[Reader-list] 16th March 2012: The Seed Giver( L'Homme Semence) /Screening of "Supermen of Malegaon" directed by Shaikh Nasir

[rohitrellan at aol.in]

Alliance Française de Delhi

presents
 The Seed Giver / L'Homme Semence
 
 
A play in French with English Subtitles adapted from 

L'homme semence by Violette Ailhaud

Friday, 16 March 2012, 6:30 pm
M. L. Bhartia Auditorium, Alliance Française de Delhi
72 Lodi Estate, New Delhi 110003
 
 
In 1852, a village in the Basses-Alpes Region of France was brutally deprived of its men by the repression that followed the Republican uprising against the coup d’état of Napoleon III. Two years went by in complete isolation for the women of the village. They took a vow that if a man came, he would be their common husband, so that life could continue in the wombs of each of them. The women had thought of and planned out everything, except the possibility of falling in love. This story is the disturbing real-life account of one of the women, Violette Ailhaud (1835-1925). She wrote The Seed Giver in 1919, at the age of 84, when for the second time in 7 years, the village lost all its men. Violette Ailhaud gave her manuscript to a notary with the specific instructions that it should be handed over to the eldest of her female descendents. In July 1952, Yveline, 24, inherited the text.
 
The production of The Seed Giver came of an encounter between two French artists who have been living in India for many years: Anne Bressanges, actress, and Nancy Boissel Cormier, dancer. Their paths crossed in Chennai when they were both learning Bharata-Natyam from Guru Kalaimamani Kuttalam M. Selvam. Their desire to work together took shape when they read The Seed Giver, a work that gives an account of French history through universal subjects that affect or have affected all people: war, the fear of extinction of the human race, the duty to procreate, and love.
 
They met Estelle Guilhard and it became clear that she would direct the play. All three of them worked together in residence at Alliance Française of Madras in September 2011, where the play was premiered on 1st October. Michelin India, partner of the Alliance, lent its support to the project and the crew expanded with the Props Manager Marie de la Bellière, and Souri Rajan, musician joining them. The text remains unchanged and the play takes place in France. Nevertheless the artists deliberately use references and movements borrowed from Indian classical dance, so as to bring together the two cultures, French and Indian, which are both part of their identity.
 
Over head-titles in English are projected to make the play accessible to a wider audience.

 
For more information, please write to mitushi.khurana at afdelhi.org
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Screening of "Supermen of Malegaon" directed by Shaikh Nasir 




School of Arts and Aesthetics
Jawaharlal Nehru University Presents
 
Supermen of Malegaon
A Documentary
By Faiza Khan
 
about the making of "Malegaon ka Superman', a film directed by Shaikh Nasir which narrates the fascinating story of a ragtag crew of people from Malegaon who set out to make a 'Superman meets Bollywood' flick on a shoestring budget. 
Shaikh Nasir and Faiza Khan will be present at the screening for a discussion
SAA
Auditorium
Tuesday, 13th March, 2012
6 pm
Tea will be served at 5.30 pm