Tonight is the first night of Caribana down by the lake at Crans sur Nyon. On the programme for tonight are the Baseballs at 19:00, Hell's Kitchen at 20:00, Kassidy at 21:00 and the headline act Deep Purple at 21:45. Tickets for tonight, tomorrow and Saturday are sold out but there are still some available for Friday. On that night the line up is Faithless, Oi va Voi, Micky Green,Yodelice and more. If you have never been to Caribana before, it's definitely worth a visit, the venue is in the most stunning lake side setting. If you want to go with young children, then Sunday is the day as its completely free on Caribakids day with lots of activities organised and music for the little ones from 12:00. You can read all about Caribana in previous posts on the right hand side bar under "Nyon's two rock festivals" and there is more information about the festival  from a post from the press conference back in April. Meanwhile over in Nyon, just below the castle, check out these panels which are part of display called "Parcoura Alpha" as part of a collaboration betwen local museums, a science federation and the University of Lausanne.There is information and questions on the panels, such as, what is a girolle? If you want to know the answer go see the display!

Photo above: A decorated Easter fountain of Nyon (from 2008). Go check out all the fountains that are decorated  around the town this year. This Sunday it's the annual Spring market in Nyon down by the lake side with local clubs and associations selling all manner of goods and artisanal products, including beautiful handpainted eggs. The Jamaican Association of Switzerland will also be there, selling rum punch and Jamaican food!  The market runs from 08:00 to 18:30 . Also this weekend, a reminder that there will be the one man comedy show  in English   - "Caveman" playing at the Funambule on Saturday 16 the April at 20:30 and on Sunday 17th  at 17:00. The Funambule theatre is situated next to the Beau Rivage Hotel in Nyon on the Quai des Alpes. Check out the Funambule website for more info and to buy or reserve tickets. English film at the cinema Also this weekend (and until the 19th April) at Nyon Capitole cinema, the film "Rabbit Hole" starring Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart will be screened daily in English at 20:15 (apart from Wednesday).

The Open Air Cinema in Nyon opens today 31st July and the season continues until the 29th August. Outdoor cinema (photo from 2013).  The cinema can be found at the Esplanade de la Combe, Promenade d'Italie (near the La Combe Shopping centre) Films will be screened on Weds, Thursday, Friday and Saturdays.  The "version originale" films (in English) over the season are the following: Wednesday 5th, August at 21:15 Amy -  This 2015 British documentary film depicts the life and death of singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse, directed by Asif Kapadia. Thursday 13th  at 21:00  Women in Gold starring Helen Mirren - The film is based on the true story of the late Maria Altmann, an elderly Jewish refugee living in Los Angeles, who, together with a young lawyer fought the Austrian government for almost a decade to reclaim Gustav's Klimt's 'iconic painting of her aunt. Thursday 20th at 21:00  Far from the Madding Crowd    - Synopsis  A headstrong Victorian beauty (Carey Mulligan) has her choice of three different suitors: a sheep farmer , a dashing soldier and a prosperous, older bachelor. Wednesday 26th at 21:00 Wild  starring  starring Reese Witherspoon. With the dissolution of her marriage and the death of her mother, Cheryl Strayed has lost all hope and makes a rash decision to hike more than a thousand miles of the Pacific Crest Trail alone. Tickets can be bought online here

