Piano Concert This Saturday

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Saturday - Jazz in Fez

This Saturday at the Hotel Sahrai the Majid Bekkas Quartet will give a concert of Afro Gnaoua jazz hosted by the Institut Français de Fès

The concert runs from 19:00 to 22:00 at the Hotel Sahrai, Bab Elghoul, 81611 Fez.

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Philippe Laleu Exhibition Opening Night

Traces of a Journey, an exhibition by French artist Philippe Lauleu, opened last night at the French Institute in Fez's Ville Nouvelle.

The body of work was created in Japan more than 20 years ago, but remains contemporary and relevant.  The theme, explained Laleu, is about the Japanese relationship with landscape and the nearness of death. "They know they are trying to stay on a shaking fish; that any moment could be their last."

The intriguing works are executed either on fragments of old kimonos, or canvas, and feature anatomy, maps and features of the landscape. "I was working in Kobe during the big earthquake they had there, and more than 6,500 people disappeared." The poignancy of people searching for their loved ones, who had been literally lost in the landscape, stayed with him and became the theme of this exhibition.

Laleu has had a long record as an artist, and was also the Director of the French Institute between 2005 and 2015. He now lives in Fez, and finds constant inspiration in the ancient medina.

It will be intriguing to see his future works about Fez.

Traces of a Journey exhibition runs until the end of March at the French Institute Gallery, 33 Rue Ahmed Loukili, Ville Nouvelle, Fez. For further info CLICK HERE. 

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Cultural Events in Fez

The French Institute in Fez is presenting music and film.

MONTH OF THE DOCUMENTARY - 18 th Edition
Evening dedicated to Jean Rouch on Saturday, November 25, 19h, at Cinema Boujloud
Chronicle of a Summer.  Entry is free

Paris summer 1960, Edgar Morin and Jean Rouch interview Parisians on how they are coping with life. First question: Are you happy? The themes are varied: love, work, leisure, culture, racism etc. The film is also a questioning of documentary cinema: cinema verite and cinema-lie. Which character do we play in front of a camera and in life

JAZZ CONCERT

DUO: ERIC  LE LANN AND PAUL LAY
Tuesday, November 28, 19h, Dar Batha
Free admission (limited availability)

Eric Le Lann, trumpet player, is one of those elusive musicians who inhabits a world that is rich and varied. He went through all styles without ever denying his membership in the jazz and identity of jazz.
Paul Lay, pianist Martial Solal says has: "Excellent harmonic imagination, diverse game, the most interesting compositions obvious knowledge of jazz history, personal speech. Paul Lay everything to "rise" and last! "


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Photographic Exhibition in Fez

The DRUNK LIGHT OF THE BOOK  - Thami Benkirane - photographer.  Opens on Friday, November 24, 6:30 p.m at the Gallery of the French Institute of Fez.

Exhibition from 24 November to 31 December  - Free entry

"According to Sartre, the book is a" set of dry leaves or when a large form moving: reading. " A closed book and placed in the shelves of a library is a closed room, locked and dark. Just like the darkroom of a hermetically sealed camera to light.

This free photo series entitled "drunk light of the book" results from experimental work that is in the wake practices that fall under the "artist's book"

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The Faugloire Benjamin Project - Jazz in Fez

The Faugloire Benjamin project is a jazz trio composed of three musicians from Marseille: Benjamin Faugloire (piano and composition), Denis Frangulian (double bass) and Jérôme Mouriez (drums). The concert is a project of the French Institute in Fez

If there are musicians for whom music has no other end than itself, there are others for whom it is necessarily the echo of oneself. The pianist Benjamin Faugloire certainly belongs to the second category.

As an architect of his music, committed to preserving spontaneity within written forms, Benjamin Faugloire develops the emotion of a story, finding in an acoustic instrumentation an energy that comes from rock and reminiscences of the best pop.

"Anchoring his band in this contemporary geography of the jazz trio that has grown considerably in recent years and sees the music in panoramic, it scrolls contrasted landscapes, while weaving a narrative thread inscribed in the heart of music, which makes 'chain the chapters with fluidity, without excluding contemplative beaches."

"Birth", their last album, recorded with the trio who have accompanied him for more than a decade, is conceived as a a succession of titles that follow each other like the happiness and accidents of life, a reflection of a personal trajectory that passes through its ups and downs, its expectations and its inspirations, its distress and rebirth. Without ever ceasing to advance.

