Thinly disguised Marine Le Pen movie character arouses fury of Front National

Party vice-president condemns new film about the far right as ‘scandalous’ and ‘unacceptable’ ahead of French presidential election

A film about the rise of far-right populism has triggered outrage in France after its trailer appeared to showcase a character based on Marine Le Pen, the president of the Front National and a candidate in France’s 2017 presidential election.

Chez Nous (AKA This Is Our Land) stars Émilie Duquenne as a nurse who becomes a political success in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region after becoming involved with the Patriotic Bloc, a thinly disguised fictional version of the Front National. It is due for release in France on 22 February, two months before the first round of voting, and the trailer briefly features a character apparently modelled on Le Pen, played by veteran performer Catherine Jacob [ . . . ]

Read Full Story: Thinly disguised Marine Le Pen movie character arouses fury of Front National | Film | The Guardian

Film show: ‘Planetarium’, ‘Iris’, and ‘A Man and A Woman’

Natalie Portman and Lily-Rose Depp charm French high society in “Planetarium”. We also check out Jalil Lespert’s thriller “Iris”, as the director turns the kidnap narrative on its head. France 24’s film critic Lisa Nesselson wishes French film magazine “Première” a happy birthday as the monthly celebrates four decades of reviews and features. And the love story that launched a career: Claude Lelouch’s “A man and A Woman” returns to Parisian screens in its full restored glory.

Source: Film show: ‘Planetarium’, ‘Iris’, and ‘A Man and A Woman’ – France 24

‘It’s about the woman’: Meet rising French band, Her

The future stars talk about Her Tape No.1, their influences + being mistaken for an English band | Gigwise

“We are focussing on Her Tape No.1. It begins by talking about the dreaming, the lust for a woman, and that’s our track ‘Quite Like’. Then you have the love encounter with ‘Five Minutes’,” reveals Her’s Victor Solf, as co-founder and fellow band leader Simon Carpentier nods in agreement. “Then you have the experience of missing someone in ‘Her’, and finally you have the wedding in ‘Union’.”

This love story EP has won a lot of hearts in France since the Rennes-based band released it on vinyl through a French indie last month. However, their first ever digital release was ‘Quite Like’ in April. Although the full EP isn’t out digitally yet, Soundcloud streams have hit over a quarter of a million across their two releases, and plays have largely come from the UK and the US.
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Read Full Story: ‘It’s about the woman’: Meet rising French band, Her | Gigwise

Fear and hope

Henry Moore (1898-1986), Refugees, Tyssen Museum, Madrid, detail

Are the two verbs opposed? Given the enormous challenges the world has to face (among other things: the announced death of the planet, the vast migratory movement that is still in its infancy, the destructive identity withdrawal, the new poverty engendered by a type of globalization ), Fear can make us flee, incite us to melt into the mass, to wait and, above all, not to take responsibility. But it can also provoke the opposite. We mobilize, oblige us to understand and analyze the issues, roll up our sleeves and take our responsibilities. More than ever, we are at the juncture between two worlds, the old and the new: there is an urgent need for a return to politics.
Christmas announces peace; It is to be constructed. By refusing that events decide for us, that others think for us. By creating opportunities for reflection, listening to others, questioning, exchanging at the risk of dispute, but benefiting from learning from them and moving forward together, deciding what is to come and living Of hope.
Daniel Duigou / Saint Merry

Source: Fear and hope – Saint-Merry

Interview: Christine and the Queens – from Paris to pop star

Not only am I totally infatuated with the music of Christine and the Queens, every interview I’ve read with Héloïse Letissier leaves me more impressed with Héloïse’s honesty, feminist sensibility, and generous spirit. I especially appreciate the joy she expresses in her dance routines – marvelous!
This Channel 4 interview is an excellent introduction to an important young French artist.
– [ Mike Stevenson / Pas de Merde ]