National Council calls for extention of recovery plan

With the worst of the health crisis in the rear view mirror, the National Council and the government are looking to jumpstart the economy through continued financial aid and cautious continued reopenings.

A few months ago, as the powers that be in Monaco were knee deep in how to keep the population safe from the Covid epidemic, another urgent situation arose. The economic fallout and resulting concerns of a total lockdown were just dawning on everyone, so the National Council and the Prince’s government joined forces to create a Joint Monitoring Committee dedicated to sharing proposals for the best way forward in those difficult times.

A €350 million package was agreed upon to assist the economic actors and employees of the Principality when certain sectors of the economy were simply not allowed to function as usual. These funds came with strings attached and controls were put in place to sanction those who could unfairly benefit from the economic solidarity measures put in place by the state.

Today, what happens post-confinement on both a social and economic level are being examined and the Joint Committee is again looking for solutions to thorny problems.

For example, currently there is a 30th June cut-off for aid to those who were eligible during the crisis period. The Council has asked that there not be an abrupt stoppage, but rather a more degressive approach, so that those having a difficult time getting back on their feet can have access to help for as long as needed until things are once again “business as usual”.  

The government had put forth a plan in a similar vein, but the Council says the plan is not as ambitious as it could have been, so it is asking for a few tweaks. The trick here is that the allotted sum voted on not be exceeded whilst still ensuring those who need aid are able to access it. 

The National Council is also asking that certain deconfinement measures that are currently in place start to be eased in accordance with the plans of neighbouring countries. Relaxation measure to be considered include the reopening of sports halls, cinemas, parks, fitness centres and kindergartens, as well as a less strict dealing with restaurants, where advance reservations are required and distances between tables are greater than in France.  

In a statement released by the Council, they state their purpose: “For elected officials, Monaco must be a model of economic recovery and constantly stay one step ahead. Rather than saving appropriations yet voted and therefore available to support economic actors in Monaco with a view to recovery, the National Council must work to develop new types of revenue for the State in different sectors of the economic activity.”

 

Top photo: courtesy National Council of Monaco
 
 

 

Digital forum showcasing local artists

The 5th Monaco Artists Forum, featuring both amateur and professional artists in the Principality, kicks off on Friday 5th June and will take the form of a virtual exhibition this year.
The biennial event normally takes place at the beginning of June at the Rainier III Auditorium and is highly awaited by artists from Monaco.
The initiative, conceived by the Prince’s Government and implemented by the Directorate of Cultural Affairs, aims to support local artists and integrate them into the Principality’s cultural policy.
The objective, particularly pertinent during this crisis period, is to ensure continuity in terms of cultural programming and to offer an interesting alternative to its many participants.
Nearly 80 artists, amateurs and professionals, Monegasques and residents, present their work on canvas, expressing themselves in the fields of painting, sculpture, and photography.
Once again, the public will have an opportunity to vote online for their favourite work. The winner will be announced on 13th June on the home page of the website – www.forumdesartistes.mc – which will honour the work and its creator.
This virtual art gallery will be available until Friday 3rd July. A catalogue of the 5th Monaco Artists Forum will be available to download, as a souvenir of this exceptional forum.
Visit the social media sites to discover the participating artists:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Forum-des-Artistes-Monaco-100262665050818/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/forumartistesmonaco/
 
 

Call to action on World Environment Day

Friday 5th June is World Environment Day and there are a myriad of things being done all over Monaco and the Riviera to help improve and protect the world around us.

World Environment Day has been celebrated every 5th June since 1974. Created under the auspices of the United Nations, the campaign has grown its own wings and has become a flagship vehicle for raising awareness and action surrounding the plight of the environment.

In Monaco, where the tradition for environmental causes runs deep due at least partly to the activism of the Prince, there will be several ways for the people of the Principality to show their support for the world around us.  

Stars’N’Bars is hosting a special electronic waste collection outside the restaurant from 10am to 5:30pm where people can bring their unwanted gadgets, cables, small household appliances, batteries, neon lighting or light bulbs that would otherwise end up in the general rubbish heaps or in recycle bins.

Kate Powers, founder Stars N’ Bars

“If they end up at the energy recovery plant, in the sorting bins (yellow or green) or, worse still, in a landfill, they can contaminate recyclable materials, pollute the atmosphere, or even contaminate the water table phreatic – the source of our drinking water,” said Kate Powers, owner of Stars’N’Bars and creator of the initiative.  

Once collected, they will be handed over to organisations who specialise in dealing with these kinds of materials and will process them in an eco-friendly way.

