Bay Area Francophile List Published by Suzanne Toczyski, Sonoma State University February 1-8, 2008 To return to the Bay Area Francophile List Homepage, please click here. February Events | Job & Volunteeer Opportunities | Cinema | Art | Other Media | Television & Radio Announcements | Restaurants | Music | Conversation Opportunities Home Exchanges/Apartments for Rent | Classes | Events Coming Soon! Send contributions to suzanne.toczyski@sonoma.edu. *FEBRUARY EVENTS*     February 2008.  WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM 2008 DEBRIEFING EVENT. The most important issues facing modern society are discussed each year at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.  Enjoy hearing about the hot topics and top concerns that were discussed at a debriefing event moderated by forecaster and essayist Paul Saffo at swissnex San Francisco.  The event will take place in Februrary, please check www.swissnexsanfrancisco.org for a precise date and more details as they become available. swissnex San Francisco 730 Montgomery Street San Francisco, CA 94111. Opening February 1, 2008.  THE WITNESSES, by Andre Techine - Opens February 1st.  With Michel Blanc, Emmanuelle Beart, Sami Bouajila and Julie Depardieu http://www.frenchculture.org/spip.php?article595 February 1, 2008.  RENAISSANCE:  REVOLUTIONS ET TRADITIONS. The SAN FRANCISCO BAY ACCUEIL invites RENEE MOREL to speak at the Lycee Francais de S.F. (Campus d'Ortega).  Conférence animée par Renée Morel, et proposée par le Lycée français La Pérouse et San Francisco Bay Accueil. Âge des explorations, des conquêtes techniques, de l'humanisme et du renouveau dans les arts, la Renaissance extériorise ses croyances avec passion.  Au milieu du XVIe siècle, une profonde crise économique et démographique s'abat sur l'Europe, ravagée par la peste noire de 1348, les guerres civiles, les révoltes paysannes et la Guerre de Cent Ans. De plus, en 1453, la Chrétienté perd Constantinople au profit de l'empire ottoman. Cette crise va se résoudre miraculeusement par une série de découvertes - notamment dans les domaines de l'industrie, de la navigation et de l'armement - qui font repartir le monde occidental en avant. C'est l'âge des grandes expéditions vers le “Nouveau Monde”, de l'imprimerie et de nombreuses autres techniques. C'est aussi celui des puissantes dynasties de “princes marchands” qui, tels les Médicis en Italie ou les Fugger en Allemagne, prennent la place des seigneurs dans les états où le pouvoir n'est pas centralisé. C'est également celui d'une révolution dans les arts et les lettres: une philosophie humaniste qui place l'homme au centre de la nature.  Le terme “Renaissance” a été inventé au XIXe siècle par des historiens de l'époque romantique, frappés par ce désir de “faire renaître” les oeuvres de l'Antiquité grecque et romaine. Venez revivre les grandes étapes de ce mouvement à la fois novateur et continuateur où logique et raison, passion et superstition s'affrontent pour créer un nouvel ordre social, genèse de la société moderne.  10h.  Dans l’auditorium du Lycée Français La Pérouse, 1201 Ortega Street, San Francisco (@ 19th Avenue).  L’entrée est du côté de la 20ème Avenue.  La conférence se terminera vers 11h30.  Coût:  $7/personne.  Entrée gratuite pour les classes des écoles franco-américaines. February 1, 2008.  KAI CHOU & WIGGIN WU, cello & piano, perform FAURE and more.  With Jason Chiu, piano.  Hertz Hall, Bancroft Way and College Ave., UC Berkeley.  510.642.4864 or http://www.events.berkeley.edu for details.  12:15pm.  Free. February 1, 2008.  ZYDECO FLAMES perform at Eagles Hall, 2305 Alameda, Alameda.  415.285.6285.  9pm. February 1, 2, 3, 6 & 7 2008.  CHECK, PLEASE!  BAY AREA features ABSINTHE BRASSERIE AND BAR and two other local restaurants.  KQED TV9.  2/1, 8:30pm; 2/2, 9pm; 2/3, 1pm; 2/6, 2:30pm; 2/7, 7:30pm. February 1-7, 2008.  ZIDANE:  A TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY PORTRAIT.  Douglas Gordon and Philip Parreno’s film about soccer player ZINEDINE ZIDANE.  Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Screening Room, 701 Mission St., SF.  For more details:  415.978.2787 or http://www.yerbuabuenaarts.org or http://www.ybca.org or 415.978.2700 for details.  $8-$10.  Reviewed in the January 30, 2008 SF Weekly, p.22. February 2, 2008.  PEERS MARDI GRAS BALL featuring THE BAGUETTE QUARTETTE. 8pm.  PEERS Mardi Gras Ball, Masonic Lodge, 100 N Ellsworth Ave, San Mateo CA.  Tickets: $20 at the door, $15 in advance  http://www.peers.org/mardigras.html February 2, 2007.  YESTERDAY, TODAY AND TOMORROW.  Celebrating two decades of musical collaboration in the wonderful world of lieder, Carol Menke, soprano, and Marilyn Thompson, pianist, perform the works of Robert Schumann, Joseph Marx, GABRIEL FAURE & OLIVIER MESSIAEN, and the English songs of Robert Sheldon. They will be joined by a fabulous guest artist!  8:00pm, Ives Recital Hall (Ives 119), Sonoma State University, 1801 E. Cotati Ave., Rohnert Park, CA  94928. http://www.sonoma-choral.org/pub/htdocs/events.html February 2, 2008.  LE FRANÇAIS AUX ETATS-UNIS organise la JOURNEE DE PRINTEMPS, organisée par l’AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF TEACHERS OF FRENCH.  Presentations include:  La langue Cajun; Simone de Beauvoir aux Etats-Unis; Mardi gras; Les liens économiques entre la France et les Etats-Unis; Distribution de matériel pédagogique.  Contact:  Anne-Marie Lemoine, lemoine2@sbcglobal.net or 650.369.7765.  $60/70; $30 étudiants.  Avec petit-déjeuner et déjeuner pour ceux qui s’inscrivent à l’avance. Merci et à bientôt, le Conseil Exécutif de l'AATF de la Californie du nordenvoyé par Rachel Safier, Secrétaire American Association of Teachers of French Californie du Nord aatfnc@hotmail.com February 2, 2008.  REGINA CHARBONEAU cooks up something special (gumbo!) for MARDI GRAS in honor of Black History Month.  The Cellar, Macy’s at Union Square in San Francisco.  2pm. February 2, 2008.  MESSIAEN CONCERT AT THE JCCSF.  An evening celebrating the 100th birthday of Olivier Messiaen, featuring the "Quartet for the End of Time" and celebrating the 60th Anniversary of Israel. Organized by the Consulates of France and Israel and the America-Israel Cultural Foundation.  8PM.  http://www.frenchculture.org/spip.php?article561Reservations required.  Featured in the January 27, 2008 Sunday Datebook (pink pages), pp.14-15. February 2, 2008.  TEE FEE SWAMP BOOGIE BAND plays CAJUN music for MARDI GRAS at Rancho Nicasio, On the Town Square, Nicasio.  415.662.2219 or http://www.ranchonicasio.com for details.  $12.  8:30pm.  Cajun menu specials will also be available. February 2, 2008.  ALEXANDER STRING QUARTET performs RAVEL and others.  With Robert Greenberg, historian.  Herbst Theatre, 401 Van Ness Ave., SF.  415.392.2545 or http://www.performances.org fo details.  $22-$34.  10am. February 2, 2008.  YOUNG PEOPLE’S SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA performs SAINT-SAENS, among others.  First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing Way, Berkeley.  510.849.9776 or http://www.ypsomusic.net for details.  $12-$15.  8pm. February 2, 2008.  CREOLE BELLES, ANDREW CARRIERE & SUZY THOMPSON perform a DEBUT CD RELEASE AND MARDI GRAS PARTY at Ashkenaz, 1317 San Pablo (at Gilman), Berkeley.  $13.  8pm Cajun/Zydeco dance lesson with Dana DeSimone; 9pm performance. February 2, 2008.  TOM RIGNEY & FLAMBEAU and ZYDECO FLAMES perform at Little Fox Theatre, 2209 Broadway, Redwood City.  650.369.4119.  $15. February 2 & 9, 2008.  MUSIC “PHROQ” by Swiss artist Francisco Meirino. Phroq is just about ready to publish the new album "Connections". Discover this musician from Switzerland during his stay at the West Coast www.phroq.com Upcoming events include February 2, 8pm, Activating the Medium XI: The Instrument.  San Francisco at The Recombinant Labs Compound San Francisco.  For directions: www.23five.org Tickets $15 advance reservations recommended  http://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr.  Also, February 9, KFJC 89.7FM Radio Station, 4pm, 12345 S. El Monte Road, Los Altos Hills, www.kfjc.com, radio broadcast only through channel 89.7FM, internet broadcast www.kfjc.com/netcast. February 16, 12noon - 2pm, ARTSF, 110 Capp Street (last Floor), San Francisco, www.artsf.org, tickets $ 5.  Please consult the websites of the different places to make sure that these concerts will take place as scheduled. For more shows go to www.phroq.com  These events are co-sponsored by Pro Helvetia, the Arts Council of Switzerland. February 3, 2008.  THE ZEPHYROS WINDS perform in the Mill Valley Chamber Series at Mount Tamalpais Methodist Church, 140 Sycamore Ave., Mill Valley.  Presented by the Mill Valley Chamber Music Society.  415.381.4453 or http://www.chambermusicmillvalley.org for details.  Pieces will include MILHAUD’s LE CHEMINEE DU ROI RENE; DEBUSSY’s SYRINX, and RAVEL’s LE TOMBEAU DE COUPERIN.Taking its name from the Greek god of the West Wind, the group first gained distinction in 1995, when, one year after its formation, it won both the First and Grand Prizes at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition becoming the first wind quintet in the competition’s 22-year history to do so. Comprised of graduates of the Curtis Institute of Music, Yale School of Music, Eastman, and The Juilliard School, the Zéphyros Winds is now based in Manhattan. Zéphyros Winds is recognized as one of the nation’s leading chamber ensembles with appearances across the country at major concert venues, including Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall, The Library of Congress, Wolf Trap, and the “Great Performers Series” at Lincoln Center.   www.Zephyroswinds.com February 3, 2008.  RICHARD GOODE performs DEBUSSY’S TWO ETUDES and FAURE’S NOCTURNE NO.6 IN D-FLAT MAJOR, OP. 63.  http://www.calperformances.net or 510.642.9988 for details. February 4, 2008.  MOROCCAN FLAVORS.  Cooking class that shows how to use seasonal, organic, unrefined and local ingredients to make Moroccan delights.  Sage Table, Oakland.  Call for address:  510.914.1142 or http://www.thesagetable.com for details.  $60.  6:30pm-9:30pm. February 4, 2008. DBF, Redwood City. Carole Granade - Executive Director - carole@faccsf.com  French American Chamber of Commerce 703 Market Street, Suite 450 San Francisco, CA 94103 Tel: (415) 442 4717 - Fax: (415) 442 4621 www.faccsf.com February 5, 2008.  HEAR NICHOLAS ANGELICH, piano, RENAUD CAPUÇON, violon, and GAUTIER CAPUÇON, cello.  If you are a member of the FACCSF you can have a 20% discount for the performance by Nicholas Angelich on the piano; Renaud Capuçon on the violin and Gautier Capuçon on the cello on February 5th, 2008. Enter the code CAFC when you click on the Apply Discount button. Carole Granade - Executive Director - carole@faccsf.com  French American Chamber of Commerce 703 Market Street, Suite 450 San Francisco, CA 94103 Tel: (415) 442 4717 - Fax: (415) 442 4621 www.faccsf.com February 5, 2008.  JONATHAN MANN, piano, performs CAMILLE SAINT-SAENS’s LE CYGNE and more. . Old St. Mary’s Cathedral, 660 California St (at Grant), SF.  http://www.NoontimeConcerts.org for details.  12:30pm. February 6, 2008.  THE ALPS.  Come and preview the IMAX Movie!  The Tech Museum of Innovation cordially invites you to a light reception and free screening of our new IMAX movie, THE ALPS, on Wednesday, February 6, 2008. The reception will begin at 5:30 p.m., and will be followed by a 6:30 screening of the movie.  Produced by MacGillivray Freeman Films - the company that also brought us the blockbuster EVEREST - The Tech is the only place in Northern California to see this majestic  and award-winning film. This film celebrates the unsurpassed beauty of the Alps and the indomitable spirit of the people who live, climb and explore there. THE ALPS showcases never-before-seen shots of climbers in action on the majestic Eiger North Face, one of the world's  most celebrated and unpredictable mountain peaks. The Tech is proud to announce that for the opening of this spectacular movie the  Consul General of Switzerland in San Francisco, Jean-François Lichtenstern, as  well as the Manager Western USA & Mexico of Switzerland Tourism, Fausto Zaina, will be present. Switzerland Tourism and Holcim are presenting sponsors of THE ALPS movie. RSVP by February 5th by calling Sue Murphy at (408) 795-6116 or send email to alpsinfo@thetech.org [mailto:alpsinfo@thetech.org]. Seating is limited and is available on a first come first served basis. For more information, please visit www.thetech.org February 6 & 7, 2008.  