Wednesday 4 October at 19:00 - 20:00

Ryad Dar Batha

30000 Old Fes, Fès, Morocco

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Tangier - Drum and Dance Performance

A fascinating duo for a dancer and a drummer will be performed on the evenings of September 22nd and 23rd in the Beckett Room at the French Institute in Tangier

A choreographic piece by Tess Blanchard with Amaury Blanchard on drums

This is a special collaboration for the dancer and choreographer since the musician was not chosen at random: he is none other than her father, the famous French drummer Amaury Blanchard. This idea emanates from the resemblance between the two interpreters, felt by the choreographer: "I was often surprised when I noticed that my attitudes and expressions on stage were similar to those of my father. We have an energy and a common strength. "

The piece is made up of three elements: the dancer, the drummer, and the drums for only set and musical support; a unique situation where the musician is at the forefront, a real dance partner.

The performances start at 19.30 each evening.

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Hélios Trio to Perform in Fez

In 2014, Camille Fonteneau (violin), Raphaël Jouan (cello) and Alexis Gournel (piano), all three graduates of CNSM Paris, founded the trio Hélios. In love with chamber music from a very young age, they explore with passion the varied universe of repertoire for piano trio

In June 2015, the trio obtained a Bachelor's Degree in Chamber Music and continued to improve during the next two years in chamber music at the CNSM.

The Hélios trio performs in many well-known venues in France and is invited to numerous festivals both in France and abroad (in Poland and in Japan in particular).

In 2015, the trio won the second prize at the Illzach International Chamber Music Competition, as well as the Audience and Young Musicians Jury Prize. In the same year, the three musicians won the Prix d'Honneur at the International Competition Léopold Bellan.

The Hélios Trio will perform on the 27th of September at 19:00–20:0 at Ryad Dar Batha
in Fès.

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French Jazz in Fez

Concert
JAZZ 90
Tuesday, April 4th at 19h, Hotel Sahrai

On tour in Morocco, the Parisian trio 90 ° brings with it all the ingredients for a journey through time. The programme is a fine mix of cover songs, French music, and the compositions of the trio, tinged with jazz and classical music. Gainsbourg, Chopin, Prévert, Ravel, Ferré ... all delivered with a fresh and lyrical perspective.

JAZZ 90 °
Alexis Pivot, keyboards, Etienne Renard, Double bass and Clément Brajtman, Drums

Clément Brajtman, Drums, Etienne Renard, Double bass andxAlexis Pivot, keyboards

The Fez performance is presented In partnership with the Hotel Sahrai 

www.hotelsahrai.com

Also on tour in the French Institutes of Casablanca, Marrakech and Tetouan.

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The Private Life of Insects - Movie and Concert in Fez

On Tuesday, March 21 at 19h, Dar Batha, as part of the France-Morocco Cultural Season 2017, FICAM presents a concert movie with Laurent Marode on piano and Nicholas Thomas, vibraphone - The Private Life of Insects

Using a seamless combination of animation and real life, the insect world comes to life in this award-winning series of French animated shorts exploring all things insects and bugs. Note: it is a family show, for children aged 3/4 years.

In a sunny clearing, the small world of insects going about their daily business -that is until an entomologist arrives in search of specimens to take back to his lab. With the help of a mysterious machine he capture insects and locks them in his lair. But heroic a ladybug will do everything to free the unfortunate trapped critters ... On an original musical creation of the duo Laurent Marode (piano) and Nicholas Thomas (vibraphone) that revisits the brutal, burlesque and poetic world of tiny insects!

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Fez French Institute Offers Film and Debate

Cinema Salon  - The eye of the storm 

Directed by Sékou Traoré 

Thursday, February 9, 19h,  at Dar Batha

The French Institute of Fez offers a new series for film buffs: each month, an intimate film screening, followed by a debate at Dar Batha. (Riad Dar Batha: 15 Salaj, Fes Medina. Tel: 0 5 35 63 67 13) 

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International Photography Exhibition in Fez

The French Institute in Fez is hosting the 10th International Photo Exhibition. The full programme is available here in PDF form - Photography Programme

The 10th Rencontres Internationales de la Photo de Fès runs from from the 22nd November to the 19th of December 2016. It will be marked by several highlights, including the tribute to be paid to the great Franco-Moroccan photographer Leila Alaoui who died on January the 18th in a terrorist attack in Ouagadougou.

The late Leila Alaoui

The opening ceremony will take place on November 22 at the Gallery of the French Institute in the presence of Alaoui's family, friends, writers and photographers.

