement. Ce film est sorti le 29 janvier 2010 après et a été projeté dans plusieurs festivals de films. Le film a été choisi pour les Oscars dans la catégorie des films étrangers en 2010.

Meera Acharekar

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france in a few movies Your cinema in Alliance Française From a frank success with the French New Wave to radical realism, Alliance Française de Bombay has screened 50 years of cinema.

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Documentaries themselves have been a rare sight on Indian screens. Hence, for the last six years now, one can appreciate them on a wide screen in Alliance Française de Bombay. The French cultural center has indeed decided to focus a lot on Human rights issues across

The auditorium of Alliance Française de Bombay in the late 70's.

Rafique Baghdadi

or many years it is believed that the Alliance Française de Bombay was amongst the few places where one could see foreign movies without many troubles in the city. As film critic and writer Rafique Baghdadi recalls: “There was a time when censorship was so strong that we would go to cine clubs affiliated to foreign consulates to watch different types of movies”. Alliance Française de Bombay was created in 1938.

Almost since its inception films have had a strong presence. Arjun Mehta, a member of Alliance Française de Bombay since the 70’s still remembers the Nouvelle Vague programs. He discovered François Truffaut and JeanLuc Godard at Theosophy Hall at a time when there was no auditorium. “We used to get individual seats and plank woods, the room was circular and films were shown in 16 mm” he says. Like many other members then, he was part of various Mumbai film societies. At the wise age of 76, he attends most of the screenings. “I enjoy it. New movies, like Luc Besson’s films which are more commercial but still different also please me. According to me French cinema brings an unusual way of portraying characters, it is more realistic” explains this cine buff. One would agree with that, after seeing the latest trends of French cinema. Sometimes violent, films such as La Haine (1995) for example did extraordinary well abroad.

Fictions with strong social messages shot as documentaries appeared to be a new trend in France.

the world. Partnerships have been hence tied up with NGOs and organizations such as Kaashish, The Root, Vikalp in venues such as Prithvi or the Kala Ghoda festival, which are promoting socially engaged movies, made in India or abroad. Those screenings have attracted a different audience: filmmakers and writers, activists and students of cinema.

Adding to that, one has to consider the

newer genres, “slower movies” would say M.Mehta, but nonetheless interesting.

Mother-daughter relationship, like in Copacabana, old France nostalgia such as Le Petit Nicolas, and of course many animated movies (Rabbi’s Cat

by Joann Sfar, Poulet aux Prunes by Marian Satrapi) have attracted a mix crowd of both young viewers and animation buffs.

June-august 2012 Impressions 37

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French movies hit the box office worlwide

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ince the beginning of 2012, French movies have generated 32 million tickets in the international market, amongst which 70% were directly linked to the success of The Artist and Untouchable.

After distinguishing itself as one of the most successful French films of the decade in French-speaking markets, Untouchable has also topped the box office in German-speaking countries.

The Americans are already eyeing the movie for a remake and the original has hit the box office in Korea. The Artist is also making noise abroad. After winning awards at Cannes, the Golden Globes, the AACTA, the BAFTA and the Oscars, the film continues to collect accolades.

It has now clocked up $18 million in ticket sales in the USA, for around 2.3 million admissions.

Prior to The Artist French movies

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have also influenced Indian produced movies the famed Diner de cons (1998)

by Francis Veber was turned into Bheja Fry, a huge hit in India in 2007 despite a small production. In 2012, another movie by Francis Veber, L’emmerdeur, was turned into movie Bumboo, directed and produced by Jagdish Purohit. The film might not have been as successful as a Bheja Fry but at least it experimented with a new type of cinema. “Audiences are more open today thanks to a better exposure to foreign movies through video rentals or travel. However it is still difficult to produce movies without casting stars and dance and song sequences when one wants to reach a more general audience. They want the masala! ” says the Bumboo director.

So why is French cinema so popular abroad? In India, The Artist distributed

at the end of February in theaters, has made a surprising and good impact, distributed at the end of February in theaters. “The need for good scripts, interesting and original stories is really important. We are actually looking much more at what is being made abroad, especially in Europe” says a creative director from Reliance Entertainment.

Indeed, one could observe a tremendous interest for The Heartbreaker. We are here quite far away from Louis Malle’s movie on India, L’Inde fantôme or JeanRenoir’s Le Fleuve. Not only French movies about India are of interest Not only French movies about India are of interest but they are romantic stories with beautiful backgrounds. The Heartbreaker was a hit. The plot, with Romain Duris and Vanessa Paradis was simple and attractive enough to distract the Indian audience from its typical Bollywood

All pictures courtesy Unifrance

French movies have often captured various audiences across countries and generations. In India too their popularity is growing. Let's have a look at the contemporary hits and various genres.

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romcom (romantic comedy). However, as Alliance Française student Jayita pointed out in Mumbaikar in French, the French comedy might have been inspired by the Bollywood flick Chori Chori by Raj Kapoor in 1956! In Alliance Française de Bombay, students themselves are interested by movies they cannot watch in theater. Whether it is about censored movies that will not be screened in India or classic movies, students have developed various interests in French cinema. Directors, scriptwriters and documentary filmmakers are part of the regular audience while teachers also use recent French film to explain social issues and launch debates amongst AF students.

Here is a quick top ten of Alliance Française de Bombay movies (with the kind help of your librarian,Vijaya Masurkar)  Jules and Jim: by the remarkable François Truffaut.

 Le Petit Nicolas: The beautiful adaptation of Sempé and Goscinny book by Laurent Tirard has earned a second place of “must see” for all levels.  La Môme: the Olivier Dahan movie is a favorite of AF teachers for the brilliant performance of Marion Cotillard as Edith Piaf.  Léon: The Luc Besson directed movie of 1994 (with Jean Reno at his best) is better seen by adults and those who can stomach violent scenes.

But it is a jewel amongst hard hitting and dark French movies.  Ne le dis à personne: This thriller by Guillaume Canet was a huge success in France. The plot is intense and full of suspense. A good level of French is necessary. For a more mature audience.  Carlos: a 2010 movie by Olivier Assayas which portrays the terrorist Carlos (nickmamed Le Chacal) is enjoyed by a mature audience.

 Le Placard: In this funny and down to earth movie by Francis Weber, the “common man” François Pignon (here played by Daniel Auteuil) tackles the sensitive issue of homosexuality and homophobia at his workplace. A favorite amongst level A1 students.  Les visiteurs: a classical comedy period by Jean-Marie Poirié (with Christian Clavier and Jean Reno) that makes one think of Monty Python is a regular pick amongst A1.  Paris: The movie by Cédric Klapish based on day to day dramas in the city of lights - with Romain Duris and Juliette Binoche- is a must see for B1.  Malabar Princess: it is mainly a children movie, with the late and fabulous actor Jacques Villeret and a quaint reference to India. A1 students enjoy it the most.

June-august 2012 Impressions 39

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France welcomes Indian cinema On the occasion of the tenth annual visit of the Paris Visitors Convention Board, Mr. Paul Roll, Managing Director, General Director of the Paris Tourism Office and Catherine Oden, the Director of Atout France reveal the relation between France and Indian directors.

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aris being a beautiful city has served as a backdrop for various international movies. We had a chance to discuss Indian cinema and its relation with Paris with Mr. Roll, manager director of Paris Tourism Office.

According to Mr. Roll, around 900 films are shot in Paris per year i.e around 3 movies are shot every single day. However, due to certain difficulties the movies are mostly finished in Budapest, Hungary and Buenos Aires, Argentina, which architecturally resemble Paris.

The first Indian movies to have been shot in Paris happen to be Raj Kapoor’s Sangam (1964) starring Raj Kapoor, Rajendra Kumar and Vyjanthimala and Shakti Samanta’s An Evening in Paris (1967) starring Shammi Kapoor and Sharmila Tagore. Since then Paris has become a destination of Indian cineastes. When asked Mr.Roll about the approach of Indian directors filming in Paris, he replied,” The Indians shoot for only three-four days, following a 24 hour tight schedule. As most of the shooting is around tourist attractions, they have to wrap up fast”.

