In 1948, Clement Mathieu, a music teacher without a job accepted a

FRANCOPHONIE 2009 à Singapour
Throughout the world, every year the celebrations of the Francophonie bring the French
language and francophone cultures in the spotlight. In Singapore, during the month of
March, many events will explore the richness and diversity of the Francophonie through
films, exhibitions, shows ...
With la Francophonie Film Festival presented at the Alliance Française, five critically
acclaimed films from various countries (Belgium, Canada, Romania, France, Switzerland)
will be screened. You will also discover the coloured works of two Moroccan painters
Maimouna Ali and Said Ouarzaz or participate in the competition "Des mots pour demain" by
creating your own fiction or a photo story. French students from Singapore and all those who
wish are also invited to participate in a big francophone quizz to test their knowledge in many
fields: history, cinema, sports, geography, science... speed and knowledge will be their best
allies!
A celebration of la Francophonie, organized by the Embassy of France and the MOELC, will
present, to many French students, stands and activities (games, karaoke, concert, readings...)
in the way to celebrate together many cultures, many peoples and a common language (with
the kind participation of the Embassies of Belgium, Egypt, Switzerland and Canada).
The best French students will also be honoured through the award "French Alumni Awards
"and " The Runme Shaw Cup Competition”. Then, you will enjoy French-Belgian, Canadian,
French or Swiss gastronomic delights offered by the Alliance Française and the respective
embassies.
The Stage Club will present “8 femmes”, a French-language play : a comic murder-mystery
played by 8 French-speaking amateur actresses!
We therefore wish you all a good Francophone festival in Singapore!
•“VISIONS”, an unusual showcase featuring North-African Modern
Primitive Paintings at the Alliance Française de Singapour
Date : 12 – 31 March 2009
Mon to Fri, 11am to 7pm;
Sat, 11am to 5pm;
Venue : SG Private Banking Gallery - Alliance Française de Singapour
Admission is free.
Two exceptional painters in a strange and fascinating exhibition, exuberant and of a great
spectrum of colours. Their unique works are striking and rare examples of art nouveau
originating from North-Africa (Morocco). In an instinctive manner, Ali Maimoun and Said
Ouarzaz began painting characters and animals in a fantastic universe. Without constraints,
they do not belong to any school and nothing and no one restrain their inspiration. Their
paintings are wild and savage, that exudes great energy and implies power – their paintings
are full of life. Their paintings are offerings, they express a joyful and universal vision.
• 1 to 25 March 2009 : Des mots pour demain competition
The Mediatheque of the Alliance Française de Singapour organises a competition entitled
« Des mots pour demain ».
To participate, you will have to be a student learning French in Singapore, or you are
Francophone.
Participants will have to create one of the two :
A work of fiction (letter, tale, travel journal consisting of ten to fifteen lines) or a photo
story- a narrative presented in the form of photos accompanied by short texts integrated in
images. Each photo (seven to ten maximum) has to be accompanied by text of at least three
lines per photo. Both group and individual entries are acceptable. Both works will have to
feature at least seven of the ten words of Francophonie 2009 which are : ailleurs, capteur,
clair de terre, clic, compatible, désirer, génome, pérenne, transformer and vision.
There are fantastic prizes to be won, so please visit www.alliancefrancaise.org.sg for the rules
and regulations of Des mots pour demain.
Results will be announced by a jury on 28 March and the winners will receive the prizes on
the same day.
•
3,10,17,23 and 24 March 2009 : La Francophonie Film Festival
at the Alliance Française Theatre
Time: 8pm sharp, every Tuesday
Venue: Alliance Française Theatre, Level I, Alliance Française, 1 Sarkies Road.
Tickets: $5.10 (Members) and $7.20 (Non-members). Prices are inclusive of GST but
exclude SISTIC fee per ticket.
Buy your tickets now through SISTIC Website:
www.sistic.com.sg, SISTIC Mobile Ticketing: wap.sistic.com.sg, SISTIC Hotline: 6348 5555
or SISTIC outlets islandwide. All films are in French with English subtitles unless otherwise
indicated.