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Free French Films in Fez

Syngué sabour, pierre de patience (The Patience Stone) directed by Atiq Rahimi

Somewhere, in Afghanistan or elsewhere, in a country torn apart by a war... A young woman in her thirties watches over her older husband in a decrepit room. He is reduced to the state of a vegetable because of a bullet in the neck. Not only is he abandoned by his companions of the Jihad, but also by his brothers. One day, the woman decides to tell the truth to him about her feelings about their relationship to her silent husband. She talks about her childhood, her suffering, her frustrations, her loneliness, her dreams, her desires... She says things she could never have done before, even though they have been married for the past 10 years. Therefore, this paralysed man unconsciously becomes syngue sabour, a magic stone which, according to Persian mythology, when placed in front of a person shields her from unhappiness, suffering, pains and miseries. In this wait for her husband to come back to life, the woman struggles to survive and live.

Tuesday, May 31, 7pm, Cultural Complex Al Houria - Free

Violette - directed by Martin Provost

Violette is a 2013 French-Belgian biographical drama film written and directed by Martin Provost, about the French novelist Violette Leduc. It was screened in the Special Presentation section at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival.

During the last years of WWII, Violette Leduc lives with Maurice Sachs, who doesn't love her but who does encourage her to write. She seeks out Simone de Beauvoir and eventually presents her with a draft her first book. De Beauvoir rewards Violette's trust by reading and commenting on the book and by introducing her to contemporary intellectual icons Jean-Paul Sartre, Jean Genet and Albert Camus. In 1964, the success of Violette Leduc's autobiographical bestseller La Bâtarde enables her to earn a living from her writing.

Wednesday 1st June, 7pm at Cinema Boujloud - Free

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The ArbaA Experimental Chaâbi Concert Review

The French Institute's Dar Batha venue in Fez was the place to be on Saturday night. An over-capacity crowd packed into the dar to enjoy the concert of "experimental chaâbi" music

The French members of ArbaA (yes, they do have a capital "A") had only been rehearsing with the Moroccan musicians for a week, but it didn't show. Right from the start they came in hard, fast and remarkably tight. Sound engineer Mathieu Ryo had the balance spot on and delivered great sound in what can often be a difficult venue.

Saxophonist Benoît Black and Mathieu Picard on bass

Taking their cues from saxophonist Benoît Black, the group went straight to work on the opening number, building from the quieter opening bars to a dizzy, repetitive, almost hypnotic beat, thanks to the laid back bass work by Mathieu Picard, superb drumming from Clément Black and Najat Aâtabou's percussionist, Saïd Idrissi, on darbuka. Idrissi's work was stunning in its speed and delicacy, delivered without theatrics, in a seemingly relaxed manner.

Saïd Idrissi, on darbuka

For the second offering the Moroccans made a temporary exit while the ArbaA Experimental Chaâbi Quartet remained on stage and showed us the jazz style they have become well known for.  Then it was back to the full crew for the remainder of the concert. The repetitive and polyrhythmic building blocks in place there were some virtuoso solo breaks from Léo Fabre-Cartier on oud, Mohammed Kadhri on violin and the every-present trippy saxophone from Benoît Black.

Léo Fabre-Cartier on oud

The final standing ovation was well deserved and was followed by an encore that ended the concert.

The audience had enjoyed themselves and discussions went on afterwards in the street about "fusion" and "chaâbi".  Fusion is a much overused term and in the end the labels didn't matter - we were left feeling uplifted by a night of exciting music.

Mohammed Kadhri 

Saïd Idrissi, Darbuka (Percussion)
Mohammed Kadhri, Violon
Benoît Black, Saxophones, compositions
Clément Black, Drums, compositions
François Rème, Fender Rhodes, MS 20
Mathieu Picard, Bass
Léo Fabre-Cartier, Oud
Mathieu Ryo, son
Production : Laure-Meriem Rouvier for King Tao productions

Arbaa Experimental Chaâbi ~ Concert in Fez

Saturday night in Fez there is a special concert of experimental Chaâbi music - a collaboration between the ArbaA Experimental group and Moroccan musicians. The View From Fez caught up with the groups producer Laure-Meriem Rouvier...

Laure-Meriem Rouvier

Chaabi (الشعبي in Arabic), also known as Chaâbi, Sha-bii, or Sha'bii, refers to a popular music genre in North Africa that differs slightly from country to country - such as Algerian chaabi, Moroccan chaabi and Egyptian chaabi. Chaabi music is popular at weddings and this style is often associated with the festivals. The use of popular language and the creation of new rhythms have made this style an essential complement to the dance.

