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There are two courses coming up in Nyon that will be of interest to all parents. The first is  "First Aid for child injuries". The second will be "Childhood Illnesses: What you need to know".  Both courses will  be given in English by Doctor Michelle Wright. Details and dates below. 1. FIRST AID FOR CHILD INJURIES This course is packed with practical advice, hands on training, lively discussions and lots of information. Along with other topics, you can expect to: Learn how to deal with burns, scalds and electrocution Understand the importance of head injuries and what to do Practice how to deal with major bleeding, cuts, bites, broken bones and sprains Learn how to deal with eye injuries Get advice on what you should have in your first aid kit and how to use it  When: Thursday 26 th May 2011, 18:45-22:15   Where: Ribambelle Garderie, Nyon   2. CHILDHOOD ILLNESSES: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Whenever we look after children, our own or other people’s, it is helpful to know what important illnesses can affect them. Children can become sick quite quickly and if we learn how to recognise the early signs of some important illnesses, we will be best placed to help them. Amongst other topics, you can expect to: Learn about the danger of fevers and what to do about them Understand how to recognise an ill child and know when to call the doctor Recognise the warning signs of meningitis Get advice about how to deal with everyday common problems including diarrhoea, rashes, coughs and colds When: Tuesday 7 th June 2011, 18:45-22:15   Where: Ribambelle Garderie, Nyon   COURSE FEES Each 3 ½ hour course costs 100 CHF per person to include a comprehensive course booklet and light refreshments   HOW TO REGISTER FOR A COURSE Please email drmichellewright@healthfirst.ch stating which course and which date you would like to attend  For more information about who we are and other courses that we deliver, please visit Healthfirst  (note our website is undergoing a re-build and is currently not fully functional).

Photo above: Swiss Quote building in Gland On Tuesday May 17th at 19:00 there will be a presentation by Diccon Bewes, author of "Swiss Watching", along with Swiss Tourism at Brillantmont International School in Lausanne.  A representative from Swiss Tourism will talk about some of the enchanting treasures that Switzerland has to offer.  Then, Diccon Bewes will go behind the scenes of his hugely successful book, and the audience will discover that Switzerlandgoes beyond cows, trains, chocolate, and private banking.  This is a Léman events production. Here's more info about the book "Swiss Watching".  One country with four languages, 26 cantons, and 7.7 million people (but only 80% of them Swiss): there's nowhere else like it in Europe. Switzerland may be almost 400 km from the nearest drop of sea water, but it is an island at the centre of Europe. Swiss Watching is a revealing historical journey around Europe's most individual country. While seeking Heidi and meeting Tell, it relives a bloody past and explores an uncertain future. It's also the story of its people, who have more power than their politicians, but can't speak to one another in the same language – and who own more guns per head than the people of Iraq. As for those national clichés, well, not all the cheese has holes, cuckoo clocks aren’t Swiss and the trains don’t always run exactly on time. For registration for this event click here   Swiss Tourism presentation at 19:00. Then author Diccon Bewes speaks at 19:30  Q & A followed by an apero, networking, book signing and possible tour of the school from 20:15.

Brillantmont International School in Lausanne is getting bigger! If you are driving near the park "Mon Repos" in the centre of Lausanne, you will probably come face to face with a construction site. This is the new project of Brillantmont International School in Lausanne (see previous post about this school), which is building a multi-purpose hall in the middle of its campus. The huge hall will have markings for various sports – basketball, football, hockey, badminton and others, along with a stage and performance area. Currently, Brillantmont welcomes 100 boarders and 50 day students, but the new sports hall will also provide new classroom space, thus Brillantmont is increasing its day school capacity to 60 students . What’s more, the school has added on two new grades and now accepts students from aged 11 into its British (IGCSE, A Level) or American programme. Check out the webcam of the school's building project on the site here

