Urban greenery, tantalising truffles and Todd Haynes' 'May December' are just some of the cultural treats to be enjoyed across the continent this week.
ADVERTISEMENTIs it too early to start watching Christmas movies?
If your answer to this is a resounding "NO! Never!" then you might be interested to learn that a company is offering to pay people to watch 25 festive films.
For everyone else, here's a selection of non-christmassy but nonetheless cool things to see and do around Europe.
Exhibitions
The Pop up Green 2023, Barcelona, Spain
Take a stroll through the reflective scenery of "The Urban Green Migration", by Walter Hood and Alma du Solier. A collaboration with the XII Barcelona International Landscape Biennial, this tranquil space is filled with hundreds of plants from Sardinia, highlighting the connections between people, architecture and landscape within the context of climate change. Available to view at the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion from 28 November to 3 December.
Loribelle Spirovski's 'Homme' exhibition at HOFA Gallery, London, UK
Following a health-induced hiatus in 2022, stemming from a lifelong neurological condition affecting her ability to paint with her arms, Australian artist Loribelle Spirovski has made her triumphant return to the art world by taking over London's HOFA Gallery. Her critically acclaimed exhibition, 'Homme', showcases her distinctive figurative realist and abstract expressionist style and begins from 24 November to 6 December.
Festivals
Rome Jazz Festival, Italy
Every November, Rome celebrates the very best jazz musicians through a line-up of exciting performances, including Cecilia Sanchietti, Eishan Ensemble and the Shabaka Hutchings, Majid Bekkas and Hamid Drake trio.
International Alba White Truffle Fair, Italy
Stomach rumbling? If you're a fan of truffles (and who isn't!), the 'International Alba White Truffle Fair' is an opportunity to not only celebrate the excellence of Italian cuisine, but also one of the country's most luxurious exports: the white truffle. A seasonal rarity from October to December, it adds a uniquely delicious taste to meals. The fair itself features various events, including cooking shows, music, wine-tasting and even truffle sensory analysis. Yum.
Films
Napoleon
If you weren't put off by his recent comments about the French, Ridley Scott's Napoleon is out in cinemas now, ambitiously dramatising the life of Napoleon Bonaparte, the one-time Emperor of France who rose to power after the French Revolution and went on to conquer half of Europe.
May December
Twenty years after a scandalous age-gap affair, Gracie (Julianne Moore) is attempting to move on with her husband (Charles Melton) until actress (Natalie Portman) turns up, researching for a film based on their lives.
ADVERTISEMENTDirected by Todd Haynes, Euronews film critic David Mouriquand calls May December one of his "most playful and disquieting films yet." It is out now in select cinemas before streaming on Netflix from 1 December.
Maestro
Also out in select UK cinemas is Maestro, Bradley Cooper's biopic of American conductor Leonard Bernstein, focusing in on his relationship with Costa Rican actress Felicia Montealegre (Carey Mulligan).
"A stylish, intimate and moving tribute to an artist and a family, as well as the confirmation that Cooper is the real deal just as much behind the camera as he is in front," writes our film critic David Mouriquand. Read our review from its Venice Film Festival premiere here.
ADVERTISEMENTTV
Squid Game: The Challenge
Based on the 2021 hit South Korean drama, Squid Game, this reality game show version has contestants anxiously competing for a humungous $4.56m (€4.17m) - without the fear of death, at least. The replica sets are impressive and the ruthless strategising compelling, albeit sometimes more depressing than the original. Out now on Netflix.
American Horror Stories
A spin-off of Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk's hugely popular "American Horror Story" series, 'American Horror Stories' returns with the first half of its new series on Disney+ from 29 November - featuring Kim Kardashian as a menacing publicist.
ADVERTISEMENT