The answer is Chief Almir from the Surui tribe in Brazil, and Nyon's Paléo festival. For the past two summers, Chief Almir and some members of his tribe have been invited from Brazil to come to the  Paléo music festival. where, with a stand run by the association Aquaverde , they have drawn attention to the destruction of the Amazon rainforest and the Surui’s efforts to preserve and reforest their 250.000 hectares indigenous territory (the size of the Canton of Geneva and the Canton of Vaud). The first time the Surui tribe saw white men and had contact with the outside world was just 40 years ago. Today they embrace modern technology to highlight and show the public for itself the enormous problems that the tribe faces. They do this by using Google Earth and GPS systems to create a map to mark and show the physical boundaries of their native land , (93% of which is still covered by primary rainforest), the reforestation areas and the devastation surrounding it. The impact of seeing the vast area under constant threat from an aerial view helps the public to understand the issues at stake. Living in Nyon went to the Aquaverde stand this summer and briefly chatted with Jurgen Vogel from Aquaverde. He explained that Chief Almir was delighted that Paléo had brought him over, he also appreciated the contact he had with members of the public to let him explain a little bit about his life and to engage in dialogue . He also said that here in Switzerland he felt he was treated as an equal whereas back in his native Brazil, in some towns he and members of his tribe were still treated like second class citizens. Chief Almir himself received a university education in Brazil which was funded by organisations supporting indigenous development and self reliance. The Surui realized they needed to learn our civilisation's ways in order to survive, preserving their ancestral knowledge , culture and traditions, and their environment. When he became chief of his tribe at 17, Almir knew he would have to reach out to the entire world to raise awareness outside the forest to highlight their situation. Idea for a Christmas present with a local Nyon link The Association Aquaverde provides the Surui People financial the means to develop their reforestation and related education projects. It costs just CHF 15 to purchase the planting of a tree with Aquaverde. Click here to buy a tree. Only CHF 1.5 of the 15 goes to administration costs. The trees are grown in a nursery during the ongoing year and, at the beginning of the rainy season (between December and March), they are transplanted to degraded lands. They are then looked after by the indigenous community. The adoption of trees by individuals and companies is the main source of financing of Aquaverde reforestation projects. The communities also benefit from resources generated by fair trade distribution of the products such as seeds, fruits, oil, arts & crafts items, originating from the trees. Also note that for every Christmas tree bought at Schilliger, the garden centre will plant one tree with Aquaverde .

There will be a "spectacle" down at the The Bains de Trois Jetées on Saturday night at the "plage" of Nyon.  The circus group "Makadam" will give a performance involving fire juggling, torches and  acrobatics. Take a look at their site for an example of their artistry.  Before the performance, the group "Van Hessche" will play blues on the terrace. Food and drink will be served at the buvette. The evening beginns at 19:00 Take a look at the Bains de Trois Jetées website for more info. Also, each Monday at 07:00 and Wednesday at 09:00, weather permitting there are yoga classes being held by the lakeside. Bring stretchy clothing or a swimsuit!  For more info, see  Bains de Trois Jetées or email  Natalie Halt nataliehalt@gmail.com On July 21st there will also be a special yoga class called " Discover your inner rockstar"  with renowned Yoga Expert Sadie Nardini to be held at the Usine a Gaz from 17:00- 19:00. Inside photo - courtesy Makadam

There were a lot of events happening in the Nyon and Vaud area last weekend! Living in Nyon attended a couple of these and took photos of members of the public dressed up in costume. From the elegant period dresses of the ladies at the "Déjeuner sur l'herbe" picnic in Prangins, to the smart suits, blazers and waistcoats of the men at the "Gentlemen's Bike Ride" in Nyon. If you missed the Lunar Eclipse on Monday, take a look at the video by professional photographer Alistair Scott . It was taken from the hillside above Burtigny, facing La Dôle. Hester Macdonald taking subscriptions for the Swiss Gardening School . The school's next course "Winter Vegetable Gardening (6th October in Prangins) is an introduction to the vegetables and herbs that will survive the winter. Photos below - The rather elegant Gentlemen's Bike Ride arrives in Nyon. Motorbikes, vintage and new, blazers, suits and bow ties! Lunar Eclipse in Vaud If you missed the lunar eclipse in the early hours of Monday morning, take a look at this video below. It was taken from the hillside above Burtigny, facing La Dôle. Local professional photographer Alistair Scott  braved the cold and the wind, took more than 800 photos and stitched them together to make this terrific timelapse.

