Not your typical hair salon...

Sylvie Coudray rushed into the waiting room to meet me, awakening me from my dozy reverie featuring scenes of 19^th century grandeur not far removed from any Balzac novel set in Parisian high society. She oozes a natural glamour. I’ve arrived straight from work and am feeling more than a little rough around the edges. I’m about to have my after hours hair appointment at La Nouvelle Athènes, after which I will leave feeling like a million dollars (/euros *delete as appropriate).

So, ias the salon is her creation, let’s take a closer look at our founder – who is she? Sylvie Coudray started out as a fine art and art history student, who had a particular interest in architecture and sculpture. This perhaps isn’t the most obvious training for a hairdresser, but it has a very key role to play, as I’ll explain later. Long before creating her own salon, Sylvie began a career in fashion – styling notably for high fashion catwalk shows and photoshoots – a career which was to last 20 years. Despite her working environment and experience (and surely a contact book to make any wannabe fashionista weep), she explained to me that each time she went to the hairdresser’s, she was disappointed. She felt that there were flaws throughout the whole experience – from the décor and ambiance through the treatment of both the client and her hair. Quite simply, she decided that her next project would be to open a salon in which she personally would like to have her hair cut.

The first thing that strikes you on entering La Nouvelle Athènes – even the street it’s on – is whether you’ve got the right address. You feel like you’re going to someone’s house: the house of someone very chic. We are in “Paris Neuvième” – the city’s  most stylish arrondissement. But I’m armed with all the door codes, and ascend two flights of the impressive staircase where I reach the designated address. As the doors open I see drapes. There are dazzling floor-to-very-high-ceiling red curtains in every direction I look. There are Louis XIV style armchairs in abundance. As I’m given a guided tour, I observe not a single item of electrical equipment on show, nor pictures or posters of models on the walls. In fact instead we have art works at all angles – she uses the salon as a space to expose the paintings, photos and sculptures of artists, which is a fantastic idea and continues the legacy of the artists and writers who inevitably frequented the apartment some 200+ years ago (I can almost smell them…).

But what’s beneath the surface of this impressive exterior? Sylvie explains to me that the salon’s approach is very simple – not to follow trends or fashion, not to give you an ‘it’ haircut style you’ve picked at random from the latest hair or gossip magazine, but rather to treat every client as an individual and to give them a perfect haircut that suits them to a tee and brings out their natural beauty. This might mean making big changes, or changing very little. However, based on an extensive visual analysis of your face and upper body, she will be able to give you a cut that makes you shine. I’m intrigued already.

A gloriously romantic setting for a haircut

Firstly, by suggesting a style to you, she has already removed half the psychological stress of going to the hairdresser. Personally, as a lifetime owner of long-tresses whose colour I’ve rarely touched, I’ve always felt a mixture of guilt and disappointment that I hardly see any difference when I go to the hairdresser. Yet, I have always been confident that this vague style is what suits me best. So, instead of having to utter the immortal ‘well nothing too different, just a trim, keep it long, retain the shape – maybe let me know what you think we can do with the fringe?’ (my cue for them to try and use their imagination on something), which is usually followed later by the stylist going ‘what do you want me to do with the fringe?’, all this pressure was relieved by knowing that Sylvie was going to confidently work her magic (and hopefully transform me into a supermodel like those from her previous career…a girl can dream…).

As I sat down, she duly delivered on her promise. We spent at least 15 minutes discussing my face shape – oval – which I’d already defined myself from those face charts in teen magazines back in the day. However, it wasn’t until now that I’d really understood what that meant and what the implications were. In fact, they can’t even be discussed until we’ve factored in the form of my neck and shoulders. She showed me from different angles that whilst my neck is long as seen from the back and sides, it actually looks shorter at the front because of the high angle of my ‘trapezium’ – aka the triangles joining my neck to my shoulders. Suddenly I understand the link to her architectural background – Sylvie observes your features like an architect, a designer, an artist – and she uses a mix of art and science to create the most aesthetically pleasing forms. It’s like I’m her living work of art!

Our mission now is to do everything to try and make my neck look longer and more elegant. This means keeping my hair at at least mid-length, so that when it falls in front, it breaks the triangular angle of my trapezium and creates the illusion of a longer neck. Sylvie explained that I could never really pull off hair shorter than my shoulder as it would make me look unnecessarily wide – this was so great to hear from a professional! I’d always suspected a bob wouldn’t suit me, despite the occasional fantasy otherwise, but now I know that I will never be able to do the Jean Seberg, alas.

The oval shape of my face produces more ramifications – taking all my hair off my face would make it subtly too long; pinning it high on my head would do likewise; a long fringe would make the face look too wide, as would having my hair poker straight and half covering my cheeks. She set to work on crafting me a halfway-house fringe, and opening up my face with outward facing layers around my cheeks. And she cuts the hair while it’s dry so as to see immediately how it is reacting.

