In Paris, a Nazi locomotive is hidden in the middle of artists' studios
Seventy-six metric tons and 22 meters long, a massive Nazi steam locomotive is hidden in the heart of Paris. The engine, the same model as those that pulled trains carrying deportees to death camps, has been locked away behind a small door since 1994, just a few hundred meters from the François-Mitterrand Library, in the middle of Les Frigos, artists' studios in the 13 th arrondissement of Paris.
Much more than just a railway engine, it is both a piece of history and a work of art: a testament to the industrialization of death by the Third Reich and the creation of a painter, Jean-Michel Frouin, to whom we were led by a very devoted train enthusiast.
Known as BB27000 on the social network X, Wilfried Demaret is the most influential railway worker in France, with some 100,000 followers who want to know everything about trains in general and the SNCF (France's national railway company) in particular. Drawing from his many anecdotes, he published a book, Plus belle la ligne! ("Line's Looking Good!"). He is a train driver for the SNCF, but not just any trains. He drives those that break down, need repairs, or must be transferred across France by unusual routes. He knows every locomotive, can instantly identify the equipment and where it was built, and has encyclopedic knowledge of the railways. But the Ty2 locomotive took him a long time to track down.
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LeMonde
4 days ago
- LeMonde
In Paris, a Nazi locomotive is hidden in the middle of artists' studios
Seventy-six metric tons and 22 meters long, a massive Nazi steam locomotive is hidden in the heart of Paris. The engine, the same model as those that pulled trains carrying deportees to death camps, has been locked away behind a small door since 1994, just a few hundred meters from the François-Mitterrand Library, in the middle of Les Frigos, artists' studios in the 13 th arrondissement of Paris. Much more than just a railway engine, it is both a piece of history and a work of art: a testament to the industrialization of death by the Third Reich and the creation of a painter, Jean-Michel Frouin, to whom we were led by a very devoted train enthusiast. Known as BB27000 on the social network X, Wilfried Demaret is the most influential railway worker in France, with some 100,000 followers who want to know everything about trains in general and the SNCF (France's national railway company) in particular. Drawing from his many anecdotes, he published a book, Plus belle la ligne! ("Line's Looking Good!"). He is a train driver for the SNCF, but not just any trains. He drives those that break down, need repairs, or must be transferred across France by unusual routes. He knows every locomotive, can instantly identify the equipment and where it was built, and has encyclopedic knowledge of the railways. But the Ty2 locomotive took him a long time to track down.
Euronews
6 days ago
- Euronews
Iran summons French diplomat over praise of Palme d'Or-winning film
Iran has summoned France's representative in protest after the French foreign minister praised the Cannes-winning Iranian film as 'a gesture of resistance against the Iranian regime's oppression.' Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot had praised It Was Just An Accident after it won the prestigious Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. The film by famed dissident Iranian director Jafar Panahi centers on a man, Vahid, who abducts his suspected captor after being tortured in prison. To satisfy pangs of doubt, he decides to confirm his suspicion by bringing the man, locked in his van, to other former prisoners for identification. Panahi, who was back in Cannes for the first time in 15 years due to a travel ban in Iran, drew on the experiences from his own imprisonment as well as the stories of detainees around him. Stay tuned to Euronews Culture for our review of It Was Just An Accident and our full debrief of Panahi's win in this week's Culture Catch-Up. Iran's Foreign Ministry said the French minister was summoned over his 'interventionist, irresponsible and instigative allegations,' the state-run IRNA news agency reported. 'Spare us Iranians the lectures. You have no moral authority whatsoever,' Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on X, citing France's approach to Israel's ongoing war in Gaza. Last week, France threatened 'concrete action' against Israel if the country didn't halt the offensive in Gaza and lift restrictions on humanitarian aid. However, the statement was mostly dismissed as empty threats. Immediately following the award's announcement, the Iranian state news agency had announced a more muted celebration of the award, crediting the country's film industry for winning a second Palme d'Or after Abbas Kiarostami's 1997 drama, Taste of Cherry. In Iran, film productions need to receive script approval from the government to shoot in public. Panahi refuses to do that, knowing they won't allow him to make the films he wants to, and It Was Just an Accident was filmed without cooperation. Iranian state TV called the film a mixture of 'lie and smearing' as well as an 'underground' film produced without required permits in Iran. State TV also chastised Panahi for not mentioning the plight of the Palestinians in his acceptance speech. The Mizan news agency, an arm of the country's judiciary, reported on the win as part of the 'Political Cannes Film Festival,' suggesting that the prize was given to Panahi because of his political leanings. However, pro-reform media outlets and activists praised Panahi. 'This victory is no accident — it is the result of a tireless dedication to exploring humanistic values and human rights,' said Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, who was also previously imprisoned at Tehran's notorious Evin Prison. Panahi was banned from traveling out of Iran in 2009 for attending the funeral of a student killed in anti-government protests, a judgment later extended to two decades. But even when placed under house arrest, Panahi kept making movies, many of which are among the most lauded of the century. He made 2011's This Is Not a Film on an iPhone in his living room. Taxi (2015) was clandestinely shot almost entirely within a car - and ended up winning that year's Golden Bear at the Berlinale. Panahi was arrested in 2022 when he went to the Tehran prosecutor's office to inquire about the arrests of two other Iranian filmmakers. A judge later ruled that he must serve six years for an earlier sentence on charges of propagandizing against the government from 2011 that had never been enforced. In early 2023, Panahi went on a hunger strike and was released from Evin Prison. Panahi said he would not seek asylum in another country, despite the risks of additional imprisonment. 'It's simple. I'm unable to live here,' he said last week in Cannes. 'I have no ability to adapt to a new country, a new culture. Some people have this ability, this strength. I don't.' On Monday, Panahi touched down in Tehran's international airport to cheers. One person was heard shouting "woman, life, freedom" as Panahi passed through the airport - a phrase that became the slogan for protests that broke out across Iran following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody in 2022. In his acceptance speech at Cannes, Panahi said, "What's most important now is our country and the freedom of our country," and called for Iranians to "join forces". He added: "No-one should dare tell us what kind of clothes we should wear, what we should do, or what we should not do."
