Results tagged “alliancefrançaise”

           

Bonjour. We were invited to attend a cooking class at the Alliance Française de Chicago, which before Saturday we knew only as, “that pretty building on Dearborn where French people hang out and that we are slightly intimidated by.” Having the choice of romance languages to study, we chose Italian and Spanish over French (the “bonjour” at the beginning of this post is really the extent of our language skills.) Silly American. However, we decided there is no better way to begin our relationship with the Alliance and the French language than through food, so we gave it a shot. Kinda like Julie Powell but without all the whining and self-pity. And we never cried over beef stew.

• Tomorrow the Music Box begins a week-long run of the 2009 Oscar-nominated short films, with one program for Live Action and another for Animation. It's a great smorgasbord including films from all over the world. If you can't make it to the Music Box, you'll be able to watch them at home: the nominated short films will be released on iTunes on February 17. Just keep in mind what David Lynch says about that.
• Speaking of digital cinema, one of the films we loved the most at last year's CIFF gets a non-traditional release in a few weeks. Must Read After My Death, the fascinating and disturbing documentary fashioned by Morgan Dews from materials left behind by his family, opens theatrically in New York and LA on February 20 but will also be viewable in ultrahigh quality online. Via Gigantic Digital, a $2.99 "ticket" will give a viewer unlimited access. As a result of their outreach, Time Out Chicago will actually change the way they cover films. Hank Sartin explains: "After an extended discussion, we're going to run a review both online and in print. In print, we're going to include a newly designed logo indicating that this film is not in theaters but is online. We're going to take this case-by-case, but try to cover films getting non-traditional release whenever we can, online if not always in print."
• Also on February 20, the Alliance Française of Chicago presents an evening of Europe's best short films of 2008. More than 2,000 international cinema professionals voted for the winners, in a format inspired by the Césars. The lineup is a surprise, but expect some solid work that you're unlikely to see anywhere else. Tickets are $12 for members, $15 for non-members; more info here.