Vol. 12.05 News From France July 2012 A free monthly review of French news & trends Remembering D-Day: France Honors its Defenders © Robert F. Sargent/U.S. Coast Guard Coast Sargent/U.S. © Robert F.

U.S. forces wade toward the beaches of Normandy, France during the Allied invasion, on June 6, 1944, also called “D-Day.” French commemorations of the event’s 68th anniversary included decorations of U.S. and Allied veterans and a presidential visit to the region. The event began France’s liberation and hastened the end of World War II.

Syria’s Assad “Must Leave Power:” Foreign Minister inside

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius is calling for Current Events 2 the departure of Bashar al-Assad from power in Syria. Interview with Agriculture Expert “Bashar al-Assad is the murderer of his people. He France & America 3 must leave power—the sooner the better,” he said, in a France Honors Former Congressman May 29 interview with the French newspaper Le Monde. Pledging to aid Syria since the first stages of the Arab In Depth 4 Spring, the path to international consensus has been a French-U.S. Foreign Direct Investment challenge. A February 4 veto by Russia and China of a Business & Tech 5 UN Security Council Resolution to help the country has Tech Tours and Smart Sidewalks stalled progress. Mr. Fabius hopes to counter this oppo- sition in one part of his “three-pronged approach” . Society 6 “First, we must toughen sanctions, if possible at the Risky Reporting: Conflict Zones Security Council level. Second, we must work with Rus- Culture 7 sia, who plays a decisive role. Finally, we must encourage History Made at 2012 the Syrian opposition to come together,” he said. France intends to hold a “Friends of the Syrian People” France in America 8 meeting in Paris on July 6. Rallying broad support from French Rock’n’Roll “Unfurls” in NYC the international community, 140 participants have been invited, including pivotal players such as Great Britain, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United States. News From France The international group, which met in Paris on April A free monthly review of French news & trends 17 of this year, will also seek to sketch out possibilities of NFF is also available online at: a Syrian future without Mr. Assad. de la Mure © MAEE/Frédéric www.ambafrance-us.org “If Bashar al-Assad falls, who will replace him? What Laurent Fabius has led efforts to stem increasing violence www.facebook.com/FranceInTheUS must be sought is a rapid, credible political transition in Syria. He will host a related summit on July 6 in Paris. @franceintheus involving his departure,” said Mr. Fabius. NFF current events en bref

Neutron Turns 80, Continues Education Ministry Launches Premium School Label Fueling Research in Grenoble School French programs around the world will soon The teachers will also be required to meet certain perfor- Two thousand scientists from more have an opportunity to be certified as places of excel- mance standards. than 30 countries congregated this lence in French learning. In an announcement Once awarded, the FrancEducation label is past May in the southeastern city this spring from France’s Ministry of Foreign valid for three years, and can be extended of Grenoble to present their recent and European Affairs, a new “FrancE- through a standardized auditing process. and innovative neutron samples at ducation” label will be awarded to the Member groups will have access to a L’Institut Laue-Langevin de Greno- highest-achieving French language fund for innovative learning projects, ble (The Laue-Langevin Institute of programs in secondary schools, of- and even guaranteed training from Grenoble), the most active laboratory fering formal recognition for excel- the Institut Français, a public insti- for neutron research in the world. lence by the French government. tution founded in 2010 to promote The Institute was founded in 1967 In partnership with the Agency French culture, dialogue and ex- to honor German physicist Max von for French Language Teaching change worldwide. Laue and French physicist Paul Lan- Abroad, or the AEFE, the program The program doesn’t hide its gevin. It is home to a high-flux reac- assures that at least a third of in- shoot-for-the-stars ambition. The tor, which develops particles for later struction time is in French. Students idea behind the label, explains Jean- use in experiments in neutron scatter- will also benefit from a “francophone Marc Berthon, assistant director of Lin- ing and behavior. environment,” meaning that French- guistic Diversity and French Language The neutron has just celebrated its language materials such as newspapers, at the French foreign ministry, is to create a 80th birthday, highlighting the ad- literature and digital media must be present in “club of excellence” alongside the lycée français vances that have been made since its the classroom, so as to provide maximum exposure to system, offering French instruction internationally. The la- initial discovery. The zero-charge sub- the language and its real-world use by native speakers. bel’s administrators hope to establish 50 centers by 2013. atomic particle was dubbed the “neu- tron” in 1932 by Nobel Prize-winning British physicist James Chadwick, and has had an immense impact on the interview with the expert scientific community ever since. One of the most exciting discover- Christophe Malvezin, Agricultural Counselor ies to come out of the Institute’s year- ly event is that of a soap containing From farming and forestry to camembert and commodity markets, few countries are magnetic iron, which may eventually involved in so many areas of agriculture as France. Leading the charge in Washington is be used to clean oil spills. Christophe Malvezin, whose role as Agricultural Counselor puts him in daily contact with international stakeholders. News From France sat down with the diplomat to learn