The recent Indian projects that were shot in Paris are Anu Menon’s ‘London Paris New York’ starring Ali Zafar and Aditi Rao Hydari. Currently in the wraps are Preity Zinta’s upcoming Indo-French project, ‘Ishq in Paris’ directed by Prem Soni.

The monument the most filmed by Indian filmmakers as simultaneously agreed upon by both Mr.Roll and Ms.Oden is the Eiffel Tower. In Mr. Rolls’ words “One cannot forget the icon of Paris. Also the banks of the river Seine serve as a setting for romantic scenes. Moreover, the selection of a region for filming depends on the storyline, as proved by Woody Allen’s movie Midnight in Paris, which was shot mainly in the Latin Quarters”. Since innumerable movies have been shot in that city, we wondered which movies, boosted the flow of tourists in Paris. “Amélie and 40 Impressions June-august 2012

Filming in Paris  Reportedly 940 film and TV projects were filmed in the year of 2011. That means filming took place for 3,707 days of the year.  The year 2011 saw a 26% hike in the international movie projects shot in Paris  The shooting requires authorization from the Mayor’s Office, Paris and the Préfecture de la Police, the police authority of Paris.  Filming in the streets of Paris is free of cost.

The Da Vinci Code had a huge impact on the tourist flow. The latter attracted the visitors to the ‘Louvre Museum’, thanks to the curiosity generated by the movie.”

Although the number of Indian movies being shot in Paris has not undergone a significant change, Mr. Roll would be pleased to welcome more Indian filmmakers in the future and host them in the beautiful city.

Meera Acharekar

 The filming in Paris can cost from 400 to 3000 euros per day.  Recently the Government of Paris have offered an international tax rebate of 20% on all the eligible costs of the film crew including the salaries of actors, the transportation and location costs and more.  About 12 countries shoot in Paris.

They include USA, UK, Germany, China, Egypt and India.

COVER STORY

Conversation with…

Déborah Benattar, Head of French Film and TV Office in Mumbai gives Impressions an overview on French and Indian cinema relationship.

What is the aim of the French Film and TV office in India?

Déborah Benattar: The Audiovisual Department of the French Embassy promotes the distribution of French films in commercial theatres in India as well as on the cultural network and supports all kinds of cooperation between Indian and French professionals from the industry.

One of our main aims is also to promote France as a destination of filming.

Has there been a considerable increase in Indian filmmakers opting for France?

D.B: Since a lot of filmmakers are looking at shooting in foreign locations, France is one of the top destinations that filmmakers consider. Paris is often their first choice to shoot romantic tales.

Recently the French Government introduced 20% tax rebate on filming expenses.

D.B: Yes. Since 1st January 2009, France had introduced an incentive for bigbudget movies wanting to shoot in France: a production house spending at

Anurag Kayshap, Yash Chopra, a French delegation inaugurate the Rendez-vous with France festival in Mumbai at the Mami (2011).

least 1 million Euros (6.2 crores) in France can get a special rebate amounting to 20% of the costs paid in France (does not include hotels). This means if you spend 1 million Euros, it is as good as spending only 800 000 Euros (more than one crore is given back by the French State).

shoot in France. For most of the projects, the adventures in France start with an e-mail or a call to Film France, the French Film Commission (www.filmfrance.net).

Do the Indian producers consult you before going to France?

D.B: They do consult us regarding the locations, the visa procedure and the kind of support they can get from different regions in France.

In order to film in France, does one have to fulfill certain requirements?

D.B: The producers need to tie up with a French Line Producer who provides the required authorization, local coordination and a detailed budget to

Are there Indian films being distributed in France?

D.B: Yes in fact there has been a rise in Indian movies releasing in France. Lagaan was widely distributed in France and it also received a fantastic response from the audiences. Delhi Belly was recently distributed by French distributors Anna Films as well as the critically acclaimed Marathi film Gabhricha Paaus (Damned Rain) which was distributed by Damned Distributors. I AM directed by Onir, which received 2 national awards recently, will be released very soon on DVD in France.

Déborah Benattar

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How many Indian films are shot every year in France? Which cities are preferred by the producers?

D.B: It is difficult to provide a specific number of movies being shot as movies are coproduced and shot in several countries. The most recent movies shot in France are Ravikumar’s Manmadhan Ambu starring Kamal Hasan, Anu Menon’s London Paris New York and Sai Kabir’s Chemistry. The city of Paris has lured many storytellers to weave tales of heartbreaks, struggles, triumphs or even sheer tattle around her. The art and culture that adorns every little street corner of Paris adds to the vision of the filmmakers like few other cities can. Hence, Paris is definitely a favourite among filmmakers besides other cities like Lyon, Cannes, St. Tropez…

Meera Acharekar June-august 2012 Impressions 41

COVER STORY

How do the French see Indian cinema(s) Ophélie Wiel, Bollywood et les autres, Voyage au cœur du cinéma indien, Editions Buchet-Chastel, 2011.

Aiswharya Rai, Amitabh Bacchan, Shah Rukh Khan…

Ces noms semblent familiers? Tant mieux car dans cet ouvrage bien dosé entre humour et recherches de fond, l’auteur dépasse Bollywood pour explorer le cinéma indien dans toute sa diversité et sa richesse.

Des cinémas populaires tamouls aux mouvements avant-gardistes bengalis, du bhojpuri à l’ourdou, de la salle obscure de cinéma marathi aux multiplexes flambants neufs, Bollywood et les autres décrypte le cinéma en Inde dans sa chair, sociale, culturelle et économique.

Disponible à la médiathèque.

42 Impressions June-august 2012

Yves Thoraval, Les cinémas de l’Inde, 1998, éditions l’Harmattan.

S.Zaubitzer

Zaubitzer, à paraitre, Grands écrans, Editions de L’œil. A paraitre, 2013.

Pendant plusieurs mois Stephan Zaubitzer a parcouru les écrans de la planète et propose pour le festival de Cannes en 2013 une collection de ces lieux plutôt bigarrés, dont certains sont voués à la disparition. « La salle de cinéma fonde son quartier comme celuici a fondé la salle et son environnement.

Lorsqu’un cinéma ferme, c’est souvent l’âme du quartier qui est amputée. Faire un travail photographique, c’est aussi contribuer à refuser cette fatalité. Témoigner du deuil et permettre aux souvenirs de vivre encore un moment, ne serait-ce que dans la mémoire collective de ceux qui constituèrent, jadis, un public. Une photographie réveille d’autres sentiments que purement visuels, se plonger dans une image fixe de cinéma rappelle une salle disparue, une atmosphère révolue. » écrit le photographe dans sa note d’intention. En Inde il a visité Jaipur, Chennai, Delhi et Mumbai où il rencontre M.Hoosein du Liberty’s. Son souvenir le plus poignant demeure la foule indienne, «un monde incroyable dans les salles et, en ce qui concerne le Liberty’s, un lieu patrimonial merveilleux ». stephanzaubitzer.com

Un guide à travers le monde du cinéma indien de 1896 à nos jours. Née en même temps qu'en Occident, la plus grande industrie cinématographique du monde a été immédiatement intégrée aux traditions millénaires de l'image et des arts du spectacle. Elle aborde tous les genres, reflétant la diversité des cultures, des langues et des musiques du pays.

COVER STORY

Starry dreams

Glittering ads

From the ad world point of view, branding in India can be tough. The marketer has to adjust brands in a Bollywood centric world.

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very day, an average consumer is exposed to a deluge of advertisements of various brands through mediums such as TV, radio, print, billboards etc. Every brand vies to attract a fraction of consumer’s attention to convey him about its characteristics and benefits. Such activities create a great amount of clutter in the market and pose a challenge to the marketing teams which tries to hold the consumer’s attention.

To achieve this, celebrity endorsement is usually used in marketing strategy.

Celebrities have huge mass appeal and are popular amongst the masses thus enjoying a fair share of glamour quotient.

Although consumers tend to ignore the commercial communication either by flipping a page or switching the channel, the glamour of a celebrity seldom goes unnoticed. Thus, the impact of celebrity endorsement in the advertising is quite

significant.

Therefore, celebrities from different fields such as films, sports etc. are chosen to endorse the brands. Some of the most sought after celebrity endorsers in the Indian film industry are Amitabh Bachchan, Shahrukh Khan, Amir Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Shahid Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan, Karina Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai. In sports Sachin Tendulkar, M S Dhoni, Saina Nehwal, Virat Kohli are among the top selling celebrities.

