Two films shown at the Visions du Réel film festival this year both feature the main protagonists in a state of transit. Heart-warming scenes in "Calabria" In the film Calabria by Pierre Francois Sauter, two undertakers in Lausanne are tasked with transporting a deceased man back to his home town in Calabria. The man was an immigrant from Italy, one of the many who came to Switzerland in the 1950s and '60s looking for work. Like many from that time, they came for a short period but ending up staying in the country for the rest of their lives. Photos above and below - courtesy Visions du Réel The undertakers in question are themselves immigrants; José is of Portugese origin and Jovan is a Serbian Roma. The two make the road journey in the hearse with the deceased all the way from Vaud down to the toe of the country's boot shaped peninsula. The camera follows them throughout the journey from inside the hearse. We hear their conversations, they discuss love, romance and the meaning of life, they teach each other phrases in their respective languages. Jovan, an extremely talented musician sings and plays the guitar, José recites poetry. They take it in turns to drive the long route down to Italy whilst remaining immaculately dressed at all times and keeping the dignity of their employer and respect for their "passenger". There are some wonderful heart-warming scenes in this film through their conversation. Most of the focus is inside the vehicle but occasionally the viewers get to see the changing scenery as they move further away from the snow and cold and nearer to the warmth of the Mediterranean. The two men break the journey to sleep and look for a hotel but their GPS directs them down narrow Italian streets and they get stuck, and end up having to manouevre the hearse in the dark. Once in the hotel, Jovan goes to his room, brings out his guitar and sings love songs, José lays on the bed in hie rooms and reads. When they finally arrive at their destination they hand over the deceased to the waiting family and take a short break to venture down to the sea. Whilst in Calabria, José looks at the beautiful scenery around him and asks; "Why would anyone leave such a beautiful place?" The answer of course, was for work and for better opportunities and their Italian passenger it seems, found both in Switzerland. This film has now been screened at the festival but is worth looking out for in the future if it appears on Swiss TV or in the cinema, however, the following film, Transit Zone ( review by Suzy Nelson-Pollard) will be screened on Friday the 22nd April at 14.30 as part of the "first steps" screenings at the Colombière Grande Salle. Tickets here. Transit Zone – A touching short film about refugees and migrants in Calais This short film, directed by Frederik Subei as part of his MA in Film Directing at the Edinburgh College of Art, follows some of the men stuck at the “Jungle” camp in Calais, attempting to cross to the UK to apply for asylum. Day-to-day life, living in abject squalor and perpetual mud, is a struggle for these men and families chasing the English dream. Their frustrations are shown, as well as their tender moments together, singing or sharing a pot of pasta. Some of the men open up, as to why they seek to reach the UK and how much they fear for their families back at home. One of the quotes that stuck out the most was from a young man from Sudan: that perhaps when we look at these guys living in the mud, we just see them as refugees, or as migrants, but that he had “a hundred things in his heart”. What a perfect way to express the dreams, hopes, frustrations, anger, sadness and desolation of each individual making a journey. This film is well worth viewing to witness the one of the worst slums of Europe where human rights have been annihilated, yet solidarity and friendship still reign.

Caribana, the annual rock/music festival that takes place along the lakeside in Crans-près-Céligny (near Nyon) began on Wednesday night the 1st June and will continue until Sunday 5 June. Bands on this year's lineup include The Kooks, James Bay, James Morrison, Crystal Fighters, Oxmo Puccino, Jungle and many more. See the full programme here Photo above: James Bay - courtesy Caribana Photo above: Crystal Fighters - courtesy Caribana

If if you're looking to buy or sell a second-hand bike, then there is a good opportunity to do both on Saturday the 28th May in at the annual used bike sale in Nyon. This will be held from 09:00 just outside the château of Nyon. All bikes in good condition are accepted. At 09:00 take your bike along for valuation and agreement of the selling price by the organisers Between 10:00 and 12:00 the bike sale is open Between 11:30 -12:00, collection of any monies (minus 10% commission for the organisation) Tomorrow is also "Day of the Bike" - so check out the other bike related activities in the town. See here Spring Market Also on Saturday 28th, it's the Spring Market in the centre of Nyon. Stalls, music, events and much more. Swiss Wrestling, all weekend in Eysins. If you want to see a Swiss tradition this weekend, head off to the village of Eysins near Nyon as it is the Fête des Lutteurs on the 28th and 29th May. This will take place on the grass both days from 08.30 onwards until 17.00 near the main hall in the village. Over 200 wrestlers will be taking part in the week-end competition. There will be a buvette, flag throwing, yodelling and other Swiss traditions on show.

