Ernest Pignon-Ernest

Ernest Pignon Ernest is a French visual artist who is considered one of the pioneers of urban art in France. This film recounts the major stages of a considerable body of work that began in the 1960s on the Albion plateau and culminated in Les Extases at the Abbey Church of Bernay. The film gives him space to speak freely, generously, and with conviction. Ernest Pignon Ernest's hands are ancient, reaching back from Caravaggio to Titian, from Masaccio to El Greco. His works speak to us. They transform our streets into fictional spaces, reminiscences, rituals.

Based on the play A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare, a choreographic film by Jean-Christophe Maillot. Gorgeous dancing – and wildly imaginative sets and costumes – bring to vivid life the ecstatic, elegant eroticism in Shakespeare‘s classic fantasy. Recorded at The Grimaldi Forum Monaco, 2009.

Inspired by Charles Perrault's famous fairy tale "The Sleeping Beauty," choreographer Jean-Christophe Maillot homes in on the theme of abstinence and virtue vs. carnal desire in this bewitching ballet. Performed by Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo and featuring the music of Pyotr Tchaikovsky, this enchanting production won the Nijinsky Award for Best Choreographic Production 2001 and the Danza & Danza Prize for Best Show 2002.

Jean-Christophe Maillot has re-worked Swan Lake with the writer Jean Rouaud (1990 Prix Goncourt winner) to bring a new drama to this pillar of the classic repertoire. This new adaptation, filmed in a special studio-setting at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco, brings a modern-day relevance to the timeless story of Siegfried and Odette.

Jean-Christophe Maillot's Romeo and Juliet transports us into the tormented soul of Brother Lawrence: the action is staged as a flashback to the events leading up to the young lovers' tragic demise. Joined by the Monte Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of David Garforth, Bernice Coppieters (Juliet) and Chris Roelandt (Romeo) lead the prestigious Ballets de Monte-Carlo in this riveting 2002 interpretation of Prokofiev’s masterpiece.