TGV to Offer Low-Cost Rail © MAEE/Samuel Tribollet about his work, and France’s current and future engagement in global agriculture. Tickets, Expand in Europe The word “agriculture” covers food, ecotourism, ducible traits. And it’s not just agricultural—it’s the region’s French rail company SNCF will of- research… How do you handle such a large dossier? inhabitants, too. Given France’s great diversity of climate, fer rail tickets at reduced prices on I’m not alone. The embassy has a five-person team. soil and history, the result is different local traditions and their high-speed TGV domestic trains We work with other departments, such as the Scientific different expertise in agricultural production. France has beginning next year. The tickets will Mission, as well as the European Union’s representatives. a number of government-sponsored seals of quality, in- soon cost less than 25 euros and of- We also work with other entities, like UBIFRANCE and the cluding the Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée, (AOC), or fer passengers a more stripped-down Ministry of Agriculture. It’s a collective effort. “Protected Designation of Origin,” and the “Label Rouge.” rail experience. The trains will be one The labels guarantee not just quality, but that the prod- class, without a dining car, and limit How has the Embassy’s agricultural department uct really is from where it’s advertised—Champagne wine passengers to one piece of luggage engaged with Washington and Americans? from the Champagne region, and so on. per person. We work with as many associations as we can, includ- The new discounted TGV trains ing NGOs, USAID, USDA, TTB, FDA and others. We provide The world population is expected to reach 9 billion by will help keep the SNCF competitive information about French agriculture to university stu- 2050. How is France assuring future food supply? with the growing low-cost flight in- dents throughout the U.S. In California, for example, we France took the lead in 2010 when we began to address dustry. Airlines such as EasyJet and provided information on the EU’s Common Agricultural food production and improving food security. The ques- Ryanair offer no-frills transporta- Policy (CAP). Furthermore, we communicate on agricul- tion is also how to improve productivity, value chains, and tion for the European on a budget. tural subsidies, the environment, food productivity and cross-border food shipping. We’ve been working with the Although stations will be located security. Lastly, we work with many French and American U.S. administration on these issues through the G20 the on the outskirts of city centers, the companies who import French products to the U.S. past two years and the G8 the past month. SNCF wishes nonetheless to attract voyageurs back to rail travel with its Your website, FrenchFoodintheUS.org, launched in What are France and the U.S. doing together to lead reasonable prices. January. What’s the six-month assessment? global agricultural policy? Eurostar, an SNCF subsidiary, plans FrenchFoodintheUS.org was launched to make French We recently agreed to provide a common criterion to expand its service as well. Eurostar agricultural information available to the general pub- to European and U.S. consumers on organic farming in currently provides service from Paris lic. We have 4,000 visitors and 15,000 pageviews each both countries, which is huge since organic exports are to London (the famous “Chunnel” month, plus a monthly newsletter to a growing number increasing worldwide. The second policy we’re working train) and Brussels. Eurostar trains of U.S. readers. We receive a lot of site-related email inqui- on is the question of nutrition and obesity. We are cur- will soon offer service to Amsterdam, ries, so it generates engagement, which is good. rently in discussion with the U.S. government on the is- Frankfurt, Cologne, Lyon and Gene- sue. On food security, we’ve been working with the U.S. va. The company hopes to better ser- The word terroir is everywhere on the website. What through the G20 and G8 Summits and we’re looking to vice the rail market on both summer does it mean, in general and to the French? support the U.S. Feed the Future project. Finally, we’re and winter vacation destinations. Terroir is an idea linked deeply to the French agricultural tackling the food security question head-on in the ten model. It means that a given region has unique, irrepro- African countries where the G8 is working currently.

