Latest news with #Jul
Local France
27-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Local France
French rapper Jul breaks attendance record at national stadium
Saturday's event saw 97,816 people pack the venue that also hosted the 2023 Rugby World Cup final and the 2024 Olympics closing ceremony for one of the biggest music events of 2025, it told AFP. Jul, 35, who has released some 30 albums in his career, beat the previous record held by the rock group Indochine whose May 2022 concert was heard by 97,036 fans in the stadium. "Historic record... we and the team made it together," Jul, whose real name is Julien Mari, said Sunday on X in response. Besides Jul's popularity, the record can be explained by "the stage design, the available floor space, and the stadium's layout", said Stade de France. Tickets sold out in minutes when put on sale last year for the Paris and subsequent Marseille concerts by Jul, the most-streamed artist in France in 2024 on Spotify.
France 24
27-04-2025
- Entertainment
- France 24
French rapper Jul breaks attendance record at national stadium
Saturday's event saw 97,816 people pack the venue that also hosted the 2023 Rugby World Cup final and the 2024 Olympics closing ceremony for one of the biggest music events of 2025, it told AFP. Jul, 35, who has released some 30 albums in his career, beat the previous record held by the rock group Indochine whose May 2022 concert was heard by 97,036 fans in the stadium. "Historic record... we and the team made it together," Jul, whose real name is Julien Mari, said Sunday on X in response. Besides Jul's popularity, the record can be explained by "the stage design, the available floor space, and the stadium's layout", said Stade de France. Tickets sold out in minutes when put on sale last year for the Paris and subsequent Marseille concerts by Jul, the most-streamed artist in France in 2024 on Spotify. © 2025 AFP
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
No beauty, no beast for French children: Book sparks censorship row
The French government has been accused of censorship after it cancelled a book order for 800,000 copies of Beauty and the Beast, which were to be given free to children this summer. According to Education Minister Élisabeth Borne, it is because the new illustrated version of the classic story was judged too grown-up for the 10 and 11 year-olds who would be reading it. But illustrator Julien Berjeaut – known as Jul – said the ministry's objections were spurious, and that he feared the book was pulled because the characters he portrayed in it were dark-skinned. "The only reason I can think of [for the cancellation] is the disgust some people felt at seeing princes and princesses who look a bit more like actual schoolchildren of today," he told France's Le Monde newspaper. Jul believes the cancellation is because the characters in the new books have "darker skin instead of blonde fairy-tale princesses." He added that it was "as if [Donald] Trump and his team were in charge". The original Beauty and the Beast was written by French authoress Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont in the 18th century, and tells of a merchant's daughter, Belle, who must live with an ogre in order to save her father's life. Eventually – as viewers of the Disney film will know - Belle falls in love with the ogre and discovers he is in fact a prince. Jul – who is known for his affectionally grotesque caricatures – was commissioned to give a modern take on the tale, with the book being the latest in a programme of annual gifts to French pre-adolescents. In his illustrations (the text is the original), the merchant is a Mediterranean importer of illegal contraband and Belle's siblings are pampered teenagers gorging on social media. According to a spokesperson at the ministry quoted by Le Figaro, "the illustrations address themes which are unsuitable for children of that age – alcohol, social media, illegal trading and police checks. "The father is an Algerian who drinks and does dodgy import-export. He's even arrested by police. Without explanation, this was bound to provoke a reaction from parents." The free book programme, which was launched seven years ago, is meant to encourage children to read at home, without the supervision of teachers or parents. According to Borne, "Jul has a lot of talent. He's good at irony, at not taking things at face value. But without accompaniment, [the book] is not adapted to the age-group." The ministry said there had been several meetings with Jul at which officials had raised concerns about the progress of the work, but he had failed to take account of their objections. Oddly, in the last proofs of the book before it was withdrawn, the minister had actually added a preface, praising Jul's "malicious touch and razor-sharp eye." The book will still be published, but not at the ministry's expense. French children this year will instead receive a version of Homer's Odyssey.
