Yep, its that time of the year again... ;)


I had a blast at last year's festival and i don't intend to let this year's one go amiss either! For those of you who don't know, every year the French Embassy, in conjunction with HELP and the Alliance Francaise along with a number of local organisations and musical institutions to showcase Malaysian-French collaborations in the realms of art, music, food, and theatre.

Things kicked off on the 19th of May, and i managed to catch their very cool 'two nights only' Babel dance performance as part of the (hip hop/capoeira/breakdancing/traditional dance performance - 'twas AWESOME!) at the festival opening down in the Istana Budaya. Also managed to catch the last day of their Animation Festival down at HELP... it was better than the one last year, mainly because the themes weren't as... overly 'artsy' (surreal in other words). I just wish they had a better projector! :(

And tonight? An invite to the opening of the French International Movie Festival! w00tsk1!!!

Anyhow, here's the breakdown of events (from the official 2006 site):

Movies

June 1st - 11th:

GSC Midvalley and GSC One Utama international screens (for movie synopses and times please go to their dedicated French International Movie Festival site).

Gastronomy

Cognac appreciation session

(tasty!)
June 8, 3.00 pm & 5.30 pm, Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur (i think its full though - damn popular with all those old chinese uncles... ;p)

Michel Bras

(a French culinary feast for the senses!)
June 9, 7.00 pm, Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur

Art

Terry Law

(actually a woman, using various materials with multimedia)
June 10 - 18, National Art Gallery, KL

Départ

(a look at Malaysia by eight French artists who are in residency here)
June 3 - 10, Starhill Gallery, ADORN Level, KL

Performing Arts

Men without shadows

(an existentialism thriller by Jean-Paul Sartre by Cape Poetics - its FREE!)
June 2, 3 - 8.30 pm, Panggung Bandaraya, KL

Music

Bojan Z

(cool jazz session with traditional balkan overtones - only Rm30 which is cheaper than most No Black Tie nights...)
June 16, 9.30 pm, No Black Tie, KL (Booking required)

La Fête de la Musique

(the main event!!! A massive music festival that lasts throughout the entire day - unforunately its moved away from its traditional jln. Bukit Bintang haunt - check out the local and international talent! More information here!!!)
June 17, 10 am - 4pm, Alliance Française, Lorong Gurney, KL (more...)
June 17 - 5.00 pm to midnight, Bangsar, KL


See you all there! :p

As always, please direct any comments, questions, or reservations to the Man About Town post.