Events
News and events at the Centre de recherches francophones belges.
Coming up
The Little World of Stella Benson
Past events
Conferences and symposia
Date: 27 April 2018
Venue: 50 George Square, University of Edinburgh
Keynote speakers: Jane McKie; Joanne Brooks; Susan Bainbrigge
In brief: A one-day symposium exploring the overlap between the therapeutic encounter and the writer’s relationship with the poem. Developing out of an earlier interdisciplinary conference (see below), the event comprised presentations and discussions on poetry, listening, and creativity, and a short writing workshop.
Dates: 7 and 8 December 2017
Venue: 50 George Square, University of Edinburgh
Keynote speakers: Liz Allison (UK); Marie Darrieussecq (France); Jean-Pierre Lebrun (Belgium); Nicole Malinconi (Belgium)
In brief: A two-day international conference exploring the ways in which talking therapies have been depicted in 20th century and contemporary creative outputs in French and other languages. Comprising plenary talks by authors and psychoanalysts, c. 30 academic papers in 12 panel sessions, and a screening of the 2008 film Un conte de Noël, the event led to the publication, in September 2020, of a book edited by Susan Bainbrigge and Maren Scheurer.
Find out more about the book on the Cambridge Scholars website
Dates: 10 and 11 November 2015
Venues: Institut Français d’Ecosse (Day 1); Chrystal MacMillan Building, University of Edinburgh (Day 2); Filmhouse (Day 2)
Keynote speaker: Stéfan Liberski
Chair: Dr Susan Bainbrigge (University of Edinburgh)
In brief: A two-day event exploring adaptations of Amélie Nothomb’s writings on Japan. Beginning with a screening of Alain Corneau's 2004 film Stupeur et Tremblements, the event also comprised a conference on the making of Stéfan Liberski’s Tokyo Fiancée and an in-depth discussion with the director. It ended with a public screening of Tokyo Fiancée and Q&A with Liberski at Edinburgh's Filmhouse cinema.
Dates: 10 June 2015
Venues: Mitchell Library, Glasgow
Keynote speakers: Joe Brady (Scottish Refugee Council); Dr Jacqueline Jenkinson (University of Stirling); Dr Caroline Verdier (University of Strathclyde and Centre de Recherches Francophones Belges); Dr Irene O’Brien (Glasgow City Archives)
Chair: Dr Benjamin Thomas White (University of Glasgow)
In brief: Symposium and participatory learning event to mark the launch of Lest We Forget, a Scottish Refugee Council arts and heritage project bringing together refugees and local people to discover and document the heritage of the arrival, reception and experiences of Belgium refugees in Scotland during the First World War from 1914 to 1918.
Dates: 15 May 2015
Venues: Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities, Edinburgh
Research strand: The Edge of Words
Speakers: Dr Pierre-Philippe Fraiture (University of Warwick); Sarah Arens (University of Edinburgh); Katie Tidmarsh (ULIP, Paris); Véronique Clette-Gakuba (ULB, Brussels); M. Marc Quaghebeur (Directeur, Archives et musée de la littérature, Bruxelles); Dr Sam Coombes (University of Edinburgh); Dr Nicki Frith (University of Edinburgh)
Chairs: Dr Susan Bainbrigge (University of Edinburgh); Dr Nouria Ouali (ULB, Brussels)
In brief: Study day exploring the colonial and postcolonial dimensions of francophone literary and artistic practice in Belgium and the Congo. Part of The Edge of Words research project, the event comprised talks by visiting speakers and related discussions, a presentation of PhD research, and a roundtable on intersections and idiosyncrasies.
Lectures, talks, discussions and readings
Date: 19 March 2021
Venue: Online (Zoom)
Organisers: Centre de recherches francophones belges; Institut français d’Ecosse; Institut français du Royaume-Uni
In brief: An online talk - in French - with celebrated Congolese author In Koli Jean Bofane. Hosted by Edouard Notte, the event was introduced by Laurence Païs, Director of the Institut français d’Écosse, and by the University of Edinburgh's Rector, Debora Kayembe.