Euronews
7 days ago
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Marcel Ophuls, director of 'The Sorrow and the Pity', dies aged 97
Marcel Ophuls, the acclaimed French-German documentary filmmaker whose probing explorations of history and memory helped shaped the genre for decades, has died at the age of 97. His grandson, Andreas-Benjamin Seyfert, confirmed that he "died peacefully" on Saturday. Ophuls' life and career focus was shaped enormously by his own experience of war and exile. Born in Frankfurt in 1927 to German-Jewish parents - actor Hilde Wall and celebrated director Max Ophuls - he was just six years old when the family were forced to flee due to the rise of the Nazi regime in 1933. They found temporary refuge in France, only to be forced away again in 1940 as German forces advanced across Europe. They escaped across the Pyrenees into Spain, and eventually reached the United States in December 1941. After finishing college in Los Angeles, Ophuls served in a U.S. Army theatrical unit in occupied Japan in 1946. In 1950, he returned to France and began his film career as an assistant to renowned directors Julien Duvivier and Anatole Litvak. After early forays into fiction, including the 1964 comedy-thriller hit Banana Peel starring Jeanne Moreau and Jean-Paul Belmondo, Ophuls turned to documentaries. Ophuls' most renowned work, The Sorrow and the Pity (1969), was a groundbreaking documentary that questioned France's postwar narrative of noble resistance. Across four hours, the film focuses on the town of Clermont-Ferrand and pulls together a collection of interviews with Resistance fighters, collaborators, Nazi officers, and seemingly ordinary citizens to expose an uneasy truth: that complicity with the occupiers had permeated every level of French society, from local hairdressers to aristocrats. The blow to national self-image was so profound that French television banned the documentary for more than a decade, refusing to air it until 1981. While making pioneering waves in historical documentary circles, the film also left its mark on pop culture. In Annie Hall, Woody Allen famously uses the film as an unlikely first-date movie. Ophuls continued to tackle the shadows of the 20th century. In 1988, he won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for Hotel Terminus: The Life and Times of Klaus Barbie, a chilling investigation into the Nazi war criminal known as the "Butcher of Lyon." In later years, he remained outspoken on political issues, turning his attention to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In 2014, he began crowdfunding Unpleasant Truths, a documentary co-directed with Israeli filmmaker Eyal Sivan that sought to explore the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories and the rise of antisemitism and Islamophobia in Europe. Initially conceived as a collaboration with French New Wave pioneer Jean-Luc Godard - who later withdrew but appears briefly in the film - the project was ultimately stalled by financial and legal complications and remains unfinished. Anything you can think of, we bet it has a day dedicated to it. For example, today is —checks notes — National Blueberry Cheesecake Day and World Dracula Day. Indeed, most are dubious in origin and officialdom — but admittedly quite handy if you've been looking for an excuse to eat cheesecake in a cape. They're also a good excuse to share some themed suggestions, and although World Goth Day and International Museum Day have now passed, angsty art and zany curations live on forever. And speaking of zany — this week's Agenda is markedly so, with a UK cheese rolling contest taking place today, and Wes Anderson's new film The Phoenician Scheme beginning its own rollout across cinemas. Providing balance is the wistful photography of filmmaker Wim Wenders, and a rousing group exhibition in London that explores memory, belonging and place. But if you're just here to party, Lyon is calling with its umph umph umph annual electro takeover at Nuits Sonores. Unfortunately, we're not that cool — so will likely be watching And just Like That... while pretending it's World Eat A Large Pizza In Bed Day, or something. Lastly, if you're still debating seeing Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, check out our latest culture catch-up for critic David Mouriquand's thoughts.