COMPANY EA SOLA presents DROUGHT AND RAIN, VOLUME 2.  Born in Vietnam and trained in Paris, choreographer Ea Sola creates vital contemporary works grounded in the traditional culture, music, dance and history of Vietnam.  An 80-minute multidisciplinary work… with ballet, music played on traditional instruments, opera and more.  Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Mission St., San Francisco.  http://www.ybca.org for details. February 6, 13, 20, & 27 & March 5 & 12, 2008. JACQUES RANCIERE TO OFFER SIX WEDNESDAY SEMINARS AT UC BERKELEY. Jacques Rancière will be returning to Berkeley as  the Pajus Distinguished Visitor in French Studies  again this semester. He is Professor Emeritus of  Esthetics at the University of Paris, VIII. His  work focuses on the relation between politics and  esthetics in modernity. He is the author of  numerous books, including The Nights of Labor, a  study of workers who labored in factories by day  and wrote poetry at night, The Ignorant  Schoolmaster (1986) , which tells the story of a  radically egalitarian 19th c teacher named Joseph  Jacotot, On the Shores of Politics ( 1992) ,  Disagreement ( 1995), Mallarmé (1996),  and The  Flesh of the Words ( 1998).  An internationally  renowned figure in the fields of philosophy,  esthetics, and literary criticism, Rancière is  one of the French thinkers most in view both in  France and around the world.  Recent works  include The Future of the Image, a remarkable set  of reflections on the aesthetic fate of the image  in today’s world, Hatred of Democracy, and  Politique de la littérature, which was published  earlier this year and includes material presented  during his seminar here at Berkeley in 2006.  His seminars (in French), will take place on  Wednesdays from 1:30-3:30, for six weeks starting  February 6, in 3401 Dwinelle (Level C).  The  title for the seminar is "Les métamorphoses de la  fiction," and more information is available at http://french.berkeley.edu/news/news_events_ind.php?id=45  Professor Rancière will also be delivering a  lecture (in English, title TBA) on Tuesday, March  11 at 4 p.m. in 370 Dwinelle.  Check the French  Department website in a few weeks for more details. February 7-9, 2008.  HELENE GRIMAUD AT SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY performs György Ligeti San Francisco Polyphony / Bartók Piano Concerto No. 3 / Shostakovich Symphony No. 6. http://www.frenchculture.org/spip.php?article574 8pm. February 7-20, 2008.  SF INDIEFEST presents the 10TH SAN FRANCISCO INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL.  Films include:  PARANOID PARK (Gus van Sant, France, 90 minutes, in English?); SWITCH (Jean-Julien Pous, 6 min); LA CRÈME (Reynald Bertrand, France, 2007, 87 min); and MASSACRE AT MURAMBI (Sam Kauffmann, 2007, 5 min, regarding our response to the genocide in Rwanda).  http://www.sfindie.com for details. February 9, 2008.  MADELINE AND THE BAD HAT.  Join Madeline in this original musical with an amusing and thought-provoking storyline about enemies becoming friends.  Based on the popular book by LUDWIG BEMELMAN. Wells Fargo Center for the Arts, 50 Mark West Springs Road, Santa Rosa.  http://wells.fargocentrarts.org for details. February 9, 2008. LA MELANCOLIE:  GENIE ET FOLIE DANS L’ART OCCIDENTAL.  Conférence à l’Alliance Françaie de Berkeley, 2004 Woolsey St., Berkeley, CA  94703 (near Ashby BART station).  Presentation (illustree de 80 diapositives) par Renee Morel --en francais, naturellement! La melancolie a hante l'histoire culturelle de l'occident depuis l'antiquite. Des paersonnages aussi celebres et divers que Ajax, Hercule, Michel-Ange, Laurent de Medicis, Gerard de Nerval et Kierkegaard en ont tous souffert. Pourquoi la melancolie a-t-elle toujours ete liee a la memoire et a la creation? Qu'en ont pense Aristote, Victor Hugo, Baudelaire et Hegel? Venez voir - a travers un riche kaleidoscope d'oeuvres de Durer, Goya, Delacroix, C.D. Friedrich, Munch, Odilon Redon, Edward Hopper, Anselm Keifer et d'autres encore - les multiples visages de la melancolie.  $16 ($14 pour les membres de l'AF) Ce prix comprend the, cafe et croissants.  IMPORTANT: Reservations necessaires!  Claire Van Brunt: (510) 849.2283 ou <c.vanbrunt@comcast.net> Through February 10, 2008.  TERRITORIES by BETTY SHAMIEH.  In this historic thriller set during the Crusades, a French knight captures the sharp-tongued sister of Saladdin, the legendary Arab ruler.  A ruthless chess game of power and love ensues as two cultures collide.  Palestinian-American writer Betty Shamieh explores the roots of religious tensions and gender politics in the Middle East.  Magic Theatre, Bldg D., Fort Mason, San Francisco.  415.441.8822 or http://magictheatre.org for details. Reviewed in the January 23, 2008 SF Weekly, p.27. February 10, 2008.  CRÊPES! Venez fêter la Chandeleur avec nous au restaurant Twist Bistro à Campbell, le dimanche 10 février de 14 à 16 heures. Réservations obligatoires avant le 2 février. Contacter Marie-Claude: marieclaude@afscv.org ou  408.445.2095.  Twist Bistro, Campbell. February 10, 2008.  THE ENLIGHTENMENT MOMENT.  Dr. Bruce Elliot appears as the Marquis de Faux for an illuminating tour of French Court Society in Paris, 1750 at the height of the Enlightenment. The Marquis is a character Professor Elliott developed over time  who, in a living-history manner, conveys the values and flavor of 18th century Enlightenment society.  In the presentation on February 10th, the Marquis, along with his mistress, the Countess (Dr. Heidi Chretien), and his manservant, will endeavor to model and instruct the audience in proper aristocratic comportment. Along the way, the Marquis will be giving some historical background on the aristocracy and, with visuals, explaining how the artwork of the period reflected aspects of court society.  2-3:30 p.m., Sunday, February 10, Evert B. Person Theatre, Valentine Benefit for Sonoma State Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. $15. Public is welcome. 707.664.2691.  belliott@sonic.netfor details. February 10, 2008.  TRAVELS TO THE EDGE WITH ART WOLFE features AFRICA:  MADAGASCAR.  KQED TV9, 10:30am. February 11, 2008.  LE BOOKCLUB FRANCOPHONE lit UNE PIECE MONTEE de BLANDINE LE CALLET.  berenicevlm@yahoo.com for details. February 11, 15, or 17, 2008.  THE JOSH KORNBLUTH SHOW features local author LALITA TADEMY, author of CANE RIVER, a novel set in historical Louisiana.  KQED TV9.  2/11, 7:30pm; 2/15, 2:30pm; 2/17, 6pm. February 12, 2008.  FRENCH AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE:  BIOINFORMATICS. The French-American Chamber of Commerce of San Francisco  cordially invites you to join them to a:   Life Science Breakfast: "Bioinformatics" 7:30 am - 9:30 am at Swissnex 730 Montgomery Street, San Francisco  French-American Chamber of Commerce  703 Market Street, Suite 450, San Francisco, CA 94103  Tel: 415 442 4717 / Fax 415 442 4621. February 12 & 16, 2008.   HISTOIRE DE VOIR: LES PIONNIERS DE LA PHOTOGRAPHIE. Conférence, illustree de 80 diapositives et presentee par Renee Morel - en francais, naturellement!  $10 (One and a half hours each. Includes handouts.  Qu'est-ce que la photographie? Et qu'est-ce que photographier?  La photographie, que l'on croyait d'abord reservee aux seules applications scientifiques, regne aujourd'hui dans les musees comme sur l'internet. Comment l'epoustouflant kaleidoscope d'images qu'elle a engendre a-t-il radicalement et irreversiblement change notre maniere de voir, notre regard sur la creation ou l'information, la memoire ou l'histoire? Comment ses divers developpement nous ont-ils permis de voir l'invisible?  Depuis les cliches des pionniers de la photographie (Niepce, Daguerre, Fox-Talbot, Muybridge, Marey) aux images transmises par les satellites, quels sont les enjeux de la photographie?  On suivra, a travers des images de Bayard, Nadar, Lewis Caroll, Julia Margaret Cameron et d'autres encore, l'etonnant parcours technique et mental de ce nouvel art pour cerner ce que l'on a pu nommer l'"imaginaire" photographique. Tuesday, February 12  (6:00 PM-7:30 PM) ou bien Saturday, February 16 (10:30 AM -12:00 PM.)  IMPORTANT! Comme pour le TGV, il est necessaire de reserver.  SVP, contactez directement The French Class par telephone au 415-362-3666, et donnez-leur votre numero de carte bancaire  pour reserver. Merci!  THE FRENCH CLASS 500 Sutter Street (at Powell), Suite 310 San Francisco  TEL: (415) 362.3666 FAX: (415) 362.4334  info@frenchclass.com  February 12-17, 2008.  LOVERS AND OTHER MONSTERS staged by at THRILLPEDDLERS the HYPNODROME.   Thrillpeddlers Hypnodrome presents "Lovers and Other Monsters" featuring Jill Tracy in concert with violinist Paul Mercer Plus! Jello Biafra, Monte Cazazza, RE/Search publication's V. Vale, Mel Gordon, Harmon Leon Thrillpeddlers preview new productions for 2008 and debut Creepshow Camp.  February 12-16 (Tues-Sat) at 8pm February 17 (Sunday) at 7 PM  The Hypnodrome 575 10th Street (at Bryant) San Francisco  general admission: $20.00 Shock Box seats for two:  $69.00 Ticket info: http://brownpapertickets.com or 800-838-3006 With a diabolical nod to Valentine's (and Presidents) Day,  Thrillpeddlers present Lovers and Other Monsters, a week-long line-up of live music and theatre, exquisite torture and expert testimony that all dare to touch the taboos that haunt these holidays. Lovers and Other Monsters celebrates the return of award-winning noir chanteuse Jill Tracy and acclaimed Atlanta violinist Paul Mercer (Faith and the Muse/The Changelings/DP3) to The Hypnodrome stage, in concert and each taking a leading role in a new dramatic work from Thrillpeddlers.   Note that on February 12, 13, 14 & 17, there will be the additional attraction of Berkeley professor MEL GORDON: The Erotic World of Paris -- legendary UC Berkeley Professor Mel Gordon will discuss the link between theatre and French sensuality in glorious detail. February 14, 2008.  THE EYES OF LOVE -- VALENTINE’S DAY CONCERT WITH HELENE ATTIA AND HER JAZZ HEARTBEATS. John R. Burr, keyboards and Alex Murzyn, flute & sax.  "Back by popular demand--our lovely local chanteuse, Helene Attia, will select from her vast repertory to present the juiciest of international love songs, including many beautiful French love songs. Be ready for Jazz, Blues, Bosa Nova, romantic classics and popular ballads--- by George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Nat King Cole, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Jacques Brel, Edith Piaf and Michel Legrand; plus contemporary songs by Burt Bacharach, Lennon & McCartney and Al Jarreau. Helene will also sing original songs from her new CD, The Eyes of Love. Come solo or with significant others!" "All You Need is LOVE…" Members $15 ; Public $25 (admission includes hors d'oeuvres, libations and dessert)  For reservations, call 415-393-0100 or email at rsvp@milibrary.org    http://www.milibrary.org  7:00 PM, Mechanics' Institute, 57 Post Street, San Francisco, CA  94104 February 14, 2008.  CELEBRATE VALENTINE’S DAY AT LEFT BANK BRASSERIES!  Chef Roland Passot's Left Bank Brasseries in the San Francisco Bay Area will be celebrating Valentine's Day, Thursday February 14, 2008 with a little French romance and flavor!  Join us on: Thursday, February 14, 2008 Hours: 5:30PM to 11PM In addition to our regular dinner menu, we will be offering a special 4-course menu, prix fixe $45., also available "à la carte". Amuse Bouche Foie Gras Mousse toasted brioche, 5. Pour commencer Oysters four oysters, Champagne mignonette, 8.25 Crab-Avocado Gâteau citrus and mâche salad, blood orange vinaigrette, 10.25 Les Plats Pan Seared Halibut artichokes barigoule, fennel and lemon confit with savory, 24.5 Oven-Roasted Pork Rack mustard herb crust, sautéed mushrooms, pearl onions, fingerling potatoes, 24.5 Le Dessert Chocolate "Décadence" hazelnut praline feuillantine, chocolate mousse, raspberry coulis, crème Chantilly, 8. Left Bank Brasseries "transport" guests to a charming and lively brasserie in Paris, where diners feast upon simple, delectable French cuisine in a bustling, carefree atmosphere.  Left Bank Brasserie's signature dishes include sumptuous French preparations like our signature dish Moules Frites, Onion Soup des Halles, Salade Niçoise, Bouillabaisse and Brasserie Steak Frites; other menu highlights include seasonal farmers' market produce, artisan cheeses, delectable desserts, and an award-winning wine list featuring both local and French selections.  