Salaam Isfahan (Good Morning Isfhahan)  - Film review by Emma Johnson This documentary is part of the International Competition and is screening again on Tuesday, 20 April at 20:00 in the Capitole 2 Fellini cinema. In this graceful and moving documentary, Sanaz Azari quietly explores Iran’s political and social climate in the days surrounding the 2009 elections. Subtle and respectful in her approach, the director remains in the background, leaving room for the people of her birthplace to express their thoughts. This is not the story of tumultuous crowds or outright politics, nor are we told how Iran is. Rather, it is about individual voices, personal hopes and the all too human need for self-expression. Under the guise of a photo shoot, the crew takes to the city streets in order to capture a glimpse of peoples’ daily lives. The film opens with a shoot already in place on a quiet, shady road. The majority of people pass by quickly, refusing to be photographed. One neatly dressed man, who has himself posed for several photos, remarks “they don’t want any trouble with the elections coming”. This aside introduces the political undertone that flows through the film and grows in importance with greater proximity to the elections. While the political situation is not often directly referred to, it is always there – we can feel it. Many participants in the film are all too keen to have their photos taken for a European documentary. Their willingness indicates their need to be heard, their need to be recognised as an individual. What is perhaps most poignant in this documentary is the fleeting moments captured before the click of the shutter, where people’s reactions and gestures allow brief insights into themselves as they nervously look at the camera or unabashedly pose. These silent moments reveal much and give weight to a very human story. By asking simple, disarming questions like “What did you do today?” or “Where are you going?”, Azari gives the participants room to open up and reveal something about themselves, albeit unknowingly. In doing so, she offers the audience a privileged position – one where they are not told what to think but are able to see and interpret for themselves. Tender hopes for what might have been, and vulnerabilities are also exposed. One man who poses before the camera speaks of his childhood dream to become a Hollywood action hero. Others reflect on lost musical heritage or other changes in the city. A young girl wants to know when the documentary will screen, so that she can tell her friends. Parts of the documentary are filmed in various interiors, allowing the audience entry into a more intimate, secret world - one where private thoughts can be spoken aloud. In a particularly touching scene, a female protagonist demonstrates how to wear the different headdresses that are obligatory in a post-revolution Iran. Showing the camera the “latest fashion” and the different styles, she implicitly touches on the need for self-expression and the way this manages to emerge, even within the most limited confines. In a beauty salon, three women talk and joke about what they are still able to do in Iran under the current regime, in between applying make-up and swapping beauty tips. We visit them again after the results are announced. Here the violence surrounding the politics is explicitly addressed – they speak with sadness about the young people who have died in the demonstrations, “for nothing”. Yet the sense of futility soon dissipates as a philosophical note is struck with humour – one of the women who is preparing for a wedding notes that at least there will be no official raids at the wedding party to verify if there is dancing, as the army now “has bigger fish to fry”. On election day, the documentary moves outside the city and up to the nearby hills. People stroll in the soft, fading light, far above the city spread out below. A reflective, peaceful mood reigns here, seemingly far away from the political tensions below. Families and friends pose for photos as they talk about their days. Yet at the same time, just as the city remains in the frame, politics loiters in the background – it is an ever-present reality. Many talk of having gone to vote or the general climate, but their worries about the current situation remain unspoken. Two friends are asked what they love about Iran and respond that it is home, that is the only place where one is not a foreigner. Then one of them concedes that you can be a foreigner even in Iran, depending on the political climate. In one of the most striking and beautiful shots of the documentary, the camera slowly follows the gondola’s descent back down the dark hill to the glowering lights of the city. The noise of the crowds shouting political slogans rises, (though we do not see them) signalling an inevitable return to the city and to all its problems. In a final series of photos, a young couple poses on a bridge that traverses a dry riverbed. They express frustrations about the fraudulent election that touch the audience and make them wonder about Iran’s future. When asked where they are going, the young man replies that they are off to join the demonstrations and to “get beaten up”. A heartbreaking sense of futility is evoked, as is admiration for their resolve. Beautifully filmed, Salaam Isfahan documents the lives, reactions and feelings of normal people living under extraordinary circumstances. By giving room for people to knowingly or unwittingly tell their own story, Sanaz Azari opens up various personal Irans and gives the audience another experience of the country, one that we can access and relate to, despite the foreignness of the circumstances. And she does it with a moving grace. Director - Sanaz Azari