En association avec
BIRD'S NEST - HERZOG & DE MEURON IN CHINA
Rating : G
Documentary in German, Mandarin and English
Switzerland, 2008, Colour, 88 mins
Date : Tuesday, 3 March 2009 – 8pm
Director : Christoph Schaub, Michael Schindhelm
Cast : Pierre de Meuron, Jacques Herzog, Uli Sigg, Ai Weiwei
Synopsis : Schaub and Schindelm’s documentary follows two Swiss star architects on two
very different projects: the national stadium for the Olympic summer games in Peking 2008
and a city area in the provincial town of Jinhua, China. Architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre
de Meuron are literally building bridges between two cultures, two architectural traditions,
and two political systems. Their work doesn’t simply enhance China’s great international
debut, but serves the everyday needs of the Chinese population. “Bird’s Nest” presents the
Basle architects as they find solutions not in the comfort of an ivory tower but in encounters
and friction on the ground.
En association avec:
POM LE POULAI N
Rating : TBA
In French with English Subtitles
Belgium/France, 2006, Colour, 85 mins
Date: Tuesday, 10 March 2009 – 8pm
Director: Olivier Ringer
Cast :Olivier Bartélémy, Richard Bohringer, Olivier Bonjour, Gilbert Cotty, Angelo Dello
Synopsis: In the forest, Mirabelle, the mare, is the proud mother of Pom and is the best horse
of the team. Made wrongly responsible for an accident which wounded the boss' son, she's
sold and separated from her foal. Julien, the old groom, would like to help the young horse,
but Pom is too desperate. Mirabelle will do everything possible to find and bring back her
foal.
En association avec
BON COP, BAD COP
Rating : M18 – sexual scene
In French with English Subtitles
(Film will be screened in DVD format)
Canada, 2006, Colour, 116 mins
Date: Tuesday, 17 March 2009 – 8pm
Director: Érik Canuel
Cast: Colm Feore, Patrice Bélanger, Michel Beaudry, Pierre Boudreau
Synopsis: A dead body is found draped over the joint "Welcome to Ontario/Bienvenue à
Québec" sign. There are obvious jurisdictional issues in investigating this case between the
Ontario Provincial Police and la Sûreté du Québec, but neither side really wants the case.
Finally, they decide to work on it jointly, with the two officers assigned being straight-laced
Martin Ward, the "bon cop", and rough and tumble David Bouchard, the "bad cop". Beyond
the organizational and language differences, Ward and Bouchard have different working
styles that clash with each other. Despite their differences, they quickly learn that they have
to work together to achieve their end goal of finding the killer. As they progress in the case,
there are more victims, the similarities being that each is tattooed before and after death hence the media nicknames the perpetrator The Tattoo Killer - and that the victims are
associated with professional hockey. The murders seem to be related to the sale of Canadian
hockey franchises to U.S. markets. Ward and Bouchard's job becomes one not only of
catching the killer but also anticipating who the next targeted victim will be. But as Ward and
Bouchard get closer, the Tattoo Killer begins a personal vendetta against the two police
officers and their families.
En association avec
CALATORIA LUI GRUBER
(Gruber’s Journey)
Rating : TBA
In Romanian with English subtitles
Romania, 2008, Colour, 100 mins
Date : Monday, 23 March 2009 – 8 pm
Director : Radu Gabrea
Cast : Florin Piersic Jr., Marcel Iures, Udo Schenk, Claudiu Bleont
Synopsis : This film deals with the pogrom of Lasi, a town in the north east of the country,
through the eyes of an italian journalist. Curzio Malaparte, friend of Mussolini,and war
correspondent with the German army in Romania, has a problem-a debilitating allergy which
threatens to prevent him going to the Front. Given the name of a specialist, Dr Gruber of lasi,
he travels there for a consultation.
