CULTURAL EVENTS

“l’Usure du Monde” Exhibition of Photographs
by Frédéric LECLOUX, inspired by
Nicolas BOUVIER's book "L'usage du monde".
22nd October, 6:00 pm.
Alliance Française Gallery

A photographer working for the agence VU, Frédéric LECLOUX, admirer of Nicolas Bouvier’s books, decides to follow the steps of the writer and starts a journey following the same route, taking pictures of the faces and places that the writer might have come across, dozens of pictures. Later, he came up with the idea the exhibition could follow the same path.

The exhibition entitled “l’Usure du Monde” inspired by the title of Bouvier’s book is now in Pakistan, final stage of its tour. 

Friday, 22th June, 5:00 pm onward, Royal Palm & Country Golf Club
Fête de la Musique 2007

As like every year in France the 20th June is celebrated as the day of music “Fête de la Musique”.
This festival taking place on June 21, the summer solstice. It began in France, but spread to Belgium, Britain, Germany, China, Lebanon, Malysia, Morrocco, Pakistan and many other countries. Its sole purpose is to promote music by organizing free concerts and making all genres of music accessible to public. This year we are organizing a Pakistani Rock concert in collaboration with Lahore Arts Council, with a group called TEE-M on Friday, June 22nd 2007.
TEE-M (Tariq Mirza) grew up in Karachi, hearing rock/pop on the short-wave radio, listening to street musicians playing the tunes of the land, and learning to play on a hand-me-down guitar.
TEE-M recently completed their first album EARTHIOTIC...songs from a one room palace, which made it's worldwide debut on "Rock 50" internet radio show on WPMD.org. The CD was reviewed and critiqued live by Bernard Baur (Music Connection) "TEE-M is a very, very solid songwriter...this album is a remarkable achievement", and Mike Stark (author of Black Sabbath: An Oral History) "I'm a huge fan...I love this record!" This was the first time ever that an album by an unsigned artist was reviewed and critiqued live by two internationally known pop writers,
TEE-M can also be heard world-wide co-hosting with the legendary Mike Stark on WPMD "TEE-M's UNsigned Music Show" (a genre busting show, where the UNsigned revolution is on), which celebrated its anniversary with fourteen artists performing live (a first in internet radio) and capped off the party with an all-star Unsigned finale of TEE-M's song Aao, Aao, Aao

Friday 15th June 06:00 pm, Alliance Française Gallery
"SCENES DE LA VIE QUOTIDIENNE AU PAKISTAN" (SCENES FROM DAILY LIFE IN PAKISTAN

Didier RANDOT has participated in many projects: illustrations of books, school and university murals. His renowned skills have earned him international fame. His coming to is a unique opportunity to meet an artist whose work are rarely displayed in this part of the world.

Plus je regarde, plus je suis surpris, et plus j’aime: scènes de la rue, architectures bien plantées, bien équilibrées, villages du midi, coins pittoresques de Paris, ports et marines… Quelle belle et paisible promenade, quasi solitaire et reposante.Tout cela est dessiné d’un trait sûr et rapide, vivant. Tout cela parait simple, calme, j’allais dire silencieux, comme si l’on retenait son souffle. Mais ni la poésie, ni la passion ne sont absentes, là est peut-être le secret de semblable réussite. Bernard de Masclary.
Enfin une exposition de dessins ! Et quelle qualité ! Tout est vie, lumière, je me réjouis de voir cette sobriété et cette précision si magnifiquement exprimées dans les scènes de la vie ivoiriennes offertes à notre délectation et à notre admiration. Mes plus vifs compliments à l’artiste dont le talent me paraît devoir s’imposer aux vrais amateurs d’Art. Guy Nairay.Gouverneur de la Côte d’Ivoire.
Ces dessins sont des voyages communiqués. Le talent ajoute l’imagination à l’image. Jacques Duhamel ministre des affaires Culturelles.
La même sûreté du trait, léger et solide à la fois, ces alignements et ces entretoisements de lignes pures et nues, on pourrait dire qu’ils ont une architecture musicale. Il y a en eux une vibration secrète, une résonance poétique qui naissent du dépouillement et que l’usage de la couleur aurait sans doute contrariée… Didier Randot illustre a la perfection la fameuse pensée d’AMIEL. « Un paysage est un état de l’âme ». Jacques de Ricaumont.
Lucien Fontanarosa qui, en plus du peintre qu’il était, était un grand dessinateur. Quant il en décelait un, disait : « Il a le signe ». Didier Randot a le signe. Daniel Rigaud.
Didier Randot parcourt le monde mais ne retient des paysages traversés et Longuement contemplés que l’essentiel. Balayant l’accident, éliminant le pittoresque, il piège instinctivement la réalité profonde et spontanément va droit à l’arabesque qui définit une attitude, un coin de nature, l’âme même d’une ville. Une fine sensibilité veille pourtant derrière cette belle élégance, sous ce trait net et franc, un léger frémissement, une subtile discontinuité tempéré, harmonise la pureté du graphisme. Peu à peu la stylisation s’anime, la ligne vibre d’un rythme secret et cette synthèse inflexible se révèle au spectateur curieusement expressive. Gérald Schurr.
Une technique sûre, une sensibilité de gestes, une passion pour la lumière du Maroc; autant de qualités qui distinguent l’Art de Didier Randot. Ses œuvres séduisent et touchent les connaisseurs par leur dépouillement et leur sincérité. Ahmed Sefrioui. Rabat