Left Bank Brasserie Executive Chefs, along with luminary chefs Roland Passot and Joël Guillon, are committed to bringing a little piece of Paris to the Bay Area.  Left Bank Brasseries serve lunch and dinner each day, seven days a week, and offer private dining rooms for celebratory events.  For reservations and contact numbers please visit www.leftbank.com <http://www.leftbank.com/> . Left Bank Brasseries:  LARKSPUR 507 Magnolia Avenue, Larkspur, CA  94939 415.927.3331 MENLO PARK 635 Santa Cruz Avenue, Menlo Park, CA  94025 650.473.6543 PLEASANT HILL 60 Crescent Drive, Pleasant Hill, CA  94523 925.288.1222 SAN JOSE 377 Santana Row, San Jose, CA  95128 408.984.3500 SAN MATEO 1100 Park Place, San Mateo, CA  94403 650.345.2250 February 14, 2008.  CELEBRATE VALENTINE’S DAY WITH THE HOT CLUB OF SAN FRANCISCO!  Bring your sweetheart for a romantic evening to Rancho Nicasio, On the Town Square, Nicasio, CA.  415.662.2219 or http://www.ranchonicasio.com for details.  $12.  7:30. February 14, 2008.  SONOMA FILM INSTITUTE presents YELEEN (Brightness) Souleymane Cisse's YELEEN evokes the ancient Bambara culture of Mali well before its 16th century invasion by Morocco. In this luminous film that is equal parts creation myth and Oedipal reality, a young man arrives at the crossroads between childhood and adulthood. As he begins to fathom the mysteries of nature - or komo, the science of the gods - his father cruelly prevents the son from deciphering the elements of the Bambara sacred rites. (1987, 105 min., in Bambara w/English subtitles). Thursday, February 14 at 7:00 in Darwin 103. Through February 16, 2008.  THE MEDIEVAL REMAKE. “It seems that people like the Middle Ages.”—Umberto Eco “People started dreaming of the Middle Ages from the very beginning of the modern era,” Umberto Eco once claimed. It’s only natural, then, that the medieval would find many expressions in the cinema, a modern medium of collective dreams. The films in this series make and remake the Middle Ages in diverse forms and with diverse motivations, from political imperative to personal obsession. In the hands of Eisenstein or Lang, the medieval is an epic theater of national identity; viewed by Dreyer or Bresson, the spiritual intensity of the past mirrors a quest for aesthetic purity. Bergman makes the Middle Ages echo with the anxieties of a post-nuclear age, while in the world of Saint Francis, Rossellini finds a studied simplicity. For all these filmmakers and still others, the medieval is a rich and tactile field for the imagination. Our series was inspired by The Contagious Middle Ages in Post-Communist East Central Europe, an exhibition on view at the Townsend Center for the Humanities on the UC Berkeley campus through January. Films in the series by Tarkovsky, Paradjanov, Vlácil, and Majewski illuminate the exhibition’s themes in compelling images, while masterworks from Western Europe provide an expanded view of how films make the past present, and refract the concerns of the present through the prism of the past.  Pacific Film Archive, 2575 Bancroft Way, Berkeley. http://www.bampfa.berkeley.edu/ for details.  Film calendar includes: Friday, February 1, 2008, LANCELOT OF THE LAKE. 7:00 p.m.  Bresson gives us Lancelot and Guinevere and the end of the Arthurian era, a brave experiment in sound, image, and souls. February 16, 2008  JORDI SAVALL, the man behind the music in TOUS LES MATINS DU MONDE, performs viola da gamba.  Cal Performances, 510.642.9988 or http://www.calperformances.org for details.  Currently sold out; go to the website to add your name to notification list .  February 16, 17, 23 & 24, 2008.  SWISS PIANIST HANNY SCHMID WYSS.  Hanny Schmid Wyss is well known in Switzerland as well as abroad. She comes regularly to the San Francisco Bay Area with her beautiful music and we are happy to welcome her. Hanny's repertoire ranges from early Baroque to contemporary works, and her  singularly expressive play has been praised both for its "attractive, nicely rounded tone" as well as its "Fiery Commitment".  February 16, 2008 8pm Houseconcert - Hillside Concerts 2692 Shasta Road  Berkeley RSVP www.cowart.com/concerts   February 17, 2008 2pm St. Andrews Presbyterian Church 1601 Mary Drive  Pleasant Hill info: 925 685 4720 Solorecital  February 23, 2008 7:30pm Los Medanos College Pittsburg, CA Mozart Piano Concerto K414 - Contra Costa Chamber Orchestra, Conductor Timothy Smith http://www.cccorch.org  February 24, 2008 7:30pm Dean Lesher Regional Center for Performing Arts Walnut Creek, CA Mozart Piano Concerto K414 - Contra Costa Chamber Orchestra, Conductor Timothy Smith http://www.cccorch.org  or www.lesherartscenter.org February 17, 2008.  EUROPEAN SOIREE.  Meet other internationally-minded people in a convivial cross-cultural atmosphere. If you feel cosmopolitan and want to make interesting new friends, have substantial conversations, practice your language skills or just have fun, come join us!  Drop in when you can and stay for as long as you want. Newcomers are welcome. Come on your own or with a friend. You'll discover a friendly group where mingling is mandatory! The soirée starts late-afternoon to allow people to dine together afterwards if they so choose. Find out the details and sign up for this San Francisco event on Meetup at http://euro.meetup.com/80/. (Meetup registration is quick and free.) BAY AREA FRIENDS OF EUROPE  "Where Europeans and Europhiles can meet and make friends." http://www.bafoe.org/  February 20, 2008. LE CERCLE LITTERAIRE DE L’ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE DE SANTA ROSA lit DAVID GOLDER d’IRENE NEMIROVSKY. AFSF, 613 Fourth St., Santa Rosa.  707.543.8151 for details. February 21, 2008.  L’ASSURANCE MALADIE PUR LE CITOYEN / RETRAITE INTERNATIONAL. Atelier offert à Livermore par Thierry GABADOU, UFE, 925.366.9983 or tgabadou@psfin.com. 18h30. February 22, 23, 24 or 27 2008,  CHECK, PLEASE!  BAY AREA features CAFÉ ROUGE, LE COLONIAL, and others.  2/22, 8:30pm; 2/23, 9am or 1pm; 2/24, 5:30pm; 2/27, 2:30pm. February 23, 2008.  LEO TARDIN & GRAND PIANORAMAX offer a jazz concert at The Fillmore. Swiss Musicians Leo Tardin and Grand Pianoramax will play Jazz and Improvizational Music at a preprogram to a concert by Maceo Parker (ex. James Brown) www.leotardin.com  February 23, 9pm (doors open at 8pm) The Fillmore, www.thefillmore.com, 1805 Geary Boulevard & Fillmore San Francisco Tel 415 346 6000 tickets $ 28.50 at Ticket Master 415 421 8497 or www.livenation.com.  This event is co-sponsored by Pro Helvetia the Arts Council of Switzerland. February 23, 2008. HOT HOT CARIBBEAN NIGHTS: KALBASS KREYOL + DJS MILLER, EMMANUEL NADO, LINDEN B; MC AVOTCJA – all at Ashkenaz, 1317 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley.  http://www.ashkenz.com.  Doors at 8:30 pm; Show at 9:05 pm $15 / $12 advance & students Buy tickets online! www.kalbasskreyol.com Through February 24, 2008.  said SAÏD by KENNETH LIN.  A provocative political thriller set simultaneously in Algiers in 1954 during the infamous BATTLE OF ALGIERS and in present day Vermont, this is the story of Kasbah doctor/poet turned U.S. Poet Laureate André Saïd and his French interrogator, Major Michel Garcet.  The play jumps between the two time periods as the two old combatants seek the truth about the mysterious and indecipherable writing that lined Saïd’s prison cell.  Will the code reveal that Saïd was a terrorist?  A patriotic freedom fighter?  Or a pawn in one of the world’s first urban terrorist wars? Marin Theatre Company, 397 Miller Ave., Mill Valley.  415.388.5208 or http://www.marintheatre.org for details. February 24, 2008.  NINA SCHUYLER talks about her novel, THE PAINTING, which is set in Tokyo and Paris during the Franco-Prussian War.  Joint reading with Toni Mirosevich.  Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Dr., Corte Madera.  415.927.0960 or http://www.bookpasage.com.  4pm. February 24 & 26, 2008.  MARIN SYMPHONY performs SCREEN GEMS, including SATIE’S DEUX PRELUDES POSTHUMES ET UNE GNOSSIENNE (used in the movie CHOCOLAT) and Mozart’s ouverture to the MARRIAGE OF FIGARO. 7:30pm.  415.479.8100 or http://www.marinsymphony.org or greatmusic@marinsymphony.org for details. February 26, 2008.  MR. STÉPHANE PÉTERMANN, assistant diplomé du centre de recherches at Lausanne University, will give a lecture on the Swiss author, traveller and photographer NICOLAS BOUVIER, as part of the Swiss Consulate’s celebration of LA FETE DE LA FRANCOPHONIE.  Rory McLean has called Bouvier, an enlightened world traveller, “Switzerland’s answer to Jack Kerouac.”  Bouvier’s work is at once intimate and real, concentrated on knowing the Other through personal and sometimes mystical experiences of a errant and vagabond soul. The lecture will take place at 3pm in Schulz 3001, and is open to the public.  In conjunction with this lecture, the Department of Modern Languages & Literatures will be screening Mr. Bouvier’s film LE HIBOU ET LA BALEINE; date and time TBA. February 26, 2008.  THE EUSEBIUS DUO, with Hillary Norwell, piano, and Monika Gruber, violin, performs CLAUDE DEBUSSY’s SONATA FOR VIOLIN AND PIANO IN G MINOR and GABRIEL FAURE’s SONATA NO. 1 IN A MAJOR. . Old St. Mary’s Cathedral, 660 California St (at Grant), SF.  http://www.NoontimeConcerts.org for details. February 26, 2008. CARA BLACK celebrates the publication of MURDER IN THE RUE DE PARADIS with Paris-Through-Expatriate-Eyes director TERRANCE GELENTER.  For information:  Paris Through Expatriate Eyes, 38 Miller Ave, PMB 213, Mill Valley, CA 94941, Phone: 415.388.4956, Fax:   415.634-2828, Email: terrance@paris-expat.com Through February 28, 2008.  AFRICAN FILM FESTIVAL at the Pacific Film Archive, in Berkeley.   In its fourteenth year, the New York–based African Film Festival is more important than ever. While Africa may get glancing treatment in Western news, images made and fashioned by Africans are still shut out of our television screens, movie theaters (since 2000, only two African films on average per year have been released in the United States), and even major film festivals. PFA is proud to present a selection of films from this year’s festival, representing not only established industries in Cameroon and Senegal, but also emerging visions from Ethiopia, Guinea, and the Congo. These works may lack budgets or name-brand stars, but they’re outraged and insightful enough to open the blind eye that has been turned to African ideas and ideals. While most of the festival focuses on new, up-and-coming directors, we’ve also organized a mini-retrospective of arguably the most successful African filmmaker in recent years, the Malian director Abderrahmane Sissako (Bamako; Waiting for Happiness). And, in tribute to Ousmane Sembène, the pioneer of African cinema who passed away last year, we offer a free screening of two of his short films, including one of his first, Borom Sarret. Over forty years old, it’s a reminder of how humble beginnings can harbor greatness.  Website: http://www.bampfa.berkeley.edu/filmseries/africanfilm_2008 Schedule: Thursday, January 24, 2008 6:30 p.m. Bamako Set in the Malian capital of its title, Abderrahmane Sissako’s passionate polemic centers on a show trial in which the plaintiff, “African society,” argues against exploitation by the defendant, the World Bank. Repeated on Saturday, January 26.   Saturday, January 26, 2008   6:30 p.m. Waiting for Happiness Abderrahmane Sissako’s tale of life in a Mauritanian seaside village unfolds in a series of arresting images. “A poignant, poetic reflection on themes of exile, travel, home, and displacement.”—Variety Saturday, January 26, 2008 8:30 p.m. Bamako See Thursday, January 24. Thursday, February 7, 2008 5:30 p.m. Two by Ousmane Sembène, plus Menged (Free Screening!)  Free First Thursday Screening! Introduced by Paap Alsaan Sow.Two influential early films by African cinema’s spiritual father, Ousmane Sembène: Borom Sarret and Tauw. With Menged, an award-winning new film from Ethiopia, featuring music by Tlahoun Gessesse. Saturday, February 9, 2008 8:30 p.m. Clouds over Conakry Hip-hop and laptops collide with religious edicts and traditional demands in this lively romantic drama from Guinea. “An impressive debut.”