Date: 3 February 2020
Venue: Institut français d’Ecosse
Events series: DELC Research Seminar Series
In brief: A free public talk by Benoît Peeters - novelist, graphic novelist, intellectual biographer, cultural historian and screen-writer. Held after an Icons in the Making masterclass as part of the DELC Research Seminar Series, the talk centred on Les Cités Obscures, the series of graphic novels Peeters co-authored with François Schuiten between 1983 and 2008. Peeters has also previously delivered lectures on graphic novels to first year students in LLC via video link from Lancaster University where he is Professor of Graphic Fiction and Comic Art.
Date: 22 March 2017
Venue: Appleton Tower, Edinburgh
In brief: Bilingual (French and English) quiz night hosted by the Centre de recherches francophones belges to mark La Fête de la Francophonie- the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie's annual global celebration of French-speaking cultures.
Film screenings and festivals
Date: 4 November 2021
Venue: Online (Zoom)
Organisers: The Centre de recherches francophones belges; SCILT (Scotland’s National Centre for Languages); the Universities of Strathclyde and Leicester; Wallonia-Brussels International
In brief: A screening of the climate activism documentary Sangterra, and Q&A with its Belgian producer Christophe Smets.
Date: 10 November 2019
Venue: Filmhouse, Edinburgh
In brief: A screening of the 2018 film 'Keep Going' adapted from the novel 'Continuer' by Laurent Mauvignier. Screened as part of the French Film Festival UK, the film was followed by a conversation with its director (and screenplay writer) Joachim Lafosse.
Date: 20 November 2018
Venue: Filmhouse, Edinburgh
In brief: A screening of the debut feature film by Belgian actor, turned director, François Damiens. Supported by Wallonie Bruxelles International (WBI), the screening was bookended by Meet the Director sessions with Damiens at Filmhouse cinema.
Date: 17 November 2016
Venue: Filmhouse, Edinburgh
In brief: A screening of the penultimate long feature by Bouli Lanners, critically acclaimed film director and actor. A collaboration between the Centre de Recherches Francophones Belges and the French Film Festival, the event was presented by Lanners, who starred in the film as bounty hunter Gilou.
Date: 21 March 2016
Venue: Filmhouse, Edinburgh
In brief: The avant premiere of Thierry Michel and Colette Braeckman's 2015 documentary on Sakharov Prize-winning Dr Denis Mukwege, Congolese gynecologist and human rights activist. A collaboration between the Centre de Recherches Francophones Belges, L'Institut Français Écosse and Wallonie Bruxelles International (WBI).
Date: 16 October 2015
Venue: 50 George Square, University of Edinburgh
In brief: Screening of 'Hotel Monterey' in remembrance of pioneering Belgian film-maker and video artist Chantal Akerman who died in 2015. Akerman had visited Edinburgh three years previously to take part in a two-week retrospective of her work as part of the French Film Festival UK.
Dates: 16 November to 2 December 2012
Venue: Various including Filmhouse, Edinburgh
In brief: Two-week retrospective of the work of pioneering Belgian film-maker and video artist Chantal Akerman marking the release of her final feature Almayer's Folly. Curated by Marion Schmid, Professor of French Literature and Film at the University of Edinburgh, the season included the screening of 10 works by Akerman, Q&As with the artist and a review competition. A collaboration between the Centre de Recherches Francophones Belges and Wallonie Bruxelles International (WBI) as part of the 20th edition of the French Film Festival UK.