Tuesday, 29th May 6:00 pm till 11th June 2007, French Centre Faisalabad Gallery
Exclusive Painting Exhibition of recent works of Raja Najjam Ul Hassan

There are no figures inhabiting the landscape paintings of Raja Najjam Ul Hassan, only the tranquil pattern of nature reflected in deserts, fields and seas. Inspired by Dubai, where he currently lives and works as a full time artist. He portrays unsullied golden beaches that stretch outwards to mingle with brightest blues of sea. The viewer's gaze continues to travel across the surface until the sea becomes one with the sky on the horizon.
There are arch ways, stairs, towers and streets heavily textures through the medium of a palette knife technique with out the finesse and detail of brush strokes, Najmi endeavors to bring a vigorous and spontaneous feel to his work through paint layered densely in toning shades. Exploring the tonal qualities of colour, compositions are often brought together by a single focused point. The artist appears fascinated by rich and bright yellow of mustards and fills the canvas surface with vast mustard fields, in a aesthetically rich manner.
Exploring the phenomenon of light and shade he examines interesting contrasts, shadows appearing almost as separate entities. Najmi's work documents his impressions of places meaningful to his life lived in several parts of the world.
His bold, impasto use of palette knife creates diverse textural interest on the canvas surfaces and it is obvious that, Najmi is not just painting, but capturing the moments, places and romance of the endless beauty of nature. Marjorie Hussain - Art critic

Saturday, 12th May 2007, Time: 6pm, L’Underground - Alliance Gallery
Miniature exhibition

An exhibition of miniature paintings by students of class of 2006 of NCA. This exhibition will be traveling around Pakistan within the network of the Alliance Francaise, starting from Lahore then to Islamabad and finally then to Karachi.
The artists exhibiting at this exhibition are Aakif Sauri, Nida Bangash, Jalaluddin Babar,Muhammad Saleh, Mufakhar Subhani, M Zahid Azaz, Irfan Hassan, Kausar Iqbal and Dr Noman Ghauri.
The teaching of miniature paintings at the NCA is based on the teachings of the traditional styles followed by the Mughal and Persian courts. These techniques are taught through classical painting exercises. After acquiring these skills and knowledge, students of their choice. These students are also taught the art of brush making, paper making (Wasli) and water colour paints mixing with Safaida.
The students painstakingly go through the technique of Mughal and Persian figure drawing styles to understand miniature painting composition. This is done by using landscape, architecture, pattern designing. Floral and geometrical patterns. The renderning techniques are called Pardakt and Gadrang and are done with squirrel hair brush on Wasli.
Ustad Bashir Ahmed is currently the professor, Head of the Fine Arts Department and section incharge of miniature paintings of National College of Arts. He designed the curriculum of the Miniature Paintings, which is the first ever world renowned degree programme in Miniature Paintings at NCA since 1982. He will aslo be present at the exhibition.

Friday, 27th April 5:30 pm till 12th May 2007, Alliance Française Gallery
Calligraphy Exhibition

Calligraphy is the art of making beautiful or elegant handwriting. It is a fine art of skilled penmanship. While many religions have made use of figural images to convey their core convictions, Islam has instead used the shapes and sizes of words or letters. Islam's early theocracy looked to the artistry of calligraphy for religious expression. In Islamic and Arabic cultures, calligraphy became highly respected as an art -- the art of writing.

