NZ International Film Festival – July 2010 – French films
Many of you will know that the International Film Festival is on right now. Euroasia is a long-standing supporter of international films in NZ, and every year we encourage all the students at Euroasia Language Academy to go watch these films. Here’s a list of some of the French films you should check out. As always, there’s an amazing selection of top films on offer.
p/s: Join us for French classes starting 19 July if you wish to enjoy French films without solely relying on the subtitles.
Normal ticket price is $15/session. Tip for film festival fans: if you’re planning on attending several films at the Festival this year (or planning to go with a group of people), check out the Ten-Trip Passes. At $105.00, it works out at great value. The Ten-Trip Pass can be purchased on the day or in advance and can be used throughout the Festival to secure tickets to any session that is not sold out. You can also share this pass with a friend or two.
Check out “The Tree” – 16/7 at Lido and 23/7 at Civic. Selected to close this year’s Cannes Film Festival, French director Julie Bertuccelli’s second feature is an arresting drama of loss and rebirth shaped by emotion, intuition and the elemental forces at work in its ravishing Queensland landscape.
French films showing in Auckland at the Film Festival:
A PROPHET
Jacques Audiard, France 2009, 155 mins
Jacques Audiard’s dense, involving, richly layered crimeworld drama is one of the year’s standout films. Set largely in a prison, bu…
15 Jul | 8:45pm
Civic Theatre
16 Jul | 3:45pm
Civic Theatre
AMER
Hélène Cattet, Bruno Forzani, France 2009, 90 mins
Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani are a Belgian couple who have made five short films together. Amer is their dazzling debut fea…
24 Jul | 8:30pm
Rialto Newmarket
25 Jul | 6:00pm
Rialto Newmarket
AROUND A SMALL MOUNTAIN
Jacques Rivette, France 2009, 84 mins
New Wave veteran Jacques Rivette sets a tentative late-life romance between a performer and an intrigued admirer in a tiny ramshackle circus…
10 Jul | 6:30pm
Rialto Newmarket
12 Jul | 6:30pm
Rialto Newmarket
9 Jul | 1:45pm
Rialto Newmarket
BABIES
Thomas Balmès, France 2010, 79 mins
With wit, tenderness and a keen eye for the fledgling signs of intelligence and sociability, director Thomas Balmès documents the fir…
10 Jul | 1:45pm
Civic Theatre
11 Jul | 4:00pm
Lido Cinema
Sold Out!
13 Jul | 11:00am
Civic Theatre
9 Jul | 3:30pm
The Bridgeway Cinema
CARLOS – PART ONE
Olivier Assayas, France 2010, 100 mins
This extraordinary three-film epic, made for French television, was showcased out of competition in Cannes to a storm of…
22 Jul | 4:00pm
Rialto Newmarket
23 Jul | 4:15pm
Rialto Newmarket
24 Jul | 4:15pm
Rialto Newmarket
25 Jul | 1:00pm
Rialto Newmarket
CARLOS – PART THREE
Olivier Assayas, France 2010, 123 mins
This extraordinary three-film epic, made for French television, was showcased out of competition in Cannes to a storm of…
22 Jul | 8:45pm
Rialto Newmarket
23 Jul | 9:00pm
Rialto Newmarket
24 Jul | 9:00pm
Rialto Newmarket
25 Jul | 5:45pm
Rialto Newmarket
CARLOS – PART TWO
Olivier Assayas, France 2010, 107 mins
This extraordinary three-film epic, made for French television, was showcased out of competition in Cannes to a storm of…
