VINGT Paris News

"Ne me quitte pas"

Photos and a little film from the two most recent I V Y paris picnic gatherings.

Outside Le Sénat - Anti-Immigration law demo

SOS Racisme organised a demonstration at the gates of Le Sénat yesterday, exactly one year before the proposed anti-immigration law (masterminded by Minister of the Interior Nicolas Sarkozy) is set to be voted on. Everyone was plastered with stickers carrying the slogan "Touche pas a mon pote"  ("Get your hands off my friend").  The "demo" was simply a little table where you could sign a petition against the proposed bill, a small but defiant gathering, about 50 people perhaps. They had strung up a French flag with anti-Sarko messages too, but nothing too sinister.

As I walked off I went down rue de Tournon and the CRS vans were stretching from rue Vaugirard to Odeon. Yikes.

Roman-Photo

Franco-Chilean theatre group, La Compañia Gran Reyneta staged "Roman-Photo" to a packed crowd at La Villette on Monday night. It was glorious sunshine and we enjoyed a ringside view of the antics.  The mise en scene took us on-set of a company shooting a torrid photo-love story, (the kind where bubbles appear with the dialogue). The group of actors, dancers and acrobats treated us to a mind-blowingly fast and accomplished performance as their Director put them through their paces, all "real" action taking place within the metal frame where the story was shot.  The cast included a macho stuntmen, ditsy runner, two preening female stars and a handsome male lead (Nikolas Bottinelli, whose twin-brother Benjamin was also part of the crew)and various over-enthusiastic stage hands.  As the pace intensified we were on the edge of our seats until the last gory scene as the male-lead decapitates the starlet in the shower.