Some are even multibrand ambassadors!

For example, Amitabh Bachahan endorses around 36 brands. Sachin Tendulkar endorses 21 brands and MS Dhoni endorses 24 brands.

Approximately 60% of Indian brands use celebrities in some form of other. Further, a brand with multiple or single celebrity may shoot multiple advertisements. Every product exhibits a certain personality, image or positioning. Celebrities try to bring this image of the brand closer to the expectations of consumers by transferring their image to the brand. As per the Brand Equity’s online edition (Feb 3, 2010), talent management) is well on its way to become a R1,000 crore business.

The top 50 celebrities garner more than 80% of all endorsement money.

New face of ELF MOTO SHAHID KAPOR ELF MOTO had undertaken a multimedia campaign featuring Shahid Kapoor with TV as a lead medium. The objective of the campaign was to increase brand awareness for the brand and make

it appealing to young bikers of India.

For this, Total, the parent company of Elf Moto, had shot a TV commercial (TVC) in line with its slogan “Bike oil for winners”. The TVC was made using the concept of popular board game in India snakes and ladders. In the TVC, snakes represented the difficulties.

The commercial depicted Shahid as an ultimate winner who overcomes all the difficulties with his bike and ELF MOTO as his reliable partner in this quest.

“The ad delivered the results as per our expectation whereby customers were able to identify the brand with Shahid and also helped to increase the brand awareness.

We have continued our association with Shahid Kapoor in the 2nd consecutive year and are planning to launch the TV campaign in near future” says a company marketing representative.

When cinema meet ads - Top 10 personalities as per ad volume: Shah Rukh Khan (6%), Katrina Kaif (5%), Kareena Kapoor (5%), MS Dhoni (4%), Sachin Tendulkar (4%), Saif Ali Khan (3%), Abhishek Bachchan (3%), Amitabh Bachchan (3%), Akshay Kumar (3%), Priyanka Chopra (2%).

- Top 10 advertisers for celebrity endorsements – Hindustan Uniliver Ltd., Proctor and Gamble, Idea Cellular Ltd., L’oreal India Pvt. Ltd., Reckitt Bekinser India Ltd., Gitanjali Gems Ltd., Colgate Palmolive India Ltd., Pepsi Co, ITC Ltd., Emami Ltd. - Top 10 brands endorsed by celebrities : Colgate Max Fresh Gel, Idea 3G, Idea Cellular, Santoor Sandal and Turmeric, Vivel Satin Soft, Pantene, Wheel Active, Revital, Dish TV HD, Pepsi.

(Source: Tam Media research)

June-august 2012 Impressions 43

COVER STORY

Women on top For a change from the world of glitter and stars, women get together to face the male driven cinema industry and take charge for a different cinema by creating WIFT-India, Women in Film and Television.

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hen Vidya Balan shook her body in these lascivious moves on a south Indian music track, it seemed that a few heartbeats stopped in many Indian theaters. Despite the role given to her that of a very common “vamp” character found in many Indian movies Balan was, in The Dirty Picture, quite something else. She portrayed in this rare occasion, the female power at its height and its consecutive downfall in an extremely male dominated industry.

Can women be anything else but a pretty face in Indian cinema? In the media, many are head of their teams, be it in the TV or the news industry. But what about the big screen, a multicrore-revenue business?

Last spring, a spunky determined young lady launched WIFT after calling and “pestering” famous cinema and media personalities such as Kiran Rao or Uma Da Cunha.

Petrina D’Rozario was part of the WIFT chapter in New-Zealand when she

relocated to India and realized that the need was tremendous here although “some people think it is not justified to have a platform for women in cinema.

I faced a lot of criticism for establishing WIFT in Mumbai” reveals Petrina.

Certainly the concept is controversial and curious as one can obviously see a lot of women in the Industry. “However many are part of the network due to strong family connections. And most importantly many are only in front of the camera. How many technicians are women in India?” It is a fact however difficult to quantify as there are no available surveys or studies on the topic.

So what is the aim of this association?

“We are not a training institute but a place to connect for women who want to work and already have some skills. Students and young professionals can contact us with their portfolio. We want to help them connect”. WIFT is associated with known production houses and successful women filmmakers and offer mentorship and training. Amongst those already roped in are Zoya Akhtar, director (Zindagi Na Milegi Do Bara) and Paromita Vohra

a multi award-documentarist who has worked closely with Alliance Française de Bombay. Training will occur first in Mumbai but later in different cities across India, where WIFT is currently getting implemented. “We want to give the opportunity to girls in smaller towns to become professionals" explains Petrina.

Bollywood is not the prime objective here as WIFT is focusing on attracting talents in various aspects of Indian cinema, such as indie movies. “We want to tie up with film institutes and schools in India but also across the world in order to send some of our trainees abroad.

Some people told me it was regressive to have such an association in India. But when I see that there are tacit rules like, “no women as make-up artist” or more commonly, you won’t find many women as editors or cinematographers, I think it was necessary” says Petrina.

Sooni Taraporewala, Petrina D'Rozario, Mira Nair

The advisory board: Uma da Cunha, Sooni Taraporevala, Madushree Dutta, Petrina D'Rozario, Paromita Vohra, Jeroo Mulla, Kiran Rao, Zarina Mehta, Ashvini Yardi, Anupama Chopra.

44 Impressions June-august 2012

Petrina D'Rozario, Paromita Vohra

COVER STORY

Meenakshi Shedde Meenakshi Shedde is a film curator, festival consultant (currently for the Berlin and Dubai festivals) and film critic based in Mumbai. In 2011, she curated “Cannes in India”, a festival of films for Alliance Française de Bombay that has been screened within the Alliance Française network in India. cinema in the last 20 years. The French especially are interested by Indian productions, since they are always fighting against dominant Hollywood trends. The diversity in our movies -with the subcultures and languages involved – is so huge that many film directors are intrigued. Recently we have seen movies from Manipur or Assam which would never be shown in India and would have never had an international audience otherwise. The presence of such movies in foreign festivals helps our own people to discover it later on.

Meenakshi Shedde best CU 2011

How did you start working in France on Indian movies?

I have been writing for the Cahiers du Cinema for the last ten years as well as many critics in Indian press. In 1998 I won a National award for Best film critic.

Shortly after that I was invited to the prestigious FIPRESCI, the International Critics’ Jury of the Cannes Film Festival in 2001. Since then I have been associated with France. Little by little, the festival directors I met found themselves more interested by our cinema. When I started working with the Berlin film festival, in the 90’s, its director had not come to India! It is very difficult for them to make their selections as they receive usually 5000 to 7000 Dvds for their festivals from all over the world.

Has the perception of Indian cinema changed over the years?

I would say yes, to an extent. To start with, Indian movies have been present abroad since the 30’s and the 40’s with independent movies. So there is a long history of our cinema in festivals.

However I saw a rising interest for Indian

other hand Bollywood was showing the extravagant side. There was always a gap between both worlds and many movies today are showing a different society, more realistic and how it is dealing with this gap. However, in the West poverty is always fashionable. Someone asked me recently: “why don’t you (India) make a local Slumdog Millionaire? “

What kind of movies appeals an audience abroad?

It is difficult because it changes according to the places. Rajnikant is huge in Japan and it is hard to explain why! Bollywood and Shah Rukh Khan in particular are massively admired in Germany. I attended a premiere of Om Shanti Om in Berlin some years ago in a vast venue, all tickets were sold in seconds and I was the only brown person in the audience.

Usually we see a lot of NRIs who make up the main audience for Bollywood abroad so this was flabbergasting to me.

How do you explain it?

Shah Rukh Khan said something that is very true, that in the West, there was a button for everything and that he has become their button to cry. Bollywood is very melodramatic. Even if you don’t understand the language you can follow the story. On the top of it, movies such as OSO are full of auto derision, which the public in the West loves.

Do you feel the perception of India, through various Indian movies has changed?

