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Bertrand Delanoë
Biography
Bertrand Delanoë (born 30 May 1950) is a French retired politician who served as Mayor of Paris from 2001 to 2014. A member of the Socialist Party (PS), he previously served in the National Assembly from 1981 to 1986 and Senate from 1995 until 2001.
Delanoë was born 30 May 1950 in Tunis, at that time a protectorate of the French colonial empire, to a French mother and a French-Tunisian father. His father, a land surveyor, was atheist while his mother, a nurse, was Roman Catholic.
At 6 years old, Delanoë became a member of the "Petits Chanteurs des Sables", a Christian choral group associated with the Petits Chanteurs à la Croix de Bois. At the age of 11, Delanoë witnessed the crisis of Bizerte between France and newly independent Tunisia. Bertrand Delanoë moved back to France with his family following Tunisian independence; after the military base in Bizerte was closed in 1963, Delanoë's family broke up. His mother came to live in Rodez, Aveyron with her son. After leaving school, Delanoë is said to have started studies in law at the University of Toulouse. According to Who's Who in France he has a diploma in economics.
Delanoë has been involved in politics since the age of twenty-three as the secretary of the Socialist federation in Aveyron.
He was first elected to the Council of Paris in 1977. In 1993, he became the head of the city's Socialist Party branch. In 1995, he was elected to the Senate, where he was secretary of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence.
Delanoë became Mayor of Paris on 18 March 2001, when control of the Council of Paris was won by a left-wing alliance for the first time since 1977 (election with universal suffrage). His predecessors were Jean Tiberi (1995–2001) and Jacques Chirac (1977–1995), who resigned after 18 years as mayor when he was elected President of the French Republic.
Delanoë won the mayorship of Paris at the head of a coalition of Socialists, Greens and Communists, over the conservative candidates Jean Tiberi and Philippe Séguin, who were unable to resolve their differences and thereby split the conservative vote. This success in a city which had traditionally been a stronghold of the right until the end of the 20th century was made all the more striking by setbacks to the left in the 2001 municipal elections that occurred more generally. It has been partially attributed with the weariness of the Parisian public with respect to various scandals of corruption and graft in the preceding administrations.
Delanoë was virtually unknown before the election of 2001, but soon gained fame for organising new and unusual events in Paris, such as the "Paris Beach" (Paris-Plages) on the banks of the Seine every summer in order to give Parisians who could not take a regular vacation a chance to relax, sunbathe and build sandcastles in the center of Paris. The program, especially popular with families with children, has been in place since 2002, and has since been copied by many other international cities. ...
Source: Article "Bertrand Delanoë" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.
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Zaiesha Joseph
Biography
Ever since she was a child she wanted to become an actress.
Zaiesha remembers standing in the classroom in front of 15 students or sometimes even in front of her entire school assembly performing monologues, some of which she had made up on the spot. She remembers telling her classmates that she is going to become a professional actress one day, she also remembers her classmates doubting her, but that never deterred her because she knew she had a true passion for acting. “I have always loved acting!” Whenever the electricity was working, Zaiesha would watch bootleg CD movies on the DVD player and imagine herself playing a certain role or character. “I could see myself very vividly on the Television”.
Zaiesha’s mother’s mother worked in the cane fields, as did her mother until the untimely closing of the sugar manufacturing industry. Her father was a construction worker until his unfortunate death in 2007, since then her mother has been a single parent, supplementing the household income by knitting and crocheting local products which are sold to tourists who visit her beautiful Island. She is the seventh of nine siblings and all her life she has been living ‘hand to mouth’ “I truly know what it is like to go hungry, sometimes for days at a time”.
From as early as she can remember, Zaiesha decided that that is not the future she wants for herself and focused on achieving academic excellence at school. In High School and College, she tried her best to choose subjects that would prepare her for her endeavor as an actress. However, in St. Kitts and Nevis, the educational system, at that time did not allow for careers in theater arts or Acting for Film, therefore the only subjects available for her to choose for this type of career were English and Literature.