Foreign Affairs - Screening Sunday 12:00 at the Usine a Gaz - 12:00. Tickets hereFascinating insight into the world of diplomacy and foreign affairs Hotel rooms in India, Israel, Iran, Russia and many other countries around the world. Boarding and disembarking endless planes and interviews, shaking hands and making small talk with world leaders. Such is the life of Jean Asselborn, Luxembourg’s Minister of Foreign and European Affairs. Photos above and below - Pasha Rafiy courtesy Visions du Réel This film goes behinds the scenes of the Minister, following him wherever he goes, from his political world with an entourage and cavalcade of cars and red carpet life, to him eating a bowl of cereal for breakfast at home whilst catching up on the news on his iPad. We see him in shorts mowing the lawn and battling with a recalcitrant lawnmower, and then on the phone (still in shorts) talking strategy with some other diplomat before a round of negotiations. The film is a fascinating insight into the world of a diplomat. Asselborn is a cyclist and passionate about cycling. He uses the subject of cycling in his small talk with other diplomats and you can see his excitement when he is in the Elysée Palace as he gets to have his photo taken next to the Tour de France porcelain bowl before President Hollande hands it out to a winner. You also see the diplomat on holiday cycling up a very steep hill in Switzerland. Much of Asselborn's job seems to be an uphill struggle, battling jetlag and continuous rounds of negotiations through various world crises, but he does it with equanimity and humour. Foreign Affairs is the first film by director Pasha Rafiy. At the question and answer session after the film on the Saturday night at the festival, he revealed that he works as a picture editor for a publication in Vienna. He said that out of the hundreds of photos he works with, he has to choose just one, a main photo that tells the story. But, he said, he is also interested in the photos that don't get shown, the "B" side of the story and this is what he aimed to show in this film, the "B" side of the life of a diplomat. Rafiy does this superbly. The affable Minister Jean Asselborn was also at the screening in Nyon last night and he too took questions from the audience, which inevitably turned towards the political. He answered as politely and as best he could, a diplomat to the end. Photos below - Living in Nyon - apologies for poor quality photos (taken at a distance on an iPhone)

The Arboretum in Aubonne just a few miles from Nyon is a lovely place for an easy walk for everyone, including families with young children. There is lots of nature to both see and hear - the frogs in the lake in the centre of the grounds are particularly noisy at this time of year! And if you're lucky you may also get to see a beaver building a dam in the water. The Arboretum is open all year round. Dogs must be kept on a lead. There are 3000 species of trees to admire and the well laid out paths give visitors a choice of walks, whether it's a gentle stroll around with a pushchair or something a little bit more energetic up hill. Entrance is free and there is a small café/buvette together with a visitors centre and a wood museum. For the naturalists there is a "dead-wood" trail amongst many others - see below. There is a North American tree species section The trees are used for research purposes, and there are reconstructions of forest practices of the past Such as this charcoal burner. Lovely walks across wooden bridges Take a listen to the frogs in the short video below IMG_1223

If you didn't get the chance to see any documentary films during the Visions du Réel festival, there is an opportunity to watch a selection of the winning films chosen by the various juries at the 2016 festival. The films will be screened at the Salle Communale from 10:30 onwards. A day pass to watch all the films costs 38 CHF or 10 CHF for each film. Photo above - courtesy Visions du Réel. Still from the film "The Dazzling Light of Sunset" This film is about the working life of a journalist working at a local TV station in Georgia and will be screened at 14:00. See trailer below. Here is the full programme of winning films with full details of screening times and explanation of films (English translation available) The festival itself was declared to be a success with around 39, 000 festival goers over the eight day period, an increase on last year. A final round up of the festival will be posted shortly.

