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French court backs Miss France against feminists

A Paris court backed organisers of Miss France in a judgment on Friday that dismissed claims from a feminist group the beauty pageant was discriminatory in the way it selected candidates, one of the plaintiffs said.

Published: 6 January 2023 16:35 CET
Updated: 7 January 2023 10:51 CET

French court backs Miss France against feminists

The Miss France 2023 beauty contest in Deols, central France, on December 17, 2022. (Photo by GUILLAUME SOUVANT / AFP)

The “Osez le feminisme” (Dare to be a Feminist) group, along with three failed contestants, filed a suit against the promoters and producers of Miss France in October 2021, alleging they were breaking French labour law.

The plaintiffs argued that the companies were discriminatory by obliging aspiring beauty queens to be more than 1.70 metres tall, single, and “representative of beauty”.

The labour court in the Paris suburb of Bobigny rejected their arguments, Osez le feminisme said in a statement, “an intolerable decision that extends a recruitment process that is discriminatory and illegal”.

The group said it would wait to see the arguments underpinning the decisions before deciding whether to appeal.

The organisers of the pageant — the Miss France Company and Endemol Production — issued a statement saying they were “pleased their arguments had been listened to”. Miss France “continues to promote all women”, they added.

Miss France came under attack in 2021 from then gender equality minister, Elisabeth Moreno, who denounced the competition’s “outdated rules… which can be discriminatory”.

The latest pageant in December involved fewer eligibility requirements, which had also previously restricted entry to women between the ages of 18 and 24 without children.

Now, any woman over 18 years old of any height and child-bearing status can enter. And visible tattoos were allowed for the first time.

Transgender women who have female civil status records were also permitted to compete.

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Listings: French films with English subtitles during the Olympics

A sporting event gets under way in Paris next month. You might have heard about it. But, if you’re getting fed-up of repeated mentions of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games and wondering what you can do instead of watching wall-to-wall sporting events, worry not – the good people of Lost in Frenchlation have you covered.

They have put together a veritable Olympian schedule of French films with English subtitles to give your cultural muscles a bit of a workout – with an emphasis on films about sport and films about Paris.

The cinematic Olympiad includes two screenings of the ever-popular Audrey Tatou movie Amélie (or Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain, to use its full titl)e; Le Grand Bain, a film described as Full Monty in Speedos; Jean-Luc Godard’s classic À bout de Souffle; this year’s Oscar-winning Anatomie d’une Chute; and, from the never-less-than-fun Asterix series, the perfectly appropriate Asterix aux JO.

The full Olympics’ programme is here:

La Petite Vadrouille

July 22nd and August 3rd @ Cinéma du Panthéon, 13 rue Victor Cousin, Paris

Tickets – Ranging from €5 to €9.50. You can purchase them HERE.

This French comedy by Bruno Podalydès tells the story of a group of friends who attempt to solve their money problems by organising a fake romantic cruise for their wealthy friend, Franck, who wants to seduce a woman.

Le Genou de Claire

July 23rd @ L’Epée de Bois, 100 Rue Mouffetard, Paris

Tickets – Can be purchased on site. They will range from €5 to €9.90.

Directed by Eric Rohmer, the film follows the story of Jérôme, a diplomat and writer living in Sweden, as he prepares to get married. Before the wedding, he decides to take a trip alone to Annecy in France, where he runs into Aurora, a Romanian novelist he had met while working at the French embassy in Bucharest.

Anatomie d’une Chute

July 24th @ L’Ecran St Denis, 14 Pass. de l’Aqueduc, Saint-Denis

Tickets – Ranging from €4 to €7.50. Can be purchased here.

August 8th @ Luminor Hôtel de Ville 20, rue du temple, Paris

Tickets – Ranging from €7 to €11. Purchased here.

The film follows Sandra, a German writer, her French husband Samuel, and their eleven-year-old son Daniel who live a secluded life in the French Alps.

When Samuel dies unexpectedly, Sandra is suspected of having played a role in his death. She tries to prove her innocence, but throughout the trial, the intimate details of the couple’s life together are uncovered.

Les Crevettes Pailletées

July 25th @ Luminor Hôtel de Ville 20, rue du temple, Paris

Tickets – Can be purchased here. Ranging from €7 to €11.

An LGBT comedy, the film follows a homophobic coach who is forced to coach a gay water polo team. Together, they travel to Croatia for the ‘Gay Games,’ the largest LGBT sporting event in the world.

L’Esprit Coubertin

July 27th @ Cinéma du Panthéon, 13 rue Victor Cousin, Paris

Tickets – Can be purchased here. Ranging from €5 to €9.50.

August 4th @ Luminor Hôtel de Ville 20 rue du temple, Paris

Tickets – You can purchase them here. Tickets range from €7 to €11.

