Sofia Coppola's 'Priscilla', Julianknxx's exploration of the Black experience, and sexy Stormtroopers. Here's what to see and do in Europe this week.
ADVERTISEMENTHello and Happy New Year!
Not to instantly kill any positive 2024 vibes, but it's January and it's depressing - so here are some ideas to perk up the longest month ever.
And if, somehow, none of these suggestions take your fancy, we strongly recommend taking a look through our 'Best Of' lists from the end of 2023 for further inspiration.
Exhibitions
Julianknxx: ‘Chorus in Rememory of Flight ’, London, UK
An immersive installation by poet, filmmaker and artist Julian Knox, known as Julianknxx, has taken over the Barbican Art Gallery - and the minds of all those that visit. To create ‘Chorus in Rememory of Flight ’, Knox travelled across Europe, visiting various cities to collaborate with performers, politicians, activists and more, with the aim of creating a textured and transformative telling of Black identity. In a haze of blue hue, the exhibition rooms show three of Knox's resulting films, each plaited with music, visual art and written words to explore themes of of race, heritage and loss. Catch it before 11 February.
Carlijn Jacob's 'Sleeping Beauty', Amsterdam, Netherlands
Eyeballs in lips, peacocks on human legs - Dutch artist Carlijn Jacobs's works blend beauty with the bizarre; her images like walking through a dream where the familiar is twisted and tantalised by subconscious surrealism. Her latest collection of personal and commissioned works are on display at Foam until 21 January.
Festivals and events
Netherlands Ice Sculpture Festival, Zwolle, Netherlands
Ice, ice, baby! While Christmas may be over, it's still cold outside for much of Europe and the Netherlands are making the most of it with their annual Ice Sculpture Festival, which continues until the 25 February. Using 275,000 kilos of ice, it features fantastical frozen formations from the world's very best ice and snow sculpture artists - Edward Scissorhands, snip your heart out.
The Empire Strips Back: A Burlesque Parody, Paris, France
In a galaxy not so far away - Paris, to be exact - Star Wars is getting sexy. Already well established in America, 'The Empire Strips Back: A Burlesque Parody' arrived in Europe last October and sees almost every iconic character from the franchise, from Boba Fett to Chewbacca to Jabba the Hutt (different strokes etc), performing elaborate burlesque dance routines certain to turn any lightsabers on. Buy tickets, you must.
Movies
Priscilla
Priscilla opens with a pair of perfectly pedicured feet on a pink fluffy rug, which sets the tone for an intimately aesthetic portrait of a young woman that seemingly lived every teenage girls' dream of marrying the world's biggest star. In classic Sofia Coppola style, everything is cast in a soft-girl glow, with mesmerising midcentury set designs and costumes that immerse you in the dreamy yet increasingly isolated world of Priscilla Presley (Cailee Spaeny) as she's seduced - at just fourteen! - into the complicated world of Elvis (Jacob Elordi). Read the full review by our resident film critic David Mouriquand here.
In case you missed it, Priscilla also featured in our most anticipated movies of 2024 - a list that's well worth checking out!
Society of the Snow
Also out this week was La Sociedad de la Nieve (Society of the Snow), Juan Antonio Bayona’s fifth feature film, which recreates the real-life tragedy of the 1972 rugby team’s flight that crashed in the Andes and the extreme decisions passengers took in order to stay alive in one of the most hostile and inaccessible environments.
David Mouriquand described it as a "masterfully shot and gripping effort" and that "the visually impressive elements never overtake the complex human story at the film’s core".
To mark the release of Bayona's new film, Euronews Culture revisits Fernando Parrado, a survivor of the 1972 'Miracle of the Andes' plane crash to discuss the chilling pact he and fellow passengers made to stay alive. You can read the interview here.
ADVERTISEMENTGolden Globes 2024
The 81st Golden Globe Awards are this Sunday evening (or early Monday morning if you're tuning in from Europe). The organisation has been revamped, and the nominations are promising.
Will Barbenheimer dominate proceedings, thereby heralding an upcoming Oscar battle for the ages? Not long now to find out. You can find Euronews Culture’s predictions for this year’s Golden Globes here.
TV
The Brothers Sun
There's truly no better way to start the year than with some Michelle Yeoh. In this dark comedy/action series, the seemingly simple life of Bruce Sun (Sam Li) unravels when his brother, Charles`Chairleg' Sun (Justin Chien) - a bad-ass John Wick type - turns up in Los Angeles to protect him and their mother (Yeoh) after their father is assassinated. Frothing with family secrets and fight scenes, this hyped-up and often hilarious show gives exactly the sort of energy we need during the drab slog of January. Now streaming on Netflix, it was also included in our most anticipated TV series of 2024.
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