La Nouvelle Athènes oozes elegance

Happily, she told me that I didn’t need any drastic changes, but rather some subtle improvements. As she finished a short time later, I could immediately see what she was talking about. She said that while I didn’t need any styling products (which is convenient as she doesn’t use them and I don’t like them), she simply rubbed some Nivea face cream on her hands and gently through the bottom of my hair to alleviate some static. She described to me the best ways to style it and explained that it was a cut designed to last, that I shouldn’t think about another cut before 3 months have passed. It was refreshing not to hear someone tell me to call them in 6 weeks, which typically precedes the hard sell on the products – La Nouvelle Athènes does not offer you any products to buy (they’re not even behind the reception desk gazing at you). I was liking this place more and more.

The great thing about my experience was that I left feeling like an absolute princess. I hadn’t just got the latest cut off page 33 of Hair magazine like 20 of her previous clients, but rather I had my very own special haircut, unique to me. If I’d wanted, I could have extended it by asking for an eyebrow tweeze, or make-up and nails. And even better, the prices are incredibly modest for the value of the experience. I would highly recommend a visit whether you live in Paris or are just passing through (Sylvie and her modest team all speak fluent English). I am already counting down to my return.

www.lanouvelleathenes.com

Cut and blow-dry €70 / Colouring from €35

Consequently this month’s Magathèque has been specially adapted to bring you some movie miniatures from darlings of the Academy.

One of the interesting things about short film is how separate it often seems from its feature film counterpart. Directors often use a short as a springboard to bigger things – that’s to say more high-profile, longer films – and don’t go back to it later. But it’s often the case that the best short films haven’t been made by famous feature directors. Instead they tend to be made by directors who are much more used to working with the short form – by cutting their teeth on music videos or adverts for example. Whilst this is not a hard and fast rule, often short films made by feature directors later in their career can be a disappointment – with budget and show overtaking the concerns for a good story and execution.

Nevertheless there are of course some treasures to be discovered, if you have the patience. Luckily for you I’ve done the work on your behalf and am proud to present you with an award-worthy collection of short films from directors who have all won or been nominated for an Oscar. Enjoy!

World Cinema by the Coen Brothers

●        Won Best Screenwriting for Fargo and No Country for Old Men.
●        Won Best Achievement in Directing and Best Picture for No Country for Old Men.

Commissioned for the ‘Chacun son Cinéma’ collection to celebrate 60 years of the Cannes Film Festival, the Coen Brothers give us Josh Brolin as a cowboy trying to decide between two works of world cinema. As with most Coen Brothers films, it’s better watched than explained, and at three minutes long, you really have nothing to lose.

Foutaises by Jean-Pierre Jeunet

●        Nominated for Best Screenplay for Amelie.

Dating back to 1989, you can already see the seeds of Amelie and all her adorable quirks being sewn in Jeunet’s short which won the César Award for Best Short Film that year (César = French Oscar). Starring one of his long-term muses – Dominique Pinon (Delicatessen) – we go on a rollercoaster ride with the main character to things that he likes and dislikes. And as always with a Jeunet film, you can’t help but look at the world slightly differently afterwards.

La Concejala Antropofaga (The Cannibalistic Councillor) by Pedro Almodovar

●        Won Best Foreign Film Oscar for All About my Mother (Todo sobre mi madre) in 2000.
●        Won Best Screenplay Oscar for Talk to her (Hable con Ella) in 2003.

Pedro Almodovar returns to his roots with the production of his first short film for 30 years. Labelled “a daring and intelligent act of hooliganism” by one critic, it was born as a sequel from his latest film, Los Abrazos Rotos (Broken Embraces) which stars Almodovar’s favorite actress and muse Penelope Cruz.

The director crafted a highly witty monologue for Carmen Machi, who plays a minor character in the feature. And the Cannibalistic reference in the title is not a red herring – only in Almodovar!

Discipline of DE by Gus van Sant

●        Nominated for Best Director for Good Will Hunting and Best Achievement in Directing for Milk.

“DE is a way of doing. It is a way of doing everything you do. DE simply means doing whatever you do in the easiest most relaxed way you can manage which is also the quickest and most efficient way, as you will find as you advance in DE.”

These are the word of William Burroughs, to whom we owe a great debt for inspiring van Sant to make his first short film, way back in 1982. It may be March and past New Year’s Resolution season, but it’s never too late to rethink one’s daily habits…

A Sense of History by Mike Leigh

●        Nominated for six Oscars, Leigh has yet to win an award.

The longest of our shorts here, A Sense of History clocks in at around half an hour. However it’s worth getting comfortable for this hilarious tragic-comic spoof documentary. Jim Broadbent plays the 23rd Earl of Leete who reveals some unsettling secrets about his family, and what he’s done with most of them…

Everyone helps prepare the meal at PariGourmand

Your evenings and weekends may generally be occupied by going to the gym or hitting the local cocktail bars. However, there is a new activity in town – less waistline-friendly and hangover-inducing, but much more original and fun: it’s the cooking class.