The ArbaA Experimental Chaâbi 

The ArbaA Experimental Chaâbi quartet (arbaa - Arabic four) has been around for the last decade but in its present configuration has been working together for two and a half years. For this concert they are joined by Moroccan musicians.

Saïd Idrissi, Darbuka (Percussion)
Mohammed Kadhri, Violon
Benoît Black, Saxophones, compositions
Clément Black, Drums, compositions
François Rème, Fender Rhodes, MS 20
Mathieu Picard, Bass
Léo Fabre-Cartier, Oud
Mathieu Ryo, son
Production : Laure-Meriem Rouvier for King Tao productions

What makes this an exciting experiment is the meeting between the European instrumentalists and the three key instruments of Moroccan popular and art music: the darbuka, oriental violin and the oud. It s also impressive that the Moroccans are masters in their own sphere. For example,  darbuka player Saïd Idrissi, regularly plays with "the voice of the Atlas", Najat Aâtabou.

Oud player, Léo Fabre-Cartier, is also a much respected musician who will be familiar to many Fez residents.

Léo Fabre-Cartier

ArbaA's repetitive groove jazz training was much inspired by traditional African music to create a director merge with Western music and African American. Moroccan music, by its repetitive and polyrhythmic building, has always been an inspiration to the quartet.

The Experimental Chaabi is the right meeting point between his powerful combo ArbaA and subtle Moroccan instruments, between the swaying trance chaâbi and hypnotic rhythms quartet. It is an open and accessible music and the concert is not to be missed!

The concert starts at 7pm at Dar Batha - sponsored by the French Institute.
They will also perfom in Casablanca on Sunday at B-Rock


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Fes Festival of Culinary Diplomacy

Culinary diplomacy and Mediterranean Cultures at the service of Peace is the name of a culinary event intended to showcase the culinary art of Fez, Seville, Montpellier, Palermo, Istanbul and Beirut

Before the Fes Festival of Sacred Music and the Festival of Sufi Culture, Fez will have its culinary diplomacy Festival. The common point between these three events? Their founder, Faouzi Skali, the man behind the creation of the Fes Sacred Music and Sufi Festivals.

For its first edition, this new festival has opted for an ancient guideline and will relive the Mediterranean gastronomy as it was recorded by the Moroccan geographer Al Idrissi in the 12th century.

In the manuscript - considered the most accurate description at that time  - the author described the culinary peculiarities of each of the cities he visited. Among them, Fez, Seville, Montpellier, Palermo, Istanbul and Beirut. These seven cities will be at the heart of all the event activities: exhibitions cards, cooking workshops, conferences and evenings of tastings.

The French Institute in Fez is the festival partner of this event.

In parallel to the Fez Festival of Culinary Diplomacy will be three film screenings at the library of the French Institute of Fez.

Vatel - directed by Roland Joffé  will screen on Thursday, April 14, 6:30 p.m.

Vatel is a 2000 French-British historical-drama written by Jeanne Labrune and translated by Tom Stoppard, and starring Gérard Depardieu, Uma Thurman, Tim Roth, Timothy Spall, Julian Glover and Julian Sands. The film, based on the life of 17th-century French chef François Vatel, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Art Direction – Set Decoration. The film opened the 2000 Cannes Film Festival.

The Flavours of the Palace from director Christian Vincent will screen on Friday, April 15, 6:30 p.m.

Catherine Frot shines in Christian Vincent's film for foodies in which haute cuisine meets politics in Paris and spartan life in the wastes of Antarctica

Warning: this film should not be watched on an empty stomach. In this tale of the humouring of an ageing president's gastronomic whims, the spectator is regaled with a long succession of scenes in which recipes are discussed in loving detail and meals are prepared with the devotion of a sacrament. The film is light on plot, long on flavour and deliciously French.

The story is based on the real-life case of Danièle Delpeuch, a modest provincial chef and restaurant-owner who in the late 1980s was summoned by President François Mitterrand to be his personal cook at his official residence, the Elysée Palace. Danièle becomes Hortense (Catherine Frot) and Mitterrand becomes the President, played by the 87-year-old non-actor Jean d'Ormesson, better known as a writer and journalist (in the latter role he was for many years one of Mitterrand's fiercest adversaries, an irony older French filmgoers will savour). The President has developed a hankering for the traditional regional cuisine he knew in his youth and decided that Hortense is just the woman he needs to provide him with "the best of France."

A Matter of Taste directed by Bernard Rapp screens on Saturday, April 16, 6:30 p.m.

