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La Messe de l’Ane, Cie Ipsul, Olivier de Sagazan
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La Messe de l’Ane, Cie Ipsul, Olivier de Sagazan
© Alexandra Niedomanská

France is being honored at the LUTKE Festival 2024

The largest contemporary puppet festival in the Balkans, the Lutke Festival in Ljubljana, Slovenia, showcased 25 different productions from September 25 to 28, 2024, as part of its 17th edition. France, the most represented foreign country, was particularly honored, with no fewer than 7 performances. 

Updated on 14/10/2024

2 min

The most represented foreign country was France, with 7 productions:

- Pinocchio, Cie S’appelle Reviens, Alice Laloy - Une Maison de Poupées, Cie Plexus Polaire, Ingvild Aspeli - La Messe de l’Ane, Cie Ipsul, Olivier de Sagazan - Balerina, Balerina, Cie le Tas de Sable Che Panses Vertes - Teror, Cie Les Yeux Creux - Opus 2, Théâtre de la Massue, Ézéquiel Garcia-Romeu - Petites histoires sans paroles, L'Alinéa

This strong French presence at the Ljubljana festival was made possible by the support of the IF Incontournable program, from the Institut français Paris, and the Teatoskop initiative, launched in 2011 by the Institut français, the French Ministry of Culture, and the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, aimed at boosting exchanges between France and Southeast Europe in the field of live performance.

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Pinocchio d’Alice Laloy
Pinocchio - Conception et mise en scène : Alice Laloy
© Alexandra Niedomanská

"Pinocchio", by Cie S’appelle Reviens, directed by Alice Laloy, a particularly well-received performance

Presented in the In program of the Avignon Festival in 2021, Pinocchio #Live was immediately praised by the public and lauded by critics. There are no puppets in this version of Pinocchio but instead, children. They enter the stage singing joyfully, only to disappear. 

The audience, seated in a bi-frontal arrangement, sees itself reflected, and from this moment on, nothing is left to chance. The other characters—young adults and adolescents—surround the children, who reappear silent, dressed in white, and, under the eyes of an anxious audience, are transformed into puppets. Laid out on workbenches, they are painted, strings attached to their hands and feet, and sharp noses affixed to their faces. It is not just Alice Laloy, but also the spectators, who project and imagine: from the old children we are, to the parents we might become, or those who have left us. Pinocchio is a meticulously staged experience, with a brilliant performance by the actors, blending with the evocative powers of each spectator—a total experience. 

Promising exchanges between professionals

As a key venue, the Lutke Festival attracts a significant number of professionals. A meeting was organized by its director, Uroš Korenčan, with over 70 international professionals in attendance. This event provided an excellent opportunity for the Institut français, its programs, and the French cultural network abroad to gain visibility, allowing participants to reconnect with key figures and facilitate more informal exchanges following the festival. The meeting included discussions on: 

  • Support mechanisms from the Institut français Paris
  • The Teatroskop program, particularly important in the geographical area where the Lutke Festival takes place, fostering a strong dynamic for local professionals and artists
  • European funding opportunities
  • A presentation of the European project Babel, which brings together 14 partners, including UNIMA (Union Internationale de la Marionnette). 
L'institut français, LAB