Culture
From Bergamo to Laos: parkour with Gato, Italian traceur
Federico, or 'Gato' ('Cat') as he likes to be known, is an Italian biologist. But his real passion is for parkour - or rather the art of moving, a discipline which allows man to discover his own body and its limits
culture, italy, urban dance, parkour, federico "gato" mazzoleni, sport, city planning
European indie film: 'Sundance' in Paris
It's all eyes on the French capital's Latin quarter between 12 and 14 March 2010; the fifth edition of 'ECU', run by an Australian and supported by G-Technology by Hitachi, showcases 72 works from 28 countries across various categories. Here's our top five trailers
culture, sundance, cinema, video, indie, awards, culture calendar
Agop J. Hacikyan: 'I don’t feel I am translating my culture into English'
The playful Armenian-Canadian author talks his latest novel - hailed as a 'love letter to Istanbul' - straddling continents and his opinions on Turkey in the EU
culture, literature, identity, brunch, languages, london, canada
The Europeans nominated for the more 'random' Oscars 2010
There's a tendency to focus on which Europeans snag the best film or best actress prizes - but here's a trailer run down of the less famed contenders vying for other Oscars from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which takes place at the Kodak Theatre on 7 March
culture, cinema, film, quentin tarantino, culture calendar, film festival
Songbeat, Berlin: story of a German music start-up
Philip Eggersglüß and Marco Rydman are two Berliners who launched an online music business at the age of 25. We discuss court cases, 'limited company' statuses via the UK and Hong Kong and the benefits of working in the German capital
culture, germany, berlin, songbeat, start-up company, music, economy
Gaëtan Tarantino: ‘graffiti artists are normal people, not hooligans’
He escaped prison and fines, sleeps and breathes graffiti and his NGO holds Brussels’ annual graffiti event: how the 32-year-old from Marseille, who once worked in air-conditioning, cheers up gloomy Belgian neighbourhoods with art that emerges from concrete
culture, belgium, brunch, brussels, graffiti, street art, art
Berlin film festival: well, hello Leo
cafebabel.com are loyal attendees of Europe's biggest cinematic event, especially in the year it turns a dinosaur 60. Via a small team of pan-European correspondents in the capital, here's a selection of exclusives of the latest releases, a flashback through the festival's tormented history, a mystery trail on the heels of Banksy and interviewees who jump the hoops through our hearts and - literally - over our heads. Catch our Berlin babelblog and twitter page for more
- Florian Lukas: no more 'best mate characters' for the 'Good Bye Lenin!' star
- Metropolis: masterpiece recovered at last
- Kinshasa Symphony: why is Mozart in Africa an alien concept?
- Berlin film festival: 60 years of masterpieces
- Communist-themed film reviews: Kawasaki's Rose vs Portrait Of The Fighter As A Young Man
- Israeli and Arab film pick at the Berlin film festival
In the middle of our street
You have to know how to choose them, have fun in them, and leave them. Having a neighbourhood is a bit like having a second skin. It typically has your local, your loyal neighbours and shops. But neighbourhoods have their own skins too. Take the Gazi quarter in Athens which shed its industrial skin to become the latest craze, as happened to Kreuzberg in Berlin, or the renewed district of Jozsefvaros in Budapest. We take a little stroll around some European streets
Concert review: south London band The xx continue European tour
They count Courtney Love as a fan, they're one of the groundbreaking new acts of 2009 and among the most innovative bands of the late decade. As the band of twenties return to their European tour today in Angouleme, one fan remembers how, in spite of wild winds, the Danish hoards flocked to catch a glimpse of the Wandsworth trio
culture, live, aarhus, concert, culture calendar, indie rock, denmark
Ties and tees: three innovative fashion initiatives from Ljubljana, Lille and Berlin
Between 20 - 22 January, the historic Berlin-Tempelhof airport compound served as the venue of Bread and Butter, the most prominent trade fair for urban and streetwear, for the second year in a row. We pick tie manufacturers, T-shirt street fashion and an eco-sports label as top of the crop
culture, fair, lifestyle, berlin, clothes, culture calendar, fashion
Grand Archives: ‘In five years time we’ll probably be bartenders again’
Mat, Jeff, Curtis and Thomas are four friends from Seattle, four musicians from a small city. They’re not easily recognisable - you won’t have seen their faces in magazines or billboards. They don’t seem like typical indie rock stars; ‘nor do we don’t want to,’ says frontman Mat Brooke. We catch the group on their European tour leg in the Spanish capital
culture, brunch, grand archives, music, spain, leonid kuchma
Annett Louisan: 'I don’t need to go the fake platinum blonde bombshell route anymore'
The breathy German chanson singer hasn’t only changed hair colour over the years - she seems to have done a bit of growing up as well. We catch the 31-year-old entertaining the Franco-German relations ambassador and performing live in Paris for the first time
British authors in Paris on writing and Romania
Vivienne Vermes is working on an autobiographical piece, whilst Denise Larking Coste is about to publish a novella in French; both Brits are members of a writers group from called 'Babel'. We discuss life in Paris, writing and Romania