Holiday apartments, party venues and a reminder of events coming up over the weekend. Also, the pool is now open! If you are short of space at home but would like to invite friends and family from overseas to visit you, why not check out some of the holiday apartments and houses in the area that can be rented on a weekly basis?  Nyon tourism has a list of these places and they vary from chalets in Founex, to apartments in Givrins.  You can see the list here. Do you want to hold a party, an event, a meeting with friends, colleagues, or simply have a get together? Did you know there is a handy little guide called "Guide des Refuges et Salles - Edition Vaud 2010-2011"? In this guide there are over 380 venues listed in Vaud, from buvettes to rooms to refuges. "Refuges" are often situated in lovely countryside settings and are great if you want to make a bit of noise at your party and don't want to disturb the neighbours ! Each venue comes with a description of its facilities ie: whether there is a barbecue, parking, water, electricity, refrigeration, heating, wc, etc. In some of these places bunks are provided. Here is the link to the website  for "refuges" which covers many cantons across Switzerland, just click on Vaud for info on this area. Events over the next few days in the area .  It's all happening in Coppet A reminder that it is the big  "Giron des Musique de la Côte Ouest" in Coppet this weekend with music competitions on Saturday, jazz, blues and rock and roll in the evening and on Sunday a grand fanfare musical procession through the old town of Coppet at  10:30 See the programme here for all details of this big event.  Photo below - a member of the "fanfare" Also don't forget "The Producers" the Mel Brooks musical is on this weekend and next in the Theatre du Marens in Nyon. see previous post for more details. The Outdoor Pool is now open!   Nyon's lovely outdoor swimming pool at Colovray is now open for business. There is a reduced price for Nyon residents (take along some form of identity and proof that you are a resident to take advantage of this). If you think you  may be using the pool a lot over the summer season, it could be well worth you buying an abonnement (a seasonal pass). Opening times of the pool here

The Commonwealth - Crossing continents and many Countries. (photo of the video screen on an aeroplane seat!)  Here are a few of the events happening around the area, and in Geneva over the next couple of weeks. The first is another meet up of  Male Trailing Spouses at Les Brasseurs pub in Nyon TONIGHT 10th May at 20:00 . Just turn up or email cnp at bluewin.ch for more info. See previous post here about these events.  Don't forget that "The Producers", the Mel Brooks Musical, begins its run this week at the Nyon Marens Theatre in Nyon! See previous post for more info. Talk by Commonwealth Secretary General On Monday 16th May the guest speaker at the BSCC (British Swiss Chamber of Commerce) will be Kamalesh Sharma the Commonwealth Secretary General - He will address the topic "Future Directions of the Commonwealth". This will be at Le Richemond  Hotel in Geneva 11:45 Aperitif 12:15 Luncheon.  Registration by Thursday 13th May 2011. For more info see the BSCC website. Here is some background information on the Commonwealth provided by the BSCC.  "The world’s largest and smallest, richest and poorest countries make up the Commonwealth and are home to two billion citizens of all faiths and ethnicities. Member countries span six continents and oceans. Its nearly 2 billion citizens account for about 30 per cent of the world's population and 25 per cent of international trade and investment. It is bound together by a shared history and by the English language, the world’s lingua franca. Here in Geneva, Commonwealth countries account for 40 per cent of WTO membership. Membership continues to grow.  The most recent members are Rwanda, admitted at the 2009 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, and Cameroon and Mozambique, the first countries to join with no historical or administrative association with another Commonwealth country. Beyond the ties of history, language and institutions, it is the association’s values which unite its members: democracy, freedom, peace, the rule of law and opportunity for all. Kamalesh Sharma, an Indian diplomat, became Commonwealth Secretary-General on 1 April 2008. Previously, he served as India’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom".  Want to know more ? See a video about the Commonwealth here. Welcome Day for Newcomers to this region Another event that may interest readers to be held on May 20th and organised by International Link  is a "Welcome Day".  The goal of the Welcome Day is to familiarise newcomers with this region and give them a first official introduction to their new environment. Various aspects,  politics, economy, culture and tourism in Vaud and Switzerland will be presented in the hope of helping them answer the question – how to deal with everything here?  It is an informal, friendly event at which people from different companies and cultures can interact and discover the best way to truly feel at home here. They will have the opportunity to ask questions about anything that concerns them and receive useful documentation. We will also present the advantages offered to expats through International Link , such as specific integration and career workshops. We will conclude by enjoying a buffet lunch together to taste Vaud seasonal specialties. Foreign individuals can attend the Welcome Day. To register, please send an e-mail to  internationallink@cvci.ch  with your contact details.  The fee for foreign individuals or participants from non-member companies is 200 CHF. WELCOME DAY PROGRAMME: 8h30-8h45            Welcoming 8h45-9h05            "Putting Switzerland on the map" presentation by Red Cut 9h05-9h40            Interactive Game 9h40-10h00          Presentation by the Lake Geneva Region Tourism Office 10h00-10h15        How to buy a House in Switzerland? presentation by Credit Suisse 10h15-11h00        Coffee Break and networking game 11h00-11h45        Living in Switzerland: Tips, Politics, Economy 11h45-12h00        International Link: What it is and how to use it 12h00-12h15        Questions & Answers 12h15-13h45        Buffet Lunch The event is free of charge if the company is a member of International Link or in the process of becoming one. Venue CVCI, Avenue d'Ouchy 47, Lausanne (Metro M2: stop at Jordils)  Brocante Sale On the 13th May 09:00 - 21:00 there will be a Brocante sale over in Gex at  L'Ancienne Ferme Brocante and Saturday 14th May 09:00 to 15:00.   Address  485 rue de l'Etraz, 01170 Gex, France. Bring a friend or partner to help select from an unusual range of antique and  brocante items; painted furniture from the Paintsmith and Phoenix greetings cards.  Leave the children to play in the garden and make time for coffee and cake. For further information contact Sian Sibley on 00 33 4 50 41 92 30 or email s.sibley@orange.fr   Park on the road and walk up the drive.

