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  • Cirieco Design
  • AIWC American Women’s Club of Geneva

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As German is the most spoken language in Switzerland and all children attending schools in the Swiss Education System are taught it, it makes perfect sense for German-speaking films to have their own festival. FILMFEST returns to the Casino de Montbenon in Lausanne for its 6th edition from 29-31 January 2024. Comprising a school program in the canton of Vaud and a program for the public, this year's festival expands its line-up to include seven films, six of which will be premièred in Romandie, in the presence of distinguished guests, filmmakers, and producers.

Initially aimed at age 15-19 students, this year FILMFEST is expanding its scope to include films to include the 12-15 age group as well. More than 4,000 students are expected from Yverdon-les-Bains to Vevey, via Lausanne, to discover the German language in a new light.

Of course, adults and the general public are more than welcome and a special program (see bottom of article) has been established. Check out our competition to win a ticket!

We caught up with Eric Flury, the president of FILMFEST, the German Film Festival held in Lausanne.

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Read below to enter a competition for the 11h performance on the 27th January 2024

GAOS' director of the current musical pantomime, Pinocchio, Liz Williams, played her first role for GAOS as the Blue Haired Fairy in Pinocchio in 1985. She suggested to the Committee last year that it was about time to roll out another version. 39 years later, Liz remains a Good Fairy for GAOS, elevating the best of them all, Cast and Crew, to a splendid spectacle.

For 40 years, one of Liz’s partner in crime, John Fox, has been designing and painting sets for GAOS. This is his second attempt at the pantomime Pinocchio, the last one being also in 1985. Adopting an entirely different approach, he hopes that previous errors have been corrected. If not, third time lucky?

Other members of the 1985 Production are having fun with this new one: Sue Bergomi, singer in 1985, is now responsible for making Pinocchio's nose. Cheryl Ball, spotted in children's ballet in 1985, is now in charge of... children's ballet!

The story of Pinocchio

Geppetto, an old toy maker, longs for a son of his own. With a little help from the Blue Fairy and a cheeky little cricket, his wish comes true and his puppet, Pinocchio, comes to life!

The magical puppet catches the eye of the evil showman Stromboli who will stop at nothing to get his hands on the enchanted toy. With the help of Mamma Mia and her hapless son Lampwick from the local pizzeria, will Pinocchio learn in time what it takes to be a 'real boy’?

Come and find out with Pinocchio, a traditional English Pantomime, with no strings attached!
On stage 16 children and 20 adults. Behind the scenes, around a hundred people are also working to make this show a success.

In a Panto, one of the most important aspects is the interaction between the actors and the audience. Join in the fun!

Boo and hiss the villain, cheer the hero, sing along, shout out phrases and much more!

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Geneva Lux is a free festival of lights, organized by the Département de la sécurité et des sports de la Ville de Genève (Department of Security and Sports of the City of Geneva), will take place between 19 January and 4 February 2024.

Geneva Lux: 10 years of magic

This year's edition is unlike any other. The Geneva Lux festival is celebrating its 10th anniversary. It now boasts a true cultural dimension, featuring creations that are works in their own right, signed by renowned light artists. Some of the works are original, while others travel across Europe and stop off in the Rade de Genève, like a museum hosting a temporary exhibition.

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Geneva Lux also helps to boost Geneva's appeal by encouraging people to get out and enjoy a free moment of urban poetry.

This 10th edition brings nearly thirty luminous works, a third of them never before seen in Geneva. Several astonishing performances will also brighten up your weekend evenings during the festival. And, as last year, the public can enjoy a glass of mulled wine or a cup of tea at the festival refreshment bar on Quai du Mont-Blanc.

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Rade Radiance - every Friday and Saturday
Sound and light show

Every Friday and Saturday – 19h, 20h, 21h – in front of the Jardin Anglais

Immerse yourself in a magical world when Geneva Lux opens, illuminating the Jardin Anglais with a thousand lights. This daring new sound and light show transcends the limits of technology and creativity.

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A monumental screen of water rises like a veil over the lake, providing the perfect canvas for the light projections. These lights, dancing and merging with the water, give life to a majestic hologram, playing with perspectives and offering a three-dimensional visual experience.

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We wrote about Reptile Expo back in February when it was being hosted near Neuchâtel. We just found out that the exhibit of these live reptiles and friends will be set up the day after Christmas through 14 April 2024 in Sierre! And the exhibitors have kindly offered one of our readers a "pack famille" including 4 tickets! Read below to enter the competition.

The array of species that many have never seen in real life are set up in this temporary, mobile vivarium located in Sierre, at the Centre COOP Rossfeld. The museum is open daily from 10h-18h (even on Sundays).

The aim of this exhibition is to teach young and old alike to get to know these much-feared animals better, while at the same time enabling them to experience an unforgettable moment through a family-friendly, educational activity. Nowadays, it's vital to inform people and help them discover the little-known world of reptiles and their danger of extinction. "Better knowledge, better protection".

New this year!
This year, for the first time in Switzerland - and practically UNIQUE IN THE WORLD, as the only other place to find it in captivity is in a zoo in the Czech Republic - you'll be able to discover an exceptional snake that was officially discovered fairly recently in Iran (2006): the spider viper (Pseudocerastes urarachnoides), top photo. It has the most elaborate lure of all snakes, with a protrusion at the end of its tail that resembles a small spider, making it a formidable lure for foraging birds.

Visitors will be able to observe more than 250 animals, including 80 different species, in their natural habitat over an area of 1,200 m2.

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As the winter nights draw in, what better to do on a dark Sunday afternoon than enjoy a live performance of sumptuously romantic music by Brahms, Bruch and Schumann? The next concert by the Orchestre Symphonique Genevois (OSG), taking place at 17h on Sunday, 26 November 2023, in Geneva’s beautiful Victoria Hall, and conducted by Hervé Klopfenstein, will hit just the right spot.
 
The first piece on the programme is Brahms’ Tragic Overture, the turbulent sister piece to the more ebullient Academic Festival Overture. As the composer himself put it “One is laughing, the other crying." This is followed by Max Bruch’s first violin concerto, one of the most popular concertos in solo violin repertoire. It was first performed in 1866 with Bruch himself conducting. The final piece is Schumann’s 4th Symphony, regarded by many as possibly Schumann's greatest and most masterly work, with thematic material recurring between movements.
 
Founded in 1977, the Orchestre Symphonique Genevois (OSG) is an ensemble that crosses boundaries: between nationalities, mixing people from the local area with internationals from around the globe; between generations, with musicians from 18 to 80 years of age; and between professions : doctors, physicists, UN staff, historians, librarians, students... and even musicians make up this extraordinary orchestra. They come together under the leadership of professional conductor Hervé Klopfenstein because they share one thing: their love of music.