Atif Iqbal is a very talented calligrapher, he has been in the field of Fine Arts since 1998. He has participated in 14 exhibitions all over Pakistan. He has exhibited with foreign artists as well, one of which was a 2 nation exhibition (Italian and Pakistani) in which he received the best performing award from Governor of Punjab Mr. Khalid Maqbool. He started his carrier from Alhamra Cultural Complex. He has received almost 10 diplomas in this field. He also has a teaching experience of drawing and painting at Young Man’s Christian Association. Currently, he is a member of Pakistan Calligraphy artists Guild (PCG) and Sultan Art Foundation. He uses latest techniques in his work. His future plans are to work on ornaments. The mediums used in his work are pointers, pastel colours, charcoal, water colors, oil paints and mixed media.

20th April 2007 - From 6pm till 10 pm - Alliance Française Gardens

Rickhshaw Exhibition

STORIES FOR OUR CHILDREN - LIFE AFTER THE EARTHQUAKE: Images and Stories from UNESCO Photojournalism Workshop,
Lahore/Abbottabad

This is the work of 15 gifted professionals and students who took part in the UNESCO Photojournalism Workshop taught by Malcolm Hutcheson in March 2007.

Scottish Photographer Malcolm Hutcheson has been working in Lahore for the last 10 years. He is presently head of Photography at Beaconhouse National University and has recently returned from exhibiting in International Photography Festival in Cambodia and Holland.

‘The faces, the eyes, the gestures, all tell the story of hardships and of hope. Photographic Portraits captured by 15 of the most talented young Photojournalists from Lahore transports us into the lives of those who are still living with the effects of the Earthquake. The photographs displayed on rickshaws will transport the stories of these brave individuals throughout Lahore”.

The exhibition will be on only on 20th April and will leave the Centre by 10 pm

Thursday, 22nd March 2007, at 7:00 PM, Alliance Française Gardens

Concert: Amri SAUREL
Writer , composer and singer of French songs, her real name being Magali Saurel, was born in Montpellier in a family surrounded by creative individuals. From a very early age she was attracted to singing and dance. Her early musical inspiration was her father, who not only directed but created an orchestra by himself. She has studied piano and mastered it by the time she reached adolescence and then entered into the art of morden dancing. An injury which forcibly stopped her dance classes, reverted her passion to singing. She is an advent fan of the french music of 70’s and mid 80’s; particularly C. Aznavour, M.Berger and F. Cabrel.
She would be performing in Lahore with a mastereo pianists Michel Tardieu, who completely understands the sensitivity and style of Amri Saurel. This is the second time that he will be performing in Lahore. Amri’s experiences of life, the philosophy and the study of human emotions form the words that she portrays in her songs. She has traveled a lot and learned the Arab language which nourishes her poetry and gives it its oriental touch.
Event will be followed by a French Dinner, Ticket: Rs. 1000 per person, Free entrance will be restricted to active members only.

Friday, February 23, 2007, at 7.00 PM, Alhamra Arts Council, The Mall, Hall No. 2

European-Pakistani Jazz Concert: DIALOGUE THROUGH MUSIC

The Alliance Française, the Annemarie-Schimmel-Haus, the British Council and the Goethe-Institut in collaboration with Sampurna & Lahore Arts Council

The Alliance Française, the Annemarie-Schimmel-Haus, the British Council and the Goethe-Institut in collaboration with Sampurna present 4 musicians from Europe and from Pakistan to lead a Dialogue through Music. This unique jazz project began in 2005 with renowned musicians from France, Germany and Pakistan playing concerts in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad.
Feedback from the audiences in all three cities encouraged us to continue working on this ambitious project and extending it by inviting the British Council to join in. This year the concert is an interworking experience between four artists from four countries.
The musicians are exceptional: German bassist Dieter Ilg, French-Vietnamese guitar player Nyugen Le, on drums Steve Argülles from the UK and Pakistani tabla player Irfan Hyder.

Free passes can be collected from the joint reception of the Annemarie-Schimmel-Haus and the Alliance Francaise from February 15.

From Monday 18th December to Friday 22nd December, Alliance Française de Lahore

“BLENDED”: Film Festival: French Fictions & Documentaries

Alliance Française in collaboration with Daily Times

All the movies are with English Subtitles.
1st Movie starting at 5:00 pm every day followed by the second one.