22 Jul | 6:15pm
Rialto Newmarket
23 Jul | 6:30pm
Rialto Newmarket
24 Jul | 6:30pm
Rialto Newmarket
25 Jul | 3:15pm
Rialto Newmarket
CERTIFIED COPY
Abbas Kiarostami, France 2010, 106 mins
At Cannes this was the year of Juliette Binoche. She graced the Festival’s poster; then she took the Best Actress Award for her role i…
18 Jul | 6:15pm
Civic Theatre
20 Jul | 11:00am
Civic Theatre
ENTER THE VOID
Gaspar Noé, France 2009, 156 mins
25 Jul | 8:15pm
Civic Theatre
FAREWELL
, France 2009, 113 mins
Christian Carion’s tensely atmospheric Cold War spy movie reveals an amazing true story. In the early 80s a disillusioned KGB colonel …
15 Jul | 6:00pm
Lido Cinema
20 Jul | 6:15pm
Civic Theatre
21 Jul | 11:00am
Civic Theatre
FATHER OF MY CHILDREN
Mia Hansen-Løve, France 2009, 110 mins
It’s a rare reviewer anywhere who has not been caught up by this persuasively acted portrait of a charismatic, workaholic, art-house m…
11 Jul | 1:00pm
Rialto Newmarket
15 Jul | 9:00pm
Rialto Newmarket
23 Jul | 3:30pm
The Bridgeway Cinema
24 Jul | 3:30pm
The Bridgeway Cinema
GAINSBOURG
Joann Sfar, France 2009, 130 mins
A quintessential French icon gets his big- screen bio. In the 60s, singer Serge Gainsbourg mixed pop outlawry with low-down lechery to blaze…
17 Jul | 5:45pm
Civic Theatre
20 Jul | 3:30pm
Civic Theatre
I’M GLAD MY MOTHER IS ALIVE
Claude Miller, Nathan Miller, France 2009, 90 mins
This compelling drama of a boy’s obsessive pursuit of his birth mother is based on a true story. Like many adolescents, rebellious Tho…
15 Jul | 3:45pm
Academy Cinema
19 Jul | 3:45pm
Academy Cinema
19 Jul | 8:30pm
Academy Cinema
LA DANSE: THE PARIS OPERA BALLET
Frederick Wiseman, France 2009, 158 mins
“In La Danse: The Paris Opera Ballet, his 36th documentary in more than 40 years, Frederick Wiseman takes his camera into the stately …
16 Jul | 12:30pm
Civic Theatre
18 Jul | 12:30pm
Civic Theatre
MAMMUTH
Benoît Delépine, Gustave Kervern, France 2010, 89 mins
Inspired absurdists and cheerleaders of underclass rancour, Delépine and Kervern follow last year’s savoury Louise-Michel with …
17 Jul | 6:00pm
Lido Cinema
21 Jul | 1:30pm
Civic Theatre
23 Jul | 6:00pm
Lido Cinema
25 Jul | 4:00pm
Civic Theatre
OCEANS
Jacques Perrin, Jacques Cluzaud, France 2009, 84 mins
A miraculously photographed showcase of some of the seven seas’ least seen and most incredible specimens, Oceans is an immersive cinem…
17 Jul | 11:00am
Civic Theatre
18 Jul | 4:00pm
Civic Theatre
THE CONCERT
Radu Mihaileanu, France 2009, 119 mins
A band of out-of-work Moscow musicians travels to Paris posing as the celebrated Bolshoi Orchestra in this lavish, shamelessly popular comed…
11 Jul | 3:30pm
The Bridgeway Cinema
Sold Out!
13 Jul | 1:15pm
Civic Theatre
9 Jul | 6:15pm
Civic Theatre
THE TREE
Julie Bertuccelli, France 2010, 100 mins
Selected to close this year’s Cannes Film Festival, French director Julie Bertuccelli’s second feature is an arresting drama of loss and rebirth shaped by emotion, intuition and the elemental forces at work in its ravishing Queensland landscape. Like her first, the lovely Since Otar Left (NZIFF03), The Tree is attuned to the delicate, strangely inspired unwordliness of characters discombobulated by loss.
