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Month: January 2022

Submissions sought for Monte-Carlo Television Festival

by: Stephanie Horsman
19/01/2022

The Monte-Carlo Television Festival has put out a call for film and TV entries for the Golden Nymph Awards in June.

The Monte-Carlo Television Festival, this year celebrating its 61st edition, is a platform for some of the best series and TV films to get noticed by all the right people. Previous years’ winners for fiction include such high-profile programming as Breaking Bad, Modern Family, Money Heist, Das Boot, The Marvellous Mrs. Maisel, The Killing and My Brilliant Friend.

Actors, too, have been celebrated for their roles at the Festival. Patricia Arquette, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Benedict Cumberbatch, Ewan McGregor, Paul Bettany, Jenna Coleman and Lydia West are amongst some of the talent who have received a Golden Nymph, the Festival’s prestigious award.

The submission process is free and is open to TV films, miniseries, TV series, documentary films, documentary series and news programmes, and must have been originally created for television or SVOD platforms. Theatrical releases before a first broadcast will not be accepted.

Any programme broadcast for the first time after 1st January 2022 will be considered.

“As every year, the Golden Nymph Awards will honour the best content in global television production,” said Laurent Puons, CEO of the Monte-Carlo Television Festival. “The incredible multiplication of viewing possibilities on all types of screens and the significant growth in productions are leading to an increasingly exciting competition.”

Six Golden Nymphs are up for grabs in the Fiction Category, including best film, best series, best creation, best actress, best actor, and a special jury prize. Three awards in the newly renamed News and Documentary Category will be handed out for best news programme, best documentary, and a jury prize. Additionally, in conjunction with the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, the Prince Rainier III Special Prize will reward the best documentary focused on environmental issues.

“Our goal is always to highlight the very best content that entertains and engages viewers and to raise awareness of the myriad topics that affect our planet today,” Laurent Puons went on to explain. “The news category rewards material that gives a fresh insight and clear understanding of important, current issues, whilst our fiction category shines a light on the most striking productions and performances of the year. We look forward to receiving entries from producers, distributors and creators who wish to showcase their programs on the world stage.”

The final day for submissions is Thursday 24th March, with the official selection being announced in May. The golden Nymph Ceremony will be held on Tuesday 21st June as part of the Festival.

 

 

“It is clearly our best match”

by: Luke Entwistle
19/01/2022

Sasa Obradovic praised his players for what he believes to be their best match under his management on Tuesday, as Monaco strolled to victory against Lyon-Villeurbanne 75-100, winning every quarter in the process.

Monaco hit the 100-point mark for only the second time in their Euroleague campaign on, helped largely by the free-scoring quartet of Donatas Motiejuna (22), Dwayne Bacon (21), Mike James (20) and Alpha Diallo (17).

James, who successfully carried over his incredible form from the Bayern Munich match, and Motiejunas got the Roca team off to a solid start in what was a tightly-contested first quarter (24-27).

Monaco’s defence tightened up after the first quarter, limiting Lyon to just 17 points in each of the remaining three quarters, pleasing the manager who post-match said, “We concentrated for the entire 40 minutes and we defended much better from the second-quarter onwards.”

Monaco’s monstrous efficiency both inside and outside the key provided a sucker-punch to a Lyon side that were struggling to register points of their own. Monaco converted over 58% of their three-point attempts and over 62% of their two-pointers, compared to the 36% and 50% conversions of their adversaries on the night.

Recent meetings between the two sides have typically been tight. Monaco edged their last outing by just two points, whilst the game before that was decided by just one point as Lyon came out eventual winners.

The Roca team continued to grow their lead in the third quarter, and by the end of it had constructed an unassailable 18-point lead. This grew further in the final quarter as Monaco finished the game with an emphatic 25-point advantage over a talented Lyon side.

The result means that they jump above their opponent in the Euroleague table and just one place below the play-off spots in ninth. Many teams around them in the table do, however, have games in hand.

Obradovic was evidently pleased with his side in the post-match conference saying, “It is clearly our best match (since his arrival in December). I am very happy with the way in which we played. We stopped their best attackers.”

The Serbian added, “We used our strength better. Everyone now understands their role better and this victory will give us a lot of confidence for the future.”

Monaco are now on a three-game winning streak in the Euroleague, and they will be hoping to keep that run going when they face a difficult trip to Zenit St-Petersburg on Thursday.