En association avec
LES CHORISTES (The Choir Boys)
Rating : PG
In French with English Subtitles
France, 2004, Colour, 96 mins
Date: Tuesday, 24 March 2009 – 8pm
Director: Christophe Barratier
Synopsis : In 1949, post War France. Clement Mathieu, a music teacher without a job accepts
a position as supervisor in a correctional boarding school for minors. The law enforcement
system used by the director, Rachin, makes Mathieu feel upset. By initiating these difficult
children to music and choral singing, Mathieu will introduce them to an unique experience
and transform their lives…
This film is one of the biggest successes in the history of French cinema, with its eight and a
half million entries in ten weeks of operation. The film won the Cesar for best music and best
sound in 2005 and received eight nominations for the Cesar and three nominations for the
British Academy of Film and Television Arts.
• 24 March 2009: Celebration of the Francophonie with the
French Embassy and the MOELC, at the MOE Language
Center Bishan
This year the French Embassy and the MOELC (Ministry Of Education Language Center)
join together to celebrate the Francophonie during one day by inviting many French classes
in Singapore to participate to this event.
Traditionally celebrated on 20 March, the event will be held on Tuesday 24 March from
3 p.m to 6p.m at the MOE Language Center Bishan.
This great feast of the Francophonie will showcase different Francophone countries gather
several students learning French in Singapore so that they celebrate many peoples, many
cultures and a common language.
This project is primarily a real learning project that wishes to discover a culture within the
family of French-speaking countries and contribute to a civilizational and linguistic
awakening .
Booths representing different countries of the Francophonie in all their forms (presentation of
the people, economy, landscape, moments / key characters of the story - as singers, writers,
politicians -, food, traditional games...) will be displayed.
This project will be carried out with the kind participation of Francophone embassies located
in Singapore: the Belgian embassy, the Canadian embassy, the Egyptian embassy and the
embassy of Switzerland.
Apart from these stands, activities, games, quizzes, karaoke, a concert, readings etc.. will be
organized with the participation of some students of the Lycée Français.
These activities have been planned for college and high school students.
• 28 mars 2009 : Journée francophone à l’Alliance française

14h00-17h00 « Grand Quizz francophone », Alliance Française
French students from Singapore, and all those who wish are invited to the Alliance Française
to test their knowledge of francophone cultures in a large French quiz. Afternoon, organized
by the Association of French Teachers in Singapore (APFS).
The results of the "Des mots pour demain" will also be announced and prizes awarded to
winners.
18h00 Runme Shaw Cup Challenge & French Alumni French Language Awards
Auditorium de l’Alliance française

The best French students will also be honoured through the award of the "Runmee Shaw Cup,
recognising the best student at the Alliance Française and the French Alumni French
Language Awards, attended schools in Singapore.
19h00 : Buffet de la francophonie
Discover the gastronomic delights of francophone countries such as Belgium, France, Canada
and Switzerland in a buffet spread offered by various embassies.
• 1 to 4 april 2009: 8 FEMMES (8 WOMEN), The Stage Club
Venue: Alliance Francaise Theatre - Alliance Française de Singapour
Date : 1-4 April 2009 at 8pm
Tickets priced at $30 and $17(students) available from SISTIC & SISTIC Authorized
Agents Island wide
Hotline: 6348 5555 Website: www.sistic.com.sg
The Stage Club is presenting a French-language play : a detective comedy by Robert Thomas,
8 FEMMES (8 WOMEN), a comic murder-mystery. The play, starring only women is
directed by Emmanuelle Le Bris.
8 FEMMES, which was famously turned into a film by François Ozon in 2002 (starring
Catherine Deneuve, Fanny Ardant, Danielle Darrieux, Isabelle Huppert, Emmanuelle Béart,
Virginie Ledoyen, Ludivine Sagnier, Firmine Richard) was written by Robert Thomas in
1972.
8 FEMMES is set in a large country residence. A family and its servants are gathered for the
Christmas holiday season, when the master of the house is discovered dead in his bed, with a
dagger stuck into his back. The murderer has to be one of the eight women in the house at the
time, and in the course of the investigations, each has a tale to tell and secrets to hide…
The cast for 8 FEMMES consists entirely of French-speaking amateur actresses : Agathe
Charbon, Fatiha Djerf, Christine Gingell, Charlotte Grant-Blom, Mylène Koenig, Christine
Leleux, Angelique Montane, and Alice Rouze.