documentary

NYC Cricket Crawl

| Florence EMA Blanchard

CClogoV2_75

On Saturday September 12, 2009, New Yorkers were invited to ‘stop and listen’ to the nocturnal chirping of crickets. The goal was to survey the presence of several species of crickets and katydids across the five boroughs and beyond. The collaboration between several hundreds of volunteers and scientists based at the American Museum of Natural History and U.S. Geological Survey Patuxent Wildlife Research Center allowed the construction of a preliminary map showing the distribution of 7 species of Crickets and Katytids spanning over 300 localities. This type of event is termed ‘Bioblitz’ and provides instant snapshots of the natural world, which can later serve as baseline in ecological studies.

‘Cricket Crawl’ is a 32:19 long audio documentary about this event, which aired for the first time on free103point9 internet radio as part of the Giant Ear))) ‘back to school sounds’ show on Sunday, September 27 at 7pm.

Back to School sounds was curated by sound artist Mikhail Iliatov, a member of New York Society for Acoustic Ecology.

The official NYC Cricket Crawl event’s webpage is available here.

NEW YORK CITY GIRLS at RAKKAUTTA & ANARKIAA

| Florence EMA Blanchard

Back in 2005 I met Yseult Digan, a French film director, street artist and music producer from Paris. Yseult contacted me because she was looking for protagonists for a documentary project about empowerment of female New Yorkers in urban subcultures. For 2 years, she went back and forth between Paris and New York to follow the lives and works of 7 New Yorkers including myself, shooting and editing sequences until completion of her project in 2008.

The film is titled ‘New York City Girls’ and was selected at RAKKAUTTA & ANARKIAA festival which will happen this month in Helsinki (09/17-09/27). I pasted the synopsis and trailer below.

French Touch Selection / Director: Yseult Digan

New York City Girls

Often, the urban said scenes are predominantly male occupation. The ”street” was considered for a long time as a dangerous playground where girls were excluded. Today, we fi nally see young ladies who by means of work and perseverance offer quality propositions and new approach of their discipline.

”New York City Girls” is a journey in the heart of the city. Through several portraits of women living in New York, we discover their respective universe; graffi ti, skateboard, breakdance, handball, bike messenging, fashion and music. Far from the feminist demands, those young followers of urban culture live their passion simply, without asking the question of a possible legitimacy of gender other than their talent.

Beyond the cultural aspect, ”New York City Girls” is also a social documentary; Due to the diverse cultural background of the characters, this film is a eulogy of social diversity. These women are the emblems of what is New York today; A cosmopolitan city where the cultures meet and exchange to create a new lifestyle.

Trailer available below.

GYMKHANA

| Florence EMA Blanchard

While on a post-graduation break out of the states I did an internship with Jethro Massey, a British filmmaker based in Paris. As Jethro was showing me a few tricks on Final Cut Pro, he handed me a small camera and told me to take one day to shoot something, and come back the day after with a short documentary.

Luckily I bumped into my old acquaintance Fernando Favier, aka Gymkhana, a music producer and visual artist from my hometown, who now lives in Paris.

Internationally known for his collaboration with rapper Mike Ladd, which led to the release of”Father Divine” on the label RoiR, Gymkhana also collaborated with artists such as Vj Milosh, writer Vincent Ravalec, and singer/ song writer Arthur H.

I followed Fernando in the streets of Parisian neighborhood Belleville, from morning to evening, asking him about his life and work. According to Wikipedia, “Belleville is a colorful, multi-ethnic neighborhood and also home to one of the city’s two Chinatowns; the other is located in the XIIIe (13th) arrondissement. (…) The iconic French singer Édith Piaf grew up there and, according to legend, was born under a lamppost on the steps of the Rue de Belleville.(…) Many artists now live and work in Belleville and studios are scattered throughout this neighborhood. Some abandoned factories have been transformed into art squats, where several alternative artists and musicians, such as the band Les Rita Mitsouko began their careers.”

Below is the end –result of my homework, my first ever documentary shot in one day….Gymkhana discusses his electro– accoustic influences together with his desires to reside in a popular Parisian neighborhood that has inspired French artists for generations. The documentary is in French, english subtitles will come later!!