Another programme that has become even more urgent since the health crisis is one set up by the Fondation de la Mer called Un Geste Pour La Mer (Operation Clean Sea). The virus has increased the number of plastic gloves, masks, disinfectant gel bottles and anti-bacterial wipes being used exponentially. An estimated 200 million disposable masks are currently distributed each week in France, and gloves are handed out at shops everywhere.

Photo of the Med, by Opération Mer Propre

 An extraordinary amount of these wind up in the sea where they settle on the bed and cause havoc to the delicate ecosystem. Couple that with the possibility that some of these items are contaminated and the impact potential is huge. The organisation is asking that people have a care when disposing of these items and switch to reusable items when possible.

“We were rather unpleasantly surprised when we started to see gloves that were buried in the sand,” Joffrey Peltier, founder of Operation Clean Sea, told The Associated Press. “(A mask looked) like a jellyfish, we didn’t know exactly what it was at first. The amount of virus garbage remains limited, but it’s the promise of pollution to come if nothing is done. On our beautiful Cote d’Azur, we know that as soon it starts to rain, all the garbage coming from the gutters will end up in the sea.”
The parliament member representing Alpes-Maritimes, Eric Pauget, is proposing a bill that will result in a €300 fine for those caught dumping face masks or gloves improperly.
Finally, here is one just for the kids. The Animal Fund has set up a competition for children aged 7 to 14 asking them to create a drawing or video about plastic pollution’s effects on marine life and the planet. The best 24 projects will win a sea excursion to see the dolphins and whales of the Med.  
Entries will be accepted from 1st to 30th June and can be submitted info@theanimalfund.net.  For additional info visit their website at www.theanimalfund.net

These positive actions to impact the environment are but a few in the Principality and surrounding area. Small gestures on the part of citizens also make big differences, so take a minute and think what you can do for your planet on World Environment Day and every day!

 
Top photo by Monaco Life, all rights reserved
 
 

Two year study to explore biodiversity in Med

Since April of this year, the team at Andromède Océanologie has been on a new scientific mission co-sponsored by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation to study biodiversity in the Mediterranean coastal waters off France.
This spring, the exceptional conditions brought on by lockdown allowed marine scientists to conduct research that would be impossible without the absence of the human interference usually occurring along the coast of the Med.
This unprecedented situation is making it possible to establish indicator references on anthropised sites, marine protected areas and the mesophotic zones (50-100 m) of the coastline. The indicators will be compared to those of the years 2018 and 2019, for which eDNA monitoring of this Mediterranean coastline had been carried out, particularly within the framework of the Gombessa 5 scientific expedition.
The study has brought together marine biologists and academics, and is being conducted by Andromède Océanologie, the Rhône Méditerranée Corse water agency, the Spygen laboratory, the Chorus company, the UMR MARBEC and the University of Montpellier with the support of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation.
The study will carry out environmental DNA sampling, place hydrophones in strategic places to collect the ambient sounds made by animals in nature and develop and test indicators of the overall health of the coastal waters.
Coastal degradation is one of the most serious biodiversity problems facing the seas today. Most human societies are located near the coast, with 44% of the world’s population concentrated within 150 km of the sea. Habitat destruction, overfishing, climate change and the introduction of exotic species are all threats to coastal marine ecosystems.
 
Photo: Nice coastline, Pixabay
 
 
 

La Turbie municipal pool to remain closed

The Princess Charlene of Monaco municipal swimming pool is to remain closed for the summer after a ruling by the new La Turbie municipal council this week.

The people of La Turbie and the Principality have received a “bitter” blow. The continued closure of the public swimming pool in the town means people will need to find other ways to keep cool this summer, but the reasoning, says the municipal council, is justified.

“The health protocol that would have to be implemented would require time slots recognisable by the swimmers’ coloured bracelets,” Mayor Jean-Jacques Raffaele said. “Between each time slot, the changing rooms, showers, toilets and benches would have to be disinfected and departure differentiated so that there is no mixing of people. Managing the wait, limiting the public depending on the cabins, and guaranteeing the physical distance.”

The mayor argues that all of this would create a labour intensive situation far too confusing and difficult to maintain indefinitely, not to mention costly. The need for four cleaning and maintenance crew members, two receptionists, two lifeguards, and a water quality inspector make the opening untenable for the town.

Plus, adds Mr Raffaele, the overall health concerns are still high enough that the risk is hardly worth the benefit.
 