With Bernard Giraudeau, Jean-Pierre Lorit, Charles Berling

A Matter of Taste (French: ''Une affaire de goût'') is a 2000 film directed by Bernard Rapp. Rapp and Gilles Taurand wrote the screenplay which was based on the book "Affaires de goût" by Philippe Balland. The film received 5 César Award nominations, including the nomination for Best Film.

Frederic Delamont industrial atop its success, refined, original and phobic, meeting in a restaurant a young interim server, Nicolas Rivière. A few days later, it is received by Delamont who asked him to be, against a high salary, especially its taster. What starts as an unusual but lightweight professional relationship will be revealed soon be a much more dangerous game for both men.

Bon Appétit!

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French Institute - Free Film in Fez

FICAM Ciné Concert:

(Même) pas peur du Loup

The fear of wolves is undeniably a fundamental and recurring fears of children. The figure of the wolf is present in the collective unconscious and in the albums of youth literature, tales, stories, cartoons, inspiring all generations. Children thus constantly "in touch" with this iconic figure. They love to play at frightening: "Let's play the wolf!". Fear is fundamental in their construction and development of their imagination. It spurs the senses, stimulates creativity and inventiveness and creates the ultimate laughter and relief.

Music and Cinema - with musicians: Anne-Laure Bourget and Olivier Leroy
Duration: 45 minutes
Thursday, March 31, 19h, Dar Batha
Free entry


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Poetry Slam in Fez!

This Saturday (March 19), the French Institute in Fez is holding an open stage poetry slam - and everyone is invited to take part!

This "Slam Evening" will be hosted by Dominique Massaut. Everyone can participate. The principle is simple: one poem per person, not read, but recited by heart. Poems can be up to 3 minutes maximum, without staging or music.

There will also be a mix of young talent slam workshops, teachers, students and budding poets.

The evening will be a true celebration of poetry!

When and where?  7pm at Dar Batha


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Free Theatre Night in Fez

A treat for theatre lovers in Fez. This Friday, French/Moroccan playwright and actor, Mohamed El Khatib, will perform his play "finir en beauté" (finish off) at the French Institute of Fez. The play has previously toured the country

Mohamed El Khatib took two years to to write the text, which is derived from interviews with his mother who died on February 20, 2012.

In this play, Mohamed El Khatib, alone on stage, tells the real story of the last days of his mother, her past suffering with liver cancer and the long moments of separation that followed  and created painful moments in the author's life.

On the hospital bed, his mother asks: "No operation or anything? - No nothing. They can not do anything."

The interior fragmentation of the now orphaned son is presented as a discontinuous narrative, drawing on a variety of sources: from newspapers, sent and received emails, phone messages, sms, and scraps of exchanges with his father.

The material delivers snapshots of life evoking fragments of memory, of family, country, native language, memory and mourning. Despite the central theme the work, is also caustic and, at times, funny, accompanied by black humour, comic scenes, involving stories and trips between Morocco and France.

The the author reacts to his grief by refusing the idea of mourning and saying "death does not make stronger, on the contrary, it weakens."

For Mohamed El Khatib, death has created a deep gap in his life. He said the death will never be synonymous with acceptance of fate, resignation and reconciliation with the past. Yet, it has given him a gift which he can now share with the audience.

The performance is on Friday, March 11th, 19h, at Dar Batha. Entry is free but subject to availability.


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Free French Movie in Fez

The Minister (French: L'Exercice de l'État)

Director: Pierre Schoeller
Year: 2011 / Duration: 1h55min / Genre: Comedy, Drama/ Language French

Cast: Olivier Gourmet, Michel Blanc, Zabou Breitman, Sylvain Deblé, Didier and Laurent Stocker Bezace

The Minister is a 2011 French-Belgian drama film directed by Pierre Schöller

Transport Minister Bertrand Saint-Jean is awoken in the middle of the night by his head of staff. A bus has gone off the road into a gully. He has no choice but to go to the scene of the accident. Thus begins the odyssey of a politician in a world that is increasingly more complex and hostile. Speed, power struggles, chaos, economic crisis... Everything follows in quick succession and clashes. Emergencies follow on each other's heels. What sacrifices are men prepared to make? Just how long will they hold up in a state that devours those that work for it?

Schoeller won three Césars 2012 with this virtuoso movie: Best Screenplay, Best Sound and Best Supporting Actor for Michel Blanc.

Movie times: Wednesday, February 24, 19h, Cinema Boujloud
Thursday, February 25, 19h, Cultural Complex Al Houria

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