Students at the Paris School of Arts and Culture are excited to present this year’s edition of our postgraduate festival, taking place virtually from 1-5 June 2021.
This year the theme is Escapism and you can find a taster of what is planned below. You can also see the full programme on the festival website by clicking on the button below. Please note that all times are Paris local time (CEST) and are free to attend, although advance registration is required via the links below.
Further details about the programme on the festival website or stay up to date by following the festival’s social media accounts: Facebook / Instagram.
Paris Postgraduate Festival Programme: 1-5 June 2021
Drag and Escapism: Tuesday, 1 June at 6:30 pm
Does drag provide a way for artists to inhabit another persona and escape from outdated gender roles? Or is it an outward embodiment of a true self? We are delighted to present a discussion on escapism and drag with Charity Kase and Rosie Zinfandel as the kick off to this year’s festival.
Charity Kase is a London based artist and performer with a punk aesthetic and taste for nightmarish beauty. Charity first garner attention in 2017 when they completed a 365-day drag challenge, creating a new character look every day of the year. Rosie Zinfandel made headlines in 2019 by being crowned one of the three queens in the UK’s first ever drag queen pageant. This rousing conversation will be followed by a Q&A session with Charity and Rosie.
Register for the event here.
A Conversation with Artist Scout Roll: Wednesday, 2 June at 5:00 pm
Join us for a conversation with Scout Gibbons Roll. Scout is an American artist, painter and illustrator. For their work, they use crypto currency and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) in order to create a unique value and identity for each artwork they produce. Our conversation will explore the ways in which an artist can escape through their work, as well as how art itself can escape its traditional confines through the transition into a digital form.
Register for the event here.
Film Screening and Director Q&A: Paris Stalingrad by Hind Meddeb: Thursday, 3 June at 8:00 pm
The festival is proudly partnering with Lost in Frenchlation, organisers of French film screenings with English subtitles, for the screening of Paris-Stalingrad, a documentary by Hind Meddeb. The film documents the plight of refugees camping in the Stalingrad district of Paris while waiting to regularise their situation. It offers powerful insight into modern day immigration and the hardships faced by those seeking to escape their circumstances and find refuge in Paris. In keeping with the festival’s theme of Escapism, the film provides multifaceted view into the human rights struggles that exist for disenfranchised peoples on a global scale. Learn more about the film and watch the trailer at this link.
Free tickets limited to the first 50 sign-ups. Register here.
A Conversation with Yelena Moskovich: Friday, 4 June at 6:00 pm
We are thrilled to host a conversation with Paris-based writer Yelena Moskovich. Yelena was born in Ukraine (former USSR) and immigrated to Wisconsin with her family as Jewish refugees in 1991. She studied theatre at Emerson College, Boston, and in France at the Lecoq School of Physical Theatre and Université Paris 8. She is the author of The Natashas and Virtuoso, which was longlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize.
This discussion will include a reading from her upcoming book A Door Behind a Door (to be released in the US on 18 May) and will touch upon personal forms of escapism and ways to keep creative during lockdown. It will be followed by a Q&A about life, writing, and literature. It isn’t necessary to have read Yelena’s books to participate, however, if you’re interested, they can be purchased directly from her publisher, at Shakespeare and Company in Paris or at your local independent bookstore.
Register for the event here.
The Menteur Launch: Saturday, 5 June at 7:00 pm
Come and discover what the students have been working on all year! The Menteur is a literary and arts magazine, founded in 2012, edited and produced annually by postgraduate students at the University of Kent’s Paris School of Arts and Culture.
This year’s edition, Art Rewired, features work that engages or challenges ideas/dichotomies of solitude and interconnectivity felt during the pandemic. How is a world pushing against social contact rewiring our definition of connection and collaboration? The virtual launch will reveal the magazine for the first time and include performances of some of the pieces in this year’s edition.
Register for the event here.
We are warmly inviting you to our online escape and look forward to welcoming you at the festival events.
Stay safe,
University of Kent Paris Festival Team