On their small country block, eight-year-old Simone and her mother Dawn (Charlotte Gainsbourg) are dealing in very different ways with the sudden loss of their father and husband. While Dawn struggles spasmodically to keep it together, and her other children fare for themselves, Simone becomes convinced of her father’s presence in the magnificent primeval Moreton Bay fig tree that towers over the family’s rambling bungalow. In Simone’s eyes, Martin Csokas as Dawn’s amorous boss has aroused the tree’s anger. Why else would its roots be rupturing the drains and pushing into the house’s foundations?
16 Jul | 6:00pm
Lido Cinema
22 Jul | 11:15am
Civic Theatre
23 Jul | 6:45pm
Civic Theatre
TWO IN THE WAVE
Emmanuel Laurent, France 2009, 93 mins
Cannes, 1959. The 400 Blows carries off the Best Director award. Its young director and even younger star, François Truffaut and Jean…
15 Jul | 4:00pm
SKYCITY Theatre
17 Jul | 11:45am
SKYCITY Theatre
21 Jul | 11:00am
Academy Cinema
WHITE MATERIAL
Claire Denis, France 2009, 102 mins
Over the past 22 years, Claire Denis (Beau Travail, 35 Shots of Rum) has built up one of the most impressive bodies of work in contemporary
18 Jul | 8:15pm
The Bridgeway Cinema
20 Jul | 8:30pm
Rialto Newmarket
24 Jul | 6:15pm
Rialto Newmarket
25 Jul | 3:45pm
Lido Cinema
French Market Bastille Day special – 11 July, Titirangi
All you Francophiles out there should go along to the French Market, to be held at French Bay, Titirangi on 11 July 2010. This event is going to be really awesome as it's held in conjunction with Bastille Day. Our friends Catherine and Frederic from Eurodis are organising this, and they are doing such an awesome job promoting French culture in New Zealand. Buy some yummy French food, meet some good-looking French people, and practice speaking French!
When:
|
Sun 11 Jul, 9:00am–1:00pm |
Where: French Bay Yacht Club, Cnr of Otitori Bay Road & Valley Road, French Bay
The only indoor market with French food to eat on the spot or take back home including cheese, baguette, patisseries, patés, savouries, coffee, and much more.
Also many non-food products available: Savon de Marseille, decorated boxes , "Tintin" items, table sets…
To celebrate Bastille Day, go along and enjoy a petit dejeuner including croissant, cheese, charcuterie, baguette, tarte a l'oignon, coffee and a soft drink.
Live Music for Bastille Celebration with Oscar, a young and very talented musician
P/S: Tickets for breakfast/brunch are $17 and can be bought through Titirangi Pharmacy, ph 817 76 58 or by contacting Catherine on 816 92 24 or via email at catherine@eurodis.co.nz.
Posted via email from Euroasia
Viva la All Whites
It’s do or die tonight for the All Whites.
New Zealand is ranked 78th in the world, and Paraguay is 31st. On paper Paraguay is a superior team. But that’s what they said about Italy, and we all know what happened there. With Paraguay at the top of the table with four points, New Zealand will have to beat them to get to five points and qualify for Round 2.
If Paraguay and New Zealand draw, and Italy and Slovakia draw as well, it will come down to goal difference.
Should be an exciting game. We support the All Whites, and wish them all the best for this crucial game.
Posted via email from Euroasia
The secret to effective presentations – Paulus Romijn
Five years down the track, my opinion hasn’t changed. I can still recall vividly the experiential exercises: from trying to sell an exercise machine infomercial-style to producing a travel documentary, it was an amazing experience. I met some really interesting people, and we all had a great time on this course. It was initially a little unnerving to put myself out there, especially when I was the only guy in the class. Every speech is recorded and played back to the whole class. If most people are like me, they will feel uncomfortable with seeing themselves on screen, as this means having our insecurities laid bare.
Once I learnt how to let go and just be myself, I started to enjoy myself. Towards the end of the course, I was actually looking forward to the weekly session, and really missed the sessions once they were over. Perhaps the most important lesson I learnt was that there wasn’t a specific technique to master. In fact the real key to becoming an effective public speaker is to overcome our own fears and insecurities.