Yes, I think movies help understanding the huge contradictions of Indian society today. Art houses films were projecting one side of India, like Mother India. On the

Meenakshi Shedde, Dorothee Wenner, Berlin Film Fest red carpet SRK fans 2012

Cannes Film Festival Director Thierry Fremaux, Christian Jeune, with Meenakshi Shedde

June-August 2012 Impressions 45

COVER STORY

Nouvelle vague du cinéma marathi

All pictures DR

Le film marathi Deool vient de remporter le prix national indien «Le lotus doré». Depuis 8 ans, suite à la nomination de Shwaas aux Oscars, de nombreux autres films marathis sont régulièrement à l’honneur dans les festivals internationaux. Il semblerait que ce cinéma pionnier en Inde entre dans son âge d’or.

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n 1937, Sant Tukaram gagnait déjà le prix du meilleur film au festival de Venise. Cependant, il a fallu attendre l’aube du XXIe siècle pour que le cinéma régional du Maharashtra acquiert ses lettres de noblesse. Après un déclin considérable, dans les années 80-90, à cause des films comiques et romantiques, c’est Shwaas en 2004 qui a ravivé ce cinéma souffrant de sa proximité avec Bollywood.

Les films récents se distinguent par une variété remarquable de sujets. Plusieurs films traitent de problèmes sociaux contemporains. Rien n’est tabou. Gandha aborde le sens de l’odorat à travers trois histoires indépendantes; un projet audacieux, dirait-on, mais repousser les limites est une norme chez la dernière génération des cinéastes marathis.

Ils s’inspirent du cinéma mondial, rendant leur style à la fois original et crédible.

Satish Manwar, très apprécié en France dont Gabhricha Paus a été projeté à Cannes en 2011, se sert de l’humour noir pour traiter des suicides des agriculteurs au Maharashtra. Nous sommes bien loin 46 Impressions June-august 2012

des mélodrames bollywoodiens. C’est aussi un cinéma du terroir qui puise dans la littérature régionale. Ayant poursuivi ses études en France, Umesh Kulkarni reconnaît l’importance de faire du cinéma en langue maternelle. Comme ses contemporains, il résiste aux tentations de Bollywood, un choix plus lucratif.

Les acteurs de qualité issus de la riche tradition théâtrale du Maharashtra font

la force de ce cinéma. Les prix de la meilleure interprétation pour Upendra Limaye Jogwa et Girish Kulkarni pour Deool le démontrent.

Venise, Rotterdam, Berlin, Marseille, Cannes : le cinéma marathi voyage. Ne manquez pas la prochaine séance.

Prachee Palsule

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Cinémas et politique au sud

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du théâtre pour la propagande de leurs idées, certains leaders politiques étaient de véritables écrivains qui inspiraient le public avec leurs pièces de théâtre. Avec la naissance du parlant, ils se sont tournés vers le cinéma.

Au Tamil Nadu un lien indénouable est forgé entre la politique et le cinéma avec l’arrivée des « Talkies » (les films parlants) au début du 20ème siècle. Pendant les années 30, l’époque où le mouvement national pour l’Indépendance était vigoureux, le premier film parlant fait ses débuts au Tamil Nadu. Comme presque la totalité des films de cette époque, le film est inspiré de la mythologie indienne. La forme du scénario était globalement celle du théâtre sanskrit, similaire à l’ensemble du cinéma indien. Malgré le thème, ces films tamouls comportaient des éléments nationalistes soit à travers les symboles, soit les dialogues dramatiques ou bien à travers les chansons. Alors que les militants pour l’Indépendance se servaient déjà

Anna Durai, ex-Premier ministre en chef du Tamil Nadu, fut lui-même un célèbre scénariste de cinéma. En 1967, Anna, du parti politique DMK, était le premier à être élu à ce poste, jusqu’ ici occupé uniquement par les membres du parti du Congrès.

Karunanidhi, également scénariste et membre du DMK, lui a succédé pendant trois mandats jusqu’en 1977. Ensuite la saga politique/cinéma continue avec le grand Dr M.G Ramachandran - MGR. MGR, considéré comme le comédien «demi-dieu » du cinéma tamoul, a mis en scène sa carrière politique dans ses films.

Son image a été soigneusement construite avec un récit simple mais efficace. Il était toujours bon, gentil, honnête, travailleur, galant, issu d’un milieu défavorisé, luttant contre le système et les méchants, et bien sûr, il gagnait toujours et ne mourrait jamais à la fin des films. Les campagnes électorales du parti politique de MGR – AIADMK utilisent toujours et encore les chansons, les dialogues et les personnages

e cinéma indien évoque une multitude de couleurs, de musiques, de danses, de mélodrames et bien sûr, de stars mythiques. Le septième art dans le sous continent est beaucoup plus qu’un art, c’est un vrai phénomène socioculturel ; il n’est pas étonnant que l’Inde soit le plus grand producteur de cinéma et le plus grand marché où la menace du cinéma hollywoodien n’a pratiquement pas d’impact.

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Dans le sud de l’Inde, le cinéma prend une toute autre dimension, celle de la politique. Surtout dans la région du Tamil Nadu, où le cinéma et la politique semblent aller de pair.

de ses films pour émouvoir le public ! Sa protégée et « héroïne » phare de ces films, J. Jayalalitha, est actuellement ministre en chef au Tamil Nadu pour la 4ème fois. La carrière politique de MGR ou de Karunanidhi est la preuve du pouvoir séducteur du cinéma dans le Tamil Nadu où tous les ministres en chef depuis 1967 sont venus du monde du cinéma !

Seema Anvarudeen, Alliance Française de Madras June-august 2012 Impressions 47

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MAGAZINE REVIEWS Browse through our magazines at the Alliance Française de Bombay’s mediatheque to learn more about the best of French and Indian movies.

Film India worldwide, quarterly

India’s first independent film magazine has been edited by film expert Uma da Cunha since 2010. For once, no gossip, no tabloid, no scandalous pictures are present in this quaterly. Film India worldwide magazine gives a fair idea of the Indian releases abroad, especially in festivals. One gets to learn about Marathi or Telugu cinema or upcoming film directors.

This serious magazine tries as much as possible to focus on independent movies and gives a voice to Indian cinemas besides Bollywood. Uma Da Cunha, journalist, curator of festivals of Indian films abroad, has set up this magazine in perspective of giving foreign and local audience a better understanding of different types of cinema. However the magazine doesn’t brush off Bollywood either and offer different perspectives on the industry through book reviews and accurate analysis.

You want to check it for: A good reliable source of information on Indian cinemas and one participation of Indian movies abroad. Good interviews and reviews.

Les Cahiers du cinéma, monthly

« Les Cahiers » as the magazine is popularly called in France was created in 1951 by par André Bazin, Jacques Doniol-Valcroze, Joseph-Marie Lo Duca and Léonide Keigel. It is probably the most well-known film magazine worldwide. Many writers became also famous filmmakers as the magazine accompanied the French New Wave trends. Jean-Luc Godard, Eric Rohmer,Claude Chabrol, François Truffaut and Jacques Rivette, were all on board in the 50’s. Indian writers such as Meenakshi Shedde as well as French enthusiasts such as Jean-Michel Frodon (former director and editor in chief of Les Cahiers du cinéma) have written extensively on Indian cinemas.

You want to check it for: Long features and critics, French intellectualism at its best, deep analysis and an extensive coverage of worldwide cinemas.

48 Impressions June-august 2012

Télérama, weekly

Télérama has originally been a tv program magazine. The name is a contraction of its earlier title: Télévision-RadioCinéma. The magazine has been published by the press conglomerate Le Monde. It was published for the first time in 1947 under the name RadioLoisirs as its founder, George Montaron firmly believed in the success of Tv and radio. The magazine offers extensive coverage of TV programs but also features and many reviews on music, contemporary arts, dance or theater as well as cinema. In 2006 Télérama did a special cover story on Indian contemporary art and cinema.

You want to check it for: Extensive coverage of French culture with various articles on the world.

Good stories and short reviews to access to the information quickly.

Les Inrocks, weekly

Les Inrockuptibles, better known as Les Inrocks is known for its witty content and sarcastic tone without ever breaching the line between news and satire. The magazine was launched by Christian Fevret et Arnaud Deverre in 1986 to offer extensive rock music features and information about the British rock scene at that time. Little by little, the then quarterly became a monthly and then a weekly, it included radio, tv, cinema news and reviews as well as political features. The magazine supports the Left and has been known for its strong commitments towards artists supporting Left causes.