—Variety Wednesday, February 13, 2008 6:30 p.m. Young Rebels: New Visions from Africa An eclectic, electric program offers magic realism from Lesotho, documentary from Zimbabwe, and social commentary from Nigeria.   Wednesday, February 13, 2008   8:10 p.m. Life on Earth   Sissako’s rapturous portrait of his father’s village in Mali as it waits for the 21st century. With Sissako’s Rostov-Luanda. Sunday, February 17, 2008 5:30 p.m. The Forgotten Man Osvalde Lewat-Hallade’s thoughtful documentary on the Cameroonian prison system “shows you what a camera can do.”—Village Voice. With Lewat-Hallade’s A Love During the War. Thursday, February 28, 2008 7:30 p.m. Juju Factory   A Congolese intellectual in Brussels struggles to keep his new book from being exoticized in this dazzling cinematic essay on exile, colonialism, and history, a combination of the challenging theatrics of Brecht and the intellectual savvy of Frantz Fanon. February 28, 2008. CERCLE DE LECTURE, animée par Bernadette Theisen. Lecture:  L’AFRICAIN, de JEAN-MARIE LE CLEZIO (2004).  Courriel :  theisen@netzero.net Au Boulanger de Los Gatos à 16 heures. Through February 29, 2008.  JEAN-PIERRE LEAUD:  THE NEW WAVE AND AFTER. If the French New Wave has a face, it might be the beaky, piercing-eyed visage of Jean-Pierre Léaud. In 1959, at age fifteen, Léaud made his debut as Antoine Doinel in François Truffaut’s The400 Blows; over the next two decades, he would play alter ego not only to Truffaut, but to a generation that grew up (or failed to) in parallel with him. For Jean-Luc Godard, he was one of the “children of Marx and Coca-Cola” in films like Masculine Feminine (1966) and La Chinoise (1967). Later, Léaud worked with Jacques Rivette in the epic Out 1 (1972) and stalked through the wreckage of the late-sixties dream in Jean Eustache’s anti-epic The Mother and the Whore (1973), a film and a performance that obliterate sentimentality. The effect of all these collaborations is cumulative: when Léaud appears in a film by Aki Kaurismäki or Olivier Assayas, his history appears with him. “Léaud is an anti-documentary actor,” Truffaut said. “He has only to say ‘good morning’ and we find ourselves tipping over into fiction.” Or, in Godardian terms, a Léaud film is Léaud, twenty-four frames per second. Not one to disappear into a role, Léaud brings a defining set of gestures to each performance; Manny Farber wrote, “Léaud’s acting trademark is a passionate decision that peaks his frenzied exasperation, physical compulsiveness.” Declaiming his lines with solemn clarity or demented enthusiasm, Léaud can be compelling or brilliantly comic, sometimes strange, always iconic. .  Pacific Film Archive, 2575 Bancroft Way, Berkeley. http://www.bampfa.berkeley.edu/ for details.    Films include:  February 8, 2008 7:00 p.m. The Mother and the Whore Léaud gives perhaps his greatest performance as a castaway from the sixties and the sexual revolution, waffling between two women, in Jean Eustache’s chronicle of disenchantment in post-1968 Paris. Thursday, February 14, 2008 8:50 p.m. Masculine Feminine Léaud stars as one of Godard’s “children of Marx and Coca-Cola”—the young people of Paris in 1965, choosing between la tendresse and politics. Friday, February 15, 2008 7:00 p.m. Weekend “Godard’s vision of bourgeois cataclysm. . . . A savage Swiftian satire, it traces a new Gulliver’s travels through the collapsing consumer society as a married couple set out for a weekend jaunt.”—Time Out. Léaud has a revolutionary cameo. Sunday, February 17, 2008 1:00 p.m. Out 1: Spectre The 240-minute “short” version of Jacques Rivette’s legendary epic, with Léaud as a self-styled detective. Friday, February 29, 2008 7:00 p.m. La vie de Bohème Aki Kaurismäki’s update of Henri Murger’s novel is “a fine, deceptively querulous comedy that mocks the conventions of art and romantic love while . . . exalting them as the only means of salvation.”—N.Y. Times. Léaud puts in a brief but pivotal appearance. Friday, February 29, 2008 9:00 p.m. Irma Vep Olivier Assayas casts Hong Kong icon Maggie Cheung as an actress suffering through ego battles and other disasters on a French indie film shoot, with a classically irascible Léaud as director. February 29, 2008.  LE GRAND DÎNER À DOMAINE CHANDON.  Sumptuous courses at le Grand Dîner of the NAPA VALLEY MUSTARD FESTIVAL, which runs February 2-March 31, 2008.  Limited to 120 guests; $350 per person.  http://mustardfestival.org for details and information on other events associated with the Festival. SILICONFRENCH EVENTS.  For an on-going list of events offered by SiliconFrench, see http://www.siliconfrench.com/eventsnews_events.shtml [top] *CINEMA* See "This Month's Events," above, for details on special screenings! All titles listed in alphabetical order, with special dates given in red. THE ALPS.  Come and preview the IMAX Movie!  The Tech Museum of Innovation cordially invites you to a light reception and free screening of our new IMAX movie, THE ALPS, on Wednesday, February 6, 2008. The reception will begin at 5:30 p.m., and will be followed by a 6:30 screening of the movie.  Produced by MacGillivray Freeman Films - the company that also brought us the blockbuster EVEREST - The Tech is the only place in Northern California to see this majestic  and award-winning film. This film celebrates the unsurpassed beauty of the Alps and the indomitable spirit of the people who live, climb and explore there. THE ALPS showcases never-before-seen shots of climbers in action on the majestic Eiger North Face, one of the world's  most celebrated and unpredictable mountain peaks. The Tech is proud to announce that for the opening of this spectacular movie the  Consul General of Switzerland in San Francisco, Jean-François Lichtenstern, as  well as the Manager Western USA & Mexico of Switzerland Tourism, Fausto Zaina, will be present. Switzerland Tourism and Holcim are presenting sponsors of THE ALPS movie. RSVP by February 5th by calling Sue Murphy at (408) 795-6116 or send email to alpsinfo@thetech.org [mailto:alpsinfo@thetech.org]. Seating is limited and is available on a first come first served basis. For more information, please visit www.thetech.org February 6, 2008. LA BATAILLE D’ALGERS / THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS.  Red Vic, SF, 415.668.3994. JEAN-PIERRE LEAUD:  THE NEW WAVE AND AFTER. If the French New Wave has a face, it might be the beaky, piercing-eyed visage of Jean-Pierre Léaud. In 1959, at age fifteen, Léaud made his debut as Antoine Doinel in François Truffaut’s The400 Blows; over the next two decades, he would play alter ego not only to Truffaut, but to a generation that grew up (or failed to) in parallel with him. For Jean-Luc Godard, he was one of the “children of Marx and Coca-Cola” in films like Masculine Feminine (1966) and La Chinoise (1967). Later, Léaud worked with Jacques Rivette in the epic Out 1 (1972) and stalked through the wreckage of the late-sixties dream in Jean Eustache’s anti-epic The Mother and the Whore (1973), a film and a performance that obliterate sentimentality. The effect of all these collaborations is cumulative: when Léaud appears in a film by Aki Kaurismäki or Olivier Assayas, his history appears with him. “Léaud is an anti-documentary actor,” Truffaut said. “He has only to say ‘good morning’ and we find ourselves tipping over into fiction.” Or, in Godardian terms, a Léaud film is Léaud, twenty-four frames per second. Not one to disappear into a role, Léaud brings a defining set of gestures to each performance; Manny Farber wrote, “Léaud’s acting trademark is a passionate decision that peaks his frenzied exasperation, physical compulsiveness.” Declaiming his lines with solemn clarity or demented enthusiasm, Léaud can be compelling or brilliantly comic, sometimes strange, always iconic. .  Pacific Film Archive, 2575 Bancroft Way, Berkeley. http://www.bampfa.berkeley.edu/ for details.  January 18-February 29, 2008. Reviewed in the January 16, 2008 San Francisco Bay Guardian, p.56   Films include:  February 8, 2008 7:00 p.m. The Mother and the Whore Léaud gives perhaps his greatest performance as a castaway from the sixties and the sexual revolution, waffling between two women, in Jean Eustache’s chronicle of disenchantment in post-1968 Paris. Thursday, February 14, 2008 8:50 p.m. Masculine Feminine Léaud stars as one of Godard’s “children of Marx and Coca-Cola”—the young people of Paris in 1965, choosing between la tendresse and politics. Friday, February 15, 2008 7:00 p.m. Weekend “Godard’s vision of bourgeois cataclysm. . . . A savage Swiftian satire, it traces a new Gulliver’s travels through the collapsing consumer society as a married couple set out for a weekend jaunt.”—Time Out. Léaud has a revolutionary cameo. Sunday, February 17, 2008 1:00 p.m. Out 1: Spectre The 240-minute “short” version of Jacques Rivette’s legendary epic, with Léaud as a self-styled detective. Friday, February 29, 2008 7:00 p.m. La vie de Bohème Aki Kaurismäki’s update of Henri Murger’s novel is “a fine, deceptively querulous comedy that mocks the conventions of art and romantic love while . . . exalting them as the only means of salvation.”—N.Y. Times. Léaud puts in a brief but pivotal appearance. Friday, February 29, 2008 9:00 p.m. Irma Vep Olivier Assayas casts Hong Kong icon Maggie Cheung as an actress suffering through ego battles and other disasters on a French indie film shoot, with a classically irascible Léaud as director. THE MEDIEVAL REMAKE. “It seems that people like the Middle Ages.” — Umberto Eco “People started dreaming of the Middle Ages from the very beginning of the modern era,” Umberto Eco once claimed. It’s only natural, then, that the medieval would find many expressions in the cinema, a modern medium of collective dreams. The films in this series make and remake the Middle Ages in diverse forms and with diverse motivations, from political imperative to personal obsession. In the hands of Eisenstein or Lang, the medieval is an epic theater of national identity; viewed by Dreyer or Bresson, the spiritual intensity of the past mirrors a quest for aesthetic purity. Bergman makes the Middle Ages echo with the anxieties of a post-nuclear age, while in the world of Saint Francis, Rossellini finds a studied simplicity. For all these filmmakers and still others, the medieval is a rich and tactile field for the imagination. Our series was inspired by The Contagious Middle Ages in Post-Communist East Central Europe, an exhibition on view at the Townsend Center for the Humanities on the UC Berkeley campus through January. Films in the series by Tarkovsky, Paradjanov, Vlácil, and Majewski illuminate the exhibition’s themes in compelling images, while masterworks from Western Europe provide an expanded view of how films make the past present, and refract the concerns of the present through the prism of the past.  Pacific Film Archive, 2575 Bancroft Way, Berkeley. http://www.bampfa.berkeley.edu/ for details. January 11-February 16, 2008.  Film calendar includes: Friday, February 1, 2008, LANCELOT OF THE LAKE. 7:00 p.m.  Bresson gives us Lancelot and Guinevere and the end of the Arthurian era, a brave experiment in sound, image, and souls. PERSEPOLIS, made by French directors MARJANE SATRAPI and VINCENT PARONNAUD, and set during Iran’s Islamic Revolution.   In French.  Rafael, San Rafael, 415.454.1222; Kabuki, SF; Embarcadero, SF; Shattuck, Berkeley.   LE SCAPHANDRE ET LE PAPILLON / THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY (dir. Julien Schnabel; starring Mathieu Amalric), based on the story of JEAN-DOMINIQUE BAUBY, former editor of the French fashion magazine Elle who suffered a stroke and wrote his book by blinking his eyes.  Winner of the Best Director prize at Cannes.  Rafael, San Rafael, 415.454.1222; Kabuki, SF; Embarcadero, SF; Oaks, SF. SF INDIEFEST presents the 10TH SAN FRANCISCO INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL.  Films include:  PARANOID PARK (Gus van Sant, France, 90 minutes, in English?); SWITCH (Jean-Julien Pous, 6 min); LA CRÈME (Reynald Bertrand, France, 2007, 87 min); and MASSACRE AT MURAMBI (Sam Kauffmann, 2007, 5 min, regarding our response to the genocide in Rwanda).  http://www.sfindie.com for details. February 7-20, 2008.  LES TEMOINS / THE WITNESSES (André Téchiné).  Reviewed in the January 30, 2008 SF Bay Guardian, p.59 and in the SF Weekly p.34.  