The Presenters Platform was created by Paulus Romijn in Auckland in 2004. Paulus was brought up in Wellington from Dutch migrant parents. He was picked as a speaker from an early age at school delivering Church readings and Drama. Over the years in his studies he excelled in subjects like motivation, leadership, group norms and International Business. Then after attending many courses he thought there was so much more to presenting to an audience or screen he developed over years of research a series of courses with comprehensive tutelage with small groups.
Over the past few years, I’ve kept in touch with Paulus and recommended some of my friends to sign up for his course. In fact, we even had the opportunity to work together, with Paulus assisting a few of Euroasia’s corporate clients with skills-development and learning how to effectively present to a Kiwi audience. Paulus is certainly a talented teacher and facilitator.
I asked Paulus to give me a list of 10 tips for effective presentations.
1. What do I want to say rather than what I think the audience wants to hear.
2. Do not have the objective of going through the motions but of making an impression.
3. Keep movement minimal and if you do move know where you are going.
4. If using Power Point do not rely on it.
5. Think about the chronological order of your delivery. What is a powerful opening rather than a predictable opening.?
6. Practical examples are always credible in relation to a theory.
7. Allow yourself to pause rather than use non words such as um and ah.
8. Practice, practice,practice. Say it out loud to a friend or partner and ask for their feedback.
9. Give yourself permission to have an opinion. “I believe” is a very powerful start to a sentence.
10. Fear of judgement is in your own head; your audience wants you to succeed.
After 7 years in the education business and seeing thousands of Kiwis come to Euroasia to embark on a journey to learn a foreign language, I am now more convinced that the key to self-improvement is the ability to push yourself beyond your comfort zone. This applies whether you want to learn a language or to speak in public. With a lot of life development, what holds us back is not a lack of skill, but a lack of will.
Check out Presenters Platform if you’re looking for a course that will challenge you so that you can be a more effective public speaker. You can reach Paulus on 09 360-5039.
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The most spoken languages in the world
This would have been a Top 10 list, except Number 11 is Japanese and Number 12 German, both very important languages, so I’ll make this the TOP 12 list of the most spoken languages in the world, as at 2009. Source is Ethnologue, a widely cited reference for languages. The full list can be found on Wikipedia if you’re keen.
No surprises here. Chinese is number one – but do note that there are many dialects within the Chinese language. Chinese and Spanish are the top two because both China and South America are very populous. If we compiled another list of the most spoken languages in the world, including people who speak English as a second language, English will come up tops, especially given the rate at which young Chinese and Spanish kids are learning English.
| Ranking by number of native speakers | Language | Number of speakers | Where spoken natively by more than 5% of the population or listed as an official language in the countries’ constitution |
| 1 | Chinese | 1,205m | People’s Republic of China (including self-governing Special Administrative Regions),Republic of China (Taiwan), Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia |
| 2 | Spanish | 429m | Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic,Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua,Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Spain, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela,Andorra, Western Sahara. |
| 3 | English | 428m | United Kingdom, United States, India, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand,Ireland, British Overseas Territories, Singapore, Malaysia, Belize, Bermuda,Gibraltar, Northern Mariana Islands, Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, The Bahamas,Barbados, Guam, Cayman Islands, Philippines, Pakistan, Trinidad and Tobago,Malta, Hong Kong, Botswana, Cameroon, Nigeria, Zimbabwe Also see List of countries by English-speaking population |
| 4 | Hindi | 260m (Kariboli only) | India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Singapore, and in parts of United States, Canada, United Kingdom. |
| 5 | Arabic | 221m | Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Iraq, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Syria, Tunisia, Libya,Lebanon, Jordan, Mauritania, Palestinian territories, Israel, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Chad, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Djibouti, Somalia, Western Sahara |
| 6 | Malay/Indonesian | 260m | Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, Southern Thailand, Southern Philippines,East Timor |
| 7 | Portuguese | 205m | Brazil, Portugal, Mozambique, Angola, Cape Verde, Goa, Macau, East Timor,Guinea-Bissau |
| 8 | Bengali | 193m | Bangladesh, India |
| 9 | Russian | 144m | Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Israel,Moldova, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Estonia, Lithuania, Turkmenistan |
| 10 | French | 128m (2005) | Belgium, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, Chad, Channel Islands, Comoros, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, France, French Guiana,French Polynesia, Gabon, Guinea, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Mali,Morocco, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Switzerland, Togo, Vanuatu, Andorra, Grenada,French overseas territories |
| 11 | Japanese | 122m | Japan |
| 12 | Standard German | 101m (1994) | Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Belgium (German-speaking community of Belgium), Italy (Province of Bolzano-Bozen) |
Posted via web from Euroasia
Which is the most popular language at Euroasia?