Certainly in Paris, the capital of cuisine, every week seems to bring a new upstart offering classes on how to cook – be it fine French meals, palatable pastries or chocolate chef d’oeuvres. To begin my culinary cultivation, I booked myself onto a half day course at PariGourmand.

PariGourmand is the creation of Myriam-Claire Escario, who set up her culinary venture nine years ago. I was invited to her apartment in the stylish 9^th arrondissement for a Saturday class, which started at a respectable 10.30am.

The first thing to note is that at PariGourmand, you cook the meal collectively. This takes a lot less time and is great for camaraderie. At the end of the lesson – lunchtime, conveniently – you all eat the meal together.  We all positioned ourselves around the work surface and rolled up our sleeves.

Our group was made up of nine students – in this instance a family of four with two teenage daughters, and a mixture of other young individuals. According to Myriam, there is no “typical” clientele – and enthusiastic foodies include groups: work outings 0r hen dos; and individuals: women sending their boyfriends/husbands, amateur chefs looking to expand their repertoire and men learning to cook for the first time.

It’s also worth noting that Myriam speaks excellent English – I observed this first hand as we had a non-French speaking student in our class.

We were be tackling a three-course meal, but not necessarily cooking it in that order! In fact we began with the dessert – a deadly chocolate creation which actually made something extremely sophisticated from French childhood favourite the ‘Carambar’ (a chewy caramel sweet). Luckily for you dear readers, I charmed Myriam into giving us the recipe! You can find it at the bottom of this article.

The delicious Moroccan-style lamb

We soon moved on to a leek ‘tarte tatin’. Even the title was a revelation to me as I had always thought that apples were the exclusive fruit of the tarte tatin, but apparently not… The essence of this dish is cooking it the right way up and serving it the wrong way up so you can see the ‘fruit’ in all its glory. At the same time that we were preparing this I was taking care of caramelizing some lamb – cooking it in the hob for three minutes each side to cook the meat whilst retaining the juices. Incidentally one should never spear one’s meat as this lets all of the juicy goodness out!

This was just one of the many valuable tips and tricks Myriam shared – another was the 10/100/1000 rule, according to which, to cook the perfect pasta you need 10g of salt per 100g of pasta in 1 litre of water. Of course I can’t give all the secrets away – for that you should book a class!

The lamb was magically transformed into a delicious Moroccan-inspired dish combining pistachios, coriander, mint leaves, parsley and tomatoes. As we waited for it all to cook, Myriam’s lovely mother served us champagne which improved an already excellent atmosphere!

Myriam is a great teacher; like your favourite teacher from primary school – eager to impart knowledge, and simultaneously warm-hearted and approachable. Or perhaps she is like a particularly maternal aunt or grandmother. In any case, I had filled myself with so much good info and food on leaving that I felt like I just wanted to give her a big hug and schedule my next visit!

Whilst the backbone of PariGourmand is its lessons, the experience can go much further than that. On request she will also take you to the market beforehand so you can choose the best fresh products together. There is an option for wine tasting, with live piano music on a dazzling baby grand in the dining room. If you need help preparing for a dinner party, PariGourmand can help with this, whatever your budget. In short, PariGourmand comes highly recommended by Running in Heels, whatever your Parisian culinary requirements may be.

For more information, see the PariGourmand website.

Myriam with the finished Carambar Tart..

Carambar Tart with blended chocolate and peanuts

Serves 4-6 people, depending on appetites!

For the base: Crush the biscuits in a freezer bag . Melt 70g butter and mix the crushed biscuits with the melted butter in a mixing bowl. Spread the mixture out in a pre-greased tin. Put this in the freezer while you prepare the ganache.

Melt the Carambars in the cream over a light heat, stirring constantly. Break the chocolate into small pieces in a large bowl and pour the mixture on top – stirring constantly until it’s well mixed-in.

Take the base out of the freezer and pour the ganache over the top. Put in the fridge for at least 2 hours. You can also prepare the dessert the night before your dinner party. The tart can be garnished with roasted and/or salted peanuts or (if you make the ganache using dark chocolate only) you can add a red fruit coulis to the ganache and scatter fresh raspberries on the top.

On s’embrasse – Pierre-Olivier

I can’t believe I’ve waited eight Magathèques to get this film in, which I make a habit of showing at as many screenings as possible. The honesty and fragility in this performance has tugged hard at my heart strings more than once, even if I’m still on the fence about what I think the ending means…

Sweet - James Pilkington

Many moons before The Mighty Boosh, Noel Fielding played Pete Sweet – a somewhat lonely character from Camden who fills the void by creating an imaginary girlfriend.