Lumière, SF; Shattuck, Berkeley.. With Michel Blanc, Emmanuelle Beart, Sami Bouajila and Julie Depardieu http://www.frenchculture.org/spip.php?article595 Opening February 1st. http://www.strandreleasing.com for details.  YELEEN (BRIGHTNESS) Souleymane Cisse's YELEEN evokes the ancient Bambara culture of Mali well before its 16th century invasion by Morocco. In this luminous film that is equal parts creation myth and Oedipal reality, a young man arrives at the crossroads between childhood and adulthood. As he begins to fathom the mysteries of nature - or komo, the science of the gods - his father cruelly prevents the son from deciphering the elements of the Bambara sacred rites. (1987, 105 min., in Bambara w/English subtitles). Thursday, February 14 at 7:00 in Darwin 103. Sonoma Film Institute. ZIDANE:  A TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY PORTRAIT.  Douglas Gordon and Philip Parreno’s film about soccer player ZINEDINE ZIDANE.  Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Screening Room, 701 Mission St., SF.  For more details:  415.978.2787 or http://www.yerbuabuenaarts.org or http://www.ybca.org or 415.978.2700 for details.  $8-$10.  Reviewed in the January 30, 2008 SF Weekly, p.22. February 1-7, 2008.  CINE CLUB of the ALLIANCE FRANCAISE DE SACRAMENTO.  Join other cinephiles at the monthly movie presentations of the Cine Club at the Alliance Francaise in Midtown Sacramento (1723 25th Street). Films are shown at 7pm on the second Friday of each month except in July. The featured films for January and February are:  Pas Sur la Bouche (Not on the Lips) by Alain Resnais and Cesar et Rosalie by Claude Sautet.  To learn more :  http://cl.exct.net/?ffcb10-fe2a15707d620379761478-fdf21775756d02787c157674-fefe167170640d-fe9915707467017872-fdef15777d61057a72177874 [top] *ART*    February 1-March 6, 2008.  THE EVOLUTION OF ORIGINAL GRAPHIC WORKS FROM DURER TO MOTHERWELL.  Prints by MAGRITTE, PICASSO, RENOIR, TOULOUSE-LAUTREC and more.  Pasquale Iannetti Gallery, 565 Sutter, SF.  415.433.2771 for details. Through February 9, 2008.  WORKS BY VALERY GRANCHER AND JOHN BUCKLIN.  Lincart Gallery, 1632-C Market St., SF.  415.503.1981 or http://www.lincart.com for details. Through February 17, 2008.  MARIE-ANTOINETTE AND THE PETIT TRIANON AT VERSAILLES.  Many believe her obsession with supreme style sparked a revolution.  But there’s  more to Marie Antoinette’s story – brilliantly revealed through the contents of her private residence, the Petit Trianon.  California Palace of the Legion of Honor, Lincoln Park, 34th & Clement, SF.  415.750.3600 or http://www.legionofhonor.org for details.http://www.famsf.org for details. Through February 24, 2008.  ARTSF SAN FRANCISCO presents Swiss artist MONICA SCHMID’s work as part of 500 PENDANTS (Metal Art).  Velvet da Vinci Gallery San Francisco. Info: 415.441.0109. Through March 1, 2008.  THE ZINKY COLLECTION OF RARE 17TH- TO 20TH-CENTURY AMERICAN AND EUROPEAN FINE ART PRINTS.  Engravings, lithographs, etchings, and more.  Thos. Moser Gallery – San Francisco, 3395 Sacramento St., SF.  415.931.8131 or http://www.thosmoser.com for details. Through March 2, 2008. BUTABU: ADOBE ARCHITECTURE OF WEST AFRICA. Photographs by JAMES MORRIS. Sonoma Valley Museum of Art, 551 Broadway, Sonoma. 707.939.7862 or http://www.svma.org for details. Through April 6, 2008.  ANNA HALPRIN: AT THE ORIGIN OF PERFORMANCE, at YBCA.   Opening Night Party (Performance, video, live music), January 17, 6 pm.  Pioneer of postmodern dance and performance, Halprin is known for blurring boundaries: between art forms, professional and amateur, performer and audience. Produced by the Musée d'Art Contemporain de Lyon and curated by Jacqueline Caux.  http://www.frenchculture.org/spip.php?article567 Through April 13, 2008.  HEARST CASTLE COMES TO NORTHERN CALIFORNIA.  With 40 diverse objects including Renaissance paintings, European furniture and art objects, Gothic tapestry, etc.  The California Museum, 1020 O Street, Sacramento.  916.653.7524 or http://www.californiamuseum.org for details. Through May 25, 2008.  KAHNWEILER, EDITEUR.  Twelve books published between 1909 and 1928 by French art dealer DANIEL-HENRY KAHNWEILER.  California Palace of the Legion of Honor, Lincoln Park, 34th & Clement, SF.  415.863.3330 or http://www.legionofhonor.org for details. June 21-September 21, 2008.  LES FEMMES IMPRESSIONNISTES:  MARY CASSATT, BERTHE MORISOT, EVA GONZALES, MARIE BRAQUEMOND.  At the time impressionism was born, female artists were starting to come to the forefront of the art world.  This exhibition breaks new ground in feminist art history by looking at the work and contributions of four female Impressionists together for the first time in the United States. California Palace of the Legion of Honor, Lincoln Park, 34th & Clement, SF.  415.750.3600 or http://www.legionofhonor.org for details. Through September 2008. PASSENGERS AT CCA WATTIS, SAN FRANCISCO.  Passengers is a permanent but constantly transforming exhibition of emerging international contemporary artists (including VALERIE MREJEN), none of whom has ever had a solo presentation in an American public art institution. Supported by the Cultural Services, Consulate General of France in San Francisco. http://www.frenchculture.org/spip.php?article577 Ongoing.  AUGUSTE RODIN COLLECTION.  Bronze sculptures, Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University, Lomita Dr. & Museum Way, Stanford University,  Palo Alto.  650.723.4177 or http://www.museum.stanford.edu for details. On-going.  A NEW 19TH CENTURY :  THE MONDAVI FAMILY GALLERY REINSTALLED.  Reconfigured 19th century European and American collections.  Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University. Lomita Drive and Museum Way, Stanford University, Palo Alto.  650.723.4177 or http://museum.stanford.edu for details. On-going.  MODERN EUROPEAN MASTERS, including MATISSE, PICASSO, CHAGALL and more.  Meyerovich Gallery, 251 Post, SF.  415.421.7171 or http://meyerovich.com for details. On-going.  FOLK ART by French Canadian artists PATRICK AMIOT & BRIGITTE LAURENT.  Outdoor exhibits on-going on Florence St. in Sebastopol.  http://www.patrickamiot-brigittelaurent.com/ for details. On-going. MATISSE AND BEYOND: THE PAINTING AND SCULPTURE COLLECTION. SF Museum of Modern Art. Magnificent works of painting and sculpture culled from SFMOMA's own collections provide a quick tour of modern art from Fauvism to Minimalism. Daily. Exhibition tells the story of modern and contemporary art including landmark works by MATISSE, BOURGEOIS and others. San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, 151 Third St., San Francisco. 415.357.4000 or www.sfmoma.org On-going. BETWEEN ART AND LIFE: THE CONTEMPORARY PAINTING AND SCULPTURE COLLECTION, including works by LOUISE BOURGEOIS. SF Museum of Modern Art, 151 Third St. (at Mission), SF. 41.357.4000 or http://www.sfmoma.org for details. On-going.  GODOT.  Works sy WILLIAM T. WILEY.  Arion Press, 1802 Hays ST., the Presidio, SF.  415.668.2542 or http://www.arionpress.com for details.  For more on the artist: http://www.arionpress.com/catalog/077.htm ARTS OF FASHION.  Yearly competition brings guest designers from PARIS and BRUXELLES to work with and select prizes for United States fashion students. The grand prizes offered to the US fashion students are internships in high profile fashion design houses as Castelbajac or Anne Valerie Hash or the school of the Chambre syndicale in Paris... Or Brussels for La Cambre or Antwerp for Veronique Branquinho or Vienna for Wendy&Jim...  Contact:  Nathalie Doucet, President Arts of Fashion Foundation, 635 Tennessee Street Suite # 402, San Francisco CA 94107.  Tel 415 252 0734  http://www.af-competition.com or  http://www.myspace.com/artsoffashion FLORENCE DE BRETAGNE.  Florence de Bretagne is a French painter and photographer. Her work is full of joy and very colorful. It has always something to do with new life : imaginary plants that are flourishing, blossoms, seeds. It seems that nature is new and beautiful like new-born babies. She took abstract pictures of fruits and vegetables (a very poetic book, "Semence", is still available), she made paintings on trees and imaginary plants, and many others. You can see her work either in the SFMOMA gallery at Fort Mason, or in her atelier (756 Garland drive in Palo Alto), or else on her website : http://www.florencedebretagne.com ST. LOUIS BLUES ART une galérie permanente qui expose des huiles représentant des scènes de rue ou de club, musique et dance sur le thème du Blues, Flamenco , Tango, peintes par l'artiste français BERNARD E. BENEITO, qui vient d'être reconnu Maître dans le livre d'art international "Maîtres et Epigones" de l'écrivain, historien et critique d'art international Sam Aberg, Laval, Québec, Canada. Le livre a été présenté à la foire du livre de Montréal en octobre 2007.  Toutes informations dans le nouveau site http://www.bernardbeneito.com qui remplace www.stlouisbluesart.com .  M. BENEITO offre des cours de peinture à Palo Alto, à la Maison des Artistes; voir son site web pour des renseignements supplémentaires.  [top] *CLASSES* January-May 2008.  FRENCH CLASSES AT SONOMA STATE UNIVERSITY include:  Second-Semester French, Oral French, French Literature from the Middle Ages to the Revolution, Senior Seminar on Autobiography, Literature & Film, and French Literatures of the Caribbean.  See http://www.sonoma.edu/forlang or ontact suzanne.toczyski@sonoma.edu for details. January-May 2008.  AFRICAN-HAITIAN DANCE, a beginning-level dance class designed to introduce students to the basics of African-Haitian dance.  Thursdays, 7pm-10:10pm.  College of Marin.  http://www.marin.edu for information. January-May 2008.  FRENCH CLASSES AT THE COLLEGE OF MARIN include Elementary French I & II, Intermediate French IV, Advanced French I & II. http://www.marin.edu for information. January 16-February 28, 2007. BORDEAUX, JUIN 1940: RESISTANCE OU COLLABORATION?  Un cours de 7 semaines a French Class, enseigne - en francais, naturellement - par Renee Morel et illustre de diapositives. Juin 1940: la guerre prend une tournure desastreuse, c'est la debacle, puis l'exode. Fuyant l'avancee des troupes du IIIe Reich, des dizaines de milliers de Parisiens, le coeur serre, quittent leur ville, declaree "ville ouverte". Jusqu'au 14, date de l'entree des Allemands dans la capitale, des familles entieres se retrouvent sur les routes, emportant tant bien que mal quelques affaires, dormant dans des voitures ou dans des fosses. Le gouvernement lui-meme quitte Paris dans la nuit du 9 au 10 juin, mais pas pour Vichy - pas encore. Tandis que le reste du pays est plonge dans le chaos, c'est sur les rives de la Garonne, a Bordeaux, que, du 14 au 22 juin, va se jouer un moment cle du destin de la France. Tous les protagonistes sont la. Les debats seront vifs et les manoeuvres redoutables entre les partisans de la capitulation (souhaitee par Paul Reynaud, president du Conseil) et ceux de l'armistice (favorise par le marechal Petain). Quant a de Gaulle, il tentera, en vain, de negocier un projet d'union franco-britannique avec Churchill.  C'est ainsi que dans cette "capitale du desarroi", qui recoit 3 millions de refugies en quelques jours, le sort du pays va se nouer: collaboration... ou bien resistance?   7 weeks (Jan. 16 - Febr. 27, 2008) Wednesday mornings (10:30 AM - 12:00 NOON)  THE FRENCH CLASS  500 Sutter Street (at Powell) Suite 310 San Francisco, CA 94102 (415) 362.3666 info@frenchclass.com January 23 – March 19, 2008.  FRENCH FOR TRAVELERS AT DRAKE.  Taught by Colette Scafani.  Drake High School.  Wednesdays, 7pm-9pm.  $95.  http://www.marinlearn.com or 415.945.3730. January 24-March 20, 2008.  FRENCH FOR BEGINNERS.  Redwood High School.  Taught by Dominique Paillet.  Thursdays, 7pm-9pm.  $95.  http://www.marinlearn.com or 415.945.3730. January 25, February 22, March 28, April 25 & May, 23, 2008.  PARIS:  THE SETTING FOR MEDIEVAL PASSION & REVOLUTION, TO CONTEMPORARY TIMES.  A course taught by Anne Bishop.  Paris is brought to life through a biography and novels written by contemporary writeres.  The legendary story of Abélard and Héloïse unfolds in 12th century Paris.  An enlightened artistocrat from Marie-Antoinette’s court flees the guillotine for the New World, before returning to post-revolutionary Paris.  Through the psychological novel and Nouveau Roman, we explore the memories and passions that drive characters in modern Paris from the mid-20th century to today.  