On 2 November, independent filmmaker Elena Rossini presents her work-in-progress, The Illusionist, a feature-length documentary that explores the commodification of the body and the marketing of unattainable beauty around the world. From Vogue to Jenny Craig, global companies work hard to market the “Official Body” for women – an idealized, unattainable image that is sold from Los Angeles to Tokyo with very little relation to what real women look like, yet producing a profound effect on real women’s lives. A networking cocktail hosted by European Professional Women’s Network precedes and follows Ms. Rossini’s presentation. Net proceeds go to the completion of The Illusionist and promoting this important dialog.
Deloitte (auditorium)
185 av de Charles de Gaulle 92524 Neuilly sur Seine
Métro: Pont de Neuilly (line 1)
185 av de Charles de Gaulle 92524 Neuilly sur Seine
Métro: Pont de Neuilly (line 1)
From 3-8 November, the 11th Festival Resonances focuses on the new form of social revolution begun by the Arab Spring. Cell phones, Twitter, Facebook and the use of digital technology and social networking tools were effectively used as a call to arms, a way to document change as it’s happening and make the world witness. Yet what is the role of the images and tweets and updates that live on when the revolution is over? A selection of films, roundtable discussions and a preview of Tous au Larzac by director Christian Rouaud and an official selection at the Cannes Film Festival.
Magic Cinéma de BobignyRue du Chemin Vert 93000 Bobigny
Métro: Bobigny Pablo Picasso (line 5)
Métro: Bobigny Pablo Picasso (line 5)
Guess what? It’s Documentary Month! The Bibliothèque Centre Pompidou features a retrospective of the work of cool Dutch filmmaker Heddy Honigman, the BPI opens the month with screenings of Metal and Melancholy, Underground Orchetra, Crazy and El Ovido, as well as a selection of her short films and works made for television. Begins 5 November.
Centre Georges Pompidou
Place Georges Pompidou 75004
Métro: Rambuteau
Place Georges Pompidou 75004
Métro: Rambuteau
Documentaries and features from Japan are on the menu this month at La Cinémathèque Française. Founded in 1986 by Tetsujiro Yamagami, Productions Siglo produces documentary films and fiction devoted to the social problems of Japan often neglected by mainstream film: pollution, poverty, alcoholism and the environment.
La Cinémathèque Française
51, rue de Bercy 75012
Métro: Bercy
51, rue de Bercy 75012
Métro: Bercy
November is Aprés-midi des Enfants at Forum des Images, and just to keep it relatable to les petits Parsians, the Forum leads children through the world’s greatest cities, from Prague to Dakar, Rome to St. Petersburg and all points in between. Start from home with a screening of the delightful Ratatouille on 2 November.
Forum des Images
Porte St Eustache, 75001
Métro: Les Halles
Porte St Eustache, 75001
Métro: Les Halles
November 2011, Vingt Paris Magazine