A comedy by director Jérémie Sein, the film tells the story of the French Olympic delegation 10 days into the competition. Without any gold medals, the delegation places all of their hope on Paul, an exceptional, yet immature sports shooter. As the big day approaches, Paul finds himself forced to share a room with Jacob, a swimmer who is more focused on the extra-curricular temptations at the athletes’ village than his own race.

La Revanche des Crevettes Pailletées

July 28th @ Luminor Hôtel de Ville, 20 rue du temple, Paris

Tickets – You can purchase them here. Ranging from €7 to €11.

Another LGBT comedy directed by Cédric Le Gallo and Maxime Govare. It will be the sequel to the 2019 film Les crevettes pailletées (The Shiny Shrimps).

This next instalment will follow the team as they try to make their way to a competition in Tokyo, only to be derailed by a missing their connecting flight, forcing the team to pass through a very homophobic region in Russia.

Amélie (Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain)

July 29th @ Cinéma du Panthéon, 13 rue Victor Cousin, Paris

Tickets – Can be purchased here. Ranging from €5 to €9.50.

August 7th @ L’Ecran Saint-Denis, 14 Pass. de l’Aqueduc, Saint-Denis

Tickets – Can be purchased here. Ranging from €4 to €7.50.

The whimsical romantic comedy follows a shy Parisian waitress who spends most of her time imagining about the people around her. One day, she decides to step in and attempt to discretely help others find happiness.

Pauline à la plage

July 30th, 8pm @ L’Epée de Bois, 100 Rue Mouffetard, Paris

Tickets – Can be purchased on site. Ranging from €5 to €9.90.

The film follows the recent divorcée Marion, and her younger cousin Pauline as they go on vacation to their family home in Normandy. During the trip, they run into Marion’s ex-lover Pierre, who introduces them to Henri. As their love lives become entangled, the situation becomes more complicated.

Le Comte de Monte Cristo

July 31st @ L’Ecran Saint-Denis, 14 Pass. de l’Aqueduc, Saint-Denis, France

Tickets – Purchase them here. Ranging from €4 to €7.50.

Based on the classic novel by Alexandre Dumas, the film follows the story of Edmond Dantès, a French 19-year-old first mate of the merchant ship Pharaon, who is falsely accused of treason and imprisoned at an island fortress off the coast of Marseille. After 14 years he manages to escape, taking on the identity of the ‘Count of Monte Cristo’ and attempting to take revenge on those who betrayed him.

Le Grand Bain

August 1st @ Luminor Hôtel de Ville, 20 rue du temple, Paris

Tickets – Purchase tickets here. Ranging from €7 to €11.

August 10th @ Cinéma du Panthéon, 13 rue Victor Cousin, Paris, France

Tickets – Purchase tickets here. Ranging from €5 to €9.50.

Directed by Gilles Lellouche, the film tells the stories of several swimmers who train at their local municipal swimming pool. One day, they decide to take on the challenge of synchronized swimming, which helps them find meaning in their lives.

Cléo de 5 à 7

August 2nd @ L’Entrepôt, 7 rue Francis de Pressensé, Paris

Tickets – Purchase them here. Ranging from €5 to €8.50.

Directed by the legendary Agnès Varda, the film follows Cléo for a snippet of her life – just 90 minutes – as she waits for the results of a biopsy in Paris.

Marinette

August 5th @ Cinéma du Panthéon, 13 rue Victor Cousin, Paris

Tickets – Purchase them here. Ranging from €5 to €9.50.

The film tells the story of a female football player, Marinette Pichon, as she overcomes difficulties in her private life to become a champion and example for girls everywhere.

Conte d’été

August 6th @ L’Epée de Bois, 100 Rue Mouffetard, Paris

Tickets – Can be purchased on site, ranging from €5 to €9.90.

Directed by Eric Rohmer, the film follows Gaspard during the summer holidays, as he tries to decide between three girls he is interested in: Léna, Margot and Solène.

À bout de Souffle (Breathless)

August 9th @ L’Entrepôt, 7 rue Francis de Pressensé, Paris

Tickets – From €5 to €8.50. Purchased here.

The classic film directed by Jean-Luc Godard, it tells the story of a cocky young boy, Michel Poiccard, who steals a car in Marseille and tries to make his way to Paris. Along the road, he is stopped by a policeman and ends up killing him. Once he gets to Paris he meets an American student named Patricia, who he falls in love with, but Patricia eventually learns about Michel’s dealings.

Asterix aux JO

August 11th @ Luminor Hôtel de Ville, 20 rue du temple, Paris

Tickets – Ranging from €7 to €11. Purchase them here.

Follow France’s favourite heroes, Asterix and Obelix, as they travel to Greece to compete in the Olympic Games. They also face off against Machiavellian Brutus, the son of Caesar.

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