 

Interview: Hani Farsi

Monaco life spoke to Monaco-based filmmaker, entrepreneur, hotelier and philanthropist Hani Farsi about films past, present and future in a post-Covid world. 
Hani’s second film as a producer, Elia Suleiman’s The Time That Remains, was part of the Cannes Official Selection in 2009, and he has had a consistent presence at the festival since then. Aside from producing, Hani co-owns Le Pacte, the French distribution and international sales company behind 2020 Cesar success Les Misérables, as well as recent Palme d’Or winners I, Daniel Blake and Shoplifters.
(Note: this interview took place during lockdown in Monaco.)
Monacolife: I recently watched one of your earliest films The Time That Remains and loved it…
Hani: Thank you for your kind words, I’m very proud of The Time That Remains. It was only my second film and it was a huge honour to even be in the running for the Palme d’Or that year. I remember Inglorious Basterds was playing, as well as The Blue RibbonUn ProphetFish Tank, and many more, so we were in good company.
The Hollywood machine was pivotal in boosting morale during the second world war, and America’s films during the depression were in technicolour – such a distraction from reality. What kind of films do you think should be made or will be made in a post-Covid world?
It’s difficult to say what should and will be made. Before this year the industry was already in a crisis of sorts, with the rise of Netflix and other streaming services threatening the traditional way of life for cinemas and studios. We used to have to wait six months after a theatrical release before watching a film at home, but now that gap is only three months and, in many cases, films are being released in cinemas and online at the same time.
In recent years the only films assured of a cinematic release have been superhero or franchise pictures. I’m not against them, and I have enjoyed watching some of them with my kids, but I would hope to see a more diverse selection of films in cinemas when things open up.
Escapist and uplifting films should of course be made at this time, but they shouldn’t be forced or be our only option. No matter the subject or tone, I would hope that this experience will make us focus on great stories that reflect our human experience. Now is a time that allows people to contemplate and to focus on what is truly important, and I hope that the films that come out of this period will show something of that spirit.
I would also love to see a resurgence of movie theatres showing classic films and unique programming that introduce films from the past to new audiences, something that I think people are doing themselves when choosing films at home during isolation. As you pointed out, at times of real economic hardship or lost loved ones we need films to entertain and inspire us more than ever.
Do you see the film industry adopting a more coronavirus-weary approach to film making now, for example with fewer characters or the Bollywood approach where kissing and human contact are forbidden?
It’s very difficult to know exactly how things will pan out but yes, I’ve definitely heard that studios and producers are looking for projects that take place in contained environments with fewer characters. There’s also talk about having all cast and crew tested at the start of production before self-isolating together throughout the duration of filming, along with other proposed measures. None of these are easy or long-term solutions. Crewmembers already do very long hours and this isolation means that they now won’t be able to see their families at all, possibly for months. Do we want to put ourselves through that? Of course, business is business so filmmakers have to get back to work at some point, and as you say people might need films now more than ever, so we will have to find a way.
More contained films aren’t the ideal way forward in my opinion but they are definitely a short-term solution.
I just saw a wonderful Lebanese film called Heaven Without People that takes place mostly in one room over one meal. It’s now on Netflix internationally and has been a great success especially in the Middle East, so there are definitely stories that can be well told under confined measures, but I wouldn’t want to force the structure onto a story unnaturally.
Filmmakers might also choose to adopt a more guerrilla approach with less crew, more natural lighting, etc. and I can imagine that there will be a spike in documentaries and animation. Whatever happens, I’m sure that the challenges will bring out the best in creatives.
What inspired you to make movies?
Movies inspired me to make movies. As an only child raised in Jeddah until the age of 15, films were my window to the world. Even when I was on holiday in Paris or London, my favourite thing to do would be to go to the cinema. I was lucky to see classics such as Lawrence of Arabia, Casablanca, Ben Hur, and so many Hitchcock and Laurel and Hardy films on the big screen.
My father was an art collector and believed that art in any form was meant to inspire us, move us, and help us see the world from a different point of view. I share his same belief, and seeing all these masterpieces as a teenager undoubtedly inspired me in the same way.
Before making the move into film in my mid 30s, I was first involved in the London theatre world for seven years between 1993 to 2000. I still work in theatre across both sides of the Atlantic and love the artform, but as a medium I feel that cinema is far more democratic. It reaches a much wider audience, geographically and socially, and it has the potential to last forever. When I created Corniche Media over 10 years ago, my hope was to one day create a film that touched and inspired others in the same way that the films I love inspired me. Before you ask, no I haven’t made that film yet – I’m still working on it!