"Bringing the  town to life in the middle of winter"  is the aim of the organisers of  "Les Hivernales" a rock  and beat festival which will take place in various venues in Nyon from the 10-13th February. The festival, which made its debut last year proved to be a great success with music lovers so it is back again in 2011. Les Hivermales - Fake fur on the poster but real music  This year there is an extra day of programming and new venues will be participating in the event: those involved are the Usine a Gaz with 450 places, the Salle Communale (600 places), La Parenthèse (100 places), After Club (250 places), the bars Cactus Jack and the Quai 23, the Bains des 3 Jetées and even the ice rink!   There will be more news later on this initiative but in the meantime check out what Francesca (Living in Nyon's new writer) says about three of the main acts due to play at the festival.  Yuksek – Saturday 12th February 2011 - Salle Communale Headlining this year’s festival is Yuksek , a French DJ, producer, and remix artist from Reims, France.  Similar to artists such as Daft Punk, Chromeo, Boys Noize, and MSTRKRFT, his varied style is characterized by house, disco, acid rock, and pop influences.  At the age of seventeen he made the decision to quit school and focus on his music career.  He has made quite a splash in the European electronic scene in the past decade.  Yuksek relies heavily on the use of samples, synthetic sounds, beat machines, and mixers, which create catchy, upbeat crescendos perfect for dancing. I wouldn’t miss out on the chance to see him before the price of a ticket skyrockets when he breaks out in the underground music scenes of New York City and Los Angeles.  Check out his official website for photos, sound bytes, and videos. Ebony Bones! – Saturday 12the February – Usine à Gaz Ebony Bones! (born Ebony Thomas) is a London-based singer-songwriter, music producer and actress.  She has a provocative, anti-authoritarian attitude and often-outlandish style of dress, which creates a unique concert experience both aurally and visually.  She is a self-taught musician with a strong, dynamic voice and a sound similar to performers like Santigold or Amanda Blank.  She employs a variety of techniques including clapping, electro-synthesized beats, horns, choral fillers, discofunk bass lines, rock guitar riffs, audio distortion, Afrocentric drumming, and call-and-response, to create a fragmented yet bold sound and engaging live show.  Her songs are uptempo, energetic, good for dancing, and promote an unapologetic, live-in-the-moment philosophy to music. Round Table Knights – Friday 11th February 2011 - Usine à Gaz Round Table Knights ( known informally to fans as RTK) is a DJ/Producer duo comprised of DJ Questionmark and DJ Atomik from Bern, CH.  Primarily known for their remixes, RTK’s original work has an ambient sound with unique bass lines.  The duo have been spinning together since 2000 and have already played alongside acts including Beastie Boys, Spank Rock, Coco Rosie, Justice, Modeselektor, Simian Mobile Disco, and Soulwax among others.  Diverse influences include disco, house, psychedelic rock, and pop.  Their rise in popularity in the world music scene is evident with upcoming shows in Beijing, Singapore, Washington, DC, San Diego, and Montreal.  Check out their recently released EP sampler . GOLD Hangover – Saturday 12/2/2011 – Cactus Jack GOLD Hangover is the name of duo act DJ Sancho and DJ Die Latté who hail from Lausanne.  Their genre is dubstep, a relatively new electronic music movement, which is gaining popularity throughout Europe and the States. GOLD Hangover’s sound is characterized by a heavy reliance on bass and sub-bass, complex and syncopated beats, looped samples, rewinds, and unexpected bass drops.  They have a dark, gritty sound similar to Bassnectar.  If you’re a fan of dubstep or have always wondered what the hype is about I’d recommend seeing this free show live.