Monday 18th December 2006

Vipère au poing (Viper in the fist)
Directed by: Philippe de Broca; FRANCE / 2004 / 100 min / Drama
The story is based on a novel by Hervé Bazin. Jean and Freddie are growing up in a château, under the loving care of their paternal grandmother. When she dies, their father returns from Vietnam with their mother and their young brother. Within minutes, their mother displays her true colors, and within days she's made their life hell.
Catherine Frot plays Paule Rézeau, who in a fairy tale would be the evil stepmother. Unfortunately, she's their biological mother, who totally dominates the boys, their father (played well by the late Jacques Villeret), and the entire household.
The chilling nature of this film stems not only from maternal hatred, but from the fact that the boys are obviously good kids. They are prepared to love their mother and their brother, and to behave in an acceptable even admirable fashion.

Le cauchemar de Darwin (The nightmare of Darwin)
Directed by:Hubert Sauper; FRANCE-AUSTRIA-BELGIUM / 2004 / 107 min /
It starts out with the makings of an African legend. In the 1960s, the Nile Perch is introduced into Lake Victoria in Tanzania. The voracious predator quickly decimates all the other species in the lake.

A lucrative export industry springs up around this ecological disaster as Northern markets flock to buy the white flesh of the huge fish. But above the lake, hulking ex-Soviet cargo planes lumber to and fro daily apparently plying a totally different trade : weapons. Fishermen, politicians,Russian pilots, prostitutes and manufacturers all get caught up in an incredible drama. The shores of the world's largest tropical lake are now the scene of globalization's worst nightmare.

Tuesday 19th December 2006

Les Mauvais Joueurs(Gamblers)
Directed by: Frédéric Balekdjian; France / 2005 / 85 min / Crime / Drama
Vahé, Sahak, and Toros run a bonneteau game on the streets of Paris. They're Lebanese French. Vahé also works with his father, a cloth merchant, and is in love with Lu Ann, Chinese French, who's broken off their affair.

Vahé wants to make things right: with Lu Ann, with his father's business, and with Yuen, Lu Ann's younger brother, who's on the edge of delinquency and owes money to the gang who arranged his passage from China.
Vahé tries to be like a father to Yuen, teaching him a work ethic. When Yuen impetuosity puts his own life in jeopardy, Vahé tries to save him. Are Vahé's impulses and hopes to die on the streets of Paris?

A decent factory (Une entreprise comme il faut)
Directed by: Thomas Balmès; FINLAND-FRANCE / 2004 / 79 min / Documentary
Can companies make a profit and still be principled ? The question becomes a critical one for Nokia when it outsources its production to China and cheap labour.
The company's “ethical management consultant” visits the Chinese factory to inspect conditions at the plant with an eye on solving the problems caused by relocation : corruption, flouted human rights, and substandard health and housing.
But what is a decent factory ? Although the multinationals have recently set about creating a new ethical image, social responsibility extended to sub-contractors remains one of the main challenges of globalization.

Wednesday 20th December 2006

Travaux, on sait quand ça commence.... (Housewarming)
Directed by: Brigitte Roüan; FRANCE / 2005 / 90 min / Comedy
The film begins as a bit of whimsy, turns into a chaotic mess, and ends as a warm -- but unintentionally ambiguous, there's plenty of funny business going on visually.
The whimsy concerns a Parisian lady barrister, Chantal Letelier (Carole Bouquet), who's highly successful in defending homeless illegals. When some Spanish sublets move out of a maid's room upstairs and she realizes she might be able to open up her ceiling a bit, Chantal practices what she preaches, so to speak, and lets her flat be overrun by Columbian remodelers, led by an aspiring and unpredictable architect (Marcial Di Fonzo Bo).
There's a fat, wrinkly former client with a big mustache, a sort of stubby Fernandel (Jean-Pierre Castaldi), who decides he's in love with Chantal and pursues her with flowers and pet names, and there are a cute teenage son and daughter who have to put up with becoming nearly homeless themselves as all the walls are knocked out and the functioning parts of the flat are disconnected….

Le banquier des humbles (Humble's banker)
Directed by: Amirul Arham; France-BANGLADESH / 2000 /52 min / Documentary
In Bangladesh, top economist Muhammed Yunus decides to stick his neck out and lend to the poor without economic or political prejudice. This leads to his creation of the first micro-credit bank, Grameen Bank. The principle is simple: give the poorest and especially women access to capital to finance their business activities.

