Les Inédits d’Amélie is becoming the must-see multi–arts festival in the Vallespir, and is back for a second edition on 25 and 26 August this year.
The originality of Les Inédits lies in its mix of art forms and styles. This fusion of the arts, this ‘melting pot’, is best demonstrated by the Saturday afternoon event ‘Artistes sur la Place’. Local artists are invited to come and work together, side by side, in the main square in the centre of Amélie, in full view of the public. The event is accompanied by “Musiciens sur la Place”, who will be providing the atmosphere for the afternoon through a series of short concerts.
Music runs throughout the festival: from the classical guitar recital with Philippe Holmes in the church of Saint-Martin in Palalda on the Friday afternoon, to the 80s disco that closes the festival late on Saturday night, there’s a wide variety, with jazz, Southern Rock, acoustic guitar, pop/rock, cabaret and Caribbean music (reggae, salsa, cumbia, calypso).
Festival chairman Ian Stephens has concocted his own playlist for the disco: “The 80s was my decade; I was a teenager then and I’ll be reminding the audience of the hit and cult songs from that period, particularly British ‘New Wave’ music. But I also spent time in France in the 80s as a student, so we’ll also have some of my favourite songs from that time too.“
Shoppers in Amélie will be surprised by Troc, an improvised dance show that wanders the streets in search of an audience. And the Place de la République will be transformed into a circus space for a show for the whole family by the Catalan company Nom Provisional on Friday evening. Both shows were picked up by Ian at a Catalan street arts festival he attended last year, Fira Tarrega.
A younger audience is also well catered for, with storyteller Françoise Cadène opening the festivities at the library at 11am on Friday with her show “Autour de la Grande Bleue” (for ages 7 and up), which tackles the theme of water and the health of the planet, a theme that runs throughout the festival. Everyone is then invited to join Maggie and the festival volunteers in transforming the towncentre into a festival zone. Artistic workshops for young people are also being organised as part of the ‘Artistes sur la place’ event on Saturday afternoon (2-6pm).
For the Festival, Amélie will be hosting its very own ‘Barbenheimer’; the films Barbie and Oppenheimer are on the programme at the casino cinema; both in Original Version (English) for local Anglophones and Anglophiles. Festival organisers are promising a Barbie-pink wave through the town for the weekend.
Other Festivals are also crossing paths under the umbrella of Les Inédits. La Micro-Folie d’Amélie is creating its first ‘Micro-Festival’, consisting of a meeting with artist Francesca Caruana at Casa Restany, and an immersive walk, #Exoterritoires, in the company of an astronaut exploring a new planet (helmets and suits must be booked in advance).
And Festival Courts Circuits 66 will be in residence from Wednesday to Saturday (23 to 26 August) at the Micro-Folie with a selection of short films in virtual reality.
For more information, contact Ian Stephens on 06.24.65.00.15, or visit the website: www.lesineditsdamelie.com
