By Ana Clara Soares, ÉCU Writer

Traditionally, spending the month of August in Paris is believed to be quite dreadful. When one by one all of your favorite boulangeries and restaurants, and even the Cinemathèque for that matter, start to close down for vacation (all announcing that they’ll be reopening in unusually long 20 days), it is only natural that one starts to question why exactly didn’t he/she save enough of previous earnings to afford that much deserved trip to at least the south of France, where the weather is nicer and the people look so healthy and carefree under their newly acquired tan.

A statement such as that from the opening of this post can certainly be true – it is easy to get bored when you don’t plan your month adequately. But it doesn’t have to. You’re lucky enough to be in an essentially artistic city, which is already a guaranteed quality time if you’re at least a little keen on finding out about the various events that bored people – just like you – put together along many summers spent in Paris. Taking a stroll around the Hotel de Ville, for instance, can result on a surprise free concert filled with talented musicians. As for the film lovers and avid movie-theater goers, lo and behold the 10th edition of the Cinéma au Clair de Lune, a lovely event organized by the Forum des Images.

As can be guessed from its name, the Cinéma au Clair de Lune basically consists of nocturnal outdoor projections of various films. These – a total of 13 projections – take place at a number of Parisian locations chosen for how they somehow relate to the films being shown, or to the event itself. For instance, the 1939 version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame by William Dieterle was cleverly projected at the Place des Vosges, on August 12th. Honoring films which star Paris as their backdrop, the event poses not only a great opportunity for watching (or re-watching) great classics, but also for visiting (or re-visiting) the charm and particularities of the different Parisian arrondissements.

13 projections shown from the 4th to the 22nd of August equals 13 nights of quality entertainment. In the meantime I suggest you go to Paris Plages in the mornings, or read a book on rainy days. By the time the Cinéma au Clair de Lune is over, your favorite places should slowly but surely be starting to open again. Who knows, you may even get a little bit nostalgic for the time when you could sit back and relax at a park, sipping on some wine and watching a great movie, accompanied by the awkward silence of an empty(er) Paris.