You want to check it for: Funny and political writing, latest trends in cinema and music, great coverage of rock’n roll and anything independent.

Français en marche

Rendez-vous cinéphile à Somani center Si vous avez envie de découvrir la société française tout en regardant des films, cet atelier est fait pour vous.

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uite à une demande croissante des étudiants de l’Alliance Française de Bombay, le 28 avril dernier a vu l’ouverture de la seconde saison de l’atelier cinéma animé par Supriya Sadhale, enseignante de l’Alliance Française de Bombay. Supriya avait déjà eu l’occasion d’inaugurer un premier atelier en 2010 qui avait connu un grand succès. « L’idée est

des étudiants sur la société française ou le cinéma mais nous ne sommes jamais trop techniques ! ». Malgré certains sujets jugés tabous par la société indienne, comme l’homosexualité, Supriya Sadhale tente tout de même différentes approches. « Les gens qui participent à cet atelier sont souvent un peu plus ouverts mais les thèmes parfois difficiles permettent d’ouvrir le débat et lancent les conversations. Mon but est de faire parler tout le monde ».

AFB, Somani Center, à partir du 28 avril, renseignements à helpdesk.mumbai@ afindia.org

Le téléphone portable c’est la classe !

d’ouvrir ces ateliers aux cinéphiles et francophones en général. Il y a de vrais fidèles qui viennent, des personnes plus âgées passionnées par le cinéma comme des jeunes étudiants » soulignet-elle. Supriya, une passionnée de cinéma français, a pris le parti de sélectionner uniquement des films français de qualité, alternant néanmoins des maitres de différents genres (la Nouvelle Vague, cycle Resnais ou Chabrol) avec des œuvres plus contemporaines. « Nous commençons par un visionnage d’un ou deux films en français suivi d’une discussion ou débat que je prépare en amont. Je veux avant tout susciter la spontanéité de l’audience donc nous ne préparons pas les films ensemble avant».

Si la sélection se fait sur des « coups de cœur » de Mme Sadhale, elle tient cependant à faire découvrir tous types de genres et enchaine les discussions aussi bien sur le fond que la forme. « Il arrive parfois que je repasse une scène pour analyser un détail particulier du film et le mettre en regard avec les connaissances

Dans le cadre du 13e congrès mondial de la FIPF (Fédération Internationale des Professeurs de Français) qui se tiendra à Durban en Afrique du Sud du 23 au 27 juillet 2012, l’Alliance française Paris Îlede-France, la FIPF et la revue Le français dans le monde organisent le concours « Le téléphone portable, c’est la classe ! ».

Professeurs de FLE du monde entier, vous avez jusqu’au 15 juin 2012 pour participer !

Télécharger le modèle pour la fiche pédagogque Contact : concours-profs@alliancefr.org Site de l’Alliance française Paris Île-deFrance : http://www.alliancefr.org Site de la FIPF : http://fipf.org

collaboratif et interactif destiné aux chargés du livre du réseau culturel français et aux professionnels français et étrangers (traducteurs, éditeurs, directeurs de collection, chargés de droits étrangers, agents littéraires, libraires, universitaires, spécialistes de l’extraduction…). Elle a pour objectif de créer des communautés d’intérêts et de favoriser les traductions de livres français. Elle comporte aussi un magazine d’actualité des spécialistes de la traduction. www.ifverso.com

PLAN TRADUIRE NUMÉRIQUE

Ce programme enrichit les collectes de données sur la traduction, et favorise la réflexion sur la place de la traduction dans l’accès aux contenus culturels (numériques et sur internet), via des projets de recherche et développement et des programmes de débat d’idées.

CULTURETHÈQUE

Développée à l’attention du réseau des médiathèques françaises à l’étranger, cette bibliothèque numérique, déclinée par pays, permettra au public des

DU NEUF SUR LE SITE DE L’INSTITUT FRANÇAIS IF VERSO

Cette plateforme du livre traduit est une base de données de plus de 70 000 titres traduits du français vers une quarantaine de langues, constituée grâce à des collectes menées localement dans les pays du monde, en partenariat avec la BnF et l’UNESCO, et un réseau social

médiathèques françaises à l’étranger l’accès distant à différents types de contenus numériques, et contribuera à la visibilité à l’international de l’offre numérique française.

La plateforme existe déjà dans sa version britannique : http://www.culturetheque. org.uk/ June-august 2012 Impressions 49

Français en marche

Alliance Française Inauguration Alliance Française Inauguration, a poem by Nadir Godrej, president of the committee of Alliance Française de Bombay.

The Alliance triumphed for many years And it deserves resounding cheers.

Though it commenced way back in '38 Bombay would still have to wait All the way till 1948 To truly burst out from the starting gate!

Since then of course the Alliance has grown a lot For learning French was always very hot.

All over Bombay we now can reach 4000 students we now can teach.

Two hundred programs run everywhere But for them the credit we'd like to share With all our partners like Blue Frog, Prithvi, NCPA, and Sakshi Gallery But one thing that we now bemoan Is the glaring lack of space of our own.

While funds from Paris had indeed arrived Because we tarried we were deprived.

Alas! All our protests were then in vain Our loss was another Alliance’s gain.

But now we have our own resources The fees we earn from all our courses.

So with our own savings as well as a loan At last we have a place of our own.

And in due course when all the loan is paid I'm sure we'll find a beneficial trade And build a magnificent Alliance centre Which all of you, I hope, will one day enter.

And if we work together on the scheme Some day we could indeed fulfill our dream To build a centre of our own, self contained, Quite perfectly appointed and maintained With lots of wondrous shows right on our site And since one never knows we just might Have our very own bistro or café.

And that my friends will surely be the day!

For quite a while these dreams will have to wait.

Today we'll be content to inaugurate Our very own multi classroom centre 50 Impressions June-august 2012

D.C.

The committee though came somewhat later Amongst French teachers then, none was greater Than St. Xavier's rector Father Duhr And at that time he was very sure An Indian should be the President And so on Sohrab Godrej they were bent.

M.Jean-Raphael Peytregnet, Consul Général de France à Mumbai, M. Sumit Mullick, Chef du Protocole du gouvernement du Maharashtra, Mme Anne Dubourg, directrice de l'Alliance Française de Bombay, M.Nadir Godrej, Président du comité de l'Alliance Française de Bombay.

Français en marche

In which I would invite you all to enter.

And on this day we will unveil a plaque For that great man who truly made a mark.

Sohrabji had an enormous love for France And introduced me to the Alliance.

He had a penchant for foreign relations And always built strong ties between all nations.

But France's culture and her glorious art Held a truly special place in his heart.

Throughout his life he was always on the go And his frenetic pace would hardly ever slow.

Sometimes within the span of just a day He’d see Madras, Calcutta and Bombay.

The day for him was rather short of hours But since he had some superhuman powers He’d often work quite late into the night Or rush somewhere on a red-eye flight.

This kind of schedule would cause me to weep.

When did he ever find the time to sleep?

His friends all knew that when he sinks His head, he's taking his usual forty winks.

But still when asked to answer, he could rise And to the audience's sheer surprise He would come up with something apropos But how he did it, I will never know.

It’s hard to find a place he hasn’t been.

All of the seven continents he’s seen And if you talk of the remotest isle.

You find he’d been there for at least a while.

With your permission I will now salute His love of nature which was absolute.

And whether he's saving the wilderness Or planting trees in our urban mess.

Sohrabji was prepared to work and fight So children get to see that wondrous sight, A tiger prowling in his habitat.

A zoo’s no place for this majestic cat.

One day I urge you all to enter The Sohrabji Godrej Green Centre You'll appreciate his life was not in vain For there's still hope our planet will sustain.

And this centre too in its own small way I most sincerely hope and pray Will now fulfill his other major goal In which he played a truly crucial role To build strong ties between India and France.

And all who study here will have the chance To see the world in quite a different light.

And I am sure someday some of them might In due course deliver such orations To strengthen ties between both our nations.