 

Photo source: AS Monaco Basketball

 

 

 

No Jardin Exotique until 2023, says mayor

by: Stephanie Horsman
19/01/2022

Monaco Mayor Georges Marsan says the Jardin Exotique will not reopen before 2023, saying the €16 million that was earmarked to complete works has not materialised.  

When the Jardin Exotique, the second most visited Monaco attraction, closed for necessary renovations and upgrades, no one expected the site to run into funding issues, especially not Mayor Georges Marsan.

But as 2022 dawns, €16 million in funding anticipated by the city has resulted in no official response from the government, with a letter sent by the mayor to Minister of State Pierre Dartout in December going unanswered.

The sum was to complete the work which still needed to be finished as well as to cover the required studies which are necessary to ensure the area is safe. As of the last National Council meeting, which was held last month, no budget had been voted on, and the site remains closed.

“At the end of 2020, he had urgently placed a sum of more than two million euros to secure the site with the false rocks,” the mayor said in an interview with Monaco Matin.  “We had to close the Exotic Garden because it had become very dangerous – including Avenue Pasteur. It was then agreed with the municipal council six months ago that a meeting with a landscape designer appointed by the government would step in for the lighting, the change of coating, the repair of the networks. All this was for what was expected to be a new phase of work that would have started in early 2022.”

He went on to explain, “It was also agreed the reconstruction of false rocks, the

destruction and reconstruction of walkways and pergolas, repair of the belvedere, etc. And no budget line has been entered on the bill of the Initial State Budget for 2022. We wrote to Minister of State Pierre Dartout last month asking him to put money into the budget to continue the work. I think there is a dysfunction in terms of priorities since city hall and government departments agree.”

With the centenary of the death of Albert I looming, the mayor had hoped to see the site open and fully operational by June 2022. Now it appears this will not be the case.

The 11,500m2 garden was first conceived of by the late Prince, who in 1912 acquired a piece of land specifically to build a new garden, but it wasn’t until 1933 that the site was complete. The result is a collection of succulents and monumental construction feats all with an exceptional microclimate. The garden has a remarkable panoramic view over the Principality and offers visitors the chance to discover nearly a thousand plant varieties from semi-arid environments including cacti and other succulents, some of which are over a hundred years old.

The site has also been ranked as one of the most beautiful gardens in the world by the 2021 edition of the Ulysses guide.

The mayor’s ire extends to the protection of employees who have been scattered to the winds during the renovation period and who are eager to return to their posts.

“We have 46 employees in total,” Marsan said. “Eleven gardeners, two supervisors and three administrative staff continue on the site. But 33 people were divided into other departments, some of them at the ice rink, in the Christmas village… It’s very uncomfortable. I explained to them that in 2022 we would reopen the Exotic Garden.”

There is also an issue revolving around a land transfer project involving the cemetery. The State would like to take 2,800m2 of city hall public domain land to redo the cemetery over eight years with cellar extensions as well as to completely restructure the Jardin Exotique. The government says City Hall is asking for too much money, and City Hall says it’s not making a profit from the project.

Mayor Marsan has threatened not to turn over the land as well as to block projects in the Ilôt Charles-III area until he has “an acceptable schedule and phasing in the Jardin Exotique”.

The impasse may result in a backlog of public projects being delayed, turning it from a fight between city and state into something far more disruptive.

 

Photo by Jean-Pierre Dalbéra on Flickr

 

This is the Prince’s new equal Cabinet

by: Stephanie Horsman
18/01/2022

Prince Albert has chaired the first meeting of his new Cabinet headed by Laurent Anselmi at the Prince’s Palace, unprecedentedly made up of half women, half men.

The meeting took place on Monday 17th January with Councillors Sophie Vatrican, in charge of financial and budgetary matters and culture and education, as well as Isabelle Costa who will be responsible for European issues and the health and social sector, Guillaume Pastor who will deal with government relations and supervise the Department of Equipment, Environment and Town Planning, and Julie Donati who will assist the Chief of Staff on matters of External Relations and Internal Security.

Chief of Staff Laurent Anselmi and all of Prince Albert’s new cabinet officially took the reins from their predecessors on 17th January, marking a new type of cabinet where women are equally represented and environmental issues, seeking new revenue streams, fighting corruption and continuing to reinvent Monaco as a smart city are at the top of an ambitious agenda.

Father of two daughters, the 59-year-old Anselmi has a degree in fundamental public law and is well-versed in international relations.