There results an amazing silent revolution that changes millions of lives by totally reinventing the relationship between banker and customer. This documentary paints a portrait of a remarkable man and offers a message of hope : maybe poverty doesn't have to be inevitable …

Thursday 21st December 2006

Les Soeurs Fâchées (Me & my sister)
Directed by : Alexandra Leclère; FRANCE / 2004 / 93 min / Comedy / Drama
Louise, younger sister, natural and straightforward, lives in province; Martine, older sister, beautiful and aloof, lives in the Parisian upper middle class. Louise has written a novel. On Monday she will go for an appointment with a publisher in Paris, which may change her life.
She comes to live with Martine for three days. During three days, Louise and her obvious happiness exasperate Martine and set her life in glares.....

Le combat des juges (Judge's fight)
Directed by: Yves Billy; FRANCE / 2000 / 52 min / Documentary
The establishment of the International Criminal Tribunals for the Former Yugoslavia and Rwanda to judge war crimes against humanity and genocide were the necessary first steps towards the creation an International Criminal Court.

Through their dogged determination, a group of men and women succeeded in convincing a number of States of the effectiveness and potential of these exceptional hearings to give international law more legitimacy and pave the way for other types of legal action to guarantee human, economic and social rights for all.

Friday 22nd December 2006

À tout de suite (Right Now)
Directed by: Benoît Jacquot; FRANCE / 2004 / 95 min / Drama
A school girl falls for a charming young man. After news about a botched bank robbery in which a guard is killed, she learns that her boyfriend was one of the robbers. She decides to hide him and his friends and then they all sneak out of the country.

After hiding out and spending all the money, tempers rise and the group splits up. This forces the girl to work her own way back home and deal with her actions and her separation from her boyfriend. A really touchy movie, a must see.

Mondovino
Directed by: Jonathan Nossiter; USA / 2003 / 135 min / Documentary
In vino veritas. From the Brazilian jungle to the Brooklyn streets, from the Pyrenees to the aristocratic Florentine palazzi, one vision unites rich and poor, natives and immigrants alike: the magical transformation of grapes into wine.

The winemaking industry has been torn for twenty years by a conflict between small wine producers and advocates of homogenized wines. Wine has been a symbol of Western civilization for thousands of years. Yet it is now a pawn in a fight for its soul, a fight for power, money and glory.
Globalization really does get everywhere …

All the movies are with English Subtitles.
1st Movie starting at 5:00 pm every day followed by the second one.

Friday, December 15, 2006, at 7:00 PM, Al-Hamrah Cultural Complex Gaddafi Stadium, Hall I

CARAVAN QUARTET

More than music alone, it is a philosophy!

The music revolves around the Gypsy Jazz music, and these four musicians of Caravan Quartet unite as singers and composers, who open a whole new world with their compositions. These musicians offer us fusion music in a nut shell….. “swing manouche/ Cuban jazz”….

A group who inspires from their individual and mutual experiences, adventures and their protagonists. These four musicians play together the melancholy, celebrating the marriage of words with music, and participate as if they are playing their last notes. On scene, the guitars, contrabass marry the violin to inflame the ambience and the spirits of the audience.

The music is of Afro-Cubans origin which is the scent of the sun, of the heat, of the hurricane and of hope !!! It is song and it is dance !!! It is the greater part of imagination and improvisation It is rhythm !!! It is Jazz!!!

“Manouche Jazz,” A thing of virtuosity and harmony, it is charged with emotion. A strange array of emotions palpable yet coy, closely following its history, that unless you are a traveling spirit, you cannot truly claim to know yourself.

Tantalizing, mind boggling sequences of music which will leave you mesmerized for the entire winter break.

December 9, 2006, 01:00 PM to 07:00 PM, Alliance Française de Lahore

EXHIBITION - SILK & STONES

The Alliance Française will be inaugurating a unique exhibition “Silk & Stones” by Brigitte Ohno and Jacqueline Brocard. It is an exhibition which has originated from the most devoted passion by both the artist for beautiful stones and materials.

Brigitte’s work consists of cushions, mats and table runners that are made up of obi, kimono & raw silks. At the same time, Jacqueline will be exhibiting contemporary fashion jewellery. What makes the cushions , the table runners and the necklaces exceptional is the energy that was spent on them and the commitment that it involves, but also the simplicity of the ideas behind them.

Both these artist have exhibited recently in Islamabad and their splendid objects have received enthusiastic appreciations. A must see exhibition for all elegance and decor lovers!!!