2 france & america NFF en bref

France Awards Rep. Oberstar the National Order of Merit “New York in French” Fêtes Membership Milestone On June 19, François Delattre, Ambassador of try” and “instrumental in furthering the excellent co- France to the United States, bestowed the insignia of operation between the United States and France.” He “New York in French,” a bilingual blog Commander in the National Order of Merit upon former also complimented Rep. Oberstar on what he called his and social networking site for French U.S. Representative, James Oberstar. “perfect French.” speakers in New York, has just celebrated Based on a decision by the French President, the ap- Rep. Oberstar found receiving the honor “deeply mov- a major milestone—the online commu- pointment reflects France’s profound gratitude for Rep. ing.” He described the award as “emblematic of the indel- nity now has over 7,000 members. Oberstar’s exemplary commitment to French-American ible relationship between our two peoples, and of the With text in both French and English, relations, and acknowledges in particular his role in es- ideals that link us.” the three-year-old site aims to bring to- tablishing the Congressional French Caucus. For more information on Rep. Oberstar’s decoration, gether New York’s sizeable French and The caucus, created in 2003, is a bipartisan group please visit www.ambafrance-us.org. Francophile community. The site is apo- composed of 109 members litical and non-commercial—the French from both the U.S. House language is the one thread that ties of Representatives and the its members together. “This site hasn’t U.S. Senate, which seeks to invented anything, but it amplifies re- “promote partnership and lationships that already exist in reality,” cooperation, enhance U.S.- said founder, Fabrice Jaumont. French relations in all fields, Born in the northern French city of and facilitate a better un- Valenciennes, Mr. Jaumont has been derstanding of the essen- involved in French-American communi- tial relationship between ties since 1990, when he landed his first the two countries,” accord- English teaching job. He has taught Eng- ing to an official statement lish in France and French in the U.S., even from the group. Members teaching French to diplomats and Unit- meet with visiting French ed Nations staff based in the Big Apple. delegations and travel to The site also offers a calendar of France to meet with their events, highlighting happenings in cin-

