Coolturalia - Explore Geneva's Vibrant Cultural Scene

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Don’t miss out: Events running for less than two weeks

25 – 31 March

Geneva International Jewish Film Festival 2025

Independent Cinema

Multiple locations

The Geneva International Jewish Film Festival (GIJFF) 2025 edition presents a diverse program highlighting Jewish culture, history, and narratives from around the world. This year’s selection includes award-winning films, compelling documentaries, and engaging stories, complemented by discussions with filmmakers and cultural experts, offering a rich exploration of themes that resonate beyond borders.

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25 March – 3 April

Khovantchina by Modeste Moussorgski

Performances

Grand Théâtre

Calixto Bieito completes his Russian opera cycle at the Grand Théâtre de Genève with a new production of Modest Mussorgsky’s Khovantchina, a grand choral opera about brutal power struggles in 17th-century Russia. The work explores the conflict between three socio-political forces: the Westernizing Prince Golitsin, the conservative boyars led by Prince Ivan Khovansky, and the Old Believers, a sectarian religious group. The opera, originally unfinished due to Mussorgsky’s early death, is presented here in Dmitri Shostakovich’s orchestration, with a finale by Igor Stravinsky, blending Russian tradition with forward-looking musical elements.

Bieito’s production, with Alejo Pérez conducting, places a strong focus on the central female character, Marfa, played by mezzo-soprano Raehann Bryce-Davis. The cast includes Dmitri Ulyanov as Prince Ivan Khovansky and Vladislav Sulimsky as Boyar Shaklovity, with the Grand Théâtre’s Chorus and the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande. The show runs for approximately 4 hours and 15 minutes, with two intermissions.

In Russian, with French and English subtitles.

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1 – 8 April

Cyrano de Bergerac

Performances

La Comédie de Genève

Lola Giouse’s production of Edmond Rostand’s Cyrano de Bergerac reinvents the classic play with a fresh, contemporary perspective, using live music, an all-female cast, and a queer, feminist lens to explore the love triangle between Cyrano, Roxane, and Christian. By moving beyond the traditional portrayal of the play as a showcase for a single actor, Giouse reclaims the text, infusing it with new meaning while addressing contemporary utopias. Drawing from her own experience as a young actress who once played Cyrano, she offers a joyful and collective reinterpretation that invites the cast and audience to explore multiple identities and declare their love freely.

In French.

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Tuesday 1 April, 20:00

La Grande Guerre du Sondrebond

Performances

Musée de la Réforme

Vincent Aubert and accordionist Laure-Lyne Richard bring to life “The Great War of Sondrebond” by Charles-Ferdinand Ramuz, a 1906 work that, through free verse, recalls an episode from the 1847 Swiss civil war between seven Catholic cantons and Confederate forces. In this piece, Ramuz presents Jean-Daniel, a conscript from Vaud, who remembers this victorious campaign. Performed at the MIR, the show reinterprets this conflict with a poetic and musical lens, highlighting the historical tensions between Protestants and Catholics.

In French.

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Tuesday 1 April, 12:30

Pierre Hazan – Can We Negotiate with the Devil?

Lectures & Workshops

Société de lecture

Pierre Hazan is a mediator, author and lecturer. He has taught post-conflict justice at the University of Geneva and Sciences Po Paris. Hazan served as political advisor to Louise Arbour, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and has been a research associate at the United States Institute of Peace in Washington, DC, as well as at Harvard Law School. Previously, he was a correspondent for Libération and Le Temps, covering major conflicts such as the former Yugoslavia, the Middle East, and Rwanda.

He is the author of several books, including Juger la guerre, juger l’histoire (PUF, 2007) and Du bon usage de l’amnistie dans les processus de paix (HD, 2020). He is currently a senior advisor at the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, one of the leading organizations in armed conflict mediation. His latest book, Négocier avec le diable: la médiation dans les conflits armés (Textuel, 2022), combines personal accounts with ethical reflections, aiming to create a moral compass in a violent, ever-changing world.

In French.

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Tuesday 1 April, 16:15

BnF in the Age of Generative AI

Lectures & Workshops

Bibliothèque de Genève

Jean-Philippe Moreux, from the National Library of France (BnF), will discuss the role of the BnF in digital humanities, highlighting the collection and dissemination of digital data and the research and development activities in the era of generative AI. This event is co-organized by the Library of Geneva and the Digital Humanities Chair at the University of Geneva.

In French.

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Events running for an extended period

3 December 2024 – 26 April 2025

Ligia Dias: Pyramide Inversée

Art & Exhibits

Théâtre du Forum Meyrin

The Forum Meyrin has reopened its galleries, showcasing contemporary artists. Ligia Dias, the first guest artist of the season, has created a monumental piece titled “Inverted Pyramid.” This unique creation, developed with the participation of Meyrin’s residents, incorporates various objects brought in during her residency. A series of meetings and mediations offer insight into the making of this distinctive work.