December 8, 2006, 06:00 PM, Alliance Française de Lahore

LECTURE BY DR. MICHEL BOIVIN
SUFISM AND THE DEVOTIONAL EXPRESSIONS IN PAKISTAN: SEHWAN SHARIF AND THE CASE OF SINDH

Dr. Michel Boivin is Research Fellow at the Centre for South Asian Studies (CNRS-EHESS, Paris) and he teaches Contemporary History of South Asia. He is working on the Muslim communities in Sindh in colonial and post-partition periods from the perspective of historical anthropology. He contributed to the much acclaimed Pakistan: Another Looking, edited in French by Delphine Evmoon in 2005, with a paper on “Sufism, The Hidden Face of Pakistan”. His last book "Sindh Through History and Representations: French contribution to Sindhi Studies" is to be published by Oxford University Press Pakistan. He is currently heading an interdisciplinary program on Sufi Devotion in the pilgrimage centre of Sehwan Sharif. He states:

"In the 19th C., British folklorists observed in South Asia that beyond the classical religious tradition embodied by the elite, there was what they called “popular religion”. In their understanding, popular religion was practiced by illiterate people of low origin, and it was irrational. I propose here to give up the somewhat pejorative expression of “popular religion” and to study this phenomenon through the perspective of devotional expressions.
Devotional expressions mean the ways by which different social classes, varied ethnic communities, and followers of religions whish to make progress on the spiritual path through the mediation of a saint. In this lecture, the cultural impact of devotional expressions will be under the scope. After highlighting some methodological problems, this topic will be addressed with the help of some insights regarding a project on Sufi devotion in Sehwan Sharif based on an interdisciplinary approach."

November 11 & 13, 2006, Alhamrah Cultural Complex, Gaddafi Stadium

MAMDOUH BAHRI
Afro Jazz Music Concerts

In Collaboration with Embassy of France and Alliances Françaises in Pakistan, Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop, the Alliance Française de Lahore will present two concerts in Lahore.

The Mamdouh Bahri Trio will take you along on a trip to the Mediterranean with his Afro Jazz Music. He expands musical boundries, combining the traditional with his interpretations and compositions.

The Trio’s music is a recollection of various period of Jazz, blues and rock & Roll; at the time there is a current flowing, just under the surface, of the masters of the Oud, that eastern Lute whose crystalline nuances fuse all Arabic Music. The trio is also holding concerts in Karachi and Islamabad apart from participating in the World Performing & Visual Arts Festival of Lahore.

Saturday, November 11, 2006 from 8 pm at Camp # 5, Alhamrah Cultural Complex, Gaddafi Stadium

FRANCO - GERMAN - PAKISTANI PUPPET PROJECT

"TRANSIT-PUPPETS WITHOUT BORDERS"
Puppet workshop, play and set design workshop

The Alliance Francaise de Lahore and the Annemarie-Schimmel-Haus in collaboration with the Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop have invited Elisabetta Potasso and Rita Amouya, two puppeteers who live and work in France to stay in Lahore during the month of November and develop a puppet theatre play with renowned Pakistani artist and puppeteer Shehryar Qureshi at the Puppet Museum Lahore.

The artists will present the fruits of the labour of their workshop at the World Performing Arts Festival on November 11. After their performance in Lahore, they will travel across the country to present their play in Islamabad on November 13 and in Karachi on November 15.

Parallel to the puppet theatre workshop, a stage design for the play will be developed and created in a workshop at the Puppet Museum by renowned German set designer Stefan A. Schulz together with the artists who work at the Puppet Museum, Pakistani set designers from local theatre groups as well as with art students from the Beaconhouse National University (BNU) and the National College of Arts (NCA).

Wednesday, June 21st, 7pm - Al-Hamrah Gaddafi Stadium

FETE DE LA MUSIQUE - INTERNATIONAL MUSIC DAY

"OVERLOAD"

Overload is a rage in Pakistan. Its percussion medley, a crazy non-stop beat, that goes from fusing eastern rhythm with western instruments to the "mustt dhamaal" of the dervishes in a single live performance.
Farhad Humayun (ex-Coven, Noori, and Fuzon), Pappoo Saeen (a superstar of the shrines of Punjab), Joora Saeen, Hassan Mohyeddin, and Sheraz Siddiq are perhaps the oddest combination in many ways. Yet, they are driving people nuts with their immaculate collusion. People of all ages are raving about Overload in Pakistan, Japan, Sri Lanka, Middle East and Europe.
Every song on and by Overload has its own identity. The production of Overload has, now, given Pakistani music a new genre and surpasses expectations. It is crisp, clean and strikes like a lightning bolt. A lot of talented musicians get a chance to perform like never before.
Overload has an eccentric yet solid debut. And the sameness that that has taken over the music scene will ensure that they make their mark. Pakistani pop listeners are in the mood for change. So, come and enjoy the beat !