Yves Humbert was a local photographer who was passionate about Nyon, fascinated with the lake and the people who lived in the area. He spent most of his life taking photos of these passions, and when he died, left an extraordinary legacy of thousands of negatives and photos. Many of these photos were untitled and unnamed. In the past week the local newspaper La Côte has been printing a photo per day within its pages and asking members of the public if they recognise themselves in any of the photos. The project has created some reminiscing, along with interesting discussions about town life, past and present. Last night in Nyon there was a "vernissage" (opening) of a selection of these photos and visitors got the opportunity to look at them a bit more closely. Some photos are faces of unknown locals, some more recognisable townspeople. But what is also interesting is that even if the fashion of the people and some elements of the town have changed, somethings remain the same. The market sellers of Nyon are still selling fruit and vegetables, folk are dancing in the streets at fêtes, and parades still have their bands with drummers. Interspersed between the photos of Humbert I have placed a few of my own (in colour) taken over the past year just to illustrate the point. Amongst the photos in the exhibition you will see a very young looking Daniel Rossellat, founder of Paléo rasing a glass of wine to the camera. There's another of José Barrense Dias (Brazilian guitarist resident in Nyon), seen with his guitar, he too was at the vernissage last night, and there are photos of young politicians, some whom are still around today. Also present last night was Madame Francfort, Yves Humbert's mother. She recounted to me how he loved the lake area and often used to say, "Ah c'est mon lac, mon rive!" and how much he adored living here. She also said he was great charmer too, especially with women. It also sounds like he was a complex character. Alan Bach a friend who knew him well said that Humbert could possibly have been more famous on a worldwide scale. There were others that recognised his talent and opportunities were sent his way that he could have pursued, but Humbert preferred to stay local (he had his own photography gallery in Rue De La Poterne). Bach is now one of those who has taken on the enormous task of preserving Humbert's photos and distributing them to various institutions. You can go and see some of the photos at this free exhibition entitled "Portraits de Nyon et Photographie de Presse 1968-1996" which on at "La Grenette" (just on the corner of Place du Marché) until the 19th September. What is clear that comes across from this exhibition, is that what makes a town interesting isn't just its buildings and its streets, its also about what goes on in those streets and the people who live there. Below: Drummers at New District day April 2008 Below: Euro 2008 at the UBS arena Below: Someone checking out the photos on the way home from work

This is the second part of Living in Nyon's interview with U.S Film director Peter Entell - For part one, click here Tell us a little about your latest film "A Home Far Away" which is set in the Nyon area  “A Home far Away” tells the true story of U.S  journalist Edgar Snow, the first to film and interview Mao Tse-tung. Suspected by the American authorities of communist sympathies, Snow and his actress wife Lois were blacklisted and together with their two children, moved to Switzerland and ended up living in Eysins. This film has actually been many years in the making, I know the family personally and was aware they had a lot archive material that I could use and I was waiting for the right time to use this material. Once I discovered that the house where they lived was about to be destroyed, I felt the right moment had come to make the film". Photos above and below: Edgar and Lois Snow and family, scenes from the film "A Home Far Away" Note: readers will recognise a lot of scenes in and around the Eysins and Nyon area. You can listen to a more in depth radio interview (click here) about the making of this latest film and you can read a review of the film here. If you look at your very first documentary “Moving on :  The Hunger for Land in Zimbabwe” which was filmed back in 1981, would you alter anything about it now? “I’m still happy with it, I think it stands the test of time. I happen to hit on one of the central issues that the country is still dealing with today that is; who owns the land and who is feeding the country? ” Your first film was issue driven, but your later films are more character driven. Why the change? “I began to think that politics is much more interesting on a very personal level, I think it’s only through individuals that you can talk about issues, even in “Moving on :  The Hunger for Land in Zimbabwe” I focussed on  individuals; one black farmer and one white farmer to compare the two. For another film in Mongolia I followed a family of nomads throughout the seasons, how they lived and their relationship with the land and their animals”. Do the characters individuals in your film find you, or do you find them, how does it work? “I usually find them but it can be bizarre sometimes how life works. For example, the back story to how my film “Shake the Devil Off” (www.shakethedeviloff.com) is interesting. Six months after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, a friend returned to her home there and she called me to say, “It’s going to explode down here, this is not a natural disaster, this is a human disaster waiting to happen. You have got to come over”. Photo above- a scene from "Shake the Devil Off" As I am my own producer and director, I didn’t have to consult anyone as to whether I should go. I just went. Sometimes you just have to work like this, you have to react to an ongoing situation, you cannot plan it. I hired an excellent camera man and a sound man, we travelled to the U.S and discovered my friend was right, we ended up in the middle of this incredible drama. The sound man had always worked on scripted films before where he knew the story was going and I had to explained we simply had to let the story develop on its own, we had to capture it as it was unfolding. I was lucky too that the camera man ( Jon Björgvinsson) I hired was available. He is a freelancer who lives in Nyon and travels globally for many TV stations. If there is a potential war developing or an earthquake etc, he will go anywhere at a moment’s notice.  I paid for him out of my own pocket for this film, I took the risk. Once the film was made, I was able to sell it to various TV stations. Although the film lists me as director of this film I actually directed nothing, the film directed itself, surprising situations cropped up during the entire period.  Everything was impromptu, I had no idea what was going to happen. The film was received very well in the U.S.A. It had everything in it: conflict, a charismatic priest as the central character, lots of tension, colour,  great singing, it had the a narrative curve of a novel. The film won prizes too, the subject matter in it was a hot issue. My gamble had paid off. The two films you made “Josh’s Trees” and “A Home Far Away” cover subjects in which you had a personal attachment to them. Was it harder to make such a film? “Absolutely, I don’t actually like being in front of the camera myself, but in the case of the film “Josh’s Trees” I simply had to tell the story for his son. He had been my friend, the guy that I had been with in the Italan café all those years ago when we were young students, so after he died I knew I had to make the film. In doing so I had to ask some difficult questions, who am I in the film, how do I position myself? I also had to put in some narration even though I don’t really like that. I find commentary a bit too directive, I rebel a bit with the concept of the audience needing everything explained, I don’t think you need to take the audience by the hand. You should experience what’s happening, not be told it. Photo above -scene from "Josh's Trees" Tell us about your 1998 film “Rolling” set in Lausanne Lausanne is a mecca for roller skaters, it’s a city of hills and thousands come to skate there. A few years ago there was a small article in “L’Hebdo” magazine about the popular skaters in the town. When I am not making my own films I also work as an independent producer for Swiss TV, so I called these skaters up and said “we are from Swiss TV, we want to make a film about roller skating and we want to meet you”. We went along to a cafe in Lausanne, and all the skaters were sat around this one big table. So I asked them all to tell me a little bit about themselves. The last one to speak was Ivano. He said “to be honest, I think you have heard enough good stories, you have plenty to choose from, I can’t add anything.” Of course this instantly got me intrigued and I knew he was the one to focus on.  It turned out he had Italian ancestry, his parents had moved to Switzerland to work in a factory. Ivano didn’t want to follow in their footsteps, he was trying to avoid it at all costs, so skating for him was an escape. Skating made life exciting. When he skated he was travelling faster than the cars around him, he was being chased by police cars around the town, he skated anywhere and everywhere, even backwards down the banisters of stairs! Photo above: scene from "Rolling" Ivano went on to open a skating shop and he actually became quite famous at the time, you could see him modelling skating clothes in adverts, everyone knew him. But as often happens when you get close to a character, you realise there is often a back story and the narrative can change. I was interested about what would happen after the glory had faded because inevitably as Ivano grew older he wouldn’t always be at the top of his game, inevitably there would be a 16 year old who would take over his place, and that did indeed happen. All photos above - courtesy - Show and Tell Films