Hotel Chevalier – Wes Anderson

With Anderson’s characteristic rich colours and wry direction, the magnetism and beauty of Schwatrzmann and Portman, and Paris as a backdrop, everything is in line for a great short film – and it doesn’t disappoint. This short is the first part of Anderson’s Indian feature adventure The Darjeeling Limited – although it stands up excellently on its own – and was shown in cinemas before each screening of the feature. If the quality as anywhere near as good as in this case, I very much hope this will be a model for other film releases to come.

Solkatten – Stina Bergman

I can honestly never say I’ve had a waiting room experience as exciting as this one – Swedish director Bergman shows us the explosive potential of a little imagination and a lack of dialogue.

Noodles – Jordan Feldman

Another muted encounter, this time across a crowded room, which makes unashamed use of one of the sluttiest songs I think I’ve ever heard (Romuald’s A Strange Light in Your Eyes).

Never like the first time (trailer) – Jonas Odell

Alas I can only give you the trailer for this, but so heart-thumpingly and eye-poppingly dazzling is Odell’s docu-animation, that’s it’s worth making an exception. Using the voiceovers of 4 people discussing the drastically different circumstances of how they lost their virginity, Odell’s exquisitely crafted sketches have you mesmerized every step of the way.

Horny – Lev

An animation of an altogether different kind, internet sensation and animator-wunderkid Lev gets some rather steamy thoughts off his plate and onto paper – yep, Lev’s ‘Horny’.

Jojo in the Stars – Marc Craste

Marc Craste’s Bafta-winning short film is about as tender as an animation can get. The price of love is never too high for our hero in his quest to rescue JoJo, the silver-plated trapeze artist. A tale of love, self-sacrifice, heroism and murderous jealousy in a world that is both nightmarish and hauntingly beautiful. Interestingly, the film was inspired by “The Carny”, a song by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.

You are my High – Fabien Dufils

I should really be more sensitive to clichés about the French seeing as I live in Paris, but alas I have to declare that I can’t imagine any other nation producing such an unashamedly erotic video. This gem from 2001 has one of the dirtiest bass lines I’ve ever heard, which is perfectly accompanied by the heady visuals of a couple (boy+girl/girl+girl?) enjoying a good old French kiss.

She Loves me, She Loves me not – Jamie Rafn

The course of true love rarely runs smooth, and Jamie Rafn’s short is a fine example of the maxim at work. I doubt there’s a soul among us who hasn’t experienced more than one of the sketches which represent the alternating petals that our hero tears from the flower (Hence She Loves me, She loves me not…), but will he escape the Guinness the second time around?

Inside Out – The Guard Brothers

Not since Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet has a window played such an instrumental role in love at first sight. If you ever thought that Oxford Street was one of the least romantic places in the world, maybe this little clip will have you thinking again.

Tolya – Rodeon Brodsky

Cinema with a level of integrity and sensitivity that we’ve come to expect from the excellent Sam Spiegel school in Israel, former student Brodsky gives us Tolya – a man who fights to transmit his affection to his loved-one against all the odds.

The Last Farm – Runar Runarsson

Every time I watch The Last Farm I feel like a part of my soul leaves my body and joins the film’s protagonist. There is only one short film that has ever made me weep, and it’s this one. A true miniature masterpiece, Icelandic director Runarsson reminds us of the meaning of ‘til death do us part – except that parting comes more easily to some than others.

Daynà's Paris-India Herbal Hair Oil

Daynà was born from the combined talents of hair colouring professional Pascal Tribouillier and creative business developer Gil Grillo. During a joint visit to India some ten years ago, both became fascinated by Indian Ayurdevic traditions in hair care (some over 3000 years old…) and the possibility of bringing them to the Western market. Just a few years later and the fruits of their efforts are visible to see in Daynà – the critically and commercially successful range of natural hair products and treatments.

Pascal’s haircare profile is impressive, and its easy to see why his name is frequently litters the pages of Elle, Marie Claire and other publications from month to month as a consultant hair colour expert. He cut his teeth in Paris’ high end salons and has worked between Milan and Paris for the last 20 years, gathering credits from fashion shows (Gianni Versace among others), modeling agencies, stage, television and cinema.

He began experimenting with oil and plant mixtures and Indian techniques to see how this area could be used to complement his existing work as a hair colorist. The quest to develop a line of natural products designed to give health and shine to all types of hair, which would be distributed in hair and beauty salons, had begun.

Daynà sees itself as a cultural meeting point between the Indian and Western populations, supporting local Indian hair care traditions and knowledge, and proclaiming their qualities to the Western world.

Pascal and Gil were inspired by Gandhi’s maxim:

I must confess that, between economics and ethics, I do not draw a sharp line, but I make a distinction.

In their own words: “Sensitive to the Indian people and to human rights in general, the various partners in this project all subscribe to the idea of being “citizens of the world”.  In that way, their practices respect people and the environment, follow ethical and equitable commerce, and maintain a maximum of transparency in each step of the process.”