Texts are:  Farewell, My Only One (Antoine Audouard), Bluebird, Or the Invention of Happiness (Sheila Kohler), Bonjour Tristesse (Françoise Sagan), The Ravishing of Lol V. Stein (Marguerite Duras), The Mark of the Angel (Nancy Huston).  Five Fridays, 10am-12pm.  $95. Beginning June 2008.  COURS D’ETE A LATITUDE.  The Latitude Cultural Center is located in the ancient riverside hamlet of La Toulzanie (about 55 km east of Cahors in the Quercy). Nearby are the cave paintings at Pech-Merle, one of France's most beautiful villages (St. Cirq Lapopie), the Chateau of Cenevieres (with its amazing alchemy room), and the pilgrimage site, Rocamadour. ( Founder/director Barbara Phillips is formerly a professor of Sociology and Urban Studies at San Francisco State. She divides her time between La Toulzanie and Berkeley.)      Latitude will be offering  a variety of week-long  classes in summer, 2008, including a week of Total Immersion in French. Visit http://www.latitude.org/  for details. June 7-14:  2 classes (1) Southwest French cuisine will be featured in this cooking class. The teachers: two women who live in the Lot --  Yvette Soursou, in charge of the local hunting feasts, among other triumphs, and Francoise Griffin, an excellent French cook (bilingual) who taught dessert-making at Latitude several years ago. Together, they will conduct a hands-on workshop focusing on local specialties such as cassoulet and pastis (not the drink).  (2) Wine tasting and discovery. This class features wines from southwest France, much less known globally than wines from the Loire, Burgundy, and Bordeaux. Agathe Thullier, bi-lingual oenologist with expertise, degrees, and a good nose, will guide us through tastings and a history of wine plus a look at the future of vines in the area. (There will be an extra charge for tasting fine wines of 30 euros.) June 14-21, 2 classes: (1) Music in a Jugular Vein. Facilitator, Bebo White, head, California Jug Band Association (2) Serge Marc Lazard will lead a painting workshop, "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain." Serge is bilingual, having lived and taught  art in the U.S. for over 20 years. He presently calls Paris home. He can teach in either (or both) languages, depending on what participants prefer. (3) Creative Loitering in the Lot: A photography workshop with Jeff Berner, who lives in Paris and Marin County June 21-28, 2 classes: (1) : Rob O'Brien, who taught at Latitude in 2006, returns to offer another watercolor workshop. Rob has garnered  many honors in his home region of New England --  and for good reason! (2) A Taste of Southwest France, featuring visits to the 20,000 +year-old cave paintings at Pech-Merle, wineries, a goat cheese farm, a local market, and a medieval walkabout, led by Latitude's founder/director, Barbara Phillips July 12-19:  TOTAL IMMERSION IN FRENCH WEEK-- MORNING AND AFTERNOON CLASSES, IN FRENCH, PLUS MEALTIMES RESTRICTED TO THE FRENCH LANGUAGE. (1) Mornings: Renee Morel will offer a morning class about the history of modern French art (with many slides). This will be Renee's 7th time teaching at Latitude. Students and former students (at Latitude, City College in San Francisco, San Francisco State, and The French Class in San Francisco) all tell us she is a terrific teacher who is very organized, speaks clearly and knowledgeably, and who  invites questions. (2)  Afternoons:  Potpourri! A variety of speakers, including Jean-Pierre Nouveau, head of Maisons Paysannes de la France in Quercy,  Agathe Thullier, oenologist and art gallery proprietor, and Christine DaBlanc, a politically-active mother and grandmother, will lead discussions (and some will show slides) on a variety of topics, ranging from local architecture to child-rearing practices and the future of the wine trade in France. Also, Paul Verdier, Ph.D. in Comp. Literature and an expert in local history. If you have any questions about French customs, this will be a good  time to get the informed opinions  of  various knowledgeable people; most summer in the Lot but live in bigger cities, such as Paris and Clermont-Ferrand June 20-28, 2008.  THE JOY OF SPEAKING FRENCH!   8 days  of a Total Immersion Experience, with accommodation - classes - outings and visits to  beautiful surroundings - sharing meals (purchasing & preparing) and conversing, all in French!  An Intermediate to Advanced level of proficiency is necessary. Nadine Goodban, has been teaching French to adults for 25 years within the San Francisco area. Also conducts workshops - 3 or 6 days (including gourmet vegetarian meals).  Her love for the language is truly communicative, as proven by students who come regularly from a 50 mile radius but they come from much farther away for her workshops.   The workshop, near Toulouse, in France, will consist of 3 hours of classes: grammar, exercises, practice, dialogues, reading, discussions. Lunch will be prepared together. In the afternoons we will visit the local markets / artisans / various places of interest. In the evenings we will have the choice of dining together at home under the stars, or in restaurants, with more conversation.  And all the while you will be corrected on pronunciation, grammar or syntax. $1,275.00 includes a double-room w/shared bath, breakfasts, classes and visits to various markets (food, antiques, etc.)   Lunch & dinner are the students' responsibility but will be prepared family-style all together. For more information, please contact : Nadine Goodban, (707)644-3421  nadalang@comcast.net August 2008. SPANISH 1 IN FRENCH, FOR STUDENTS OF FRENCH.  The SRJC Dept. of Modern and Classical Langugages is delighted to     announce a new course: Spanish 1 in French! That's right. Next fall (beginning in August), you will have the    opportunity to learn Elementary Spanish at SRJC in a French-language classroom. This course is designed for those of you who have attained an advanced-intermediate level of French (meaning you've completed two years of French) and now are excited at the idea of using your French as you begin to learn Spanish. The elementary Spanish book used in the class is published in France for French learners of Spanish.  The language of the classroom (when it isn't Spanish) will be French. Spanish 1 in French will be taught by an instructor who is fluent in and experienced at teaching both languages. This is a unique opportunity. Indeed, I don't think many of my colleagues really believe that there are enough students out there  to fill this class, but I know you, the wonderful students who have come through our French classes. Information: Todd Straus,  tstraus@santarosa.eduor 707.527.4608. eLYCEE is pleased to announce the opening of its new Minischool, with weekly French classes for kids aged 9 and 10. Based on our popular Maintien de la Langue classes for French-speaking students in the USA, our Minischool gives younger kids access to our unique virtual classroom.  Our native French teachers  encourage production and creativity, bringing the language and the culture to life in 90-minute total immersion sessions.   In our relaxed learning environment, students develop their language skills and confidence, they work together, and - best  of all - they love it.  It's a brand new way to learn French for Life.  For more information, visit www.elycee.com  POUR TOUS LES PETITS:  NEW CLASS FOR KIDS at the Alliance Française de Santa Rosa.  With native speaker EVELYNE WHITMAN.  To register, contact the director at herve@afsantarosa.org  or call 707.543.8151. Saturdays, 11am-12pm.  eLYCEE "http://www.elycee.com/"  eLycée has a new agenda for 2007, with a range of new online courses to choose from, including, for Middle School & High School students: private tutorials, Summer Camp, AP classes; for College students: private tutorials, workshops, French Club, AP classes, online OuLiPo workshops; for Adults: private tutorials, workshops, French Club, online OuLiPo workshops; and OuLiPo’s online ‘Ateliers d’Ecriture’ are available online for the first time ever; ONLY with eLycée.  We have a new website, too:  http://www.elycee.com/ If you would like to know more about this innovative program of after school classes, please contact Julian Hirst at julian.hirst@elycee.com, or +1 877 624 5330.  www.elycee.com FRENCH WINE CLASSES. Session 1 begins March 12 The French Wine Society is offering French wine classes in San Francisco. Each class will be an in-depth lecture of a particular region including a tasting of six carefully selected fine wines to illustrate the regions character. These classes should not be missed. They represent a unique opportunity to increase your knowledge and enjoyment of French wine.  Eric Lecours, Regional Director of the French Wine Society Bay Area, will be instructing the classes. He is a Certified Wine Educator and holds a Diploma in Wine & Spirits from the WSET. He is also one of only 20 Americans to be certified by the region of Bordeaux as an official instructor, having been sponsored by the Bordeaux Wine Council to attend a weeklong educational program in Bordeaux last year. He continues his studies and is working toward his Masters of Wine, the most respected qualification in the Wine Industry.  For more information and registration: http://www.frenchwinesociety.org CLASSES DE CUISINE.  L'alimentation saine, c'est delicieuse! Venez tous chez Janet, infirmière et chef de cuisine, pour des classes de cuisine. Mes classes, à San Rafael, sont petites et vous travaillez dans ma grande cuisine professionelle pour apprendre les recettes qui sont bien pour maigrir et prévenir les maladies. Après, nous dinons en famille. Et bien sur, nous parlons français! Janet Dresser 415.455.8939 ou http://www.cookingforyourlife.com COOKING CLASSES IN FRANCE OFFERED BY FORMER BAY AREA RESIDENT Philippe Gion.  http://www.ArtandCookingClassesinFrance.com Philippe Gion was a resident of San Francisco from 1986 to 2001, then time shared between the US and Provence.  Owner & chef of the restaurant "Café Landais" (1986-1990) then, manager of the restaurant of the "Alliance Fançaise,” he was also Executive Chef at Stanford University ("East House Residency", 1997- 2000).  He was a member of the Board of Director at the "Lycée Français Lapérouse" (1988-1991) and creator of the first French Ciné-Club in San Francisco ("Alliance Française Ciné-Club" with the partnership of the Lycée Français).  In 1996, Philippe Gion founded "Art and Cooking Classes in France" dedicated to bringing to our Anglo-Saxons friends and gourmets the best of the joie de vivre in France and, most of all, an attractive approach of the traditional French gastronomy in Provence. FRENCH AT CASTRO VALLEY ADULT SCHOOL.  Castro Valley Adult School is offering Beginning and Intermediate French on Monday evenings. Beginners 6:30 pm-8:30 pm; Intermediates 5:30 pm-7:30 pm.  Come and practice French in a low-key, fun atmosphere.  Helpful for travelers looking for survival French.   Heavy emphasis on cultural topics.   The intermediate class offers good practice for those with some experience in French.  Additional out-of-class activities such as dinner outings, wine tastings, picnics, etc. will also be offered.  Reasonable course fees. Call Castro Valley Adult School for more details: 510.886.1000. NEW CLASSES AT THE FRENCH CLASS, 500 Sutter Street, Suite 310, San Francisco, CA 94102 - (415) 362-3666. www.frenchclass.com for full details. TRANSLATION COURSE ON LINE Lancez-vous dans une nouvelle carrière :  devenez traducteur ou traductrice.  Spécialisez-vous dans le domaine de votre choix, explorez les possibilités. Formation assurée par Dominique Brémond, traductrice certifiée par le  Consulat Général de France à San Francisco, 20 ans d’expérience. Pour plus de  renseignements, veuillez contacter :  Dominiquebremond@aol.com  WORKSHOPS AND CONFERENCES Please sign up in advance. Call (415) 362-3666 to register.  Workshops are in French unless indicated otherwise.  We are sorry, we cannot give refunds, credits, discounts or make-ups  for missed workshops. 24 hour cancellation policy applies.  SATURDAY PRONUNCIATION INTENSIVE January 26, 2008 - $85 - 4 hours of instruction + snacks Pronunciation Level 1. 10:00 to 11:00 - the 7 basic sounds and nasals    Pronunciation Level 2. 11:00 to 12:00 - combinations and special sounds 30 minute break: wine and cheese provided. Miam! Miam! Pronunciation Level 3. 12:30 to 1:30 - liaisons, intonations and rhythm Pronunciation Level 4. 