French counterparts. © Romain Parlier ema, music and festivals. Users can add Amb. Delattre described Former U.S. Representative James Oberstar receives his medal from Amb. Delattre. photos, make job inquiries and network Rep. Oberstar as “a very The 17-term congressman helped found the Congressional French Caucus in 2003. within the community. close friend of my coun- “I wanted this site to disseminate the French language. My goal is to build a village that is not just a virtual one. I want Embassy Conferences Discuss Diplomatic Power Paradigms to give visibility to the Francophone community in New York,” Mr. Jaumont Nearly 200 students and professionals joined am- “You might imagine all uses of government power said of his website’s raison d’être. bassadors and senior diplomatic officials for the final falling on a spectrum, with red being hard power and conference in the “French Embassy Rendez-Vous” pro- blue being soft power. The exportation of music falls “Science Breakfast” gram entitled “Disentangling Smart Power: Interests, just in the middle in the green range. It’s a power- Advocates Study Abroad Tools, Strategies,” held on June 4. ful tool without government intervention,” said Mr. The conference was the last in a series of three. The Simonyi. More than 30 scientific attachés and first, “The Arab Awakening—One Year Later,” took place Panels also addressed the changing face of public di- counselors from 16 countries came to- on April 18, and the second, “Religion and Politics from plomacy, including the advantages of using science in gether on June 14 at the French embas- a Transatlantic Perspective,” convened on May 10. diplomacy, addressed by sy for a “Science Breakfast,” focusing on The morning panel focused on the contemporary as- Tom Wang, deputy direc- a new method for carrying out science pects of public diplomacy. The day’s following round- tor of AAAS (American As- diplomacy—namely, study abroad and tables debated the global-relations concept of “smart sociation for the Advance- scientific envoy programs. power,” a mixed application of traditional power uses ment of Science). Alice P. Gast, President of Lehigh such as ‘hard power,’ or the use of military coercion, This conference marks University and science envoy under and ‘soft power,’ or the use of non-military diplomacy the final event organized U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, through dialogue, economic sanctions and cultural by Aude Jehan, French Fel- shared her insight on study abroad influence. low and Research Associ- programs and exchanges for science Suzanne Nossel, Executive Director of Amnesty In- ate at the Center for Trans- professionals. She advocated a need ternational USA, spoke at the event. She authored a atlantic Relations at SAIS for greater study abroad participation watershed 2004 article in the influentialForeign Policy (the School of Advanced from American students, and empha- magazine, which helped popularize the concept of International Studies) of sized the advantages of non-traditional smart power in U.S. foreign policymaking. Johns Hopkins University. research destinations. Bruce Wharton, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public “We must rethink the “Study and research abroad provides Diplomacy at the U.S. State Department, spoke about concept of power, as it one with the experience of coping with public diplomacy as a bridge between government is becoming harder and change and attacking a problem with and people, in a line of two-way communication. harder to define; these a different perspective. We all benefit “A diplomat must shape a narrative and expand peo- ideas of ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ from foreign talent,” she said. ple-to-people relations,” Mr. Wharton said. power have evolved so The next Science Breakfast will be Other speakers highlighted more specific means of much since the Cold War,“ held in September at the National Insti- ‘soft power,’ such as rock’n’roll music and popular film. said Ms. Jehan, emphasiz- © Romain Parlier tute of Environmental Health Sciences Andras Simonyi, Executive Director of the Center for ing the delicate nature Aude Jehan organized (NIEHS), featuring NIEHS director Dr. Transatlantic Relations, illustrated the effectiveness of of the notion of smart the “Rendez-Vous” series. Linda Birnbaum. music as a diplomatic tool. power.

3 in depth French and American FDI: Stable and Growing

Though the world has undergone serious economic turmoil in the past few years, France and the United States have bucked the trend and registered signifi- cant growth in the realm of foreign direct investment. Connected Economies

While global economic trends may seem uncertain, France and the United States have demonstrated significant growth in the realm of foreign direct investment, suggesting a positive outlook on their financial partnership. This measurement, also known as FDI, is the investment made by a company in one country into an enterprise that operates in a different country, not including foreign investments in stock markets. It refers specifically to foreign assets being invested into domestic goods and services. To be considered FDI, the scale is usu- ally large; the foreign investor must own 10 percent or more of the voting stock or ordinary shares of the investee company. The United States is the premier destination for French FDI in the world, and in 2010 France contributed 150 billion euros, or $189 billion, to the U.S. economy. © MAEE/Images de France This money most directly benefited the manufacturing (38 percent) and finance La Défense, Paris’s primary business district and the beating heart for many of the sectors (33 percent), followed by information-based enterprises (15 percent). French economy’s sectors, welcomes billions of U.S. investment dollars every year.

FDI to the United States increased from $149 billion to $172 billion, while Ameri- can FDI to France increased from $59 billion to $64 billion. FDI levels between the countries have increased significantly since the instability of 2008. In short, French and American investors remained committed to robust mutual investment. A Positive Future

The consistent rise in foreign direct investment bodes well for the future of American and French economies. As France and the United States seek to assert themselves in new markets, both countries are concentrating on developing ad- vanced industries, such as biotechnology and financial services. Investments in both emerging and established markets make it likely that the United States and France will continue the strong investments of recent years. If FDI measurements of recent years are anything to go by, French-U.S. invest- ment activity should continue to thrive. © MAEE/Images de France © MAEE/Images de France

Manufacturing meets agriculture in this water processing factory in eastern France. The two sectors provide significant markets and capital flows in France and the U.S.