The Ancient Ayurvedic Hair Treatment

Daynà’s range is about 50% Ayurdevic – which means 100% pure Indian ingredients – while the rest are made of a mixture with more Western ingredients, creating a treatment suitable for Western hair, which has typically seen more blow-drying and colouring than the average head of Indian hair. However, all of Daynà products are 100% natural. That means: no preservatives, no anti-oxidants, no synthetic perfumes or petrochemical derivatives, and absolutely no testing on animals. Daynà are also respectful of the environment in the production of their products and hence their (minimal) packaging is made from 100% natural and recyclable materials, including glass bottles and cork stoppers.

Furthermore, their Indian suppliers are located in villages in Southern India to keep the populations far from the over-populated cities; the company who looks after their freight and tax clearance is devoted to the reinsertion of socially fragile individuals into society by providing them with work; and their business is highly conscious of CO2 responsibility. In short, buying Daynà is good for the hair, the environment and your conscience!

One of the best ways to discover Daynà’s products and how to get the best from them, is to book a treatment with Pascal himself (this can be done in Paris, Barcelona or Milan). During the treatment, Pascal will apply the purest Daynà products to your hair – so pure that he doesn’t make them available for sale as they require expert application (and removal). Combined with a relaxing Ayurdevic head massage, this experience leaves you immediately relaxed and later on, ultra-energised.

Daynà products start at €12 for the Indian Ayurdevic Hair and Body Soap, while the hair oils and shampoo retail at €36 each. You can indulge in a luxury one-on-one treatment from Pascal for just €60.

To find out more, visit the Daynà website or you can purchase Daynà products online at Oanisha and Natural Glam.

Our theme is travel. I doubt I am the only one among you who has spent too much time on planes, trains and in cars in recent weeks – it is alas one of the perils of the holiday season. It’s rather ironic since as I type this, I’m stranded in my family home on the top of a hill that we can get neither up nor down in any efficient mode of transport…

Join me for a journey that begins with the theme of preparing to travel, followed by its perils and joys respectively.

Preparing to travel

The lunch date – Adam Davidson

Every few years a film student directs a short so phenomenal that he seals his place in history even if he never subsequently directs a feature to equal its greatness. Indeed, Davidson has yet to blow our socks off in the long form, having established himself as a reputable TV director, complemented by a number of Tony Award-winning Broadway credits. But I wait patiently. This Oscar-winning short film from 1989 is an immaculately crafted tale of urban morality that merits watching again and again and again.

Solkatten – Stina Bergman

Translating from the Swedish as Reflections of the Sun, this non-dialogue short proves that the subtle combination of a pocket watch, sunlight, two strangers’ desires a little risqué behaviour, can be explosive.

Bad travel

Spider – Nash Edgerton

Multi-talented Australian stuntman/actor/director Nash Edgerton delivered another outstanding tale in 2007 with Spider, which features the director as the male lead. This is the perfect tool to prove once and for all to your boyfriend that he should never buy you gifts from a petrol station.

J’attendrai le suivant - Philippe Orreindy

This 2002 Oscar-nominee for best live action short serves as a good warning about opening one’s heart to anyone on the underground. The phrase ‘you don’t know whether to laugh or cry’ may be a well-worn cliché, but the finale of this film makes you realise that it’s a most deserving recipient of this sentiment.

Alice et Moi – Micha Wald

Poor, poor Simon. A modern-day St Sebastian, ‘Alice et Moi’ sees him assaulted by arrows of pain and distress from all angles during a painful car journey with his interfering Aunt Mala and her two friends. Trying to stop his relationship with dancer Alice from crumbling during a series of interspersed phonecalls, his passengers prove to be back seat drivers of the couple’s tragic destiny as well as the car, which in turn drives Simon to the depths of despair, much to our amusement.

Good travel

Merci! – Christine Rabette

This is a little buried treasure which I’ve overheard described as the ‘best short film ever’ by more than one programmer in my time. Although surrounded by people – often uncomfortably so – a train can be such an anonymous place. But just once in a while something comic or tragic serves to bring us all together. Reassuringly, swine flu is not the only contagious bug you risk catching in a carriage.

Juliette on stage in Paris

Sometimes I like to play a little game with myself: I like to wonder what different people I see in the street would be like if they were famous. I definitely recommend it as it’s surprising how instantaneously more attractive the most uninteresting males can become when you imagine them in a rock band, on the silver screen; or just the red carpet. The other part of my game reverses the process: what would celebrities be like if they weren’t famous? Can you imagine said movie star behind a checkout counter? Or a bar? I think there are only two celebrities for whom this question troubles me. The first is Jim Carrey. The second is Juliette Lewis.

