Nature Namur Festival

Posted on October 16, 2014 3:12 am by brusselsdiplomatic in acp, BELGIUM // 0 Comments

H.R.H Prince Laurent with H.E. the Ambassador of Tchad

Last friday, Prins Laurent, his children, the Ambassador of Tchad, some Walloon Regional Ministers, officials of the “European Commission”, the Province and the City of Namur, were in Jambes-Namur to open the 20th. edition of the “Nature Namur” Festival, with a film realised in Tchad, “Zakouma”, by Tanguy Dumortier, “RTBF” Journalist, and Philippe Taminiaux, President-Creator of this interesting Festival.

From October 10th. untill October 19th., Namur is the European Capital of the nature, with three competitions, one for photos and two for movies, the first one open to the amateurs (15 films, each one of 5′) and the other one to the professionals (20 films from 26 untill 90′, many of them speaking in english, made by films’ directors from Argentina, Australia, Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Hungary, South Africa, Spain and Belgium, showing the ur beautifull nature in Brazil, Canada, Congo, Costa Rica, France, Germany, Hungary, Madagascar, Namibia, New Zealand, Panama, Peru, Russia, Spain, USA, Zambia and Belgium).

The Festival Center is in the “Acinapolis” movie theatre, near to the Jambes’ railway station, offering a “Nature Village”, where you can find books and videos, but also learn how to make films (with the “Video Academy”) or to take pictures in the nature, with all the material you can dream to use someday. For your pleasure, this “Nature Village”, the two projections’ rooms and the 26 photos’ exhibitions (on three floors) are decorated by more than 3000 plants. Don’t miss on the first floor, the 121 photos selected out of 6200, sended from all over the world (the awards will be gived on October 17th., at 08p.m.).

Also, take a look on the superb photos of gannets (by Franck Renard), snails (by Vyacheslav Mishchenko), owls (by Fabrice Simon, and “Tchad” (by Tanguy Dumortier and Philippe Taminiaux, telling us that the elephants’ population in Tchad falled from 4500 in 2006 till 450 in 2013)!!! …

On the second floor, about 100 photos (made by photographers from 30 nationalities, showing the nature in 40 countries, some as far away than Sri lanka or Trinidad and Tobago) selected by the well known “BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year”‘s competition, from London (so, all the explanations are wrote in english). At the same floor, take a look at “Urban Safari” (the wild animals in the cities, by Laurent Geslin) the “Melting Pot Safari” (by Tony Crocetta , who tooked his photos in Kenya, during the last six years), and “Latitudes Animales 4” (by great photos made by different professionals).

Seven cars and one minibus can take you, for free, to downtown Namur, at the other side of the Meuse River, to visit the “S’Pace Gallery” (4 exhibitions), the “François Brewery-Restaurant” (6 exhibitions) and the authentic “Governor’s Palace” (only 1, but so different, with black and white pictures that Lubmilla Esbiaube (Russia/France) took in China, with the Huangshan’s mountains in the clouds).

From there, walking or with a car, you have to go up the historical Citadel, to discover 19 more exhibitions being placed in 7 different places. Regarding the outside places, you have to see, behind de “Guy Delforge Perfums Factory”, the selection of the “Montier Photos’ Festival”, out of 8615 photos sended to this french organisation.

If you have enough time, you can also visit some photos’ exhibitions in Andenne, Assesse, Gembloux, Gesves, Fernelmont, Floreffe, Jemeppe-sur-Sambre, Ohey and Profondeville, or take part of one ride in the nature, in a guided group. All informations on : wwwfestivalnaturenamur.be.

But let us come back at the heart of the Festival, in Jambes- Namur, at the “Acinapolis”. On October 19th., five projections, at 2 p.m. (the 15 films of the amateur competition), 4, 5, 6 p.m. (three of the awarded professionals films) and 8 p.m. (on film on the “Wild Nature”, by the “BBC”, … in english, of course, to close in beauty this 20th. edition of the “Nature Namur Festival”).

The 16 awards of the professional competition will be gived during the “Closing Gala”, on October 18th., at 8 p.m., before a reception and the projection of films’ extracts of some of the best films.

On the same coming Saturday, we can see “Wild Australia: Koala Forest (T. Grospitz and J. Westphalen/Germany/48′) + “Madagascar, les Trésors verts de l’Ile rouge” (R. Fournier-Cristol/Fr./52′), at 11 a.m., and “Congo, deep and dangerous” (T. Berhend/Germany/48′) + “Brazil, a natural History” (P. Reddich/Austria/52′), at 2 p.m.

But you don’t have to go so far to find the nature. Take a look, by exemple, on the European Capital, with “Bruxelles sauvage, Faune capitale” (B. Crutzen/Bel./65′), showing some foxes in a garden or in a … kitchen, roes, falcons, martens, bats, squirrels, … Some of them were founded on the “rue de la Loi”, in some Ambassies as well as in the … “King’s Palace”!!! … This interesting film can be seen on October 17th., at 08:30 p.m., and on October 16th., at 5:30 p.m. Don’t miss this opportunity to discover another face of Brussels and to enjoy so many other treasures of the nature in Namur! Have a Happy Birthday dear “Nature Namur Festival”! See you next year, for sure!

All exhibitions, everywhere, are free of charge. Price for each movies’ screening: 6€ (4€ for the students, free untill 6 years old), excepted for the “Closing Gala”: 16€. Price for a programme: 1€. Also, you can buy the DVD with the 15 amateurs’ films of this year (10€), one pack with two DVD showing all the 20 films’ selections (20€), the catalog of this year’s photograpies’ exhibitions (10€), and a superb book, wrote in french: “20 Ans de Passion” (100 photos/”Weyrich Edition”/2014/28€).

Yves Calbert.