On Sunday there will be a guided tour of the Arboretum in Aubonne at 14:00 and the theme will be "Forests from the West coast of the U.S.A." The walk will be guided by M.Sylvain Meier (forester). Rendezvous at 13:45 at L'Arbe'space at the welcome centre of the Arboretum. Duration of walk two hours, wear sensible walking shoes! See website for more details. Also on Sunday at 17:00 there will be a classical concert at the Salle Cortot (Villa Thomas) at the Conservatoire on the lake side, performed by "Le Parnasse Francois". French classical music from the 17th and 18th centuries.

There are two amateur dramatic productions on the agenda for the month of May and both will be performed in this area.  The first is the musical comedy "The Producers" (music and lyrics by Mel Brooks).  This will be performed in English at the Nyon Marens theatre by The Geneva Amateur Operatic Society from the 13th to 21st May. On Friday 13 and Saturday 14 performances will be at 20:00, Sunday 15 May at 19:00, Thursday 19, Friday 20 and Saturday 21 at 20:00. Telephone bookings are now open on 022 341 51 90  from 10:30 -12:30 (Mon- Fri) or go to the GAOS website for more details. If you are new to the area, why not go along as these productions usually attract a big crowd and there's a bar at the theatre where you can mingle and meet other expatriates.   Here is a synopsis of the plot. Max Bialystock, Broadway show producer, has just staged another flop and is despondentdespondent. Along comes accountant Leo Bloom and, on musing with him, Max hits on the way back to fame and fortune: Stage a flop and run off with the money! Well, that's the plan. They choose what has to be the world's most tasteless play: "Springtime for Hitler". Max raises the money by cajoling his Little Old Lady groupies (aka: financial backers). With Leo as his assistant and the gorgeous sexy Ulla as their office help, Max holds auditions and hires the worst actors. Together, they appoint a truly hopeless director and the awful show opens! What could possibly go wrong? But horror of horrors, it's a HIT! Come and see what improbable happenings ensue with this loveable trio and their bunch of incredible friends. La  Belle et la Bête in Divonne The second production is  over the border in Divonne by and this will be the pantomime  "La Belle et la Bête"  which will be performed in "Franglais" on the 16th, 17th and 18th May at the Esplanade in Divonne  For tickets details go the theatrefranglais website