The Chief of Staff spoke to government television channel Monaco Info on Monday after the first meeting took place, saying the Prince had given them a thematic list of his aspirations and expectations, “notably for the attractiveness of Monaco, the digital and energy transitions, and control of public spending”, to name a few.

He said that under his leadership, he is looking to create a think tank-like spirit in the office, where being straightforward is encouraged and hard work valued. Of course, he added, the number one priority is to present Monaco to the world in the best way possible.

“The image of the Principality, its international visibility, as well as in the region and in France, is of course to continue. It’s not new, but it’s necessary to constantly adapt to new technology, new information, to associations,” said Anselmi.

 

 

Photo source: Gaetan Luci,  Prince’s Palace

 

 

 

Former Olympian Prince presents Monaco’s winter athletes

by: Luke Entwistle
18/01/2022

Prince Albert has revealed that Monegasque skier Arnaud Alessandria will be the Principality’s flag bearer in the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics, while bobsleigh duo Rudy Rinaldi and Boris Vain will also form Monaco’s team of athletes.

The presentation ceremony took place in the ballroom of the Monaco Yacht Club on Tuesday and brought together athletes, trainers and organisers as they prepare to leave for China in under two weeks’ time.

All three athletes are participating in their second Winter Olympics. Skier Alessandria competed in Sochi in 2014, whilst bobsledders Rinaldi and Vain both attended the 2018 instalment in PyeongChang. Anthony Rinaldi will be in reserve.

The 2022 games will represent the 11th consecutive Winter Olympics for Monaco, with Prince Albert II participating in five of those as a bobsledder. “I was very lucky to participate in five editions,” said the Prince during the presentation. “It was a unique and intense experience.”

He added, “During the tumultuous time that we are going through, these Olympic games constitute a pause, bringing hope and joy for everyone… Let’s be grateful for the privilege and the luck that has been given to us to experience these strong values, to represent worthily the Olympic Committee of Monaco and the Principality of Monaco during this exceptional event.”

It was announced during the presentation that Alessandria will have the honour of carrying the Monegasque flag during the opening ceremony on 4th February.

The Winter Olympics come just months after the delayed Tokyo Olympics, and the build-up has been dominated by both the Covid pandemic and the political back-drop of human rights abuses in China.

Despite a myriad of distractions, the focus of the athletes and indeed of the world is now firmly on the sport, as one of the greatest shows on earth gets underway in just over a fortnight.

Stay tuned for Monaco Life’s interview with skier Arnaud Alessandria.

 

 

Photo left to right: Anthony Rinaldi, Arnaud Alessandria, Prince Albert II, Boris Vain and Rudy Rinaldi, by Luke Entwistle for Monaco Life

 

 

 

Condors of Monaco shine

by: Stephanie Horsman
18/01/2022

In the midst of the pandemic, the Princess Charlene Foundation and the Monegasque Association for Latin America joined forces to create a rugby school for underprivileged kids in Ecuador. The result was the Condors of Monaco.

One third of Ecuadorians live below the poverty line, according to the latest data by the World Bank, an increase of over 28% on the previous decade.

As is almost always the case, children are the ones who suffer most and in Ecuador, this is no exception. As a result, the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation, along with the Monegasque Association for Latin America (AMLA), created a rugby school in 2021 aimed directly at the children in the capital city of Quito.

The school gives these deprived children a place to go and, according to the precepts of the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation, offers them a sense of well-being that contributes to overall development through the power of sport.

The school, named the Condors of Monaco, is operated by the Huma Rugby Ecuador programme of the Pichincha Rugby Association. The main objective is to cater to the neediest children, but places are available to anyone who wants to “share the universal values of sport and rugby in a spirit of camaraderie and friendship”.

The school’s first year saw 120 boys and girls between the ages of four and 14 hitting the field to play together, instilling friendship and learning good sportsmanship. Seven coaches were trained to teach the children the finer points of the game.

A special match was played on 7th December to round out the year at the brand-new stadium for the Ecuadorian football club, Independiente del Valle. The exhibition game allowed the children to show off the new skills they acquired and to demonstrate their progress to their parents.

Amongst the values learned over the course of this first season were discipline, respect, integrity, passion and solidarity, as well as following the Pichincha Rugby Association’s motto of “Rugby with an R for Respect”.

The Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation’s Sport and Education programme was designed to contribute to the health and development of children by promoting sport in many forms.

 

 

Photo source: Huma Rugby Ecuador