Two home-grown pieces by the Geneva English Drama Society "Working Girl" by Béibhinn Regli and "A Business-Like Affair" by Bill Lloyd will be performed on the 29 and 30th of April, 2016. Full details see here Working Girl Sophie, a college student struggling to pay her way during the economic crisis in Ireland, decides to take an unusual part time job. Can a small community in “Holy Catholic Ireland” find its way out of the dark ages and into the 21st century? Working Girl is a comedy with a serious, relevant and contemporary message, which GEDS is submitting to this year’s Festival of European Anglophone Theatrical Societies (FEATS) in Brussels this May. A Business-Like Affair is a comedy that sets out to push the envelope on business communications while simultaneously moving forward within an end-user perspective of Anglo-French relations. The drama unfolds against a background of delicious international cuisine. A parody of management-speak, you’ll be rooting for the characters in a not-so-classic story of unrequited love. All proceeds go to charity École de Commerce Nicolas-Bouvier, rue de Saint-Jean 60, Geneva.

There is a good weather forecast for Nyon for the next few days, here are a few suggestions of some outdoor activities. Note: most shops will be closed on Thursday 5th May due to the Ascension holiday and many government offices will be closed on the 5th and 6th May. Interested in hiking? Take a look at some of the local hiking suggestions here. Click on the link of each suggested hike and you can see details such as the duration, the distance, the difficulty of the walk and the start and end point. Outdoor Pool Opens The outdoor swimming pool in Nyon opens on the Wednesday 5th May and will remain open until the 4th September. In honour of Mother's Day on Sunday 8th May, there will be free entry to the pool for all mums accompanied by their child (or children). Full details here Zumba Outside From the 5th May to the 29th September there will be Zumba classes held in in the open air at the la Jetée bar lounge in Nyon. Full details here Jardins en Fête in Coppet From Friday 6th - Sunday 8th May the Jardins en Fête will take place in Coppet from 10:00 - 18:00 This event is dedicated to plants and garden art and is is set in the lovely grounds of the Château of Coppet. With over 150 exhibitors of all things garden-related there will be something for everyone. Full details here Check out the Swiss Gardening School at stand number 58, you can find it beyond the pond on the left.

Need for Meat – a funny multi-layered self-questioning film about eating meat. Review by Suzy Nelson-Pollard Screening - Thursday the 21st of April, at 18:00. Tickets here Director Marijn Frank is a journalist based in Amsterdam, and due to her work, she is no stranger to meat factories. She understands the ethical issues behind eating meat, as well as the environmental and health impacts, and she knows that the right choice for her is to become a vegetarian (and stay one). She believes this strongly enough that she doesn’t feed meat to her toddler daughter. Yet… Marijn loves meat. She loves sausages, steaks, hamburgers, meatballs…she loves juicy meat so much that a neuro scan reveals that her brain is more reactive to images of meat than of sex. So Marijn goes on a mission to understand why she seems to have a need for meat and whether this is problematic. To do so, she trains for six weeks at a local slaughterhouse, with one ultimate aim: to slaughter a cow. Photo above and below - courtesy Visions du Réel. On her six-week journey, Marijn sees a psychotherapist to discuss the process, she learns about in-vitro meat, about industrial slaughterhouses as well as organic ones, she flirts with a chef who cooks fancy meat-based meals, and she questions and questions herself. When the dreaded day of killing the cow comes, Marijn is completely conflicted about her project and about her mission, and of course, about killing the cow. What follows is a surprising conclusion, a clarity for nuance and a charming film that is both funny, topical yet not patronizing. It is a refreshing watch which avoids black and white morality and sparks many interesting questions and debates for the spectator. Note: Some of the images are unsuitable for children.