Happy Easter to all Living in Nyon readers! Here are just a selection of events coming up in the area in April and May. More events will be posted on here in the next few days. Included in this post are photos taken recently in and around the Nyon area and at last Sunday's Easter market. 29th April at the Usine a Gaz in Nyon The ADAC association will be presenting an evening of student's work. ADAC (academie of arts créatifs) is a non profit association and runs a series of workshops for students of all ages from 8 to 80!  Workshops include design, digital photography, modern dance, ceramic workshops, painting, drum, percussion and electrical guitar and courses are held at various venues right in the centre of Nyon. There will be more on ADAC  later on Living in Nyon, in the meantime why not go along to the evening to find out more or see their website. Many of the teachers on these workshops speak English.  See the Adac website here or watch the video at the end of this post  see examples of the student's work. Tulip festival in Morges The Tulip festival in Morges  is well under way now in the Parc de L'independance and with over 150,000 bulbs planted over and area of 30,000 m2 it's a sight worth seeing! See the Morges website for more details. Photo above: Courtesy Jardins en Fête  Jardins en Fête in Coppet Just a few miles in the other direction in Coppet on the 6th, 7th and 8th May the annual Jardins en Fête will take place in the ground of the lovely Château de Coppet (photo above). This Fête is open to all garden lovers, both amateur and professional.  For the third year running, gardeners can show off their skills by creating temporary gardens in the grounds in the Laurent Perrier competition. This year the theme for the competition will be "Jardins à croquer"  (roughly translated "a garden that you want to bite into and and want to eat!")  There is also a competition for flower arrangers which is open to amateur arrangers. The theme to this year's show is "Potagers" and the  potager of the Chateau of Prangins will be guest of honour at this fête as it has its own potager modelled on an 18th century design. The gardens will be open  on Friday 6th May 10:00-19:00  Saturday 7th 10:00- 18:00  Sunday  10:00- 18:00 Entry 12 CHF ( 9 CHF students, A.V.S etc )  See site for more details There will be over 100 exhibitors at this event and set in such a stunning setting makes for a lovely day out! Paléo tickets - Did you miss out on obtaining tickets for Paléo this year?  Here is the latest press release from Paléo on two opportunities to obtain tickets To fight against the black market for Paléo tickets, the Festival organises the traditional «bourse aux billets» on  the Paleo website  and this will be launched on 4 May at 12:00. This will make it possible for anybody to sell and or buy tickets safely and at a fair price.  Also, 1,500 tickets will be on sale each morning of the festival at 9:00 for the same night, on the Paléo website and through Ticketcorner outlets (no phone orders). No tickets will be sold on site Mobile clinic for bone density checks in Nyon. There will be a mobile clinic present in Nyon on the 2nd and 3rd May in Rue Juste Oliver 9, organised by the Osteoporosis Foundation (based in Nyon). The clinic will offer information and  free bone density checks amongst other things. See the website for more info  . Music Festival - "Giron des Musiques"  in Coppet May 13-15 th Big music festival from comedy shows to band music to traditional jazz  to grand parade throughout the town of Coppet  see full programme here British Swiss Chamber of Commerce (Geneva chapter) events coming up in May Monday 9th May 2011   A Great British Breakfast with Christa Markwalder, Conseillère Nationale (Berne) "Politics Meets Business" under the auspices of the BSCC's Public Affairs Commission "What are Switzerland's options in the politics of the EU?"  Registration & Buffet from 07.45 - 08.45, Hotel Bristol Wednesday 11th May 2011: Digby, Lord Jones of Birmingham Kt. Business Ambassador at UK Trade & Investment; Director-General of the Confederation of British Industry (2000–06); Minister of State for U.K. Trade & Investment (2007–08). “The World is moving fast ..... where does that leave Europe?” 11.45 Apéritifs, 12.15 Lunch, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Monday 16th May 2011: Kamalesh Sharma, Commonwealth Secretary-General “Future Directions of the Commonwealth” 11.45 Aperitifs, 12.15 Lunch, Le Richemond Thursday 19th May 2011: UK Permanent Mission Special Business Briefing The briefing will be hosted by Phil Tissot, UK Deputy Permanent Representative and will have two themes: An update on key WTO negotiations and how this might affect UK business and he Middle-East and Maghreb:Impact on the UK Mission's activities in Geneva. This event is free for BSCC Members and their guests. Tuesday 24th May 2011: Great British Breakfast with Ingrid Deltenre Director-General, European Broadcasting Union (EBU)  Registration & Buffet from 07.45 - 08.45 - Hotel Bristol For all BSCC events see their website Adac video (see first event on this page)

