The Consulate General of France in Pondicherry and Chennai has announced the schedule for the 2022 edition of the French Rendez-Vous Festival.
According to a press note from the Consulate, the French cultural festival will take place in Pondicherry, Chennai and Thiruvananthapuram from April 3 to 9.
The eclectic festival, as part of the fourth edition of Bonjour India, features 12 shows, featuring music, drama, modern circus and puppet shows, some a collaboration with Indian artists, highlighting cultural cooperation between two countries.
The festival begins in the city with The twist of fate, a street performance with gigantic puppets by Les Grandes Hommes.
This will be followed by Is this the enda theatrical performance by Surya Performance Lab on April 4; The Little Mahabharata, a theater performance by Palani Murugan on April 5; Sirventés Batestaa music concert by the Manu Théron Sirventés Quintet on April 6; Analemma by the city company 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 Princea puppet show by the Silk Route Company, will host eight performances at schools and colleges in Pondicherry and Chennai from April 4-8.
Hassane Kassi Kouyaté, actor-director-storyteller from Burkina Faso, West Africa, artistic director of this edition of the French Rendez-Vous Festival, will host one of the Masterclass sessions at the Adishakti Theater on April 8.
The festival is organized by the Consulate General of France, the French Institute in India and the three branches of the Alliances Françaises in Pondicherry, Chennai and Thiruvananthapuram. The holiday is also supported by the government of Pondicherry, the government of Tamil Nadu and a host of Indo-French businesses.
According to the Consulate, these partnerships are of great importance as they symbolize the friendship between India and France. Francophonie is a concept that brings together French speakers and lovers of the French language from all over the world.
The artistic direction of the Francophone festival is provided by Les Francophonies – From Writing to the Stage, a French organization that spreads the spirit of the Francophonie throughout the world through festivals focused on literature and culture.