Free passes to get from the Alliance Francaise !

“LES COCONS DE RENAISSANCES”

PERFORMANCE BY AUDE DELATTRE

AUDE DELATTRE is a French artist, based in Paris; she is studying fine arts in higher education. She is a multi-media artist: from audio-travel to photography, via images and sounds, she carries us along an insight and self-discovery way, questioning our senses and thoughts. She has created an audio fascinating journey called “The Story-Cocoon” that will be presented all around Pakistan. The Lahore performance features the storyteller Nigum Aleem along with the violinist Ghulan. The artist invites people into a sculptural cocoon, a kind of Yurt, where they can sit and listen to a story. The same story is translated into Urdu, in the same way and in another cocoon. Just like human chrysalis, they follow their imagination and gradually transform themselves while listening to the story. The metamorphosis lasts for just the time it takes to weave the words; the first flight is the one of self-discovery. She says: “Through the story, I question the Self… the autonomy of the listeners”. The story is particularly evocative for women: it is the very first journey of a young girl who has a red line instead of a mouth… Thanks to the Awa leaf, the sound of her inner-voice, Lili gains more and more self-confidence and change the people surrounding her.

As touring Pakistan, this performance will be staged in the French School (Islamabad), the Traditional Arts Museum (Islamabad) and in some villages, especially quake-zone ones. A particular attention will be given to the women affected by the earthquake. The performance will be held at the NCA on Saturday, 6th May, at 5:00 p.m. sharp. Il will be followed by another performance: “Le Cri de Lili” with the NCA students’ contribution.

This performance was held in partnership with Qatar Airways and the French Embassy.

Friday, April 28 to Sunday, April 30 : EUROPEAN FILM FESTIVAL

Here is the definitive program for the European Film Festival, organized jointly by the Alliance Française of Lahore, the Anne-Marie Schimmel-Haus/German Cultural Centre and the British Council Pakistan. All the screenings will take place at the Underground Gallery of the French and German Centres. You are warmly welcomed to enjoy an atypical selection of contemporary European movies that reflects the diversity and richness of film making and culture in the Old Continent.

All the movies are in their original language, subtitled English if needed.

Program :