Hunting for a bargain in Nyon... or not. Just over a week ago I wrote that the BBC would be at the Brocante Fair in Nyon on the 30th August to film a programme called "Sun, Sea and Bargain Spotting". So, on the day itself Living in Nyon duly went down to the Rive (the lake area) with camera at the ready to see if we could see their camera crew in action. That Sunday it was simply glorious, the lake was looking magnificent, yachts and ferries were sailing back and forth. It was also Pirate's Day, the "pirates" were out in force cooking sausages and serving wine and giving folk free lake rides on their boat. There was even a brass band. The stalls were selling some interesting goods and everything was picture postcard perfect. A superb showcase for the town. To have this all on film would have been wonderful, particularly for those who are British expats. This programme is usually shown on BBC 2 and often repeated worldwide so we would have the chance to see Nyon's moment of fame and let family know about it back home and be proud of where we lived. However it was not to be, as I understand that not long before the crew came to Nyon, the show was axed after a camera man from the production company posed as a member of the public on the show, therefore misleading the audience. According to news reports "furious BBC chiefs have barred producers Reef Television from making any more shows". What a shame that Nyon missed out. Of course those of us that live here, know how beautiful this town is and are lucky enough to see that and live here year round. It's just a shame that the rest of the world couldn't get to see it too. You can read more about the background to it all here So, although the BBC from the UK didn't make it, did you know that Nyon has its own BBC? This is the basketball club of Nyon and many an exciting match has been played in the town against other teams across Switzerland. They usually play on a Sunday in Le Rocher stadium and they are definitely worth going to see. Check out their upcoming fixtures and events on their site .

Local shops will be open until 22:00 for last minute Christmas shopping tonight Monday 20th December and Thursday 23rd December.  Photo above: clearing the snow in central Nyon last week.