Lewis has impressed the socks off me in pretty much every film I’ve seen her in – notably Natural Born Killers, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape and Kalifornia. I’ve long admired not only her acting skills, but the fact that she really appears to have zero fear. I don’t doubt her true talents have helped her to play crazy lunatics like Mallory in Natural Born Killers, but I have always wondered to what extent the lady is a little loony herself. In short, I cannot imagine this woman in a job that doesn’t involve performing. Shop Assistant? No. Nurse? Never. Teacher? A definite liability. In fact, when Juliette enters the stage I wonder how she ever had the discipline to work on film sets, which can so often be tedious places, even for an actor. Hyperactivity is running in every vein and out of every pore of her body. You can hear it in every note she sings.

We’re at the historic Alhambra Live Music venue in central Paris. After a very commendable supporting slot from London band Scanners, Juliette took to the stage draped in an elaborate Japanese-inspired floor-length red chiffon headdress. When she rips it off, she unveils a combination that I have been scouring eBay and charity shops ever since in an attempt to recreate – a bolero comprised of iridescent crows feathers, a rich blue lace bodice, black and gold harlequin hotpants, and sequinned leggings.

If she had stood still, she would have held my attention, but the moment that the guts kick into her first song it is like a bomb went off – a bomb which kept exploding over and over for the next hour. She simply did not stop moving and if she didn’t have a crick in her neck the following day from shaking her head every which way imaginable, then I’m Brad Pitt (who, incidentally, became her boyfriend following their stint together in Kalifornia).

Ever the performer...

And she can absolutely sing. It’s a shame that artists get such a bad rap for moving between different audiovisual media: going from acting to singing has developed a stigma which is less pertinent is you go in the other direction. I blame for the most part the rather unimpressive Hollywood males who have indulged themselves in critically un-acclaimed music making (Russell Crowe, Keanu Reeves, even Johnny Depp – please stand up). But Juliette has talent – not just musically, but she has a true perfomer’s stage presence and a tangible desire to entertain.

She’s refreshingly intimate and honest during the set, often giving us insight into the inspirations from her songs (including a recent crush on a younger, Australian man, who she indulged in long transatlantic phone conversations with, during which he recounted his unrequited love for another girl – there’s something reassuring in knowing that even Hollywood superstars aren’t immune to this!). At one point she discusses how the previous year had been a difficult one – with both a relationship break-up and the separation from her band ‘The Licks’. My personal highlight of the gig was the song ‘Sticky Honey’ – a track which is indeed from her time with the Licks. Whilst I definitely overplayed when it came out in 2007, it still sounded great live. Noche sin fin and Terra Incognita (the latter being the title of her new album) are also loud and proud rock epics which Juliette puts 110% into delivering.

Juliette and her band have just finished their European tour in the UK, so until she hits the road again I’m recommending you hit YouTube for clips, or why not check out the film Strange Days in which she plays a rock singer and you can get a little taste of her stage talent from way back in 1995 (I’m still struggling to believe she’s 33 – she seems to have had ten lives).

Listen to Juliette Lewis and her band on Myspace where you can also get information about her tour dates. New album Terra Incognita is out now.

Atelic by Duckeye

Directing duo DuckEye are Jey Malaiperuman and Kate Freeland, who began by directing visuals for concerts and count Sigur Ros, Leaves, Zero 7 and MTV among their impressive list of clients. The inventive techniques they developed from early low-budget projects (think black and white printouts of bands, cardboard model sets, desk lamps and torches for lights) had given them a unique and imaginative aesthetic which has become their trademark.

On their website they declare that they like the idea that ‘people will think “how did they do that?”’ This indeed is what I thought after seeing Atelic for the first time, and am still thinking after my tenth viewing.

Combining relatively simple, but highly effective choreography by Alexander Whitley, dancers from the Rambert Dance Company – renowned for its contemporary and innovative approach to dance – feature in this awe-inspiring motion control test film which was created for the company’s ‘Season of New Choreography’.

Atelic from duckeyejey on Vimeo.

Way Too Blue by C.Neeon

An incredible example of how movement and both music and video editing can all combine to dazzling effect. This is actually a promotional video for a fashion collection (rapidly becoming a preferred alternative to the catwalk show – cf Gareth Pugh) but has the look and feel of a super slick music video, set to a hypnotic mash up of Mr Timberlake’s ‘Like I Love You’.

Drop (music video for The Pharcyde) by Spike Jonze

Arguably one of the most innovative film directors of the modern age – he’s proved himself in short film, feature film and music video (although it is often in his early music videos that we find the rawest expression of his talent) – Spike Jonze rarely fails to inspire. This clip for The Pharcyde’s 1995 track ‘Drop’ features the band members moving backwards (there is definitely some dance in there…), while the clip is also played backwards. This creates the strange illusion that everything is moving forwards, and that it’s normal for someone’s shirt to raise up from the floor and onto someone’s back, for example.

