Author: THE HOBBLEDEHOY

Michael Stevenson, aka Dai Bando, Johnny Foreigner, Monsieur Pas De Merde, is a blogger of French and British culture. His blogs "Pas De Merde" and "The Hobbledehoy" have been called "marvelous" by some, and "meh" by others.

French cinema club for English speakers goes online – but not for viewing in U.S.

Cinema lovers who struggle to watch French movies without English subtitles may rejoice as Lost in Frenchlation is setting up virtual screenings starting this Friday.

 

What is happening?

Lost in Frenchlation, a cinema group that regularly screens French films with English subtitles in Paris, will host its first virtual screening on Friday, November 27th, at 8pm.

“These virtual screenings will take place every Friday until cinemas reopen,” Manon Kerjean, Founder of Lost in Translation, told The Local.

Which film is on this week?

Friday’s film is called À cœur battant (The End of Love) and tells the story of a couple that must embark on a long distance relationship where their conversations are reduced to video calls.

A fuller description of the – arguably very timely – film is available on the Facebook event (link here).

The screening will be followed by a discussion with director Keren Ben Rafael and the scriptwriter.

Who can access?

The screening will be limited to France only, so those interested must confirm their location in order to purchase tickets.

Tickets cost €5 and can be found here.

What is Lost in Frenchlation?

Lost in Frenchlation is a company that sets up screenings of recent French film releases with English subtitles to give Paris’s large international community access to French culture and meet others in the same situation.

Usually the events are always preceded with drinks (including a cocktail inspired by the film), but since Covid-19 forced cinemas across France to close their doors that has no longer been feasible.

On the plus side, these new virtual screenings will be available to all of France, meaning not just Parisians will be able to access new French films with English subtitles.

In addition to the online screenings, Lost in Frenchlation has launched a VOD page (link here) with more than 70 French films available to watch with subtitles in different foreign languages, including, of course, English.

The first movie is free. After that, you may rent or buy the film.

For more information, check out their website or sign up to their newsletter (link here).

Source: French cinema club for English speakers goes online with virtual screenings – The Local

Back to Black: The Charcoal Trend in French Cooking

Black Bread

A local baker and a Michelin-starred chef have mastered the dark force of charcoal. Patrice Bertrand finds out more. 

On a beautiful autumn morning, at the market in the picturesque spa village of Montbrun-les-Bains, in the Drôme Provençale, baker Norbert Jouveau cuts a few slices of a deep black-coloured bread in front of a group of intrigued onlookers. He hands out some slices to them, saying, “Taste this. It’s made with vegetable charcoal. It’s delicious and it’s good for your health.” At first sceptical, a woman tastes it, and then says: “It’s really good. I’ll take a loaf!”.

Eye of the Beholder

“It’s often like that,” jokes Norbert. “The visual effect is very important. Sometimes people are first repelled by the colour but when they taste the bread, they quickly change their mind. Charcoal is known for its many virtues: it reduces cholesterol, it regulates intestinal transit and balances kidney function. In addition, it’s good for the breath!” he says.

Norbert started making charcoal bread five years ago, in the tiny village of Curel, near Sisteron, where he also runs a guesthouse called L’Auberge du Vallon des Amoureux (The Lovers’ Valley Inn). “I was curious to use this ingredient,” he says. “I first tested it on myself and I realised that it was very effective for the gastric system. Then I started selling it.

“Of course, the charcoal I use is not the charcoal we use for grilling,” says Norbert, who makes about 30kg or a hundred loaves a week. “It is made from light wood, in my case poplar, which is purified, controlled and does not contain indigestible elements. I use 10g per kilo of flour and mix directly. This is enough to give the bread its black colour. Any less, it does not provide any benefit for digestion and, any more, we get a doughier bread that bakes quite poorly.”

Artisan baker Norbert Jouveau wows market-goers. Photo © Christophe Constant

Marvellous Monochrome

Known since Antiquity for its purifying and digestive properties, vegetable charcoal has recently been making a real comeback in French bakeries, pizzerias and upscale restaurants.

Further north in the Alps, at Le Chabichou-Courchevel, an upmarket Relais & Châteaux resort in the Tarentaise Valley, vegetable charcoal is more about colour. With this ingredient, Stéphane Buron, the chef at its two Michelin-starred restaurant, creates dishes as delicious as they are spectacular-looking.

 

Stéphane Buron uses charcoal to create breathtaking dishes. Photo © Chabichou-Courchevel

“In terms of taste, vegetable charcoal does nothing but, in cooking, I love everything that is monochrome,” he explains. “For example, it allows me to make black truffle tartlets with a thin and crispy charcoal dough. Or tricoloured ravioli of poultry liver, black trumpet mushroom tartlets with black jelly, smoked mozzarella with charcoal in the breadcrumbs.”

Added to this list are, among others, a puffed bread with vegetable charcoal, a fera (local lake fish) foam smoked with Ossetra caviar and black radish cream. The effect is stunning.

Stéphane Buron says: “I have been using charcoal for three years. Before, I used squid ink which has strong colouring power but coagulates and is sticky. However, vegetable charcoal is a completely dry ingredient. You can mix it with bread dough and get beautiful monochrome colours. The customers love it.”

Chef Stéphane Buron. Photo © Chabichou-Courchevel

Source: Back to Black: The Charcoal Trend in French Cooking

The film “Deux” will represent France at Oscars 2021

It’s “Deux”, the drama by Filippo Meneghetti featuring the secret love story between two elderly women, who will be responsible for representing France in the race for the Oscar for best international film. A rather unexpected choice.

He was not the most prominent candidate on the list. Deux , the French-language film by Italian director Filippo Meneghetti, produced by Paprika Films, has been chosen by the selection committee of the CNC (Center National de la Cinématographie) to represent the tricolor chances for the next Oscars ceremony, which will be held in April 2021.

Deux tells the story of Nina and Madeleine, two elderly neighbors who are in love with each other. They go from apartment to apartment, without anyone suspecting the nature of their relationship. Until the day when a tragic event turns everything upside down. Barbara Sukowa and Martine Chevallier are the interpreters of this drama, in the credits of which also appears Léa Drucker.

Hailed by critics, this film attracted less than 50,000 spectators in French theaters when it was released. The CNC selection committee preferred it to Eté 85 by François Ozon, which attracted more than 360,000 spectators this summer, to DNA from Maïwenn who made a nice start before confinement, to Gagarin by Fanny Liatard and Jérémy Trouilh, again new in theaters, and the controversial Mignonnes by Maïmouna Doucouré.

It is now for the Academy of the Oscars to decide if it will retain Deux in the final list of the 5 films candidates for the trophy of the best international film. Last year, the French candidate Les Misérables was there. But it was ultimately the South Korean Parasite who won the statuette.
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Source: Surprise, le film “Deux” représentera la France aux Oscars 2021 | LCI