Director: Margaret Kinmonth

Film Synopsis:
This documentary uncovers the anachronistic and surprising fairytale world of haute couture through its players past and present, featuring rarely seen archive from the BBC vaults.

Margy Kinmonth takes a journey from Paris to New York and California to meet some of the characters in this much talked about but little explained pocket of the fashion industry. Haute couture is like a private club, but many of its ageing American customers are dying off now and too few wealthy young women are taking their place to ensure its survival. She discovers how much has changed and surprisingly how much has stayed the same in this story of decadent decline.

Since its heyday after the war the number of fashion houses showing haute couture in Paris has fallen from over a hundred to barely a dozen. Margy Kinmonth’s journey takes in a cross section of fashion houses today, visiting behind the scenes of the two remaining giants Dior and Chanel as they battle it out in the days leading up to the big shows. We are given a rare glimpse of the famous Karl Lagerfeld at work drawing in his studio as well as Dior’s John Galliano, veteran Italian designer Valentino and old French favourite Christian Lacroix. We are treated to vintage archive of the early haute couture shows.

The film follows key haute couture customers as they visit Paris to shop for dresses that can cost up to 100,000 dollars each. Kinmonth asks who are these women and why are they prepared to spend so much money on one dress? There are strict rules for belonging to this exclusive shopping club and we set out to find out what the rules of membership are? And why is it all so hush hush?

Runtime: 60 minutes

Language: English

Tomorrow 6:30

Gilles Tarazi

Gilles Tarazi was born in Lebanon in 1980. He studied theater and film in Beirut, and specialised in documentary filmmaking at the Superior School of Cinematographic Studies (ESEC) in Paris.

In Tomorrow, 6:30 his first film as a director, Gilles decided to treat a theme that is very representative of the chaotic Lebanese life: The youth’s exile.
Synopsis

It’s Farid’s last evening before sailing off from his native Lebanon. He wants to celebrate this event he’s been waiting for a long time. But things aren’t that easy. A one-night journey before the big jump.

“About those who are gone”

Ali Hammoud

Ali Hammoud was born on April 5th, 1972 and raised in Kuwait. He studied Communication Arts at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA and worked for a number of projects in Chicago, Illinois.

He has served as artistic director for the Beirut International Documentary Festival since 2004.
Synopsis

Following the 2005 assassination of ex-Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, Beirut erupted into violence. This poignant film tells of those who perished in the troubles.

Hold on my glamorous

Shirin Abi Shaqra

Shirin finished a masters in history (2004) and a Diplôme d’Etudes Approfondies (DEA) in political science (2006) in Saint Joseph University Beirut. She worked for eight years researching socio-cultural changes in the Contemporary Arab World. She is currently studying in Fresnoy National Studio for Contemporary Arts in France where she just finished a poetic essay on Arab Diva ‘Wadad’ called Hold on my Glamourous (Un Instant mon Glamour).

Synopsis

At one point, Wadad’s voice was heard almost daily on Arab radio stations. However, for several reasons, she was steadily pushed towards anonymity.

Off War Beirut

Myriam El Hajj

Myriam el Hajj was born in Lebanon in 1983. She studied theatre and cinema in Beirut and is now a student in cinema at the University of Paris 8 Saint Denis in France. She also worked as an actress.

Her Filmography Includes:

2009 Je n’ai pas vu la guerre à Beyrouth (Off War Beirut Nights) (22 min., 35mm, fiction)
2005 Ne nous soumets pas à la tentation (Don’t Lead Us To Temptation) (20 min., DVCam, fiction) European Film Festival – Beyrouth 2006

Synopsis

Lebanon teeters on the brink of civil war. Three characters theatre director Ziad, his wife Sarah and actress Anna, are in a parallel state of turmoil.

Shankar Ramakrishnan

Shankar Ramakrishnan is the chief operating arm of Ranjiths’ Capitol Theatre. He started his career as a content programmer with a regional television channel and ventured into film making through independent advertising productions. After graduating in Law in ’99 and completing his Masters in International Advertising and Communication, he joined The Times of India. Meeting Ranjith briefly after the release of the cult film Nandanam, was a turning point in his career and he collaborated with the film maker in designing the “Malabar travel mart- Cultural repertoire” organized by the Govt. of Kerala. Shankar took a call to join Ranjith and Capitol Theatre and is with the production platform since its inception in 2005. The films include Prajapathi, Kayyoppu, Rock’n Roll, Anubhav (with Famous Studios), Thirakkatha, Kerala Café and Paleri Manikyam. Kerala Café showcases his debut film segment, ‘Island Express’– which discusses the trail of a mosaic of disaster victims. The film features Prithviraj in the lead role.

Synopsis

On the common theme of journeys, each filmmaker presents their cinematic impression of contemporary times in Kerala.The independent narratives integrate when, during these journeys, their characters pass through KERALA CAFE – a quaint railway cafeteria; thereby creating a joint mosaic of issues and impressions; in a symbiotic space and time .Kerala CAFÉ will have one signature song which brings together the behind-the-scenes making of the different films using the footage of the crew. The song is an ode to Thunchath Ezhuthachan’s famous verse” Kathaya mama, Kathaya mama, Kathakalathisadaram…:”a story, it is a story, stories that salutes the time…”

Testimonials
Renjith Kumar
Thank you for inviting me to the screening of ‘Kerala Cafe’. I already registered for a membership in the The Scene Club. Because……..I Love It!

Joshy Paul
Me and my wife Teresa wish to thank you for your kind gesture and we really enjoyed ‘Kerala Cafe’. Wishing you and your team every success.