June-august 2012 Impressions 51

Français en marche

Dis-moi dix mots Retrouvez les trois textes gagnants (ex-æquo) sur : http://10mots.tumblr.com/ L’épitaphe Il y a du calme chez elle, Une âme libre avec un penchant pour le songe, transportée dans un autre monde, Autrement dit, tu nous manques Un caractère doux une histoire courte Une enfant naturelle Nous te la confions tu nous manques vraiment.

Geetanjali Bakshi Garin (Sans titre) Je te confie ce récit du fond de mon âme Je te confie l’histoire d’une dame Une dame étrange qui fuyait sa chance…

Elle veut oublier cette histoire et cette peur.

Elle est confuse, perdue, triste, Autrement heureuse, joyeuse, ravie.

Est-ce que ça vous décrit pourquoi elle crie ?

Mon âme vit dans un songe où tout est comme elle rêve, Tout le monde l’aime, Ils aiment son caractère.

Ah ! Quel penchant a ce songe qui lui apporte toute cette joie !

Est-ce qu’il y a un chemin qui peut la transporter là ?

Bien sur, il y a le chemin, le chemin le plus naturel, La seule route dans le monde qui peut apporter la vie belle.

C’est la seule solution de cette nuit, de cette peine.

Mon âme se lâche avec la perte de sa haine.

Devika Karnad

A traversé les océans bleus, les dunes de sable d’or Aurait voyagé plus loin, mais n’ayant pas de moyen de transport.

A fui loin de ses songes et d’un sommeil naturel De peur qu’il l’engloutisse et lui soit éternel.

De caractère égoiste et téméraire Car brisée et ne sachant que faire.

De sa faute? Pas vraiment Mais vous êtes libre de penser autrement.

Joli danger cet intriguant mystère Ayant un penchant pour répandre son malheur comme la guerre.

Une lame chez elle Et un trou béant dans le coeur de la belle.

Fissure affamée que rien ne peut combler, mon cher Ni ce que tu possèdes, que tu es ni même ta propre chair

(Sans titre) Bonjour, le monde.

Je vous présente mon âme.

C’est une âme perdue dans les rêves et des larmes.

Tous les jours, mon âme se confie à la vie En marchant sur ce chemin indéfini.

Elle cherche partout la route qui l’apportera chez vous, Vous, qu’elle aime, Vous, pour qui elle pleure.

Mon âme veut se lâcher de toutes ses douleurs, 52 Impressions June-august 2012

Ministère de la culture

Je te conte cela, mais tu connaîs l’histoire Contemplant impuissant alors qu’elle te dévore Ton cœur emprisonné au tréfonds de son corps Nupur Pai

Dis-moi dix mots qui te racontent

Français en marche

Débat: la censure au cinéma Sur Af Mumbaikar, les opinions s’expriment sur la « censure au cinéma, pour ou contre ? » Merci aux participants!

Pour Saloni, ce sujet est intéressant mais futile. « En Inde, même s’il y a un comité spécial de la censure, les adolescents peuvent facilement voir les films interdits sur Internet ». Par ailleurs, elle déclare « les Indiens en général sont très hypocrites.

Il y a beaucoup de gens qui aiment voir des scènes érotiques ».

Sudeep approuve : « de nombreuses personnes qui vont aux festivals des films internationaux sont là pour regarder les films non-censurés (non, là je ne rigole pas du tout !). En fait, il y a deux ans, je regardais une cérémonie de remise de prix et Irfan Khan (ou bien Shakti Kapoor – je me rappelle pas très bien !) révélait qu’il faisait la même chose quand il était petit ! » Saloni craint aussi les réactions politiques au nom de la "moralité" : « En Inde les gens....particulièrement les groupes politiques (par exemple - Shiv Sena) aiment beaucoup créer des manifestations (quelques fois violentes) contre les films audacieux qui peuvent mener à beaucoup de problèmes. Je comprends qu'au nom de la culture indienne beaucoup de bons films soient censurés mais franchement notre pays a de nombreux autres problèmes plus importants ! » Pour Sudeep, les mentalités changent cependant. «En 2005, le gouvernement avait interdit de montrer des scènes où les personnages fument. Mais cette règle a été annulée par la haute cour de Delhi en disant que c’était contre la liberté d’expression et que les films montrent la réalité de la vie quotidienne! Donc, là il y a une ligne très fine qu’ils ne veulent pas vraiment croiser car le sexe, les gros mots, et dans certains cas même la violence font partie de la vie quotidienne.

Certes, les parents aussi ont le droit de « protéger » leurs enfants de l'influence de la violence, des drogues, etc. Pour cela, j’apprécie bien le système français qui met les films dans les catégories au lieu de décider ce que ses citoyens doivent voir !

Sudeep propose même une « solution » : « Ce que je voudrais voir au lieu du comité de la censure qui coupe les scènes comme le derrière de Ranbir Kapoor ou mute les gros mots est un système de grade - de notes, de signes, d'avertissements... - à la française. Cela peut être amélioré, à mon avis grâce au site-web imdb.com qui a commencé à écrire les

La censure, par George Lafosse (1844-1880)

détails des scènes ("il y a une scène de sexe entre deux personnes où on voit des fesses" ou "le mot f*** n'est utilisé que 3 fois") on peut mettre les symboles sur les posters et DVDs pour 'violence', 'sexe', 'drogue', etc au lieu de ne dire rien d'autre que 'adulte'. » Pour continuer la discussion retrouvez aussi la très bonne exposition virtuelle de Sciences Po : http:// bibliotheque.sciences-po.fr/statique/censurecinema/introduction/index.html

June-august 2012 Impressions 53

Regards croisés

Une monteuse française dans les studios indiens

P.C

Pascale Chavance a exploré pendant deux mois le monde du cinéma indien. Elle revient sur son expérience aux côtés d’Abhinav Shiv Tiwari, jeune réalisateur d’un film indépendant, à mi chemin entre la fiction et le documentaire.

P

ascale Chavance est arrivée par un beau matin de février à Mumbai.

Une ville qu’elle ne connaissait pas encore, dans un pays où elle n’avait jamais mis les pieds. « Un mois auparavant, une amie m’appelle et me dit : tu veux partir monter en Inde ? J’ai dit oui». « Monter », un mot important du jargon cinématographique. « Un monteur cela peut être plein de choses. C’est la personne qui met les pièces du film ensemble.

On peut le faire pour un reportage de 12 minutes comme un documentaire de 90mn. Mais dans mon cas, je ne me contente pas d’exécuter, je donne mon avis partout ». Et c’est bien pour cette raison que Sudipto Sen, producteur, et Abhinav Shiv Tiwari, réalisateur, ont décidé d’aller chercher Pascale à Paris. « Les Français ont une excellente réputation dans ce domaine.

Et pour ce genre de film, nous voulions un monteur qui n’ait pas peur de dire les choses, de donner son opinion, ce qui n’est pas 54 Impressions June-august 2012

toujours évident en Inde où pourtant existent ce type de professionnels mais ils sont trop souvent pris par de plus larges productions » explique Abhinav. Selon lui, il fallait que le monteur soit une femme. « Le sujet de mon film traite de la traite des femmes en Inde, des réseaux de prostitution et comment une femme, la protagoniste du film, s’en sort et se construit après ce traumatisme. Il fallait absolument qu’une femme monte ce film». Pourtant, pour Pascale, la partie n’est pas gagnée d’avance. «L’organisation était simplement guillements. J’ai eu l’impression de devoir participer à un rallye auto avec une voiture sans volant! Et tout le monde en plus te dit : « l’Inde c’est comme ça » comme s’il s’agissait d’une fatalité ». Retards, absence des techniciens ou du matériel, incompréhensions diverses et différences de communication n’ont cependant pas eu raison d’elle. « C’est juste une autre façon de travailler… Et au début cela m’a pris beaucoup de temps et d’énergie » relativise

Pascale. Abhinav avait aimé son travail dans A ma sœur, de Catherine Breillat.

«J’avais quelques appréhensions car c’est quelqu’un qui a de très nombreuses années d’expérience et ce film est mon premier !

Mais j’ai remarqué que sa créativité pouvait apporter une touche différente au film, un regard distancié qu’on ne trouverait pas en Inde ». Le scenario a d’ailleurs connu des modifications suite aux conseils émis par la monteuse. « Monter c’est bien plus que couper des scènes ou les mettre ensemble.