In the opposite direction, American businesses sent 54 billion euros, $67.7 bil- lion, to France in 2010, again targeting manufacturing (44 percent) and finance (27 percent), with a growing emphasis on ventures in pharmaceuticals and bio- technology. The $67.7 billion of American FDI, spread over 139 individual pro- jects, accounted for 21 percent of all foreign job-creating investments in France. American investors almost exclusively targeted projects creating businesses (56 percent) or expanding them (41 percent). In a recent move that spoke volumes about French business health and U.S. investor confidence, the U.S. internet company Google opened an expansive new headquarters in Paris in December 2011, where it runs its operations not just in Europe, but also for the Middle East and Africa. Growth Despite Recession

The foreign investment link between France and the United States is both estab- lished and growing. From 1999 to 2010, net American FDI to France increased 59 percent from $42.7 billion to $67.7 billion. Meanwhile, net French FDI to the U.S. more than doubled, growing from $90 billion to $189 billion over the same period. The largest testament to the stability of Franco-American economic relations is (Source: DGTrésor) the fact that mutual direct investment was not affected, in the long-term, by the French-U.S. partnerships operate in a broad range of sectors and regions. Between 2008 financial crisis. The economic turmoil hindered the flow of funds worldwide, 2007 and 2010, American entities averaged one-quarter of all FDI in the Paris region. but did not decrease FDI between the two countries. From 2007 to 2008, French

4 business & technology en bref NFF

Energy-Converting “Smart Sidewalks” Coming to U.S. Not Your Grandfather’s Ricard: Re-Branding a Classic Liqueur What if you could power your city on your walk to work? French entrepreneur Laurent Villerouge has Ricard, the 80-year-old French ani- brought his design of an energy-producing sidewalk to seed-based liqueur, is getting a make- the United States. He recently sold the rights to his in- over. Since its 1932 conception in Mar- vention, called the Trotelec sidewalk, to the California- LeJaille © Phillippe seille, the brand has achieved iconic based energy firm Harvest NRG, which plans to mar- status. Its logo and merchandise are ket and mass-produce the product. The technology fixtures in thousands of bars across originates from Mr. Villerouge’s energy research, which France, and the spirit evokes the coun- finds ways to capture energy created by our daily try’s joie de vivre and laid-back South- movements. ern culture. But following an 8-percent The Trotelec sidewalk is made of panels placed onto drop in sales this past year, the brand’s an existing sidewalk. Underneath, a generator and a directors have decided to orchestrate series of springs capture the kinetic energy produced a marketing overhaul. A recent tax by applying pressure on the panels. Walking on a panel increase on spirits only adds to the produces between five and ten watts of energy, while challenges facing the company. While a car driving at ten kilometers per hour (6.2 miles per Ricard enjoys deep-rooted popularity hour) produces up to 60 watts, all of which are stored among the older generation, younger in a battery for later use. French drinkers tend to prefer beer Mr. Villerouge and his firm, VIHA Concept, debuted or cocktails. To update its image, the the invention in April 2011 to great acclaim in the brand is brainstorming changes to its French city of Toulouse. The Trotelec generators were traditional recipe of one part liqueur connected to the street lighting system, enabling to five parts water. Ricard has also shoppers and joggers who walked on the panels by refashioned its signature bottles and day—often unaware of doing so—to power the city’s drinking glasses in an effort to mod- lights by night. Given the product’s new American ernize and, hopefully, boost sales. For owners, it may not be long before a similar project de- Pernod Ricard, the product’s parent velops in the United States. company, which also owns Absolut While the panels have thus far been used mainly for vodka, Martell cognac and Chivas sidewalks, another version of them captures the en- Regal whisky, targeting the younger ergy of decelerating vehicles at speed bumps and en- generation means more than just aes- trances to parking garages. Mr. Villerouge believes that thetic changes to the classic French his technology will function in an even wider array of apéritif. settings, from metro stations and tollbooths to sports stadiums, and is counting on Harvest NRG to maximize Blackberry and Toulouse the panels’ usefulness. Airport Streamline Travel The inventor clearly believes in his product. “It’s not Entrepreneur Laurent Villerouge (bottom left) hopes a gadget,” Mr. Villerouge says. “It’s a project of interna- to revolutionize energy conversion through movement. Research In Motion, the company tional dimensions.” that produces the popular Blackberry smartphone, announced a partner- ship on May 23 with Toulouse-Blagnac French IT Firms Visit Silicon Valley on “French Tech Tour” airport that will allow owners of the mobile phone to reduce their Fifteen French technology companies grabbed the pre-flight travel time. Blackberrys opportunity to pitch their new ideas and products from equipped with NFC (near field com- June 2 through 8 to some of the most powerful firms munication) technology, which allows © Ubifrance © Ubifrance in Silicon Valley, California. Ubifrance, a public organi- smartphones to establish radio con- zation that promotes French business abroad, orga- nections with other mobile devices in nized the meetings as part of a yearly program called close proximity, will work in conjunc- the French Tech Tour. This year’s iteration was the sixth tion with the airport’s NFC tags. tour and allowed French entrepreneurs to meet their Owners of Blackberrys with NFC ca- American counterparts at 16 U.S. corporations, includ- pabilities will be now able to use their ing Google, Microsoft, AT&T and eBay. phones to scan into a private parking In order to be chosen for the French Tech Tour, French lot near the terminal, receive flight corporations had to submit a portfolio of the product and gate information and access an they wanted to advertise to the U.S. and request meet- express lane through airport security. ings with specific U.S. companies. The selected French The process is as simple as holding the organizations began the tour week with a private semi- phone up to the NFC tags. nar on presentation coaching, followed by business-to- Bruno Balerdi, head of marketing at business meetings with the American firms. While the the airport, notes that the partnership meetings were closed to the public, a Best of the French is still in its early stages. For now, he Tech Tour event on June 6 invited five French compa- says, the faster path through the air- nies to wow entrepreneurs and journalists with demos port is reserved for 50 initial clients, to of their products. evaluate the program’s effectiveness. The annual tour aims to allow innovative French “Afterwards, it will expand. We also French tech companies convened with U.S. hosts to pitch companies to display their cutting-edge work and seek hope to include the airline companies and develop ideas during a weeklong jaunt in early June. new markets as part of Ubifrance’s efforts to promote in the process,” explained Mr. Balerdi. Franco-American business collaborations.