Photo above CNP : Painted eggs by Suzi Haidinger on sale at last Sunday's Easter market in Nyon. La Roulotte, the temporary café situated just behind Nyon railway station, is now open!  This café that is run out of an old railway carriage, is an informal and friendly place to have breakfast, lunch or an afterwork  drink.  At the moment the café is offering a menu for students - a meal and a soft drink for 10 CHF!  This year like last, there will be a series of events organised on site to entertain customers, from readings to musical and drama performances (last year there was a flamenco dancer to entertain the crowd!)  La Roulotte now has a website. Check it out to find out more about them and read what's on the menu! La Roulotte is open (weather permitting!)  Monday to Thursday 07:00 -21:00 Friday 07:00 -22:00 Saturday 09:00 -22:00 and Sunday 10:00- 20:00  Note: For busy parents that want to sit down for a break, there are toys at La Roulotte too!

In October 2010, Living in Nyon reader Celia Marsh  wrote about what it is like to live in Divonne in France , (just a few miles from Nyon).  Here is another article, also about living in on Divonne , but this time it comes from long time resident John Burley. John is a "Conseiller Municipal" in the town and here he writes about the activities of the local council, from decisions on whether to build a new primary school, to the state of Divonne's finances, to what to do with the area around the old railway station and how not everything in France is run from Paris.... Lettre d'un élu de Divonne-les Bains. The other day, I saw Celia Marsh's article about living in Divonne-les-Bains on this web site.  As a long-time resident of the station thermale and now Conseiller Municipal, it was a pleasure to read her words.  She got it completely right.  Divonne is a great place to live.  As long as Divonne preserves its wonderfully green environment, the result is there for all to see (and not least the 1000 frontaliers who quite rightly prefer to have the best of both worlds, a Swiss income and a French residence). So it was not difficult to accept the invitation to join Etienne Blanc's team for the municipal elections of 2008.  Fortunately, there are no national political considerations at play in communal deliberations.  The current Conseil Municipal in Divonne is pretty representative of the commune – we have " les vrai divonnais ", from families who have been here for several generations; some more recent arrivals in the area from elsewhere in France or from former French colonies; and les internationaux .  75 Nationalities living in the Commune There are over 75 nationalities living in the commune: eligibility for election to the Conseil Municipal is open to citizens of states members of the European Union, so in addition to the franco-francais, there are several Conseillers from other European countries.  I have British and French nationality.  Having decided to continue to live in Divonne after my retirement, I felt the slogan "no taxation without representation" was for me since I had to be able to vote if I was going to pay French taxes.  I am afraid the gendarme who interviewed me when I applied for French nationality did not appreciate the joke. The lake, the primary school, the tennis courts. Public service is in my genes.  Having spent almost all my professional life in the United Nations where we "think globally" most of the time, I was delighted to be offered the chance to "act locally".  Communal discussions and decisions do directly affect the lives of residents.  In the last few months we have been discussing in the Conseil Municipal: whether or not to build a new primary school to accommodate the requirements of the growing number of young families moving to Divonne (yes); how to develop the area around the beautiful lake so popular to so many people from Vaud, Geneva and the Pays de Gex (some answers: a new horse riding club and a new 4 star hotel); whether to install new tennis courts at the Divonne tennis club (yes); what to offer as cultural events at the much frequented Esplanade du Lac (a highly diversified and international programme); how to support a very active community of over 100 local associations (a new Maison des Associations ); what new shops and restaurants could best complement the incredibly popular Sunday market; and so on. From Street Dance to Brazilian music - A variety of events on offer for Divonne residents. Money is not the headache The biggest headache?  Surprisingly, this is not money.  As a member of the Commission des Finances , I can vouch that Divonne's finances are in good shape.  We have diversified our sources of revenue.  We are slowly but surely weaning ourselves away from financial dependency on the casino (the share of the casino is down from over 80% to less than 25%).  The tax base is solid, and tax-payers are better off in Divonne than elsewhere in the Pays de Gex.  The compensation franco-genevoise – French communes receive back a share of the income tax paid in Geneva by their resident frontaliers – grows each year.  The typical image of France is that everything is run from Paris.  In fact, local authorities in France have considerably more power over local finances than their British equivalents. What to do with the old railway station area? No, the biggest challenge facing Divonne is: what to do with the Quartier de la Gare?  This eyesore in the centre of Divonne has been left untouched for far too long.  There is broad agreement on many things – underground parking, a mixture of low-lying apartment buildings, shops, public services and open green spaces.  But the devil is in the detail: how much of each, how to get the right balance, how to safeguard the environment and what to do with the old railway station.  If all goes well, the plans should be finalized this year, whereupon the commune will launch an international competition for the best design.  Being directly involved in communal affairs is fun and worthwhile.  The Mayor, Etienne Blanc, likes to tease the English from time to time: I hope he doesn't mind the occasional répartie .   Sometimes the meetings become difficult and I get lost, primarily because the French love to talk at 500 words a minute, all at the same time and frequently on tangential issues.  But I am very impressed with the amount of time and effort people are prepared to put, bénévolement , into communal affairs My mother visited Divonne as a very young girl when on holiday in the Jura with her parents some 90 years ago.  According to her diary, she liked it.  Whilst there, she obviously picked up a hereditary disease called "divonnitis".    I hope her son passes the same bug to his children. John Burley, Conseiller Muncipal, Divonne-les-Bains John Burley, British by birth and French by marriage, has lived in Divonne for 23 years. He was educated at a Quaker school in England and at Cambridge University.  Trained as an economist and committed to public service, John spent several years working in Uganda before joining UNDP in New York in the early 1970's.  When he retired from the United Nations in 2004, he was a Director in UNCTAD.  He was invited to join Etienne Blanc's list "Divonne Ensemble" for the municipal elections in March 2008.  An independent member, John is active in several areas of communal life, including finance, economy, tourism and the development of the area around the Lake. He has two daughters and two granddaughters.

