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Napflix: Spaniards launch very boring TV channel for siestas

A new film platform promises to help bring on a siesta, by only offering the very dullest of content.

Napflix: Spaniards launch very boring TV channel for siestas
Photo: Dickukne / Flickr

Spaniards Víctor de Tena and Francesc Bonet came up with the idea to create Napflix, an online channel that provides very boring video content, ideal to bring on a nap.

“We all know the feeling of insomnia. Your body wants to sleep but your mind is still awake and active. So how can we steady up our mind,” the creators explain on the channel, launched this week.

“Napflix is a video platform where you can find the most silent and sleepy content selection to relax your brain and easily fall asleep”.

The content includes a two-hour lectures from a physics professor at Yale explaining the complexities of Einstein, or if you fear that might be too stimulating for the brain, how about 54 minutes watching chickens turn on a rotisserie?

“There’s a lot of videos on youtube that we were able to put on our channel that will really help people to sleep,” De Tena told Cadena Ser on Wednesday.

“For example a game of cricket really is very boring,” he explained.

Controversially no doubt, the channel also includes some sporting events, a clip of the Tour de France in 1992, an entire baseball match, and a ski-jumping competition.

“We choose the content based on how boring it is, or for the elevator music that sometimes goes with it,” De Tena explained.

Curling also makes an appearance, as does the Pétanque PPF Tour, complete with French commentary and for those die-hard insomniacs, a four hour clip of the World Chess Championship match in Chennai, 2013.

For those who can’t think of anything duller than a spot of high culture, there is a recording of the San Francisco Opera production of Aida or choose Swan Lake at the Kirov Theatre in Leningrad to help you snooze.

Film buffs are challenged to keep their eyes open through Code Name K.O.Z voted “the worst film voted by IMDb Users” or the 2011 American “experimental epic drama” The Tree of Life.

Napflix also offers more obviously soothing  content, such as waves lapping on a tropical beach, cars driving through the rain on a highway, a crackling fireplace or an eight hour film showing a candle burning down.

“We’re taking siesta to the next level,” said De Tena.

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FILM

French films with English subtitles to watch in November

As days get shorter and temperatures drop, November is a great month to enjoy a warm and comforting moment at the cinema. Here’s a round up of the French movies with English subtitles to see in Paris this month.

Cinema in France
Photo: Loic Venance/AFP

The cinema group Lost in Frenchlation runs regular screenings of French films in the capital, with English subtitles to help non-native speakers follow the action. The club kicks off every screening with drinks at the cinema’s bar one hour before the movie, so it’s also a fun way to meet people if you’re new to Paris.

These are the events they have coming up in November.

Friday, November 5th

Boîte Noire – What happened on board the Dubai-Paris flight before it crashed in the Alps? In this thriller Matthieu, a young and talented black box analyst played by Pierre Niney (star of Yves Saint-Laurent among other movies) is determined to solve the reason behind this deadly crash, no matter the costs. 

The screening will take place at the Club de l’étoile cinema at 8pm. But you can arrive early for drinks at the bar from 7pm. 

Tickets are €10 full price, €8 for students and all other concessions, and can be reserved here.

Sunday, November 14th

Tralala – In the mood for music? This new delightful French musical brings you into the life of Tralala (played by Mathieu Amalric), a 48 years old, homeless and worn-out street singer, who one day gets mistaken for someone else. Tralala sees an opportunity to get a better life by taking on a new personality. He now has a brother, nephews, ex-girlfriends, and maybe even a daughter. But where is the lie? Where is the truth? And who is he, deep down?

The night will start with drinks from 6pm followed by the screening at 7pm at the Luminor Hôtel de Ville cinema. There is also a two-hour cinema-themed walk where you’ll be taken on a “musicals movie tour” in the heart of Paris, which begins at 4pm.

Tickets cost €10, or €8 for students and concessions, and can be found here. Tickets for the walking tour cost €20 and must be reserved online here.

Thursday, November 18th

Illusions Perdues – Based on the great novel series by Honoré de Balzac between 1837 and 1843, this historical drama captures the writer Lucien’s life and dilemmas who dreams about a great career of writing and moves to the city to get a job at a newspaper. As a young poet entering the field of journalism, he is constantly challenged by his desire to write dramatic and eye-catching stories for the press. But are they all true?

The evening will kick off with drinks at L’Entrepôt cinema bar at 7pm, followed by the movie screening at 8pm. Tickets are available online here, and cost €8.50 full price; €7 for students and all other concessions.

Sunday, November 21st

Eiffel – Having just finished working on the Statue of Liberty, Gustave Eiffel (played by Romain Duris) is tasked with creating a spectacular monument for the 1889 Universal Exposition in Paris. It’s ultimately his love story with Adrienne Bourgès (Emma Mackey) that will inspire him to come up with the idea for the Eiffel Tower.

After a first screening last month, Lost in Frenchlation is organising a new one at the Luminor Hôtel de Ville cinema, with pre-screening drinks at the cinema bar. 

Tickets cost €10, or €8 for students and concessions, and can be found here

Thursday, November 25th

Les Héroïques – Michel is a former junkie and overgrown child who only dreams of motorbikes and of hanging out with his 17-year-old son Léo and his friends. But at 50 years old, he now has to handle the baby he just had with his ex, and try not to make the same mistakes he has done in the past. 

The film will be followed by a Q&A with the director Maxime Roy who will discuss his very first feature. 

Tickets cost €10, or €8 for students and concessions, and can be found here.

Full details of Lost in Frenchlation’s events can be found on their website or Facebook page. In France, a health pass is required in order to go to the cinema.

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