5 NFF en bref society

Paris to Build $200 Foreign Ministry Launches Travel Advisory Twitter Account Million “Cité du Cinéma” Summer vacationers have a new resource from the Conseils aux Voyageurs also has a free smartphone ap- The Parisian suburb of St. Denis is to French Ministry of Foreign Affairs—a Twitter account to plication which was released in 2009, allowing travelers become the new French Hollywood. advise the public on travel safety abroad. to access updates from their mobile phones. “La Cité du Cinéma,” or “Cinema City,” is The Quai d’Orsay launched a Twitter version of their a roughly $200-million project of nine Conseils aux Voyageurs (“Advice to Travelers”) website, film sets, costume and set design work- which already receives over half a million visitors per shops, offices and even a restaurant. In month. The social media outlet lets users publish and re- addition to these amenities will be a ceive second-by-second updates of 140 characters, pro- satellite campus for a state-funded film viding its subscribers with small pieces of information in school, the prestigious Ecole Nationale real time. The updates, called “tweets,” alert vacationers Supérieure Louis Lumière. traveling outside of France on everything from severe The project is the brainchild of French weather warnings to advisories of political unrest. director, producer and writer Luc Bes- The program launched June 6, coinciding with the son. Renowned for his filmsNikita and beginning of vacation season, and allows excursionists to The Fifth Element, Mr. Besson intends to stay informed by following @ConseilsVoyages. Their web- relocate his production company, Euro- site, “France Diplomatie” (diplomatie.gouv.fr), consolidates paCorp, to the site once it is completed. the efforts of over 200 French embassies and consulates Cinema City is the latest chapter in worldwide, and connects people on Twitter and other net- France’s long and rich history of cinema. works including Facebook, Flickr, Google+ and YouTube. The Lumière brothers were the first to “France Diplomatie” operates Twitter feeds in three

