The cream of the French and Thai art and cultural worlds gather in Bangkok for La Fête 2009.

The generous servings of dance, music, theatre, film and visual arts at indoor and outdoor venues all over town boosted spectator numbers at the 2008 edition of La Fête La Fete to a very respectable half a million. So if you stopped to look at the amazing photography exhibition outside Central World last year, you could rest assured that your contribution counted.

Remarkably, the 2008 cultural extravaganza kicked off just four months into the posting of the new cultural attaché to French Embassy, yet Stéphane Négrin and his efficient team still managed to beat earlier attendance records while learning some valuable lessons for this year's event.

"Living here is different from visiting as a tourist, and I found that I needed to find new ways to communicate with the audience," says Négrin.

"Thais are very open-minded. Last year's closing event [“Rameau’s Bossa Fataka” by Compagnie Montalvo-Hervieu] was very interesting for them, but of course I cannot present that kind of show every year. I understand that they like modernity and appreciate discovering new talent. I've also discovered that it's not true that they only like classical music; nor is it correct to say that they only listen to Thai music."

Despite the current economic and political situation, all 21 events planned for La  Fête 2009 are going ahead as scheduled. With a full year to work on the festival, Négrin has found new sponsors and partners, among them Double A happy to support the printing of festival publications, and KPN who may help take June 20's Fête de la Musique nationwide in the future.

"From October through February, I worked on fundraising while simultaneously organising the programme. It’s not chance, just a lot of work. In the end, you can see that in our program brochure we have the total of 83 logos [of companies and government agencies]. It’s good to see that we have new partners especially in this difficult period.”

As a result, we're seeing La Fête ads and programme brochures all over town and a broad-based festival in spite of the financial gloom and doom. Even last month's political pandemonium does not appear to have been a turn-off. Négrin confirms, "All the French artists want to come to Thailand."

Noticeably, for the first time, the event is being described as a "French Thai cultural festival", rather than a purely French fete. Negrin says this is more than mere diplomacy, "It better reflects the true nature of the festival. If I count the number of participating artists from both countries, then the Thais far exceed their French counterparts.” 

"Of course, France organises and invites, but it's not just about the image of France. We've been working with many local organisations and companies, like Zen, the Pullman Hotel and TK Park, from the very beginning, and not just towards the end when we look for venues. We also make sure that all information is in three languages [French, Thai and English]. Carrefour, one of our sponsors, even has the information in its monthly catalogue, all in the Thai language. The target audience is Thai after all."

In the end, Négrin says, "La Fête is for all and I think everybody can find something interesting."

Special Picks:

The festival’s opening event the visual theatre “La fin des terres” (“Land’s End”) by the world-renowned Compagnie Phillippe Genty is set to be the most wondrous performance to have graced the stage of Thailand Cultural Centre in recent years.

Critically acclaimed films like “Séraphine”, “Il y a longtemps que je ta’aime” (“I’ve Loved You So Long”), and “Le premier jour du reste de ta vie” (“The First Day of the Rest of Your Life”) will fully satisfy film buffs at SF World Cinema.

Along with Michael Shaowanasai and Pascal Blondeau’s portrait photography exhibition “Nice to Meet You” at Bangkok Art and Culture Center, in addition the Thai heritage exhibition curated by Guimet Museum “Dvaravati: To the Origins of Buddhism in Thailand” at the National Museum, these are indeed some of the definite must-sees.

Négrin makes special notes of three other events that may get overlooked by the media and the public in the long program line-up.

“There is a small part of the festival we call ‘Sacrés Francais’, comprising two programs. One is Pierre Rigal and Compagnie Dernière Minute’s ‘Press’, it’s a dance performance, and very, very modern."

"The other is Compagnie Aie Aie Aie’s ‘Hyppotheatron’, a very contemporary kind of puppet theatre, which we call object theatre in France. Puppets are replaced by objects, and the performers not only act but also move the objects around. Characters are glasses of beer, whiskey, etc. It’s for only sixty audiences per performance, and I’ve never seen this kind of show before in Thailand. It’s not a major highlight like the opening show, but for me it’s important to open new windows for really experimental young French artists. I also hope the audience will be curious to discover this because it’s very new, even for French people. Of course, it’s the risk we take and the audience should share it too.”

Another program is “Dîner dans le nois” or “Dinner in the Dark” at Pullman Hotel, which Négrin calls, “one of the most creative ways to promote French cuisine.”

He adds, “I tried this kind of restaurant in Paris last August and started talking with them. This entertaining project with important messages has many dimensions. It’s an exciting experience for the diners, as they’re totally in the dark. Everyday when you eat, you eat half your meals with your eyes—your mouth confirms what your eyes have seen. It’s a sensory experience, as you have to use your other senses. Plus, it’s a social experience, as you’re seated at a table with six or eight people only two of whom you know, and then you may speak with the person you never talk to in the light. Also, the project aims to promote the employment of blind people. I’m sure they can do a lot more than selling lottery tickets, it’s just the matter of adaptation. We’re also working with The Thailand Association with the Blind in casting Thai blind people as waiters.” 

“La Fête: French Thai Cultural Festival 2009” runs from June 3 to October 16 at various venues across Bangkok.

As always for “La Fête”, most programs are free admission. For the rest, the organizer still keeps the ticket prices reasonable. And if you’re a student, you can watch many world-class performances and films for Bt 100.

Performance tickets are available at Thaiticketmajor, and movie tickets at SF World Cinema.

The official website is www.lafete-bangkok.com. For extra fun, join “La Fête” group on Facebook.

Special thanks to the Embassy of France in Thailand’s Napadol Wirakan for his assistance.

written by Pawit Mahasarinand

published in THE NATION on Sunday, May 24, 2009

photos courtesy of the Embassy of France in Thailand