C’est tout aussi important que réaliser. J’ai vite compris qu’il fallait que je choisisse entre réaliser ou monter, je ne pouvais pas faire les deux » explique Abhinav. De son côté Pascale a trouvé Mumbai « fascinante même si parfois difficile car je ne parle pas bien anglais. Mais j’ai adoré ce mélange de travail et de vie quotidienne. » Une chose est certaine : Pascale Chavance reviendra en Inde.

Clea Chakraverty

Regards croisĂŠs

June-august 2012 Impressions 55

Buzz

New faces in Alliance Française de Bombay Camille Depassio, 22 ans, enseignante stagiaire FLE

Riddhi Mehta, 25 ans, B2

Riddhi est l’une des nouvelles réceptionnistes du nouveau centre à Santacruz. Avant de travailler ici, elle a effectué un stage de 3 mois à Ernst &

Shashikant Tambe

Cette stagiaire FLE est arrivée en Inde en mars. Elle enseigne dans le centre de Santacruz et reste à Mumbai jusqu’en juin. Étudiante à l’Université Lyon 2, licenciée en Lettres modernes et en anglais. Grâce au programme Erasmus, elle a passée sa 3ème année en Angleterre au Kings College, à Londres.

Puis elle a fait un assistanat dans une école de filles au sud de l’Angleterre. À présent, elle suit le cours de Master FLE 1 à Lyon 2.

Elle effectue son stage de 1ère année à l’Alliance française de Bombay.

Pourquoi a-t-elle choisi l’Inde ? Elle s’est inscrite à plusieurs institutions dans le monde ; et par hasard, elle a été choisie par l’Alliance Française de Bombay, Cochin et Delhi. Mais elle a choisi Mumbai car elle a entendu dire que c’est une ville plus occidentalisée que les autres et que donc, le dépaysement serait plus facile. Venant de France, elle a eu un choc culturel au début. Au fur et à mesure, elle a commencé à aimer cette immense ville avec des rues où elle aime se balader. L’année prochaine elle postulera pour un stage au ministère des Affaires étrangères au Maroc.

56 Impressions June-august 2012

Young en Ressources Humaines après un Master de commerce. Son professeur lui a indiqué ce poste et elle a voulu s’inscrire. Le jour de son entretien, elle était nerveuse mais pendant son interview elle a été bien accueillie par l’équipe de l’AF Bombay. Pour elle, c’était l’une des expériences les plus incroyables de sa vie. Elle voulait devenir expert comptable mais malheureusement elle n’a pas réussi ses examens. Sa mère l’a encouragé à étudier la langue française dont elle est tombée amoureuse. Elle ne sait pas ce qu’elle fera dans le futur mais elle est contente de travailler avec l’AF Bombay et souhaite rester en contact avec le français.

Previously a security guard, he is one of the new peons at our Santacruz centre.

He has worked as a security guard for around 5 and half years. Even he heard of this job from an acquaintance and the change was welcome. The stability in his current job is reassuring for him and he is content in his new shoes.

Suhas Mohite

Suhas Mohite is one of the new peons at the Santacruz Centre. He initially worked at AGI Logistics, an MNC which handled stock reporting, material handling and other logistical activities.

Due to recession it was shut down and Mohite had to lookout for another job.

After a long search, an acquaintance informed him of this opening and he got through the interview. He is happy to work at Alliance Française de Bombay.

Pranjali Kirloskar, 21 ans

Pranjali, tout comme Riddhi est réceptionniste au nouveau centre de Santacruz. Elle a obtenu sa licence en psychologie à l'université St Xavier à Mumbai l’année dernière. Pranjali assiste aux cours ici depuis longtemps.

Après une pause de trois ans pendant

BUZZ laquelle elle a fini sa licence, elle a recommencé son apprentissage de la langue. Elle est en train de faire le niveau B1 à Bandra.

De plus, elle apprend aussi l’espagnol parce que les langues l’intéressent. La personne qui l’a encouragée à postuler pour le poste de réceptionniste est son professeur. Elle espère améliorer son français en travaillant à l’Alliance Française de Bombay.

Dans l’avenir, elle souhaite finir ses cours de français et d’espagnol pour après devenir traductrice ou professeur.

Meera Acharekar

You still have time to register for the classes, going on till end of July 2012.

Do visit our new center at Santacruz west, Hi-Life Mall, Phirozeshah Mehta road, near Santacruz Railway Station. Classes are available: A1.1 classes for initiation courses, absolute beginners and nonbeginners, A2 and B1 (intermediate level) week-end courses for beginners. Do keep an eye on our website as workshops on grammar, movie making in French and conversation are currently in preparation.

From August onwards, all levels will be available at Santacruz center, for morning, afternoon, evening and week-end batches. You can visit the Alliance Française de Bombay website for more information (download the brochure) or drop by the reception at our Santacruz center.

June-august 2012 Impressions 57

France Pratique

Visa for France France is only 8 hours away… But do not waste time and carefully plan your trip. Your first step is obtaining the right visa.

Applying for a short stay visa for France (less than 90 days) It is mandatory to make visa applications for France on the VFS website (http:// www.vfs-france.co.in/).

After registering on the VFS website, the short stay visa applicant gets an appointment for the visa application centre and a reference number.

Requisite documents For Non-Professional Travel (family visit, private visit, tourism) This visa is issued for a maximum duration of 90 days.

Mandatory Documents : 1. Passports issued more than ten years ago are no longer accepted. They must be valid for a minimum period of three months after the expiry date of the visa 2. One application form with all columns filled in and 2 recent photographs in the size of 3.5 cms x 4.5 cms with white / light background. The face should cover about 70-80% of the photo area 3. Original covering letter 4. Copy of confirmed hotel reservation OR “Attestation d’accueil” (proof of accommodation) with invitation letter in original. The “attestation d’accueil” can be obtained in any city from the local town hall in France 5. Copy of itinerary prepared by the travel agency (only for those going on tour) 6. Copy of income tax papers of last three years along with last 3 months personal bank statement and salary slips 7. Copy of overseas medical insurance policy + repatriation, evacuation cover (equivalent to 30000 euros) 8. Copy of air ticket or PNR (booking printout) The documents must be arranged in the order given above.

58 Impressions June-august 2012

Important !

According to the category of applicants, the following documents have to be produced :  Employees : letter from the employer with details of employment and leave;  Self employed : proof of business i.e. firm’s registration or partnership deed  Unemployed applicants and students: spouse’s / parents’ financial papers with proof of employment or business  Students : school certificate / identity card  Minors : if traveling with one parent / none of the parents, NOC is required from the other parent / both parents in the form of an affidavit  Copy of marriage certificate whenever necessary e.g. wife’s passport bears her maiden name Visas for French Overseas Collectivities and Territories These visas are valid for overseas territories or overseas collectivities only.

Processing time will be the same as the normal Short Stay Schengen visa.

For « départments d’outre-mer » : • Guadeloupe (St. Marteen) • Guyana • Martinique • Réunion

For « territoires d’outre-mer » : • Mayotte • Nouvelle Caledonie • Polynesia Visas for Greece and African countries The Consulate General of France in Mumbai also issues visas in representation of Greece and a few African countries : • Djibouti • Gabon • Mauritania • Togo Fees In accordance with the guidelines of the European Union, any Schengen visa application has to be accompanied by a payment of visa fees. The fees (Processing + Visa) are to be paid to VFS on the day the application is being submitted. They are not refundable whether a visa is granted or refused or withdrawn.

Schengen visa: 60 Euros (as per current exchange rate) + Processing fees (see www.vfs-france.co.in) Visas for overseas territories : 9 Euros (as per current exchange rate) + Processing fees (see www.vfs-france.co.in).

During holidays and vacation period, it is strongly advised to take appointments two months in advance.