develop the motion picture, and French languages: French (@francediplo), English (@francedip- Domain © Public directors François Truffaut and Jean-Luc lo_EN) and Arabic (@francediplo_AR). French citizens Tweets from Conseils Aux Voyageurs update air travelers Godard launched the New Wave move- can share their global perspectives on Ariane, a web on safety conditions and provide important travel advice. ment in the mid-20th century. The num- portal where travelers submit information and advice. ber-one film producer in Europe, France releases more than 200 titles annually. Construction on the St. Denis site began French Journalist Released, Latest in Crisis-Zone Incidents in 2010 and the “City” will be inaugurat- ed in September of this year. French journalist for France 24, Roméo Langlois, “I think others suffered more than I did,” said Mr. Lan- returned home on May 30 after being held hostage by glois of his time as captive, referring to the emotional Colombia’s FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colom- stress his family experienced in his absence. bia) rebels for 33 days. FARC forces captured the journal- Mr. Langlois’s homecoming follows the United Nations ist after attacking the military unit with which he’d been World Press Freedom Day, celebrated on May 3. In France, working. three French journalists killed in conflict zones over the President Hollande issued a statement welcoming Mr. past year received special tribute and recognition. Gilles Langlois back to the country following his ordeal. “It’s a Jacquier fell victim to a rocket attack in January while cov- moment of great joy, of great relief and solace for his fam- ering the unrest in Homs, Syria, and would become the ily, his relatives and the France 24 newsroom,” he said. first of numerous Western journalists to be killed during

© MAEE/Images de France the Syrian uprisings. Pho- tojournalist Rémi Ochlik Primary Schools Return to was also killed in Homs in Continuous Five-Day Week February while covering the bombing of the city. Recently appointed Education Minister French-German photojour- Vincent Peillon has announced a return nalist Lucas Dolega was to a continuous five-day school week for killed in Tunis, Tunisia, in primary school children in France. 2011 while photographing Instead of attending school for six or a protest. seven hours a day, four days a week, as In an official statement children have since 2008, they will now from France’s Ministry of have a four- or five-hour school day, with Foreign and European either a half-day added on Wednesday Affairs on May 3, the agen- or Saturday to fulfill the educational cy sought to “pay tribute time requirements. to all those journalists Mr. Peillon believes that the four-day who [gave] their lives or school week “exhausted the children,” their freedom to carry out and placed unnecessary strain on stu- an often dangerous job, dents of a very young age. in order to seek the truth The decision has been met with mixed in countries torn apart by reactions by parents, but is overwhelm- violent conflict or under the ingly supported the National Academy grip of dictators. We must of Medicine. “Such a long school day is commend the courage of not consistent with a child’s biological all those throughout the

rhythms,” stated an official Academy re- © Globovision world who risk their lives port. The new schedule will be adopted “I knew they were going to release me, but I thought they would do it quickly, in two to defend the basic human for the 2013 school year. or three days,” Mr. Langlois said of his 33-day captivity by FARC rebels in Colombia. right of press freedom and freedom of expression.”

