This French Life

Deauville American Film Festival welcomes fans

FILM fans are sure to have an eye on Deauville, in northern France, when the town hosts its annual festival showcasing the best of American cinema.

The Deauville American Film Festival has been showcasing the American cinematographic diversity since 1975, taking in both the established Hollywood circuit as well as independents.

The festival takes place from Friday, September 3 to Sunday, September 12, 2010 and more than 100 films will be presented to the public on three sites.

The festival is an event open to all, professionals as well as cinema fans.

Photojournalism at Visa Pour l’Image exhibition, Perpignan

DISCOVER the photographs behind many of the news headlines you see every day at the Visa Pour l’Image exhibition.

Running until September 12, 2012 in Perpignan you can see the work of some of the world's leading photojournalists.

You can take in images from the Haitian earthquake, the 'red shirt' protests in Bangkok, photos featuring the lives of US soldiers in Iraq and many other stories.

Unaccompanied children on Air France flights seated separately

UNACCOMPANIED children travelling on Air France flights are to be seated separately to adults to avoid any risk of sexual molestation.

Le Figaro reports on the decision, taken in accordance with the French air authority La Direction générale de l’Aviation civile (DGAC), although union representatives asked how children will be helped with oxygen masks should decompression of the cabin take place.

The seating arrangement will not be implemented on fully booked flights, although the section on the Air France website offering travel advice for unaccompanied children does not currently feature any information on these changes.

Video of forest fires in southern France

MANY thanks to reader of the site, Charles Orlebar, for the video above of the fires on the outskirts of Meze, southern France, near Montpellier and Marseille.

Canadair planes were being used to try and dampen the flames as more than 1,000 firefighters worked across the area to try and protect homes and commercial properties.

The peace of the river Dordogne from a canoe

GLIDING through the water in your canoe as you pass the turrets and towers of Castlenaud on the river Dordogne, all you can hear is the splash of your oar as you head downstream.

With the holiday season coming to an end, and the sun still warm on your back, now seemed a good time to take a trip down the river from Vitrac to Beynac.

Coping with Parkinson's disease in France

BEING ill in France can really test your language skills, trying to describe where pain is and how you feel can be both exhausting and have potentially disastrous consequences.

The Telegraph covers the problems faced by Britons living overseas who have Parkinson’s considering there is no test for the illness and that patients will have to see a specialist who will look into their health history.

Charity cycle ride with letower2tower

YOU can follow the exploits of six cyclists heading to Paris on letower2tower charity ride that started from Blackpool.

The 570 mile ride set off from beneath Blackpool Tower on Saturday, August 28 and will be heading south over the coming days to arrive at the Eiffel Tower on Thursday, September 2.

The team is raising money for the Fanconi Hope charity, which supports research into Fanconi Anaemia, a genetic disorder affecting children that causes bone marrow failure and predisposes to cancer.

Letower2tower can also be found on Twitter, where updates are being posted as well as video from the trip.

Photographs from a Dordogne summer

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HERE are some photographs from around the southern corner of the Dordogne, taking in the still morning air, mushrooms under the chestnut trees and a musical concert in the historic church of Besse.

Government keen to see more school children study English

IT is interesting to see that while UK school children are turning their backs on modern languages, including French, there is a push from the education department in France for students to learn English.

Education minister, Luc Chatel, was visiting a school in Paris recently where students were undertaking intensive English lessons during the summer holiday.

And while this option has been available for a few years, he announced that more schools would offer the courses and that all secondary school students would be able to take additional English lessons during the winter and spring holidays.

A far cry from the UK where French is no longer in the top 10 of most popular subjects studied at GCSE level.

Port closure sees Brittany Ferries change Caen crossing

BRITTANY Ferries is warning passengers that strike action at the port of Caen will mean it services will use Le Harve.

The port will be closed on Monday, August 30 2010 and this means crossings between Portsmouth and Caen will be affected, with departure times changed to ensure adequate sailing time.

Brittany Ferries has said it will contact passengers affected by the changes, or people can contact the company's reservations team on 0871 244 0744 or (00 33) 2 33 88 44 33.