June-august 2012 Impressions 59

Calendar

June 2012 4

6

12

14

CINEMA Ariane Mnouchkine – L'aventure du Théâtre du Soleil, by Catherine Vilpoux (74’) 4th, 6.30 pm, Alliance Française auditorium

20

DOCUMENTARY Hear the other side, by Sachin Chandrakant Shirke (81’) 6th, 6.30 pm, Alliance Française auditorium

20

CINEMA Le rideau de sucre, by Camille Guzman Urzua (80’) 12th, 6.30 pm, Alliance Française auditorium ART THURSDAYS In partnership with Sakshi Gallery Résolument animés. Animations citoyennes On the occasion of the exhibition Monsoon Collection 14th, 6.30 pm, Sakshi Gallery Tanna House

22-24

26

15

DOCUMENTARY In partnership with Vikalp Film Archive 3 documentaries 15th, 7 pm, Alliance Française auditorium

18

CINEMA La terre de la folie, by Luc Moullet (90’) 18th, 6.30 pm, Alliance Française auditorium

27

MEMBERSHIP !

Fête DE LA MUSIQUE In partnership with Institut Français, Blue Frog, Novotel Nojazz 20th, 10 pm, Blue Frog CINEMA In partnership with Prithvi Theatre From theatre to film @ Prithvi Ariane Mnouchkine – L'aventure du Théâtre du Soleil, by Catherine Vilpoux (74’) 20th, 7 pm, Prithvi House, Juhu Fête du cinéma Five French films 22nd – 24th, Liberty Cinema & PVR Juhu DOCUMENTARY In partnership with The Root Reel Tanvir Ka Safarnama, by Ranjan Kamath (70’) 26th, 6.30 pm, Alliance Française auditorium CINEMA Demain dès l’aube, by Denis Dercourt (96’) 27th, 6.30 pm, Alliance Française auditorium

See program for more information

How to become a member of the Alliance Française?

If you wish to register as a member of the Alliance and participate in all our activities and take advantage of all that we offer, come to Theosophy Hall with 1200rps + 100rps and one passport size photo. Membership is open to everybody.

Contact: director.assistant@afindia.org

22 03 59 93

60 Impressions June-august 2012

Calendar

Cinema focus in June : From theatres to movies CINEMA From theatre to film Cycle

enriches though and feeling, and in dramatic language inspires an apparently paradoxical faith in the future.

The Alliance Française de Bombay and Prithvi Theatre are pleased to launch a new cycle: From theatre to film.

Ariane Mnouchkine, L'aventure du Théâtre du Soleil, by Catherine Vilpoux (74’)

DOCUMENTARY

In partnership with The Root Reel Tues. 26th, 6.30 pm, Alliance Française auditorium Thanvir Ka Safarnama, by Ranjan Kamath (70’) Tanvir Ka Safarnama is the enthralling theatrical journey that happens when a pipe-smoking urban sophisticate like Habib Tanvir travels vie Europe to returns to his homeland – in Chhattisgarh – to create an essentially Indian theatre. Working with unschooled, uneducated villagers, living together as a family over 50 years, Tanvir has ploughed a lonely furrow to produce theatrical masterpieces. His adaptations of Shakespeare Brecht and Indian Sanskrit classics have regaled audiences around the world with humour and humanism.

Fête du cinéma

Do not miss the 27th edition of Fête du Cinéma, with the French Embassy in India, Institut Français & Liberty cinema and PVR Juhu.

In this film, Catherine Vilpoux recounts Ariane Mnouchkine's iconic artistic journey: her inspirations, her dreams for the theatre, her love of cinema, her unique and extraordinary bond with audiences. Extensive archival material - much of which has never been seen before - together with extracts from performances and rehearsals, as well as interviews and coverage of various tours and travels, reveal an in-depth portrait of the Théâtre du Soleil, and its artistic and political commitment both in France and internationally, for which it was awarded the International Ibsen Award in September 2009.

Friday 22nd, Liberty Cinema, Churchgate 6.30 pm Poulet aux prunes, by Marjane Satrapi & Vincent Paronnaud (96‘)

Everyone who has seen one of Ariane Mnouchkine's productions at the Théâtre, du Soleil in Paris leaves with the feeling of having been part of a tale of enchantment. A tale that is larger than life but at the same time reveals life. A fantastic journey that throws fresh light on history and contemporary society, that

Sun. 24th, PVR Juhu 11.00 am Poupoupidou, by Gérald Hustache-Mathieu (102’) 7.00 pm Polisse, by Maïwenn (127’)

Sat. 23rd, Liberty Cinema, Churchgate 3.30 pm Guided tour of the cinema 4.30 pm La délicatesse, by David & Stéphane Foenkinos (118’) 7.00 pm Une vie meilleure, by Cédric Kahn (110’)

For further information sheryn@afindia.org

With Best Compliments from

FRANCO- I N D I A N PHARMACEUTICALS PVT. LT D

20, Dr. E. Moses Road, MUMBAI-400011 Tel. 2493 4026 Fax 2495 0557 E.mail: francoip@bom7.vsnl.net.in

June-august 2012 Impressions 61

French corner

A Francophile in Film City The Whistling Woods School in Mumbai is known for its stunning location, Film City, amidst high trees and cinema sets, and its world class standards. The dean, Ravi Gupta, impassionate about France and French gives us a glimpse in his world. the Alliance Française de Bombay. My son was enrolled too, in the same class as mine!” he recalls. He still meets time to time his former teacher, Aban Davar.

“I really thank the Alliance Française teachers for my knowledge of French” he says. Little did he know the language will also accompany him in his profession. “ At NFDC I was the producer and also the curator of Indian movie festivals abroad.

So I happened to visit France on many occasions, especially Cannes”. His first exposure to France was of course Paris.

“My friends told me French were rude.

I did not think so since I had learnt the language already. They were indeed much more relaxed than the British or the Americans. I also found the city to be quite multicultural”. The reason that pushed Ravi Gupta to learn French (and other languages too) was his love for foreign literature: “I love being able to read a novel in its original language”. And he adds with a blush: “I also love when French women speak, it’s so charming!”

R

avi Gupta’s name might not ring a bell right away. But for those who are interested in filmmaking, it is a name one would recognize. Formerly associated with the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), Ravi Gupta is at present the dean of Whistling Woods, the first private hi-tech film school in the country. Recently the school has been in the news following controversies on the ownership of its property. “We might need to relocate. However we are also planning to open a school in the North and the South of India” says the director. A simple man, Ravi Gupta is also a strong Francophile. “I just love languages. Initially I started learning German and then studied French at

62 Impressions June-august 2012

After NDFC, Ravi Gupta moved on to the private sector, first with television.

However he was still on the board of various festivals and associations promoting Indian film festivals worldwide. “I met many film festival directors and visited France every other year.” In 2004 he joined director Subhash Ghai to create Whistling Woods. Besides modern equipment, the school offers also classes by renowned professionals and foreign teachers. Whistling Woods currently has five hundred students in all the areas of expertise (production, direction, acting, animation…). “We have welcomed a delegation from the Parisian school La Femis. We want to tie up more with schools abroad”. According to Ravi Gupta, the school is also a pool of budding talents and could reflect the tendencies in contemporary cinema.

“There has been a change in mainstream Indian cinema which is positive. The acceptance of movies with less song and dance numbers is a significant change.

The youth today has a better access to international movies, the younger generation experiment with topics which were a taboo before”. For him, Indian cinema “is very strong and vibrant. It is not easy. Unlike France, cinema in India is funded privately. The home market is strong but we have a great reach in Africa, South-Asia and Eastern Europe too. And more importantly, cinema has been recognized as an industry which was not the case fifteen years ago. This fact has made a huge difference in raising funds for example or getting a loan from the banks” adds Ravi Gupta. “We have reached quite far”.

Did You Know?

Ravi Gupta speaks 8 languages including German, Spanish and French.

He is also a producer with Mukta Arts, a famous Mumbai-based production house.

He had organized the Gérard Depardieu’s retrospective in Mumbai, at the Nehru center in 1993, and personally dealt with the actor while in India.

He loves all French produits du terroir, patés, pains, Bordeaux and seafood platter.

He set up one of the first contemporary film festival in Paris at the Palais Chaillot in the 90’s.

His three favorite French filmmakers are Jean-Luc Godard, François Truffaut and Eric Rohmer.

BUZZ

63 June-august 2012IMPRESSIONS Impressions 67 DEC-FEB 2012

64 Impressions June-august 2012

Le magazine de l’Alliance Française de Bombay

No. 121 June/ Aug 12

June-august 2012 Impressions 65