Cultural digest: Don’t miss these events in Europe this week

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What a week it's been! 

Michaelangelo's David got a touch up while one of the UK’s most photographed trees got cut down in perhaps the most bizarre and brazen act of vandalism ever.

But we digress, because there is also a welcome wave of new art, film, music and more to consume as the cosier autumn nights set in. 

Here are our recommendations - best served with soup. 

Film

Woody Allen's Coup de Chance

Copyright Venice Film Festival

What better way to spend the weekend - or any day, really - than a trip to the cinema?

For those wondering what to see, Woody Allen's 50th film Coup de Chance is now out in France. Despite all the controversy surrounding Allen, this French-language thriller had surprisingly positive feedback, including from our resident film critic David Mouriquand: "It’s no late-career highpoint, mind you, but there’s no denying that after a decade of dross, Coup de Chance is Woody’s most cohesive film since Blue Jasmine."

On the theme of contentious film directors, Luc Besson is also back with Dogman, a dark thriller about a man that turns to the company of canines to deal with familial trauma. For more insight into the making of the film, and Besson's thoughts on the conversations surrounding allegations of rape previously levelled against him, read our exclusive interview. 

Lastly, our 'Film of the Week' is Jessica Hausner's Club Zero, which follows a newly hired teacher named Miss Novak (Mia Wasikowska) at an elite boarding school, who urges her students to eat less and ultimately reject food altogether.

TV

Light your candles and place them symmetrically on either side of the TV. Grab a slice of pastel pink-iced cake. Then stare directly into the TV screen, because it's shaping up to be a very Wes Anderson autumn. 

Currently streaming on Netflix, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar is a Wes Anderson adaptation of a ۱۹۷۷ short story by Roald Dahl. It tells the tale of a greedy titular playboy (Benedict Cumberbatch), who stumbles upon the book ‘The Man Who Could See Without Using His Eyes’ by Calcutta doctor ZZ Chatterjee (Dev Patel) and seeks to master the same magic ability to read the reverse sides of playing cards. 

The Wonderful Story Of Henry Sugar will also be followed by Anderson's other Dahl adaptations: Swan (runtime of ۱۷ minutes - released on ۲۸ September), The Rat Catcher (۱۷ minutes - ۲۹ September) and Poison (۱۷ minutes - ۳۰ September). What a treat! 

Exhibitions and art

Documentaries have the extraordinary ability to source truth from humanity; exploring the seemingly mundane and unravelling an expanse of knowledge, connection and existential reflection that not only moves people, but can even change societal polices and worldviews.  

It's this immense power of documentary storytelling that drives streaming service ۹۹.media, which hopes to spread the reach of short documentaries in particular. This weekend (۳۰ September - ۱ October) they're hosting a series of short documentary screenings from around the world in Lyon, France. 

Also in Lyon, Aya Takano's Fukushima-inspired art is on show at the Musée d'art contemporain.

"A prolific presence on the international art scene, Takano is a painter, illustrator, science fiction writer and manga artist. Shaken by the Fukushima nuclear disaster, Japanese artist Aya Takano is healing her trauma with a new series of tender and dreamlike works, each an ode to nature, at the @macLyon"A prolific presence on the international art scene, Takano is a painter, illustrator, science fiction writer and manga artist. 

Shaken by the Fukushima nuclear disaster, Japanese artist Aya Takano is healing her trauma with a new series of tender and dreamlike works, each an ode to nature, at the @macLyon.

Take a look ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/3z1MRB9giW

— Euronews Culture (@euronewsculture) September 28, ۲۰۲۳

The vibrant diversity of plants and fungi is being celebrated from ۳۰ September throughout October at London's Kew Gardens in a new autumn festival: 'Queer Nature'.

Featuring large-scale suspended artwork and a horticultural installation, there will also be the opportunity to listen to talks from leading voices on queerness and nature. 

If you're London-based, here's another reminder to see Marina Abramović's headline-grabbing retrospective exhibition at the renowned Royal Academy of Arts.

Music

US indie-folk musician and Oscar-nominated singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens is due to release his latest album 'Javelin' next week on the ۶ October. If you've not heard much about it, that'll be because Stevens has been in hospital diagnosed with the rare Guillain-Barré Syndrome, and therefore unable to do any promotional press.

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Updating his fans on the blogging platform Tumblr, Stevens said: 

“Last month I woke up one morning and couldn’t walk. My hands, arms and legs were numb and tingling and I had no strength, no feeling, no mobility.”

Oh, Ed Sheeran has also released a new album: 'Autumn Variations'. Our thoughts? We've not listened to it yet (thankfully). 

Video Games

It's finally here - the world's most popular football simulation game, has a new name: EA Sports FC24.

Adieu FIFA following Electronic Arts much publicised split with the sport's governing body amid claims it wanted more money for the long-term licensed use of its name. 

It marks what some have described as the biggest rebranding in entertainment history - but does it represent that much of a risk for Electronic Arts? After all, the company still maintains thousands of crucially important player image rights, leagues, team names and stadiums - so will users even notice any difference? 

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Do share your thoughts with us @euronewsculture on Twitter and Instagram if it's on your console this weekend.