First Big Break music video for Cut Chemist by Eyestorm

This clip is the first ever music video shot with a 360 degree panoramic lens. Created by the uber-cool crew at Eyestorm Productions, this is a masterpiece of innovation. If you’ve ever felt destablised by a wide angle lens (see Luv Deluxe in last month’s Magathèque for an example), you haven’t felt anything yet…

Sylvie Guillem / Russell Maliphant / Michael Hulls – Two

The awe-inspiring talent of Mlle Guillem, combined with the cutting-edge choreography of Russell Maliphant and the groundbreaking work from his lighting designer Michael Hulls have combined to create this mesmerising piece which I saw live last year and testify to its breathtaking innovation.

Weightless by Erika Janunger

It’s difficult to take your eyes off Swedish artist and designer Erika Janunger’s short film Weightless. Whilst films that create the illusion of defying gravity are nothing new – we saw it as far back as Fred Astaire – Januger takes it to a new level. The dancers seem paradoxically weighed down by their weightlessness – it’s a complete state of mind and body that is entrapping them, as communicated beautifully by both the dancing and the acting of its two lead dancers Malin Stattin and Tuva Lundkvist.

This was Januger’s masters project, for which she impressively crafted all the choreography, interior design, direction and music herself.

Take time out to relax with the girls

France’s proximity – both geographical and cultural – to North Africa, has created an extremely authentic spa culture which sets it apart from many other Western European countries. Over here the word is ‘Hammam’ – which can refer to both the steam room and the overall experience. Of all the French spas I’ve tested to date, O’Kari was certainly the one that succeeding in making me forget that I was in Paris (despite its central location) and transported me to some unknown exotic country and a level of relaxation and luxury that was hitherto unknown to me.

O’Kari describes itself as an authentic hammam which employs authentic techniques brought up to date for the urban and contemporary woman. It has a timeless ambience with décor inspired by Greek, Roman and Oriental baths, and just this week celebrates its first anniversary. Based in the vaults beneath an impressive 18^th century townhouse, O’Kari is a female-only spa, with female staff. Whilst we are perhaps a bit too old to say that ‘boys are dirty’ there is nonetheless something reassuring about knowing that only women have been there before you. Plus it’s a great opportunity to spend some time with the girls! It is also appointment-only and one of only a handful of spas to be open in Paris on a Sunday.

The emphasis at O’Kari is on delivering a quality experience to a smaller number of clients. Whilst at Paris’ well-known Mosquée Hammam, for example, you will share the facilities with at least another 100 women at any one time, at O’Kari I crossed paths with around another six and I was there for over two hours. The facilities are naturally smaller, but exquisitely designed and maintained. As I reclined in the steam room (inflatable pillow provided) I looked up to an arched ceiling patterned with tiny lights that shone like the stars of a night sky. I was momentarily disturbed only to be attended to by two assistants who proceeded to coat me in the mandatory black soap (‘savon noir’), before I returned to my relaxation and let it soak in.

Having begun to relax and de-stress, I was taken for the treatment. I lay down on a surprisingly comfortable marble table and during the 45 minute treatment that followed, came close to falling sleep more than once. This was despite the fact that the treatment included the mandatory body scrub where they removed a disturbing amount of dead skin, a soaping with the renowned Aleppo soap and hair shampoo including a full head massage. I could barely summon the will to move afterwards! Luckily I didn’t have to strain myself too much to move into the nearby jacuzzi. Whilst reflecting on the astounding quality of the treatment (it was a rare treat not to get up and feel that I’d been shortchanged on both quality and duration) I was handed a complimentary refreshing (non-alcoholic) cocktail. Bliss.

Refreshments O'Kari style

After more lounging, sipping, sighing and perspiring I was able to extract myself and go and get changed, where a beauty table with complimentary access to hairdryer, creams, cotton buds/pads and other treats awaited. Finally, as I wound down, O’Kari’s founder Karima presented me with mint tea and some delicious oriental pastries, which are standard with every package bought (a full menu is also available).

My package (O’Kari Découverte) cost €90. An additional massage would increase the price to €150 and you can add other treatments (and extend the duration of your access to all the facilities) all the way up to the O’Kari Prestige package at €330. Whilst the prices are certainly higher than an average Parisian spa, O’Kari is not your average Parisian spa and I can wholeheartedly declare that for a treat, €90 is an absolute steal.