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).

Visions du Réel ended its six day festival on Wednesday night with a closing ceremony at the Théâtre du Marens. Amongst the prizes awarded to films, the film  "Hula and Natan"  by Robby Elmaliah won the prize chosen by the "Jury of the young audience" and was one of those in the "top favourite five films" list of  Trish Thalman (see post here).    The film, " People I could have been and maybe am", won the prize  of the George Foundation and this film was  reviewed here on this site by Kathy Morf . The film  "A Still Jacket" (reviewed here), was given a special mention by Cinema Suisse Jury. The ceremony finished with the screening of the gloriously colourful film called "Gypsy Spirit" by Harri Stojka.  Photo above: Courtesy Visions du Réel: Michael Treves (from JMT film distribution) receiving the prize on behalf of  Robby Elmaliah, director of "Hula and Natan".   Here are some of the results of other prizes awarded for the full list see Visions du Réel site. The La Poste Suisse Grand Prix for best feature was awarded to " El Lugar Mas Pequeno " by Tatiana Huezo Sánchez, Mexico, for  "its evocation of the invisible presence of the horror of the recent civil war in Salvador, which also mangaed to avoid the traditional representations of  violence". This film also won the prize awarded by the Interreligious Jury for the best feature film. Above: A joyful Tatiana Huezo Sánchez receiving the top prize. Photo Courtesy Visions du Réel.  The La Poste Suisse Grand Prix for best director was awarded to Ikuisesti Sinun  by Mia Halme, Finland, for "the radical look at complex family relationships between children and their biological parents and their foster families". In the medium-length category, the two George Foundation Awards went to the best medium-length film " Ein Brief Aus Deutschland"  by Sebastian Mez, Germany, and to the best director in " People I could have been and Maybe Am"  by Boris Gerrets, Netherlands.. The Visions du Réel  Award for Best Short Film was awarded to " Anne Vliegt" by Catherine Van Campen, Netherlands. The City of Nyon's Audience  (A new prize) attributed to the section Etat d'Esprit  Swiss  Jarreth Merz to "An African Election"  showing the presidential elections in Ghana in 2008. For the full list of winning films see the Visions du Réel site. Facts about the festival : Despite the summer-like weather during the first five days of the festival. There was a "significant increase of 27% in weekly passes and the average attendance of 113 members of the public per session. The Doc Outlook-International Market (DOCM), which is a professional reference platform dedicated to documentary films, welcomed nearly 500 professionals this year (up 25% since 2009) who came to present their films and their projects, to make acquisitions, to  train, to meet and to exchange ideas.  Date's for your diary. Next year's  edition of Visions du Réel will take place from April 17 - 25 2012.