Moving forward to September 2019, Zaiesha was granted a Scholarship by The Liamigua Education Foundation to pursue her dreams. Soon, she would become a ‘Summa Cum Laude' graduate of the New York Film Academy with a Bachelor's of Fine Arts Degree in Acting For Film. In New York, Zaiesha would often audition for many acting roles, however all of the roles asked her to ‘Change her accent’. She later realized that there are not many roles available for people of Caribbean Descent and background. Hence, she decided to take matters into her own hand; she started writing. In 2020, Zaiesha started writing her own little skits, then she advanced to short films and later feature films. She wrote, acted and produced her own films; Zaiesha worked multiple jobs as a waitress in New York City and used her tiny paycheck to finance her films. She would later go on to produce three feature films, two of which are on Apple TV, Amazon Prime and Google Play. Her most recent feature film is called ‘Pot vs. Kettle’.
Zaiesha wants to make her country proud, she was born and raised in St. Kitts and Nevis, a small Caribbean Federation with a population of 55,000 people and there have not been many persons from St. Kitts and Nevis who have excelled in the film industry. “My aim is to show the world that no matter who you are or where you come from, you can be whatever you choose to be, and those circumstances should be used as motivation for a better you”.
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Éric Ollivier
Biography
Éric Ollivier, pseudonym for Yves Duparc, (21 November 1926 – 30 January 2015) was a French writer, screenwriter and journalist, laureate of several French literary awards.
Éric Ollivier's mother (Theresa Marie Ourvouai) was of Irish descent, his father (Arthur Victor Marie Duparc) was a sailor and poet. Orphaned at the age of eight, he was sent from Brittany to Paris at the end of 1940 by his family. He then studied at Lycée Henri-IV and practiced scouting. Having failed his baccalauréat exams, he enrolled at the Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales where he contributed to a dictionary of Amharic. Jean Cocteau, to whom he wrote, gave him a small role in the film Ruy Blas (1948), of which Jean Marais was the star.
Eric Ollivier became the secretary of writer François Mauriac from October 1946 to Spring of 1948, when he was called up to carry out his military service. He became a journalist for the daily newspaper Le Figaro in 1949, and was sent to report from Libya, Tunisia and Morocco. He was also a war correspondent in Indochina, a senior reporter in India and Africa. He directly experienced, on the spot, the independence of Morocco and Tunisia.
As a novelist, he was awarded the Prix Roger Nimier for J'ai cru trop longtemps aux vacances in 1967; the Prix Cazes for Panne sèche in 1976, the Prix Interallié for L'Orphelin de mer... ou les Mémoires de monsieur Non in 1982, the Prix Sainte-Beuve in 1987 for Les livres dans la peau, and the Prix Charles Oulmont in 1993 for Lettre à mon genou. Author of around thirty books, he was also a television producer and worked for the cinema writing scenarios and dialogue.
The Académie française bestowed on him its Prix Jean Leduc in 1972 for Églantine and its Prix d'Académie in 1986 for all his works.
Éric Ollivier died on 30 January 2015 at Rueil-Malmaison of intestinal cancer.
Source: Article "Éric Ollivier" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.
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Cainã de Paulo
Biography
Cainã de Paulo is a Brazilian screenwriter and director passionate about the art of film. Deeply influenced by the underground filmmaking of José Mojica Marins and Sam Raimi, as well as the narrative experiments in the works of David Lynch and Rogério Sganzerla. He delves into multiple genres, from horror to comedy and science fiction. His passion for film flourished during his childhood, as he grew up reading comic books and watching movies at backyard screenings.
At the age of nineteen, he wrote and directed his first feature film “When The Blood Flows” with his writing and directing partner Pedro Valle, with whom he opened "CHUVA ESCURA" an independent production company to open up space for emerging filmmakers.
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Bevis Bowden
Biography
Bevis graduated from Central St. Martins with a Fine Art degree in Filmmaking.