Here are two more film reviews of films which will be screened on Tuesday 19th April at Visions du Réel. Both film reviews written by Suzy Nelson-Pollard. The first film comes with an "uplifting message", the second is an "important record of the PKK" (the film was banned at the Istanbul Film Festival in 2015) Un Paese di Calabria – Peaceful relations between locals and migrants in the “city of the future” The world premier of Un Paese di Calabria by directors Shu Aiello and Catherine Catella was greeted with warm applause last night, as spectators appreciated the uplifting message of this Swiss-Italian film. The small town of Riace, in Calabria on the toe of Italy, is a sleepy place; goats climb the rocky hills and ricotta is made daily by hand by a farmers who’s fathers and forefathers were also ricotta farmers. Yet the town is plagued by Mafia crimes and lack of opportunities for the young, and over the past few decades young people have moved north to better opportunities. Widows dressed in black shuffle through the streets past abandoned apartments, lamenting the departure of life in the picturesque old town. Yet the destiny of Riace is unlike that of neighbouring towns slowly falling into decay as the local populations leave and die out. Refugees and migrants are arriving by boat, daily in the summer, having survived treacherous journeys across the Mediterranean. They arrive from various destinations, some of their friends or family having drowned on the way, some of the women pregnant after having being raped on their journeys. The left-wing mayor of Riace sees an opportunity in welcoming these people, and starts a project to renovate the abandoned flats and houses to house those in need. A respite from a hard journey is offered to the refugees and migrants, and a local teacher patiently gives Italian lessons to prepare them for the next bout of their journey. Two years of professional training and a stipend while living there is provided. Some of the travellers decide to stay in this peaceful community, such as one man who has lived in the town for eight years and who drinks his morning expresso stood up at the bar with the locals. He calls the region his “Second Kurdistan” due to the rolling hills and idyllic views. The population of Riace has increased from 900 to 2100 in the last 25 years. The community welcomes new faces and new life in the town. Baptisms are held in the Catholic Church, and the priest even invites a young Afghan girl and a Gambian man to recite Muslim prayers during mass. The Catholic worshippers don’t seem to bat an eye. When young men hold a noisy birthday party, they bring cake to the elderly neighbours, who praise their good hearts and good intentions. They say that Riace has flowered again, that it is a symbol of the city of the future. Elections roll around, and the work of the mayor and the future of the town could be in danger. Will the project continue, will the next mayor be as favourable to foreigners? Un Paese di Calabria will be shown again at 14:00 today the 19th of April at the Théâtre de Marens. Tickets hereNorth (Bakur) – an important political film about the PKK and its manifesto This is an interesting fly-on-the-wall documentary about the PKK, the militant left-wing organization fighting oppression against the Kurds in Turkey. The film directed by Cayan Demirel and Ertugrul Mavioglu, runs through some of the history of the group, with insights into their view of the nation-state and the future for Kurds living across four countries. A mixture of interviews, recordings of training, daily preparations, discussions, tours of sleeping arrangements, camps and outdoor living, the film paints a well-rounded picture of the guerilla group. Women’s voices are strong, revealing the strong anti-oppression and anti-patriarchal position of the PKK. Although a bit slow at times, with many shots of preparing food or of soldiers smoking and hanging out, this is an important record of the PKK, as well as a controversial film in Turkey, having been banned at the Istanbul Film Festival last year. It will be shown again today, Tuesday the 19th, at 18.00 at Theatre de Grand Champ in Gland.Tickets here

Living in the Know - May 2016 The theme of this month's podcast is "Living things", as Lisa and Catherine talk about a local zoo in Le Vaud, and provide information on where to leave your pets when you go on holiday. They also give advice on how to avoid duck fleas in the lake, and tell you what to do if you spot the hazardous marching caterpillars that can sometimes be found in this area. In , Lisa concludes by teaching Catherine four French words that have only one possible gender. This podcast has kindly been sponsored by DreamCars-Rental. https://soundcloud.com/living-in-nyon/may2016?in=user-561045975/sets/living-in-the-know-1

Rolle high street will be closed off on Saturday the 4th of June as the town celebrates the “Belle Epoque“ period. There will be music, games and a period costume parade at 16:00. See website here for full programme Caribana The rain held off on Friday night at Caribana for the line up of K's Choice, Pony Pony, Run Run, Jungle and other bands performing on stage (see photos below from the night). There are still tickets available for Saturday night's concerts. Note - the grounds are muddy in some places See programme here Above - A friendly glass of wine from the staff at the Caveau bar Above - Pony Pony, Run Run on stage with fans from the crowd. Above - Jungle mid-concert Above - The veggie burritos are good at Caribana this year!