What aspects of the quiet life due to the Covid-19 lockdown would you like to guard?
My Covid life has been far from quiet. I spent most of the last two months cooking three meals a day for my boys and wife. If that wasn’t enough to keep me busy, I’ve spent more time than ever playing football, helping with homework, and most importantly breaking up fights. The strange thing about all this is that despite the mess and the grease and the noise, these weeks in isolation have probably been the most fulfilling weeks of my life. I now realise that I’ve never been able to fully switch off with my kids until this crisis. I’ve been able to fully engage with them and what they’re up to for the first time without constantly checking emails or waiting for the phone.
I’ve also organised my days in a way that’s far more balanced than ever before, spending time with kids, working, reading, and watching two classic movies a day. I would love to continue this habit when life returns to normal.
What are you presently working on?
We just finished a beautiful documentary about Terry Gilliam called He Dreams of Giants that we’re looking to sell this year, and my Broadway show Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations should be back on the New York stage once the world opens up again. In terms of future projects, I’m very excited to be working on a feature length documentary about Omar Sharif. The film will mark the first time that his story has been comprehensibly told, and as an Arab working in the film industry I’m honoured to be a part of it. We’re also developing a few other projects, including a TV series set around the 1950s which would mainly take place in the Cote d’Azur. Of course, some projects have had to be adapted due to the virus, but luckily nothing apart from Ain’t Too Proud was in production.
What would your top five film selection be?
Citizen Kane, City Lights, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Raging Bull, La Dolce Vita, Tokyo Story. I know that’s six but five is just too difficult.
Are there any films that you discovered during lockdown?
Yes! So many. I’ve been mainly focusing on classics and have been so happy to discover L’Avventura, Sullivan’s Travels, All About Eve, Persona, Le Mémpris, Journey to Italy, White Heat, The Searchers, and Laura (1944).
In terms of newer releases, I absolutely loved the Netflix documentary Five Came Back. It’s shows how five directors (John Ford, William Wyler, John Huston, George Stevens, and Frank Capra) volunteered to document WWII and then came back to Hollywood to make their best work. I think that it is especially relevant now as it goes to show that crisis can cause filmmakers to go outside their comfort zone and create something beautiful in the process. I also really enjoyed The Last Dance, and finally caught up with my friend Annemarie Jacir’s wonderful 2017 film Wajib – I think it’s now on Netflix in some territories and I’d recommend it to anyone.
Which film do you wish you had made?
Being There.
Which book or person has inspired you the most?
From my part of the world I would say I’ve been most inspired by the writings of Rumi and Khalil Gibran. Later on, the book that has always stayed with me is The Razor’s Edge by W. Somerset Maugham. I think that these writers and texts are unified in many of their ideals, which is why they all resonate with me. Even if they’re from different eras and countries, they promote the idea that the heritage one leaves isn’t through wealth or possessions, but through love and helping others, and through self-reflection. If I had to name a person it would undoubtedly be my father. He has made me into the man I am today. I couldn’t be more grateful to him.
In hindsight, if you could have chosen a group of people to have a lockdown with from any era who would you choose?
Winston Churchill, as we could smoke cigars together and he’d be the most incredible raconteur. He’d also definitely make sure that we we’re well fed. Mohamed Ali to keep me in shape and to stop my boys fighting each other. Obviously, my wife and kids, my mother and my late father. Julie Andrews for being practically perfect in every way and for a childhood dream come true. There’s so many more – Chaplin, John Lennon, Jim Henson, Emilia Earhart, Billie Holiday, Orson Welles, Maria Callas, Louis Armstrong, Anaïs Nin, the list goes on. It would be a pretty great party.
What is the last great play you saw?
Apart from my production of Ain’t Too Proud of course… I loved last year’s stage adaptation Network staring Bryan Cranston at London’s National Theatre. I also thought that Aaron Sorkin’s Broadway adaptation of To Kill A Mockingbird was fantastic and that Jeff Daniels was phenomenal in it. Both plays happened to be adapted from much loved source material, and they’re among the few examples of films moving to theatre – and in both cases it really works. Of course, great lead performances help, but everything about the productions was phenomenal.
Which restaurant are you most looking forward to going to again?
In Monaco, both Maya Bay and Maya Jah are sorely missed. I also look forward to going back to Eden Roc and of course a favourite of ours Paloma beach. In London it would have to be my beloved Harry’s Bar, where I had my wedding reception.