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24 March – 13 April

Villa Dolorosa

Performances

POCHE /GVE

As its grand finale, POCHE/GVE presents “Villa Dolorosa” by Rebekka Kricheldorf, directed by Manon Krüttli. This witty and sharp adaptation of Chekhov follows Irina, Olga, Masha, and Andrei as they navigate their aspirations and privileges amidst a melancholy-laced daily life. The characters voice their professional and personal uncertainties with biting humor, all while indulging in plenty of vodka. Through their familiar complaints and monologues, they unravel their privileges, possibly for the very last time.

In French.

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29 January – 14 September

Échos

Art & Exhibits

Musée Barbier-Mueller

The Barbier-Mueller Museum presents “Échos,” an exhibition where photographer Jean-Baptiste Huynh explores the museum’s works through his artistic lens. This sensitive and aesthetic approach encourages reflection on universal themes such as birth, life, aging, and death.

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25 March – 9 April

Green Film Festival

Independent Cinema

Multiple locations

The 20th edition of the Geneva “Green Film Festival” will showcase nearly 40 Swiss and international films, covering diverse ecological topics like agriculture, food, and plastic pollution. Screenings, accompanied by discussions, will take place in various cinemas and venues across Geneva and surrounding communities. There will also be family screenings hosted on local farms.

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9 September 2024 – 21 June 2025

Dialogues insolites

Art & Exhibits

Multiple locations

Dialogues insolites (Unusual Dialogues) is a city-wide exhibition featuring small installations that explore unexpected connections between different collections, offering new perspectives on the world. This temporary exhibition, part of the closure of Geneva’s Natural History Museum, reveals surprising correlations across various disciplines.

The exhibition is hosted in several locations:

Bibliothèque de la Cité – Le Multi: 12.10.24 to 21.06.25, Tues-Fri 10:00-19:00, Sat 10:00-17:00
CERN – Science Gateway: 26.10.24 to 02.03.25, Tues-Sun 09:00-17:00
Museum of the History of Science: 31.01.24 to 30.11.25, Daily 10:00-17:00 (closed Tuesdays)
Conservatory and Botanical Gardens: 21.03.24 to 29.06.25

These installations offer a unique opportunity to discover and reflect on the hidden connections between science, nature, and history.

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3 February – 11 April

Ann Shelton: I Am an Old Phenomenon

Art & Exhibits

MEA

The exhibition “I Am an Old Phenomenon” by Ann Shelton at the Maison de l’enfance et de l’adolescence delves into the traditional beliefs and knowledge surrounding the medicinal, magical, and spiritual uses of plants. Collaborating with the Fondation Convergences, the artist pays tribute to wise women, herbalists, and witches by revisiting knowledge marginalized by Christianity and capitalism. Through photographs of still lifes inspired by Ikebana, Shelton encourages us to rethink our connection to nature and reconnect with ancient wisdom in the face of environmental urgency.

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Geneva Classics

Visiting for the first time? A quick guide to the city’s top attractions.

MEG (Musée d’ethnographie de Genève)

The MEG is a renowned museum dedicated to the exploration and presentation of cultural diversity from around the world. Located in the heart of Geneva, it houses an extensive collection of over 80,000 objects, including artifacts, textiles, and artworks that highlight the rich traditions and histories of various communities. The museum emphasizes interactive and immersive exhibitions, engaging visitors with contemporary issues related to culture and identity.

Cool fact: The e-MEG app serves as a digital twin of the permanent exhibition, providing an audio guide and detailed descriptions along with photographs of all displayed objects.

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MAMCO (Museum of Contemporary Art)

Since its opening in 1994, the MAMCO Geneva (Musée d’art moderne et contemporain) has staged 450 exhibitions with works dating from the 1960s to the present day. Mamco’s holdings include works by Christo, Martin Kippenberger, Jenny Holzer, Dan Flavin, Sarkis, Franz Erhard Walther and Sylvie Fleury, among many others.

Cool fact: The MAMCO is the epicenter of the “Nuit des Bains”, held three times a year. During this event, the district around the museum is transformed into a large gallery and attracts thousands of art lovers and sightseers each night.

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Ariana Museum

With a collection of 27,000 items from Switzerland, Europe and the Middle and Far East, and a witness to twelve centuries of ceramic art from the Middle Ages to modern times, the Ariana is one of Europe’s great museums specializing in glass and ceramics.

Cool fact: On the first Sunday of each month, the Ariana Museum opens its temporary exhibitions to the public.

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