Express press service
PUDUCHERRY: The 2022 edition of the Festival French Rendez-Vous, organized by the Consulate General of France, was launched with “The Twist of Fate”, a street performance with giant puppets of the Big People on Beach Road. This French cultural festival is held in Pondicherry, Chennai and Thiruvananthapuram from April 3 to 9.
The Sunday evening crowd watched enthusiastically and cheered as the puppets weaved captivating stories. Pondicherry PWD Minister K Lakshminarayanan, Consul General of France in Pondicherry and Chennai Lise Talbot Barre were among the dignitaries who attended.
This eclectic festival includes 12 performances of music, theater and modern circus. Some of them are collaborative works by French and Indian artists, highlighting the cultural cooperation between the two countries, the Consulate said. It is supported by the French Institute in India and the three chapters of the Alliances Françaises of the UT, Chennai and Thiruvananthapuram, UT and TN governments as well as that of Indo-French companies.
The festival aims to bring together art and culture enthusiasts and professionals from South India. It presents creations, exchanges between professionals, workshops and cultural development activities. He also hopes to promote different artistic expressions in the fields of live performance.
The programming for this festival has been entrusted to Les Francophonies – From Writing to the Stage, a French organization that spreads the spirit of the Francophonie through festivals focusing on literature and culture. Artistic director Hassane Kassi Kouyaté will direct this edition of the French Rendez-Vous Festival. Valavane Koumarane of the Indianostrum Theater in Pondicherry was in charge of the festival’s expert mission.
On the program for the next few days: a theatrical show “Is this the end” by Surya Performance Lab on April 4; Palani Murugan’s Little Mahabharata on April 5; Sirventés Batèsta, a music concert, by the Manu Théron Sirventés Quintet on April 6; Analemm, a modern circus from Pondicherry Compagnie Distil directed by Romain Timmers on April 7; the Orchestra of Samples concert, presented by Addictive Television Limited on April 8; and a Baroque music concert by The Pondicherry Flute Ensemble on 9 April. The Little Prince, a puppet show by the Silk Route Company, will host eight performances at schools and colleges in UT and Chennai from April 4-8.