BBC News
21-03-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Beauty and the Beast: New book sparks censorship row in France
The French government has been accused of censorship after it cancelled a book order for 800,000 copies of Beauty and the Beast, which were to be given free to children this to Education Minister Élisabeth Borne, it is because the new illustrated version of the classic story was judged too grown-up for the 10 and 11 year-olds who would be reading illustrator Julien Berjeaut – known as Jul – said the ministry's objections were spurious, and that he feared the book was pulled because the characters he portrayed in it were dark-skinned."The only reason I can think of [for the cancellation] is the disgust some people felt at seeing princes and princesses who look a bit more like actual schoolchildren of today," he told France's Le Monde believes the cancellation is because the characters in the new books have "darker skin instead of blonde fairy-tale princesses."He added that it was "as if [Donald] Trump and his team were in charge".The original Beauty and the Beast was written by French authoress Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont in the 18th century, and tells of a merchant's daughter, Belle, who must live with an ogre in order to save her father's – as viewers of the Disney film will know - Belle falls in love with the ogre and discovers he is in fact a prince. Jul – who is known for his affectionally grotesque caricatures – was commissioned to give a modern take on the tale, with the book being the latest in a programme of annual gifts to French his illustrations (the text is the original), the merchant is a Mediterranean importer of illegal contraband and Belle's siblings are pampered teenagers gorging on social to a spokesperson at the ministry quoted by Le Figaro, "the illustrations address themes which are unsuitable for children of that age – alcohol, social media, illegal trading and police checks."The father is an Algerian who drinks and does dodgy import-export. He's even arrested by police. Without explanation, this was bound to provoke a reaction from parents."The free book programme, which was launched seven years ago, is meant to encourage children to read at home, without the supervision of teachers or to Borne, "Jul has a lot of talent. He's good at irony, at not taking things at face value. But without accompaniment, [the book] is not adapted to the age-group."The ministry said there had been several meetings with Jul at which officials had raised concerns about the progress of the work, but he had failed to take account of their in the last proofs of the book before it was withdrawn, the minister had actually added a preface, praising Jul's "malicious touch and razor-sharp eye."The book will still be published, but not at the ministry's expense. French children this year will instead receive a version of Homer's Odyssey.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Beauty and the Beast comic book cancelled in France's ‘worst ever censorship case'
France's top comic strip artist has accused the government of the 'worst censorship in publishing history' after it cancelled a 900,000 issue order of his modern-day take on Beauty and the Beast. Jul, whose real name is Julien Berjeaut, accused the education ministry in a Right-wing dominated government of taking umbrage at him depicting Belle, the story's protagonist, as a swarthy Mediterranean with curly hair. The comic book order was cancelled at the last minute on grounds it was 'inappropriate' for 10-year-olds. The education ministry had tasked Jul, a household name in France for his Stone Age-set Silex and the City series, to come up with a contemporary version of the beloved 1740 French fairy tale by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, with the best-known written version published by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont in 1756. It has been turned into various cartoons and feature films, including a 1991 Disney animation and its 2017 live-action version, as well as a 1994 Broadway stage show and pantomimes in the UK. The order was part of a government drive called 'A book for the holidays' in which children were encouraged to read a classic work of French literature in the summer before they start secondary school. In Jul's illustrated modern version, Belle's merchant father arrives from Algeria, the protagonist has long black hair and the Beast is a shaggy ball of hair with big teeth who resembles Barbouille, the son of the pink shape-changing children's character Barbapapa. However, on the eve of a massive print run, the education ministry pulled the plug on the order after officials deemed it wrong for pupils to read the comic on their own because it touches on 'alcohol, social networks and complex social realities'. This week, Caroline Pascal, France's director-general of education and number two in the education ministry, said: 'The product cannot be read independently, at home, by families and without the guidance of teachers, by pupils aged 10 to 11. 'The illustrations in the book deal with themes that would be suitable for older pupils,' she went on, suggesting it was more appropriate for those in their mid-teens. Asked to react, Jul told Le Monde: 'I'm flabbergasted. It's a mad and very, very worrying turn of events. 'Cancelling the printing of 900,000 copies of an illustrated children's classic the day before is unprecedented. Technically, it may even be the biggest case of censorship ever seen in French publishing.' Dismissing the ministry's arguments as 'fallacious', Jul said: 'For me, the only explanation lies in (their) disgust at my portrayal of princes and princesses who look a bit more like modern-day schoolchildren and can dress up in tracksuits between scenes with princess dresses and harpsichords.' 'Or has the presence of curly-haired, swarthy-skinned characters rather than blonde fairy-tale princesses become unbearable for the national education system? 'Frankly, this smacks of (Donald) Trump and his administration when they attacked books and education, or banned Anne Frank's Diary and [Art] Spiegelman's Maus from schools.' One page depicts Belle's tipsy father with a bottle and a glass of red wine in the chateau. 'All I'm doing is illustrating the 18th-century text, which has the princess's father drinking too much wine,' said Jul. The book's publisher, the French national museums' publisher Grand Palais-RMN Editions, said it was shocked at the about-turn and would publish the book regardless. It was supposed to contain a preface written by Elisabeth Borne, the current education minister. However, on Thursday, she said her preface would not figure in the work. 'Jul is very talented, he uses irony and humour. But without educational support, I don't think it's appropriate,' she told Europe 1. 'It's a modern rewrite. We have a father who arrives from Algeria, who has to commit fraud, who is checked by the police,' she told CNews. 'Perhaps in a setting with teachers, we can explain this irony. But it's a book that's meant to be read on holiday, with the family.' She said she wanted to reassure viewers that 'the money has not been spent' and that 'the books have not been printed'. 'I would ask people who may have access to this work one day to look at the book and judge for themselves,' said Jul. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