6 cultural highlights coup d’oeil NFF

French Open 2012: Men’s History Made at Roland Garros French Film Veterans Shine in Amour, Top Pick at Cannes On June 11, Spanish champion Rafael Nadal record of six French Open wins, the last of which was secured his seventh French Open victory against his in 1981. On the closing day of the 65th Cannes Serbian opponent, Novak Djokovic. The final match of Held annually in Paris since 1891, France regularly International Film Festival, Austrian di- “Roland Garros,” as the Paris tournament and its sta- furnished champions in the tournament’s early decades. rector Michael Hanecke’s Amour earned dium are both known, had been postponed the day Apart from a five-year hiatus during World War I, French the top prize, the coveted Palme d’Or. before due to rain. men won the tournament every year from 1892 to 1932. The film, which portrays an elderly The match ended Mr. Djokovic’s hopes of holding all A smaller number of French won in the middle and couple’s love tested against their loom- four major titles simultaneously, an achievement antici- late 20th century. No Frenchman has won the French ing mortality, owes much of its success pated as the “Djokovic Slam.” Prior to the tournament, Open since 1983, when clinched the title to the moving performances of its stars. Mr. Djokovic was the world’s top-ranked men’s player. at home. In a moment which ranks among France’s great- French actors Jean-Louis Trintignant Mr. Nadal, having lost only one match in seven years est in modern sports, after match-point, he leapt into the and Emmanuelle Riva, both in their at Roland Garros, surpassed Swedish legend Björn Borg’s arms of his father, who was watching from the sidelines. eighties, are no strangers to Cannes. Some hoped this year Mr. Trintignant starred in Claude Le- that French competitor Jo- louch’s famous Un Homme et Une Femme, Wilfried Tsonga, ranked which won the Palme d’Or in 1966. Ms. fifth in the world, would Riva interpreted the female lead in Alain reclaim the title for France. Resnais’s classic Hiroshima Mon Amour, However, Mr. Tsonga fell which was nominated for the honor at early, reaching only the its 1959 festival appearance. quarterfinals, where he lost It would seem that Mr. Hanecke’s to Mr. Djokovic. career has blossomed with time. His With so many French 1997 filmFunny Games stood for adju- Open titles now under his dication at Cannes, but was received belt, Mr. Nadal said that he poorly. Late success arrived when his plays comfortably on Ro- film The White Ribbon won the Palme land Garros’s famous clay d’Or in 2009. If one Cannes prize wasn’t courts. “I think my game enough, Amour emerged as this year’s naturally adapts very well to clear crowd favorite and was celebrated this surface,” he explained. with a prolonged standing ovation af- © Public Domain © Public Mr. Djokovic himself con- ter its screening at the festival. Yannick Noah races to his father’s arms after clinching the 1983 French Open title. The ceded that Mr. Nadal is “def- Paris tournament figures among pro tennis’s “” series and has run since 1891. initely the best” male clay- SF Theater Offers French, U.S. court player in the world. Voices “Found in Translation”

Too often we hear how aspects of an Paris Opéra Ballet Graces Chicago with Classical, New Works original work are “lost in translation,” but little attention is given to what is gained Chicago audiences were treated to a rare spec- in translation—new meanings in differ- tacle June 26 through July 1, as the Paris Opéra Ballet ent languages and cultural contexts. graced the stage of the Harris Theater for the first time. The “Des Voix…Found in Translation” Accompanied by the Grant Park Orchestra in a first- theater festival in San Francisco (May 25- time collaboration, the company dancers exhibited 27), hosted by the local French consulate dynamic precision and exquisite footwork, tackling and the Playwright Foundation, chose Giselle and three neoclassical works. three works by contemporary French Giselle, featuring a score by French composer Adol- playwrights to translate and produce for phe Adam and choreography by the renowned French an American audience. duo Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot, tells the story of a Marion Aubert’s work, “Pride, Pursuit, young peasant girl whose ghost tries to save her lover and Decapitation,” is a dark comedy with from a group of Wilis, a type of fairy, and showcases a witty feminist sensibility, presenting the dancer’s ability to both dance ephemerally and act more than thirty characters bringing hi- as both a peasant girl and fairy-like creature. larity and insanity to everyday situations. The evening of mixed repertoire included French Ms. Aubert’s sense of humor, it seems, is legend Maurice Béjart’s fiery choreography of Le Boléro, easily exported. featuring Maurice Ravel’s pulsing Spanish theme. Aus- The festival featured a colloquium tere scenery and tribal-like movements contrast the where translators discussed the subtle- piece’s style with classic romanticism of Giselle. ties of working at the crossroads of lan- The company performed Serge Lifar’s one-act guages. Cultural attaché at the San Fran- ballet Suite en Blanc, whose challenging choreog- cisco consulate, Ivan Bertoux, said that raphy was created solely to highlight a company’s translation for the theater is unique— virtuosity. French playwrights tend to focus more The Paris Opera Ballet also tackled Roland Petit’s on language and syntax, whereas their L’Arlésienne, a tragic saga based on the short story by American counterparts emphasize story 19th-century French novelist Alphonse Daudet. and action.

The performance series highlighted the company’s de Paris National © icare/Opéra Next year, American playwrights will commitment to performing the classics with refined Giselle tells the story of a peasant girl who goes mad after be able to submit original works for elegance, while still pushing the envelope with daring realizing that she cannot marry her fiancé, an aristocrat. translation and performance in France. contemporary works.

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