Spanish. We consistently have more students for Spanish than for the other languages. Although in the past we used to have more learners of French and German, we have found that more New Zealanders are now interested in Spanish.
Why is this? It could be because Latin America is fast becoming a popular travel destination. Spanish culture is also becoming more mainstream. Just look at the number of tapas bars and salsa schools in town. New Zealand also has a Free Trade Agreement with Chile and does a lot of business with Spanish-speaking countries. Spanish is also perceived to be a relatively easy language to learn.
A related question is “Which is the fastest growing language?” The answer is Chinese Mandarin. Given the perception that Chinese is a hard language to learn, this is somewhat surprising. So why are more New Zealanders interested in Mandarin these days? It could be to do with the fact that China’s economy is fast-growing, and New Zealand is increasingly doing more business with China. China recently overtook Japan as the world’s second largest economy. China also beat Germany as the world’s largest exporter in 2010. At this rate, New Zealand will be more reliant on China not just as a source of imports, but also a large market for our exporters.
We recently covered the topic Which language should I learn?
More on why learn a language and why learn with Euroasia.
FAQs previously covered:
1. Why is it a good idea to learn a foreign language
2. What does learning a language really involve?
3. What’s the best way to learn a foreign language?
4. As an adult, can you learn a language the same way that you did as a child?
5. How can I obtain instant/magic results in learning a language?
6. How long will it take me to learn a language?
7. I don’t understand grammar; we were never taught it at school?
8. Is it easier to learn the language if I go to the country?
Posted via web from Euroasia
Are some languages harder than others?
From the point of view of children learning their first language, no! Children around the world acquire language at pretty much the same rate. But as adults learning a second language, we are likely to find languages which are more closely related to our own easier than others.
For example, German is easier for a native English speaker than say Chinese because for starters, you can actually read the German alphabet, but Chinese script is somewhat more complex.
Willkommen bei Deutsch! (German) vs 欢迎 学 汉语 (Chinese)
Although in the case of Chinese, we would simplify this for English-speakers by teaching you pinyin, the Romanised system that would enable English speakers to learn Mandarin without having to learn the script.
For example, 欢迎 学 汉语 becomes Huān yíng xué Hàn Yǔ.
With languages from the same family, say Romance languages eg Spanish, French, Italian; there are vast similarities, so knowing one language would give you a significant advantage in learning another. Some say French is harder than Spanish, or that Spanish is harder than Italian, but ultimately we think the difference is not huge, so choose the language you prefer to learn.
We recently covered the topic Which language should I learn?
In the next few days, we’ll be answering the question “which is the most popular language?”.
More on why learn a language and why learn with Euroasia.
FAQs previously covered:
1. Why is it a good idea to learn a foreign language
2. What does learning a language really involve?
3. What’s the best way to learn a foreign language?
4. As an adult, can you learn a language the same way that you did as a child?
5. How can I obtain instant/magic results in learning a language?
6. How long will it take me to learn a language?
7. I don’t understand grammar; we were never taught it at school?
8. Is it easier to learn the language if I go to the country?
FAQs coming up:
11. So which languages will I find easier than others?
12. Which is the most popular language?
13. Can learning a language be fun?
Posted via web from Euroasia





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