Exhibitions, workshops and performances
Dates: 3 to 14 August 2022
Venues: Summerhall (False Start) and Dance Base (all other performances)
In brief: Two works of physical theatre (False Start and We Should be Dancing) and two dance pieces (Fitry and Closing Party: arriverderci and grazie) from French-speaking Belgium selected by Wallonie-Bruxelles Théâtre Danse to perform in Edinburgh. Part of the Centre de Recherches Francophones Belges and Wallonie-Bruxelles International's long-standing collaboration to bring Francophone Belgian culture to Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Date: 27 August 2020
Venue: Edinburgh Festival Fringe Online
In brief: Four artistic works from French-speaking Belgium selected by Wallonie-Bruxelles Théâtre Danse for online performance: Golem (Compagnie Abis); Strach, A Fear Song (Théâtre d'Un Jour); We Should be Dancing (dir. Emilienne Flagothier); False Start (Lucilia Caesar company). Part of the Centre de Recherches Francophones Belges and Wallonie-Bruxelles International's long-standing collaboration to bring Francophone Belgian culture to Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Dates: 31 July to 26 August 2019
Venues: Summerhall, Assembly Checkpoint and Dance Base
In brief: Four artistic works from French-speaking Belgium selected by Wallonie-Bruxelles Théâtre Danse to perform in Edinburgh: Before the End (Catherine Graindorge with Théâtre les Tanneurs); Comète (Compagnie Dérivation); FrontX (Milan Emmanuel and No Way Back); The Steve Reich Project (Isabella Soupart in partnership with the MP4 Quartet). Part of the Centre de Recherches Francophones Belges and Wallonie-Bruxelles International's long-standing collaboration to bring Francophone Belgian culture to Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Dates: 2 to 27 August 2018
Venues: Dance Base, Zoo Southside and Summerhall
In brief: Four artistic works from French-speaking Belgium selected by Wallonie-Bruxelles Théâtre Danse to perform in Edinburgh: Atomic 3001 (Leslie Mannès, Thomas Turine AKA Sitoid and Vincent Lemaître); Stoel (Chair) (Compagnie Nyash); Autóctonos II; Backup (Focus and Chaliwaté). Part of the Centre de Recherches Francophones Belges and Wallonie-Bruxelles International's long-standing collaboration to bring Francophone Belgian culture to Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Dates: 7 to 29 August 2015
Venue: Underbelly Circus Hub, Edinburgh
In brief: T1J’s unique storytelling circus combining acrobatics, puppetry and live music to create a whimsical journey through the imagination of a sick child. Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2015.
Date: 18 March 2015
Venue: 50 George Square, Edinburgh
In brief: Free student masterclass by Jeannine Paque (Université de Liège) on journalism, literary criticism, and writing reviews.
Dates: 13 to 18 August 2013
Venue: Institut Français d’Écosse, Edinburgh
In brief: A one-woman show by Brussels-based, Swiss actor Florence Minder challenging herself and the audience to approach the subject of mourning without any sadness or psychology. Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2013.
Dates: 21 and 22 June 2013
Venue: Various public spaces in Edinburgh (21 June) and Glasgow (22 June)
In brief: Scottish edition of the French Ministry for Culture's annual street music event, celebrated in over 110 countries around the world. Included performances by Rosie Nimmo, The Beat Poets, Jack and The’, and La Clinik du Dr. Poembak - a Brussels-based group of 20 brass musicians playing an eclectic repertoire mixing world music, tango, jazz and techno. A collaboration between Wallonie-Bruxelles International, the Centre de Recherches Francophones Belges, the Institut Français d’Écosse, and the Alliance Française de Glasgow.
Date: 20 March 2013
Venue: Institut Français d’Écosse, Edinburgh
In brief: An adaptation of Alessandro Baricco's Novecento: pianiste by Collectif Blauw. Part of the Semaine de la Francophonie, a week of events celebrating the French language.
Date: 3 to 24 August 2012
Venue: Institut Français d’Écosse, Edinburgh
In brief: A show by Compagnie Oh my God! (Wallonia) combining a conference, performance, and video screening taking the audience on a guided tour through a portrait gallery featuring two symbols of 16th century femininity and power, Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, and Elizabeth I, Queen of England. Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2012.
Date: 20 and 21 March 2012
Venue: Institut Français d’Écosse, Edinburgh (20 March) and Alliance Française de Glasgow (21 March)
In brief: The first UK performances of Congolese storyteller Pie Tshibanda's popular show ‘Un Fou noir au pays des Blancs', an auto-biographical tale of political asylum adapted from Tshibanda’s 1999 book of the same name. A collaboration between Wallonie-Bruxelles International, the Centre de Recherches Francophones Belges, and the Institut Français d’Écosse as part of La Fête de la Francophonie- the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie's annual global celebration of French-speaking cultures.
Date: July 2011
Venue: Institut Français d’Écosse
In brief: An exhibition devoted to jazz and the comic strip (‘la bande dessinée’), for which Belgium is world renowned, created in collaboration with Wallonie-Bruxelles International, the Centre de Recherches Francophones Belges, and the Institut Français d’Écosse.
Cartoons in WW1 conference
Museums, memorials and exhibitions. The renewal of the offer in the context of the Centenary
Le questionnement de plumes féminines dans le fantastique belge francophone, entre cryptozoologie et métamorphoses
Le corps problématique du personnage de théâtre. Marivaux, Beckett, Guillaume Galienne
Introduction à la littérature francophone de Belgique
Cinéma: Les Villes Tentaculaires
Our City