French May gets a headstart in HK
The French May Arts Festival is starting earlier than usual this year to collaborate with many of the M+ events and art exhibitions happening in March.  The festival, which runs from March 16 to June 30, features over 100 arts and cultural programmes including music, dance and theatre.  Xavier Mahé, the general manager of the festival, said visitors can look forward to many "east meets west" collaborations, including the Hong Kong-France theatre exchange programme, Let the Mirror Speak, and the photography exhibition "Noir & Blanc - A Story of Photography". "French May is definitely considered as a bridge between west and east, between France and Hong Kong. The way we do it is we are trying to have a lot of collaborations," he said.  "I mentioned M+ and French National Library, so the exhibition is not exclusively the collection of the French. The photography will also include the collection of M+, so we have two institutions working together to curate this exhibition." Other highlights include the Symphony of New Worlds, in which conductor Zahia Ziouani leads France's Divertimento Orchestra and the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong. Additionally, the festival will work together with the French GourMay Food and Wine Festival to bring flavours from the Occitanie region, in southwest France, to Hong Kong.   Permanent Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Joe Wong said that Hong Kong strives to be an east meets west centre for international cultural exchange, adding that the territory has hosted French May for more than 30 years. "French May has been bringing a wide range of arts and cultural programmes with rich French characteristics to the community, including exhibitions, performances, cinema, and gastronomy. These programmes not only underline the vibrant arts and cultural exchange between France and Hong Kong, but also offer great opportunity for our local talent," he said.  "Over the past 30 years, it welcomed over 20 million visitors, and just last year alone added another 350,000. Hong Kong aside, it is undoubtedly one of the biggest French cultural events in Asia."