Marseille, the world, artists and local residents imagining and creating a city and a future together: that’s what the ambitious and generous 22nd edition of the Festival de Marseille is all about. The beating heart of the programme is dance, underlining our deep-seated conviction that those taking part in the Festival, in all their diversity, will forge new connections in this complex, fascinating city—not forgetting the other disciplines that make contemporary culture what it is today: theatre, music, and film.
Held from 15 June to 9 July, the Festival offers a wealth of experiences to share with some of the greatest names in contemporary performing arts from the four corners of the world: Brett Bailey from Capetown, Rabih Mroué from Beirut, Rimini Protokoll from Berlin, Nacera Belaza from Paris and Algiers, Bruno Beltrão from Rio de Janeiro, Julien Gosselin from Calais, Bouchra Ouizguen from Marrakech, and Serge-Aimé Coulibaly from Bobo-Dioulasso. The Festival also features local artists creating a form of dialogue that only culture now seems capable of: Dorothée Munyaneza, Georges Appaix, Eric Minh Cuong Castaing and Eva Doumbia. What’s more, hundreds of locals will be taking part in a series of shared initiatives with major international artists: 100% Marseille with Rimini Protokoll (Berlin), Rito de Primavera inspired by Stravinsky with José Vidal (Santiago de Chile), and Compagnie Compagnie with Jérôme Bel (Paris). All this adds up to three weeks of shows co-produced by the Festival—including some not-to-be-missed French and European premieres!
What the 22th edition of the Marseille Festival would like to share most of all is the idea that Marseille and the world are one. The world can be found in this city, and Marseille is the world. This means that the Festival de Marseille has to be both local and global—so come and enjoy our « glocal » programme, in all its diversity!
From 15 June to 9 July, in a host of different venues throughout Marseille, at very affordable prices, these shows, concerts, events and debates are all driven by a single aim: to show that Marseille is a city that keeps its promises.
Jan Goossens