Furthermore, until November 30^th if you buy the €199 package (and attend from Monday to Friday), a second person can attend for €1 (details here) – and even better, for any package purchased, O’Kari is offering Running in Heels readers an exclusive free honey and rose mask treatment (worth €80). I for one will definitely be paying another visit.

www.o-kari.com

The festival is one of those rare examples in the film world of public meets industry. Film festivals usually tend to be geared more towards one audience than the other, but in this case, I really couldn’t decide where its allegiances lay – and I am pleased to say that I left satisfied on both a personal and professional level. Let me explain: it claims to be an all night gothic-style carnival of animation entertainment and certainly lived up to this promise – entering Paris’ famous La Pagode cinema, I was greeted by hostesses bedecked in top and tails and a genuine gypsy band playing in full throe. Before the films began we were treated to some cabaret by a singing dwarf and a larger lady whose breasts were covered by a bikini made of two eye-shaped discs. Eyes indeed were a running theme of the festival – the subtitle is ‘All you need are eyes’, and eyeballs are scattered across the predominantly black promotional material. However, as the show began, the evidence was mounting that this was something more than one of the hundreds of semi-professional short film festivals that Paris spoils its inhabitants with every year. Firstly, we were treated to one of the most impressive idents I think I’ve ever seen open a film festival:

and I quickly spotted an extremely high-powered international judging panel were listed on the programme, comprising buyers from renowned TV channels, as well as heads of production companies, distribution labels, and representatives from advertising agencies.

On a subsequent fuller examination, I learned that the Hyde Tube’s raison d’etre was to showcase rising directing/animating talent, and to link these individuals up with interested commissioners from ad agenices and production companies. Their method is both rather cryptic and innovative – they don’t give you the full names of any of the directors (and encourage the artists to remove them from the credits) so that commissioners are forced to pass by ‘Mr Hyde’ to organise a commission.

Essentially this is a great idea (if not foolproof, as often Googling the film’s title leads you straight to a director’s website which facilitates direct contact) because there is a huge amount of talent out there, and a lot of money waiting to be spent by ad agencies and other production companies, and yet there is a lack of structured communication between the two. Unless you have secured yourself an agent, or you’ve been signed to a production company, the process of commissioning can be both intimidating for directors and riddled with the potential to be taken advantage of, in the interests of increasing your chances of receiving a better paid commission afterwards…

So, the concept is good, but what about the content?

The festival itself was divided into three parts: 50 minutes of 2D, then 3D, then a mix. I caught the first section (2D) and was pleasantly surprised to find a really high quality and enjoyable collection.

The Can was a particularly inventive animation from Carlos Lascano about a man who is glueing posters to walls and who observes their characters come to life and interact with each other. Narratively it’s very charming, while aesthetically the colours are rich and the images have a lovely sketchy texture. The worlds of art and commerce collide once again as this piece was produced for a project organised by Red Bull with the University of Applied Arts in Vienna – consequently we do indeed see a little product placement. For more of Lascano’s work you can check out his Short Love Story in Stop Motion.

Next up was Forget – a music video for Vania and the Master by ‘Mr Fragstein, Mrs Oliveira and Mr Reichartz’. Mrs Oliveira ia indeed Vania – and she was absolutely involved in the creation of the animation. It was actually championed by Kanye West on his blog in May (if his opinion on animation interests you) although it made its first theatrical début at the Hyde Tube Festival. Architecture and design graduate Fragstein speaks a little about its genesis in the comment thread on Vimeo here where he explains that he did the video as a distraction from drawing doors and windows all day long, and it appears that the deluge of positive comments have persuaded him to do even more animation, which I will eagerly await to see.

Obras by Lorenzo Petrantoni was another highly skilled monochrome piece set to the Waltz made famous by Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut.

Stagger Lee was a work in progress music video by Milo Waterfield using the music of the Marseille Figs (over 200 interpretations of the story’s song have been recorded to date). Set in a St Louis bar-room in 1895, the story centres on the tale of the notorious ‘Stag’ Lee Shelton, who shot a certain Billy Lyons after the latter stole his Stetson Hat. Meanwhile, Le Trésor de Thérèse (French version watchable and downloadable from the site here) by Cedric Villain was a charming piece produced in conjunction with the ‘Défidéfou’ competition run by the excellent Fous d’anim animation resource. Last year’s theme (for their 13th edition) was fear of the number 13, while you can find out more about this year’s project – based on Alice in Wonderland – here.

Chimpan-Alley was a short and sweet piece by Robert Greives and Tom Munday which pans along an apparently normal 1950s London street, which becomes increasing abnormal as we witness that all our human characters have the heads of animals.

Whilst the highly accomplished Mr Cok by Franck Dion (viewable on their website here) took home the best 2D animation award, my personal trophy would have gone to Christophe Blanc’s Super, which was both well animated and very witty. His seven minute short film – which is viewable in seven one-minute versions on his website (alas non-embeddable) – had the audience, including myself, in stitches, with its slightly less than ‘super’ hero. Definitely worth a visit to the website here.

I can only imagine that the 3D and mixed sections were equally stimulating, although I’m glad I focused in on the 2D as that’s generally where I find the greatest imagination, whereas 3D animation is all starting to look a little bit the same. In any case, I would encourage you to decide for yourself as clips from most participating films are available on their website here.