1:30 to 2:30 - contractions and exceptions Offered again: Saturday, February 23, 2008 Thursday 1/17 - 1:00 to 2:30. $24. What is a tense and what is a mood? La différence entre le présent de l’indicatif, du subjonctif et duconditionnel. And more... (Level 1 to 6) Thursday 1/31 - 1:00 to 2:30. $24. Passé composé ou imparfait? A clear and easy presentation of the main differences between these 2 tenses. (Level 3 to 7)   CONFERENCES BY RENEE MOREL $10 - (one hour and a half each; includes handouts; Each conference is offered twice). Space is limited. Please reserve early and call (415) 362-3666 to register. (1) “RUBENS, MAITRE DU BAROQUE FLAMAND"Tuesday, January 22 (6:00 to 7:30 pm) or Saturday, January 26 (10:30 am to noon); (2) “LES PIONNIERS DE LA PHOTOGRAPHIE” Tuesday, February 12 (6:00 to 7:30 pm) or Saturday, February 16 (10:30 am to noon) Thursday 2/14 - 1:00 to 2:30. $24. French etiquette: polite form with use of  the conditional, how to ask a question or favor. (Level 4 to 8) Thursday 2/28 - 1:00 to 2:30. $24. The expression of time: since, for, ago...  and appropriate verb tenses. (Level 3 to 7) CHEESE WORKSHOP Saturday, March 8, 2008 - From 10 to 12 $45 - 2 hours of instruction + cheese & wine A selection of cheese from the different regions of France, to discover,  discuss and, of course, taste! Explore the taste and the flavor of “du terroir.” WEEKEND INTENSIVE IMMERSION PROGRAMS Level one: Saturday & Sunday, March 1 & 2, 2008. 14 hrs of instruction. $250 9:30 to 12:30. Break (snacks & drinks provided). 1:00 to 5:00 Level 6/7: Saturday & Sunday, March 15 & 16. 10hrs of instruction. $180 10 to 12. Break (snacks & drinks provided). 1 to 4. Going to France soon and forgot to learn French? ...OOPS!  It’s never too late!  6 hours of private instruction for only $199 + book  $21.70 Call now (415) 362-3666 to schedule your first level Zero “oops!” class. 5 DAY INTENSIVE IMMERSION PROGRAMS June 23 to 27 and December 15 to 19, 2008 All levels are offered (separately). Classes are 3 hours per day, either in  the morning 9 to 12, in the afternoon 1 to 4 or in the evening 6 to 9 for 5  days. $275.  $20 off if paid 7 days before the intensive course begins! Sign up  now! FRENCH BY PHONE AND INTERNET It is as simple as A, B, C! A. Try a FREE 15 min. lesson. No obligation. If you like it: B. Pay for FOUR 30 minute Phone Lessons @ $25 per lesson. (or $30 for one) C. Call us on the day of your appointment. (415) 362-3666 For more information, please call The French Class at (415) 362-3666 or  contact Dominiquebremond@aol.com The French Class - 500 Sutter Street, Suite 310, San Francisco, CA 94102 -  (415) 362-3666. www.frenchclass.com    THE FRENCH CLASS OFFERS OCCASIONS TO LEARN FRENCH FOR ALL TASTES. Members receive discounts on special events and book groups; membership $60 per year. 415.362.3666 to join or contact us at info@class.com The French Class ~ 500 Sutter Street ~ Suite 310 ~ San Francisco, CA 94102. http://www.frenchclass.com Opportunities include: Beginning October 1, 2005. L'ECOLE DU SAMEDI AT THE FRENCH CLASS IN SAN FRANCISCO. Saturday Classes for Children. The Ecole du Samedi aims to create a comfortable, interesting and engaging atmosphere for children who study French at school and would like to perfect their skills. Activities are conducted in French by experienced French native teachers and include vocabulary, grammar and conversation. 9:30 until 12. The cost is $895 for 25 Saturdays. Books are not included. Register your child now. (415) 362-3666. JUST CONVERSATION. Talk, talk, talk... Discuss different topics every week according to your own subjects of interest. Improve your vocabulary & oral skills. No homework! Groups are small, "et il y a une bonne ambiance". CONVERSATION: SUPER FRENCH. For students who wish to improve their oral comprehension and participation when part of a group of French people speaking together. GRAMMAR AND WRITING CLASSES AT THE FRENCH CLASS. Améliorez votre grammaire et votre français écrit grâce à un cours dynamique, interactif et truffé d'informations linguistiques variées, présenté (cours 607 et 608) par la directrice et fondatrice de "The French Class", Dominique Brémond. INTERMEDIATE FRENCH GRAMMAR. Review and practice all the basics: pronouns, verb tenses, prepositions, sentence structure, and more.... ADVANCED GRAMMAR AND WRITING COURSE AT THE FRENCH CLASS. Améliorez votre grammaire et votre français écrit grâce à un cours dynamique, interactif et truffé d'informations linguistiques variées, présenté (cours 703 & 705) par la directrice de "The French Class," Dominique Brémond. GROUPE DE LECTURE DE NOUVELLES INTERNATIONALES AT THE FRENCH CLASS. International News Reading Group. Free for French Club members. Monthly meeting to discuss news around the world. LONG DISTANCE FRENCH. No time to commute to classes at The French Class? Dominique Bremond, the director of The French Class is San Francisco, is now offering "Long Distance French" to people who can't make it to a class. Call her at (415) 362-3666 or send her an e-mail at http://www.frenchclass.com to get your own personalized French tape according to your level and needs. FRENCH BOOK CLUB AT THE FRENCH CLASS. Monthly meeting to discuss the French novel we pick together and read at home. COOKING CLASSES. With Robert Reynolds, former owner of the restaurant Le Trou, in San Francisco, conducted in French and focused on the preparation of delicious yet simple dishes while discussing cultural aspects of taste, food and cuisine. HISTOIRE, ART ET CIVILISATION. "L'art n'est plus ce qu'il était" Depuis Duchamp et ses ready-made, on a souvent vu, dans l'art moderne, une provocation, voire une imposture. Entre abstraction et installations, minimalisme et accumulations, art haut et art bas, art d'ici et art d'ailleurs, comment s'y reconnaître? Parallèllement à la lecture de la pièce de Yasmina Reza, "Art", nous discuterons des oeuvres qui emblèmatisent l'éclatement esthétique, géographique et social de la notion d'art au 20ème siècle. Un cours passionnant présenté par Renée Morel. LITTERATURE ET CULTURE AT THE FRENCH CLASS. "Ingrid Caven" de Jean-Jacques Schul. Prix Goncourt 2000, ce roman nous fait traverser plusieurs décades de 1943 à nos jours à travers la vie d'un personnage quasi mythique : une "femme qui, sur scène, a le sand-froid d'un torero, la concentration d'un moine bouddhiste et la vitale fantaisie d'une animatrice de bordel." OOPS! Going to France in a few weeks and forgot to learn French? Call us now and schedule 4 classes of 90 minutes each 6 hours of instruction. CONVERSATION and LITERATURE. Conversation on current topics and a short novel in French to read at home and discuss in class. Improve your vocabulary and oral expression. This session: "La Cousine Bette" d'Honoré de Balzac. $10.85. Groups are small "et il y a une bonne ambiance." Various times available. FRENCH BY PHONE AT THE FRENCH CLASS. Parlez français par téléphone! Our French by phone program is growing. We now have students in 6 states. The flexibility (schedule at your convenience) and price ($25 for a thirty minute lesson) make it very attractive to people who are either too busy to leave their office or too far away to attend our courses. FRENCH CLASSES FOR LITTLE ONES IN SAN FRANCISCO. Contact: Jean et Marie store & Maisonette Playroom : Coordonnées: 510.759.1224 - ingrid@maisonettesf.com. Jean et Marie is proud to announce to offer its French immersion program for kids in its playroom, Maisonette. Language study is best started when very young, and that's why we decided to offer this opportunity to little ones as young as 2. Activities for each hour-and-a-half class include games, singing and dancing, puppets, drawing, and storytelling, all in French. For more information, come by the store, at 100 Clement Street, see: www.maisonettesf.com or call 510.759.1224. THE INTERNATIONAL FRENCH CLUB. Going to France soon or you want to speak French like a French person? Join the International French Club. Next session starts the second week of May Savoir faire. Besides text and exercise books, all classes include the use of material that will expose you to the wide variety of the French-speaking world; among others, French news, French movies, novels, songs and cartoons. You will also be invited to participate in team work, games and role-plays that will express what you have learned. Free evaluation. Before signing up for a class, we will schedule a meeting to evaluate your writing and oral level, and to listen to your objectives in order to place you in the appropriate class and level. Contact Nathalie today at: 415.756.2531 info@ifrenchclub.com Beginner Classes :: Intermediate Classes :: Advanced Classes FRENCH LANGUAGE INSTITUTE. Learn French at your own pace. French for children, adults and corporate in private or small classes. French Language Institut offers flexibility, fun, customized programs, library, newest educative material, CNED, craft sessions, trip to France and much more! Visit us @ http://www.FL-Institut.com or write to frenchteachers@siliconfrench.com. LANGUAGES INSTITUTE INC. Languages Institute Inc. is comprised of a team of 8 experienced teachers. All our teachers are native French speakers, passionate about the language and earned a Bachelor or Master's degree. They have much experience to make your learning fun, pleasant and efficient! 1100 East Hamilton Avenue, #3, Campbell, CA. 408.377.1113 or 408.833.9620 or Info@Frenchin.Org or http://www.frenchin.org LIVELY LANGUAGE LEARNING™. French classes for children ages 7-12. Based on famous accelerated learning method. Small classes. Fun and easy. Email info@optimalearning.com or call 415.898.0013. The OptimaLearning Center of Novato, http://www.optimalearning.com or http://www.optimalearningcenter.org Other courses available. For classes in Santa Rosa, see http://www.afsantarosa.org or contact info@afsantarosa.org. (From the AFSR: Try our French language school with no commitments. Your first lesson is free!) See http://www.afsf.com for Alliance Francaise classes in San Francisco, and http://www.berlitz.com for Berlitz Language Centers. The French Class in San Francisco offers upper level classes in literature and business language, as well as study in various regions of France. See http://www.frenchclass.com. In the East Bay, visit http://www.afberkeley.org/ or write to afberkeley@sbcglobal.net for more class opportunities. In Marin, contact the Alliance Francaise for a schedule of classes at 415.457.4838 or http://www.afmarin.org. For the monthly newsletter of the Alliance Francaise de Napa and a list of French classes offered, go to http://www.afnapa.com. [top] *COMING SOON(ER OR LATER)*  March 1, 2008.  DICTEE DE LA BAIE, organisée par San Francisco Bay  Accueil, avec la participation des écoles et alliances francaises de la  Baie et des Consulats de France et du Canada. Evènement gratuit, ouvert  à tous les francophones et francophiles de 6 à 99 ans. Dictées par  niveaux, en fonction des inscriptions. Remise de prix et goûter. Cette  année, la dictée se tiendra au Lycée français La Pérouse de San  Francisco sur la 19ème avenue à Ortega (ancien conservatoire de  musique). Les enfants seront regroupés par niveau scolaire, du CM1 à la  terminale et les adultes en 3 catégories, débutants, intermédiaires et  avancés. Inscription obligatoire avant le 15 février par email,  téléphone ou fax auprès de Christine Lemor-Drake.  christine@appletopomme.com tél  (415)292-7227 Fax(415)292-7247. Pour chaque candidat, nous avons besoin  du nom, de l'âge au 1er mars, de l'adresse, de l'email, du téléphone et  du niveau de français. A 13:30 heures.  // San Francisco Bay Accueil, a  French non-profit organization for French and Francophone, supported by  the French and Canadian Consulates, is organizing a "Dictée" in San  Francisco on March 1st, to celebrate the month of "Francophonie" in the  world. After a few years at the Alliance  Française, the success of this  entertaining and educational event has forced us to host it somewhere  else bigger. For this 5th edition of the "Dictée de la Baie", we will be  hosted by the Lycée français La Pérouse de San Francisco, in the  avenues. The event will start at 1:30 and should last about 3 hours. We would love to have coverage by the media interested by the French Culture. March 3, 2008.  DBF, Redwood City. Carole Granade - Executive Director - carole@faccsf.com  French American Chamber of Commerce 703 Market Street, Suite 450 San Francisco, CA 94103 Tel: (415) 442 4717 - Fax: (415) 442 4621 www.faccsf.com March 6, 2008.  