Alliance Française Dubai launches weekly Cine13 series with Möbius

If the odd theatrical release, screening or film festival do not satisfy your yearning for French cinema, you will be happy to note that French films will be in Dubai as a permanent feature, thanks to the city's Alliance Française. They are launching a series they call "Cine13", in which a fresh French film is rotated weekly at Ibn Battuta Mall's Grand Cineplex, with multiple shows per day to suit as many schedules as possible. I caught a Saturday screening of the first film: the tri-lingual French/English/Russian espionage drama, Möbius.

Alliance Francaise stages Exercices de Style at Courtyard Playhouse

Congratulations to The Courtyard Playhouse on its first theatrical performance by an external party: a three-show weekend staging of Raymond Queneau's Exercices de Style by the Alliance Francaise Dubai. My high school knowledge of French gave me but minimal comprehension of the Rashomon-like plot development in this French-language farce. Even so, I was impressed by the acting and production, and entertained to some extent by the onstage energy and physical comedy.

Entre les Murs at The Scene Club

The Scene Club's monthly screening of independent film continued in July with Entre les Murs (literally, "between the walls", but titled in English as The Class). It's not hard to see why it has been reviewed so glowingly. For one thing, high school is subject matter to which almost anyone can relate. Furthermore, the way this particular subject matter is handled is very mature. That is, it is not your typical high school film, focusing on clique and cliche. Nor is it preachy on some socio-economic issue.

Rather in line with its documentary-style cinematography, it is a depiction of fairly ordinary term for a fairly ordinary bunch of students taught by fairly ordinary faculty of schoolteachers, mostly following the daily life drama in one class on the French language. The genius is in keeping the occurrences and dialogue very believable, and carrying it through with extremely good acting down to the smallest role. This makes the two and something hours of running time enjoyable - almost surprisingly, given the barest hint of a plot. Highly recommended.

Les Fils de Teuhpu

Performing in Dubai, the great French ska band

The Little Mermaid OST- Les Poissons

Classic song from classic Disney. Such infectious culinary enthusiasm, it makes me want to go for some seafood right now.