• 28/04, 6 pm. OPENING NIGHT : Shooting Dogs - Colour, UK/Germany, 2004, 115 min. - Directed by Michael Caton-Jones, with John Hurt, Hugh Dancy, Dominique Horwitz, Claire-Hope Ashitey. Shooting Dogs is a gripping and emotional story of two men's struggle for survival when caught up in one of the most brutal genocides of the twentieth century. John Hurt plays Michael, a priest who forges a friendship with Joe (Hugh Dancy), a young teacher. Together they have to confront the limits of their courage as they decide whether to stay or leave in the face of the 1994 Rwandan tragedy. The film explores the powerful dilemma of peacekeepers caught up in a dangerous world, where they feel powerless to act effectively - an exceptionally timely and resonant story.
• 29/04, 4 pm. Les Poupées Russes (The Russian Dolls) - Colour, France/UK, 2005, 120 min. - Directed by Cédric Klapish, with Romain Duris, Kelly Reilly, Audrey Tautou. Xavier is now thirty. No longer a student, he is not yet a well-balanced, fulfilled adult either. His career is unsatisfying: far from being the renowned novelist he aimed to be he must be content with little jobs such as reporter or ghost writer. His greatest "achievement" in "literature" is his collaboration to the script of a corny TV soap! His sentimental life is not much better, regulated by one night stands and unfinished romances. It looks as if when he seduces a woman beautiful outside and inside such as Kassia or Wendy he can't keep them. Will he ever bring his life into focus?
• 29/04, 6 pm. Kroko - 35 mm, Colour, Germany, 2003, 92 min. - Directed by Silke Enders, with Franziska Jünger, Alexander Lange, Hinnerk Schönemann, Danilo Bauer. She’s blond, she’s tough, and she’s untouchable: the femme fatale of Berlin-Wedding’s backstreets. Coolness weighs heavily on Kroko’s eyelids. It could be mistaken for boredom – if it weren’t for the edge in her voice and her ice-cold readiness to walk right over anybody who stands in her way… She’s just as fierce when she’s out to have fun, but one of her joy rides ends in a crash and the juvenile court condemns her to do welfare work in a housing project for disabled people – a preposterous punishment for a girl like her, she thinks. But the “normalos” she lives with aren’t all that thrilling either, and it seems as if Kroko discovers something in the “spasties” she’s been missing in her everyday life...
• 29/04, 8 pm. Afterlife - Colour, UK/Scotland, 2003, 104 min. - Directed by Alison Peebles, with Kevin McKidd, Paula Sage, James Laurenson. On the verge of the breakthrough of his career, ambitious young journalist Kenny learns that his mother May is dying of cancer. The discovery forcers him to re-evaluate his life and responsibilities – particularly when he inherits the care of his younger sister Roberta who has Down’s Syndrome. With Kenny in Glasgow and his family in Ayrshire, they quite obviously have very different lifestyles. When May sprains her ankle, their lives converge and their relationship and family links change forever. With his mother indisposed, Kenny must take Roberta, against his will, with him to an interview that could win him a promotion to the US. The interview is with a controversial doctor who has been cited as practising euthanasia on the mentally ill. Much to Kenny’s surprise, Robertas charm wins over the doctor and Kenny is invited to come and see how he really works.
• 30/04, 4 pm. Die Spielwütigen (Crazy for Acting) - 35 mm, Colour, Germany, 2003, 108 min. - Directed by Andres Veiel, with Promodos Antoniadis, Constanze Becker, Karina Plachetka, Stephanie Stremier. This documentary takes us to four different people's different ways right through the very highs and lows of what it means to become a professional actor at the Ernst Busch Academy, Berlin, Germany. A very intense, very emotional movie which leaves nothing undisclosed but remains fair towards the persons featured in the end. "You need to be a bit mad for this kind of job" one of the students says -- "It is existentially necessary for me to play" says another.
• 30/04, 6 pm. Les Choristes (The Chorists) - Colour, French, 2004, 96 min. - Directed by Christophe Barratier, with Gérard Jugnot, François Berléand, Kad Méral. On 15 January 1949, the former music teacher Clément Mathieu arrives in "Fond de l' Etang" ("Bottom of the Well"), a boarding school for orphans and problematic boys, to work as an inspector. The place is administrated with an iron fist by the cruel director Rachin and most of the boys have severe punishments for their faults, the motto of the school being "Action - ReAction". Clément decides to teach the boys to sing in a choir in their spare time, and identify the musical potential of the rebel Pierre Morhange, the son of a beautiful single mother for whom he feels a crush. With is methods, Clément changes the lives of the boys, of the other employees and his own.

Saturday April 1st, 7:00 pm. : "A VENT... PROPOS QUINTET"

These five musicians with their prestigious courses find themselves with their wind quintet the matter for sharing their passion with the public from 0 to 99 years ! The Quintet not only performed in concerts at the schools of their time but also in various churches and rooms of spectacular audience where the public loves music.

Program :

• "Quintet in G minor" by Reinhart
• Extracts from "Carmen" by Georges Bizet
• "Three Shanties" by Malcolm Arnold
• "Divertimento" by Mozart
• "Three short pieces" by Jacques Ibert
• "Antic Hungarian Dances" by Ferenc Farkas

For more information on this quintet, click here (website in French)

19th January to 4th February : EXHIBITION OF NAHIDA RAZA'S PAINTINGS

NAHIDA RAZA an abstract expressionist, having inborn artistic qualities, she studied fine art. Fine art being her favorite field and passion, she has widely traveled for inspiration and have acquired rich experience and formed her unique style by visiting numerous Art Galleries and Museums of Classic European Painters.
She has not only formed her own style but has acquired tremendous boldness to paint the objective the way she feels. She expresses her style with most vivid strokes of the knife and bold colors, which attracts the viewer. Abstraction is a symbolic phenomenon like modern poetry and the artist is absolutely free to express his feelings in any color or shape. It is the approach of the viewer to determine the object the way he feels. Symbolic art is not that easy as a living object or a still life, but it is a difficult medium to paint a particular thought just with a few strokes of the knife and paint. Nahida is out of her wilderness and has since adopted a particular style of her own.