His first film Réalisé en Montagne, was selected for both the Kendal and Banff Mountain Film Festivals.
He is now an active, commissioned filmmaker, working predominantly in long and short documentary forms and natural history. He has made films for both national and international broadcasters, arts organisations, museums and individual artists.
Bevis is presently a Visiting Research Fellow in the Creative Arts at Merton College, Oxford.
He is based in both Mid Wales and London.
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Kongthap Yuttapichai
Biography
Kongthap Yuttapichai is a Thai actor, singer, and model managed by Chandelier Music. He graduated from Sylvia Young Theatre School London, England. He is a son of a senior actor Prab Yuttapichai.
His first single was titled "Say No". He was also a participant on the first episode on the sixth season of music show I Can See Your Voice. He then signed a contract with Thai TV3 as an actor. He made his actor debut in the 2021 drama “Dare to Love: Hai Ruk Pipaksa” in which he stars alongside the top actress Bella Ranee.
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Dingo Jones
Biography
Dingo Jones, the pseudonym of Samuel Pfister, is an Australian filmmaker and musician based in Paris. Initially studying history, Jones became obsessed with how myth, memories, and art shape culture, leading to a shift from academia to filmmaking.
Jones’ films often delve into local legends and personal narratives, using a mix of documentary and fictional techniques to explore how stories are constructed and believed. With a background in history, Jones brings a unique perspective to filmmaking, focusing on the ways collective memory and cultural myths influence identity and community. The works are characterised by a dreamlike quality, where the lines between reality and imagination are intentionally blurred, inviting audiences to engage with the stories on a deeper level.
Specialising in writing, directing, and composing, Jones approaches each project with a focus on the equal importance of sound, image, and story. The original electronic scores composed for the films are not just background elements but play a key role in shaping the emotional tone and immersive quality of the work. Jones’ films aim to be both thought-provoking and visually compelling, offering audiences a space to reflect on the stories that define us.
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Marta Hazas
Biography
Marta Hazas (born December 31, 1977)is a Spanish actress born in Santander (Cantabria). She has a degree in jorunalism, and she also studied dramatic arts in Cristina Rota School. She started her career with minor roles in Spanish tv shows like 'El comisario', 'Hospital central' or 'Los hombres de Paco'. Fame came after her role as Amelia in the tv show 'El Internado'. Before that, she played other leading roles in shows like 'Bandolera' or 'Velvet'. She also has been participated in movies like '8 citas' or 'Lo contrario al amor'.
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Kurdwin Ayub
Biography
Kurdwin Ayub was born in Iraq in 1990. Currently, she works as a director, screenwriter, and video and performance artist in Vienna, Austria. Studies in Painting and Animation with Christian Ludwig Attersee and Judith Eisler at the University for Applied Arts Vienna from 2008 to 2013. Since 2011, studies in Performing Arts with Carola Dertnig at the University of Fine Arts Vienna.
Her shorts have been shown and awarded at numerous international film festivals. In 2013, Ayub was awarded the Vienna Independent Short Newcomer Prize, in 2011 and 2012, she received the Viennale Mehrwert Short Film Prize. In 2012, she presented a series of her short films at the Viennale. Her feature documentary Paradise! Paradise! – direction, screenplay and cinematography by Ayub – won Best Camera at the Diagonale – Festival of Austrian Film, the New Waves Non Fiction Award at the Sevilla Festival de Cine Europeo and the Carte Blanche Prize of the Duisburger Filmwoche in 2016.
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Tom Pollock
Biography
Thomas Philip Pollock (April 10, 1943 – August 1, 2020) was an American film producer and studio executive. He started his career as an entertainment lawyer, before transitioning to a studio executive and film producer. He was the chairman of the board of trustees of the American Film Institute, an adjunct professor of film at the University of California, Santa Barbara, a trustee of the Los Angeles Music Center and a member of the California Bar Association. He was also co-owner of The Montecito Picture Company.
Description above from the Wikipedia article Tom Pollock, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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