* (spoiler: He hated it.) Here are this week's highlights. Wim Wenders: Nearby and Far Away. Photography Where: Galerie Bastian (Berlin, Germany) When: Until 26 July 2025 The German filmmaker behind classics like Paris, Texas and Wings of Desire, Wim Wenders has always had an incredible ability to capture the echoing expanse of human dreams. Richly metaphorical and quietly revelatory, his films transform people and places into moving poetry. It's a quality that's visible in his photography, too. On display at Berlin's Galerie Bastian, his series of snapshots taken across China depict the sweeping shapes and static figures of distant landscapes. For fans of Wenders' work, it's a must-see — with a major retrospective of his photography set to follow at the Bundeskunsthalle in August 2025. Finding My Blue Sky (A group show curated by Dr Omar Kholeif) Where: Lisson Gallery (London, UK) When: 30 May – 26 July 2025 Ahead of London Gallery Weekend (6-8 June), the prestigious Lisson Gallery is bringing over 20 artists together for a major new multimedia group exhibition, which spans both its Bell Street and Lisson Street spaces. Those involved include British artist Lubaina Himid, Nigerian visual artist Otobong Nkanga, and Lebanese painter and sculptor, Huguette Caland. Together, they have created a diverse and emotive ode to London that explores personal entwinements with places — how we shape them, and they, in turn, shape us. Bonus head's up: British virtual band Gorillaz have announced a new immersive exhibition titled 'House of Kong', set to open in August in London. Tickets are available now and likely to sell fast — don't be left On Melancholy Hill! Gloucestershire Cheese Rolling Festival Where: Cooper's Hill (Gloucestershire, UK) When: 26 May 2025 A whole day dedicated to cheese rolling? You'd feta believe it! Although the cheese of choice is actually a chunky wheel of Double Gloucester. This kooky annual event has been taking place since roughly 1826 — although the exact origins are murky and thought to date back even further. Hosted on Coopers Hill in the English county of Gloucestershire, participants must race to catch their cheeses — no easy feat when the wheels can reach speeds of up to 70mph. The first race begins at 12pm BST (1pm CEST), and to all those rolling with their homies: Gouda luck. Nuits Sonores 'Nights of Sound' Festival A post shared by Nuits sonores (@nuits_sonores) Where: Lyon, France When: 28 May - 1 June 2025 One of the biggest electro-music events in France, Nuits Sonores takes place across the vibrant city of Lyon for five days every year. From English trip hoppers Massive Attack, to American DJ Honey Dijon, to French electro duo Cassius and techno icon Jeff Mills — the line-up is well and truly stacked. Most of the major events will be held at Les Grandes Locos in the day, and La Sucrière at night, both former industrial spaces-turned cultural beacons. Grab your bucket hats and pour yourself a strong coffee — it's gonna be a late one. The Phoenician Scheme Where: UK cinemas When: 30 May (with a wider theatrical release 6 June) Fresh off the Cannes Film Festival circuit is Wes Anderson's latest confection, starring (as usual) an all-star ensemble that includes regulars Scarlett Johansson, Bill Murray and Benedict Cumberbatch. Set in the 1950s, we follow suave businessman Zsa-zsa Korda (Benicio del Toro) and his trainee nun daughter, Sister Liesl (Mia Threapleton) as they try to secure investments for a fictional place called Phoenicia — all while dodging a band of eccentric tycoons. Lots of pastel, perfectly poised mischief ensues in this frenetic family adventure, which will either delight Anderson fans — or exhaust them. And Just Like That… (Season 3) Where: Sky and NOW When: 30 May 2025 As a new season of the Sex and the City spin-off returns, I couldn't help but wonder: Why? That's a lie, actually — cringeworthy as the show is, it's also frustratingly addictive. Continuing to follow the lives of Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) and Charlotte (Kristin Davis) as they navigate their 50s alongside a host of new characters, it's got about as much substance as a Manolo Blahnik shoe. But fans know what they're in for here. And even if we're still reeling over that stupid season 2 ending in which Aidan asked Carrie to wait five years for him (as if!), the show's familiar template and superficial sheen encourage your brain to happily melt. Miley Cyrus: Something Beautiful When: 30 May 2025 In the nearly 20 years since her breakout role as teen pop idol Hannah Montana, Miley Cyrus has done everything to break free from her Disneyfication. Giant wrecking balls were straddled, and twerking routines performed. But through the struggle of growing up in the limelight, Miley emerged as an artist whose strength is in constantly evolving — and those powerhouse vocals. Following 'Endless Summer Vacation', from which 'Flowers' became Spotify's most-streamed song of 2023, she returns with her eighth output: 'Something Beautiful'. Inspired by Pink Floyd's groundbreaking concept album 'The Wall', Miley has also produced and directed a companion film, set to be released some time in June.
