Fostering dialogue with artful endeavor

An iconic guest

With a variety of performing arts shows taking center stage, Festival Croisements also includes theater production The Cherry Orchard this year, a classic play written by Russian author Anton Chekhov (1860-1904) at the beginning of the 20th century and directed by Portuguese director Tiago Rodrigues. It was the opening play for the prestigious Avignon Festival in 2021.

As its name suggests, the play revolves around a family orchard to be sold due to debts. Set against the backdrop of the coming modernity, landowner Lyubov, an extravagant and elusive woman portrayed by the iconic French actress Isabelle Huppert, and Lopakhin, a wealthy businessman born to a family of serfs on the property, as well as a group of other characters, are torn between nostalgia and a mix of hope and unease about future.

Huppert is certain that Chinese audiences will feel the depth of Chekhov's humor and genius through this play, which has just toured Shanghai, Nanjing and Beijing.

As Festival Croisements' guest artist this year, Huppert recalls that during her first stage experience in China — her reading of The Lover by Marguerite Duras in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, Guangdong province in 2017 — she observed how well French culture is received in China. The enthusiasm was renewed during her visit in December with The Glass Menagerie.

She also hopes that Berenice, on which she works with director Romeo Castellucci, will make its way to China after its European tour.

Chinese comedian and director Shen Teng, who serves as the ambassador for this year's Festival Croisements, says that cinema, art and culture transcend borders and languages, enabling audiences to connect and resonate with each other. The festival perfectly embodies this concept.

"We often forget that France is one of the birthplaces of comedy. From theater to cinema, French humor takes on various forms, yet it always touches the heart and offers a perspective on the world through laughter," Shen says.

He adds that he hopes cultural exchanges can allow audiences in both countries to discover more humorous, insightful works with a human touch while inspiring artists and fostering further collaborations between Chinese and French creators.