Programmation
Our works spans the whole year: look for films, select them, negotiate prices, prepare the schedule of events, communicate with the other commissions, make sure the copies make it on time for the festival, welcome the directors of the films, introduce the movies at the beginning of the screening, organize debates, and then ship back the copies. Ouf! The 15 or so members of this commission split the films by territory. We find them through other (gay and) lesbian movie festivals, word of mouth, contacts that we kept with the directors or active research in the film schools in France. We look for films shot by women, with a special effort to have geographical diversity so we give the opportunity to express them-selves to people we seldom hear from. The priority is given to quality (of course) lesbian films but also to feminist films that touch us. If the commission is divided on the selection of a film, it only requires that one of us insists to keep it in the selection to keep it there. If the subject is a difficult one or could foster controversy, the commission organizes a debate during the festival.

Translation
The more translators, the better. The commission seldom meets but still works a lot as a team. Most of the translations are from English to French, but also from Spanish, Portuguese, German and sometimes even more exotic languages. Luckily some of these are already sub-titled in English!
Since 1995, we have been using a home-made sub-titling system, or more accurately, over-titling: the sub-title is projected independently of the film, « live » by the translator who is sitting in front of a computer in the room. You learn the system in one of our workshops and once a master on it, it becomes quite addictive. It is really an unforgettable experience to participate so closely in the screening. We quickly become possessive.
So please do not talk to the translator during the screening, she is trying to concentrate and most of all join us to try the pleasures of over-titling if you like to translate (we are far from professionals . but we check each others).

Technique
They are some 10 women involved in the team to ensure during the festival the projection of the films. Neither specialists of projections nor sound and lighting experts, they all learned from each other, during the different festivals, with a constant objective of professionalism and rigueur. The technical commission is one of the key commissions of the festival since without it no films would be shown.
Two specificities sets it aside form the other commissions: its effort is produces mainly during the festival (but then it is non-stop!) and it's invisible to the festival goers since as anybody knows, movies simply appear on the screen just by magic!

Catering
Our work of welcoming the festival goers and catering is not limited to the service during the festival. Apart from the preparation of some of the dished on location and procurement, we have in advance of the festival a ground work to reconcile quality, variety of products, monetary contingencies and technical contingencies. We create menus, recipes and quantities, look for new providers and try their food.
We know through our satisfaction surveys of the festival goers that altogether our services are very popular. But the increasing number of guests of the cafeteria requires an increasingly complex organization that we try to set up as early as possible.

Logistics
Organize the flow of festival goers, assign the different activities to the different spaces available, decide where to put the stands and cash points, assess the number of chairs and tables that must be rented, book the van well in advance, install a temporary phone line, follow through orders to reception of delivery, put up signs for your orientation, enforce the safety regulations, . these are some of the tasks of the Logistics commission.
As a consequence, to include all the elements that contribute to the festival and list the necessary equipment required for all activities, this commission is usually made of members of the other commissions and gets into action mode a bit later.
Common sense, organization, inside knowledge/experience of at least one festival, imagination, availability, knowledge of the norms for public events . It makes for a long list of skills but don't panic : it's at the level of one commission that each volunteer will increase her skill and experience. And at this level you don't add the contributions, you multiply them!

Exhibit
The exhibit commission is an informal team united by the desire to discover original, sensitive, innovative, political (or not) creations, whatever the format. The work consists in organizing an exhibit during the festival.
Any artist wishing to have her piece exhibited is invited to submit her work to the commission. The commission will choose the pieces, organize the exhibit and publish a catalogue.

Communication
In Ads / com (advertising/communication), we... communicate: towards the members of the association, through « Clap info » (write, edit and distribute), towards the entire lesbian audience, all who could come one day to the festival. We actually travel places (stand in Créteil, associations, Postcards in bars, presentation at the Centre gai et lesbien, and screenings in the regions...), and we get in touch with the press (write, distribute, contacts with journalists, interventions in radio shows).
As is says in the name, the commission also gets involved tin the ads contained in the catalogue, which finances it partially and hence allows to keep it at a low price (definition of rates, quest and contact with the advertisers, negotiation of the spaces, receipt of documents for printing and of payments).
The commission also organizes a forum of associations during the festival (preliminary contacts and negotiations, logistics of the space, liaison between the exhibitors and the crew). All year long, in good spirit, varied activities, follow-up of actions, numerous contacts and meetings! Let it be known, that we are never have enough people.
In front of your eyes, our baby. Providing Information, debates, programs, we try to constantly improve and enrich it in new ways. This baby is bilingual. We discuss its look and feel, the content and design it before putting it online for your benefit. Computer queens, enthusiast writers, translator, graphic designer or imaginative web-surfer, join us!

Secretary
Everything you've ever wanted to know about the Secretary Commission but were afraid to ask! Faithfully, 2 women cover this function and work passionately as secretary of the association! Their assignment is to communicate and dispatch information. Their satisfaction is that all the messages sent by you, pros in the movie industry, members of associations or the crew itself are sent swiftly to the proper addressee. Their pleasure is to be the first to read them. They do read and hear a lot: they know very fast the latest news of Lesbian Paris, of the active associations and of course the way the festival works from inside.
What exactly do they do at the office? They sort information received, catalogues, invoices, tapes of films. They fax, send, write, call to answer requests left on the answering machine. In between they have a bit of fun. They have been dreaming about actually archiving all information that transits through them but they don't always succeed for lack of a good photocopier. Still they dream . about setting up the office to make it more welcoming, about organizing the archives, offering coffee to any visitor who would chance a visit all the way to Montreuil !
So don't hesitate any more, call them on Wednesday nights from 6 to 8 PM, a month before the festival at the following number 01 48 70 77 11, and why not join their team?

Finances
The commission is presently made up of a couple of people but we would like to have more people, especially during the festival. Our objective: maintain the financial solvability while keeping the prices at the lowest level possible to allow everybody to participate in the festival. That's why the cost of membership and of the seats has not changed since 1992.
This commission has three different phases of activity: Before the festival, we must prepare a budget, follow requests for quotations and orders, and determine the prices in contact with the different commissions while continuously doing the accounts. Shortly before the festival we prepare the documents used in the treasury and the necessary equipment. During the festival, we work from 9 to midnight. After the festival we keep on paying invoices, doing the accounts, to finally close them for the year. And after that? Start again with the budgeting process.
A commission that needs you ... if you have notions of accounting and a rigorous mind. and a golden heart.

Party

Other Event

Voluntary Ones

The texts of these 3 commissions are under development.