WOMEN IN BUSINESS CELEBRATE INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY WITH DOMINIQUE NORA.  The French-American Chamber of Commerce of San Francisco,  the French American International School, San Francisco Bay Accueil and La Table Noire cordially invite you to join us for a :  Women in Business Luncheon Special "International Women's Day"! With Dominique Nora Thursday, March 6th Carnelian Room - "Bay Room"- 12:00 pm 555 California Street, 52nd Floor - San Francisco, CA 94104 The French American Chamber of Commerce in San Francisco (FACCSF) invites regularly the Francophile Women in Business to a professional network to promote their career, broaden their professional horizon and enhance their financial acumen. Take part of this great networking event  and seize the opportunity to meet French speaking business Women of the Bay area.  Come and network with Women in Business ! Men are welcome. Since 1989, Dominique Nora has been an economic writer for the famous French weekly magazine Le Nouvel Observateur.  Most recently, and still in the television field, she co-hosted for 2 years La semaine de l'économie, a weekly business show on the French TV channel France 5. Carole Granade - Executive Director - carole@faccsf.com  French American Chamber of Commerce 703 Market Street, Suite 450 San Francisco, CA 94103 Tel: (415) 442 4717 - Fax: (415) 442 4621 www.faccsf.com March 8, 2008.  WHAT EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT BUYING PROPERTY IN FRANCE.  Seminar presented by Marie Galanti, Attorney at Law, specializing in Estate Planning  and International Transactions, former Journal Français and France Today  publisher, at The French Class, 500 Sutter Street (at Powell), Suite 310 San Francisco,  CA 94102 $15 per person. For reservations, please call (415) 362-3666, or contact  info@frenchclass.com Please purchase your ticket in advance, space is limited.  Topics: Costs, pitfalls to avoid, legal issues to consider. Paris or the Provinces? How do I begin my search? How do French real estate agencies work?  What is the role of the French notaire? Will I need a French Will? What are the tax implications while I own the property? When I sell? Is this a good idea...? Get answers to these and other questions in a discussion lead by Marie  Galanti. 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. March 13, 2008.  HOT CLUB OF SAN FRANCISCO presents classic Django Reinhardt Gypsy jazz and original compositions.  Kanbar Center, Bernard Osher Marin Jewish Community Cnter, 200 North San Pedro Road, San Rafael. 415.444.8000 or http://www.marinjcc.org for details.  8pm. March 13, 2008.  UNE INTERVENTION DU CHEF DE CHANCELLERIE DU CONSULAT GENERAL DE FRANCE. Organisée à Livermore par Thierry GABADOU, UFE, 925.366.9983 or tgabadou@psfin.com. 18h30. March 14, 2008.  ANGELIQUE KIDJO performs at Zellerbach Hall.  In today’s contemporary music world, there is simply no musician quite like Angélique Kidjo.  Since the 1980s, the scintillating vocalist from BÉNIN, West Africa, has created a bridge that unites the rhythms and spirits of Africa with the grooves and vibes of the New World’s African diaspora.  An electrifying performer, she performs in French, English and her native Fon/Yoruba.  She has just released DJIN DJIN. .  http://www.calperformances.net or 510.642.9988 for details. March 15, 2008.  JOURNEE DE LA FRANCOPHONIE at the ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE DE SACRAMENTO. 10am-4pm at the Alliance Française de Sacramento.   We are soliciting proposals (in English and French) from professors, teachers, independent scholars, journalists, businesses and/or community members for 20-minute presentations on any aspect of Francophone culture and French language.   We also seek participants for our Cabaret Show. We hope to attract faculty, students, and community members who can perform as musicians, dancers or singers.   Proposals are due by January 31. Send proposals/inquiries to Dr. Vanessa Arnaud: arnaud@saclink.csus.edu March 19, 2008.  LE CERCLE LITTERAIRE DE L’ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE DE SANTA ROSA lit LA FOLLE DE CHAILLOT de JEAN GIRAUDOUX. AFSF, 613 Fourth St., Santa Rosa.  707.543.8151 for details. March 20, 2008.  THE WORK OF PAULINE VIARDOT, 19TH C. FRENCH MEZZO AND COMPOSER, by star mezzo-sopranos Marilyn Horne and Frederica von Stade.  Staged by Lotfi Mansouri.  Herbst Theatre. Details to follow. March 27, 2008. CERCLE DE LECTURE, animée par Bernadette Theisen. Lecture:  LUTETIA, de PIERRE ASSOULINE (2005).  Courriel :  theisen@netzero.net  Au Boulanger de Los Gatos à 16 heures. March 28, 2008.  L’EUROPE ROMANTIQUE. The SAN FRANCISCO BAY ACCUEIL invites RENEE MOREL to speak at the Lycee Francais de S.F. (Campus d'Ortega).  Détails à suivre. March 29, 2008.  INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF THE PENINSULA’S 20TH ANNUAL GALA AND AUCTION.  Event: International School of the Peninsula¹s 20th Annual Gala and Auction:  Kabuhayan! An ISTP Filipino Fiesta! Date and Time: Saturday, March 29th, 2008 @ 6:00 p.m. - 11:30 p.m. Venue: Fairmont San Jose, 170 S. Market Street, San Jose, CA Description: ISTP¹s 20th Annual Gala and Auction brings guests a glimpse of the Philippines with their Filipino culture-themed event. Guests will be treated to a delicious gourmet Filipino dinner, entertainment, dancing, and live auction. All proceeds benefit the International School of the Peninsula in Palo Alto, CA ‹ a dual language immersion nursery through 8th grade school with French and Mandarin Chinese programs. To register or for more information, visit www.istp.org/gala or call (650) 251-8538. Tickets are $175 per person, black tie / elegant attire, please. Website: http://www.istp.org/gala April 3-5, 2008.  URBAN BUSH WOMEN / COMPAGNIE JANT-BI CREATIVE EXCHANGE presents BEAUTY OF LITTLE THINGS.   This unique project brings together african and African American dance companies – one all-male and one all-female – and two powerhouse female choreographers.  GERMAINE ACOGNY, hailed as the mother of contemporary African dance, expores the role of community in forming idenitty with Brooklyn-based BESSIE Award-winnning choreographer Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, of Urban Bush Women.  Acogny choreographs for her all-male troupe, JANT-BI.  In this Bay Area premiere, artists from Africa collaborate with the children of the Diaspora on a work that explores the crossroads between culture and ethnicity, history and modernity. Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Mission St., San Francisco.  http://www.ybca.org for details. April 12, 2008.  INTIMACIES AND OUTBURSTS. From the most intimate art song to fiery operatic duet, this program takes you on a journey through the ups and downs of love, featuring works by Purcell, Rossini, Mozart, FAURÉ, Brahms and Bernstein.  Jenni Samuelson joins faculty and concert artists from CSU Stanislaus.  Ives Concert Hall 119, Sonoma State University, 1801 E. Cotati Avenue, Rohnert Park.  707.664.2353 or http://www.sonoma.edu/performingarts/ for details.  4pm. April 15, 2008.  GENOCIDE OF THE TUTSIS IN RWANDA, a lecture by MS. MATHILDE MUKATABANA, as part of “LOST AND FOUND:  LIVING IN A POST-HOLOCAUST WORLD.”  25th Annual Sonoma State University Holocaust Lecture Series.  Free public lecture in Warren Auditorium, Ives Hall, SSU.  Open to all.  Tuesdays, 4pm-5:40pm. April 16-18, 2008.  SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY performs RAVEL’S PAVANE FOR A DEAD PRINCESS and BIZET’S SYMPHONY IN C MAJOR.  With Bernard Labadie, conductor.  415.864.6000 or http://www.sfsymphony.org for details. April 17, 2008.  GESTION DE PATRIMOINE QUAND LES OBJECTIFS SONT SUR DEUX CONTINENTS. Atelier offert à Livermore par Thierry GABADOU, UFE, 925.366.9983 or tgabadou@psfin.com. 18h30. April 18, 2008.  SIXTH ANNUAL SONOMA STATE UNIVERSITY LANGUAGE FESTIVAL.  Join SSU language students and faculty for morning langauge competitions held for local high school students, followed by an afternoon Cabaret and an evening INTERNATIONAL DISCO!  Daytime events to be held in the Cooperage; evening disco to be held in the Multi-Purpose Room.  http://www.sonoma.edu.forlang for details. April 24-May 11, 2008.  COCO, with music by ANDRÉ PREVIN.  Cabaret and concert star Andrea Marcovicci brings her captivating high style to the role of the magnificent and mercurial fasion doyenne COCO CHANEL.  Set in the early 1950s when Chanel was considered a has-been, Lerner and Previn’s musical memory play focuses on the Divine Coco’s amazing comeback – as well as her battles with a jealous rival designer and the boyfriend of her protégé.  Songs include Always Mademoiselle, The World Belongs to the Young, When Your Lover Says Goodbye, Fiasco, and Coco.  42ND Street Moon, Eureka Theatre, 215 Jackson St., San Francisco, CA.  415.255.8207 or http://www.42ndstmoon.org for details.  April 25-May 11, 2008.  THE BRIGANDS by JACQUES OFFENBACH. Deep in their hideout high in the french Pyrenees, a band of thieving brigands is about to embark on the biggest burglary of their career. Led by the fearless Falsacappa, and his beloved daughter Fiorella, a plan is hatched to acquire 3 million francs! Of course, to pull it off the band will have to intercept a royal wedding, don a host of disguises, and play the part of Spanish royalty in the Italian court—all this without losing their cool. Perhaps they’ve bit off more than they can chew...after all, the biggest thieves aren’t always hiding in the forests. Suffused with light social satire and Offenbach’s bubbly music.  $10-$15. http://www.cinnabartheater.org/cinnabar.2007-08brigands.html for details. April 25-June 8, 2008.  LE THEATRE DE LA JEUNE LUNE presents FIGARO, inspired by Mozart and BEAUMARCHAIS, adapted by Steven Epp and Dominique Serrand, at BERKELEY REP’s Roda Theatre.  Another eccentric take on a timeless text, this performance marries famous characters from the plays of Beaumarchais with music from Mozart’s magnificent opera to create an accessible and exceptional new show.  In this version, Figaro and the Count recall their rivalry years later, amidst the bloodshed of the FRENCH REVOLUTION.  Intrigue, seduction, juicy love triangles… a revolutionary experience!  510.647.2949 or http://www.berkeeyrep.org for details. April 27, 2008.  STEPHEN PRUTSMAN, pianist, performs RAVEL’s PIANO CONCERTO IN G MAJOR and more.  Wells Fargo Center for the Arts, 50 Mark West Springs Road, Santa Rosa.  http://wells.fargocentrarts.org for details. May 2008.  JACQUES BREL IS ALIVE AND WELL AND LIVING IN PARIS.  Jacques Brel Revival comes to MTC.  Direct from its one year off-Broadway run, the highly acclaimed revival of Jacques Brel is Alive and Well & Living in Paris is coming to MTC! It will fill the fifth and final Boyer slot for the 2007-2008 season.  With a cast of four actors and three musicians, the show celebrates Brel-s timeless relevance and enduring passions. Translated from the French by American poet Eric Blau and lyricist Mort Shuman the show is a diverse blend of ballads, tangos, boleros, rock and classics. With raw human emotion, each piece tells a story, examining themes of love, war and adventure but never forgetting that life, with all its tragedies and complexities shows us much humor.  MTC's show will be directed by New York director Gordon Greenberg - cast to be announced - and will be co-produced with Dan Whitten, one of the producers of the -07 Tony Award-winning Jay Johnson the Two and Only.  -The best performed musical review to hit New York in ages-  - The Wall Street Journal  -The best musical in New York- - WBAI Radio  Brel tickets are available by subscription ONLY until Oct 30. Call today to subscribe 415.388.5208.Marin Theatre Company, 397 Miller Avenue, Mill Valley.  http://www.marintheatre.org/ for details. May 2, 2008.  LES FEMMES IMPRESSIONNISTES. The SAN FRANCISCO BAY ACCUEIL invites RENEE MOREL to speak at the Lycee Francais de S.F. (Campus d'Ortega).  Détails à suivre. May 2-11, 2008.  THE SAN FRANCISCO OPERA presents ANTOINE DE SAINT-EXUPERY’S THE LITTLE PRINCE.  The West Coast premiere of composer’s  Rachel Portman’s adaptation of the beloved children’s classic.  For the whole family.  St.-Exupery’s fable about a pilot who crash-lands in the desert and meets an open-heared boy fro