Alliance Française de Washington DC — Event Series

• France Forever Series

  “We’ll always have Paris!” Humphrey Bogart famously said to Ingrid Bergman in Casablanca. As you will no doubt agree that France will be France Forever, our first series mixes history, romanticism and a splash of nostalgia, all of which have attracted Americans to France ever since Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson walked the streets of Paris and Versailles. Discuss and debate the intricacies of French books, show off your wit and humor, and interact with the francophones and Francophiles of DC in our genuine French salon.

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• France Forward Series

  What do the electronic cigarette, stents and an electric helicopter have in common? They were all invented by the French! France may be France Forever but it is neither static nor fossilized. Whether it be in medicine, air and space, economics or philosophy, France leads the way and this series shows you just how, so that next time you take the train or bake a cake you can ponder over how the French invented the TGV and the silicone mold.

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• Francophonie Series

  With the rise of Africa, French as a language is regaining its strategic competitive advantage and the Alliance Française is the vehicle for learning it. Every year in March, the whole world celebrates the Francophonie and in partnership with many francophone embassies, the Alliance Française of Washington DC and the Smithsonian Associates co-produce and co-organize the Annual month-long DC Francophonie Festival. This is the opportunity to celebrate all francophone-related culture and includes film screenings, poetry, culinary tastings and more, from an array of different francophone countries.

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• Language without Borders

  In the words of Ludwig Wittgenstein “The limits of my language means the limits of my world.” Language is not just a means of communication, it is a powerful tool that transcends the realms of literature and social science. Language is diplomacy, as French has been ever since the 18th century. Language is a figurehead to drive the creation of NGOs that change the world such as Doctors, Photographers, Reporters Without Borders (the French coined the “sans frontières” expression). Language should be, above all, a peacekeeper that makes dialogue possible. In this spirit, the Alliance Française of Washington DC will host the many pioneers that promote language beyond borders.

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• Des Mots et des Hommes (Of Words and Men)

  Guess what country has received the most Nobel Prizes in Literature…? France, bien sûr! La langue de Molière et de Racine continues to inspire hip and upcoming French authors such as Nathalie Azoulai (Titus n’aimait pas Bérénice), Olivier Bourdeaut (En attendant Bojangles) and of course Andreï Makine, Russian-born author who chose France as his home, writes in French (Le testament français, Le pays du lieutenant Schreiber, and many more), and is now the youngest member of the Académie française. The Alliance Française will be hosting such acclaimed and renowned French and Francophone authors in this series.

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• Ciné-club Alliance Française of Washington/ Cahiers du Cinéma

  A genuine Ciné-Club experience “à la française” with an introduction to the movie and a Q&A after the screening, these three screenings throughout the year are made possible thanks to the partnership with Cahiers du Cinema, the most famous French monthly review and critique magazine on cinema and to their US correspondent Nicholas Elliott.

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• Americans in France

  What is happening to you? Your heart starts to flutter, you blush, you swoon…like Ernest Hemingway and Josephine Baker, you are in love with France. “Everyman has two countries: his own and France.” Thomas Jefferson once said.  Adam Gopnik, Gertrude Stein, Judith Lit and Jim Morrison are only a few of those American Francophiles and often French-speaking Americans who have made France their home and live in both their countries. Experience these fuzzy feelings with the Alliance Française special cultural series “Americans in France”.

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• A Taste of France

  Vivid, intangible persistent and faithful, “odeurs” (smells) and “goûts” (flavors) are the soul of France. Come share with us the “nourritures terrestres”: the wines, breads, cheese, pâtisserie and cuisine, but also the “parfum parfait” with the invincible power of inspiring love to men (Süskind) and the many cosmetics of which only the French know the secret recipe.

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• Music

  Do you enjoy listening to “La vie en Rose” in English or do you prefer American-born Joe Dassin who sang mostly in French?  Do you know that Jain, Stromae, and Mylene Farmer form the new generation of Francophone multi-lingual artists who sing across the Atlantic for the pleasure of all? Did you know that France was home to Sidney Bechet, one of the pioneers of the French-mutated jazz style adapted from America’s South?  Today, Claude Debussy’s Clair de Lune is still cast in American Saga’s such as Twilight and reminds us of how timeless French music is. Come treat yourself to a unique musical interlude of all times that will transport you all the way to the Montmartre streets of “Amélie’s” soundtrack composer, Yann Tiersen.  

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• Arts

  “Art is not what you see but what you make others see” (Edgar Degas) and the Alliance Française of Washington DC invites you to experience the arts “sous toutes ses coutures” (in all shapes and forms) by hosting stage readings, talks, screenings, taking you to on a museum tour, and more.  Whether it be the performing arts, such as ballet or theatre, or the visual arts, the Alliance Française invites you to discover French artistic treasures, understand what is a “pas chassé” or an “arabesque” and marvel at the influence of France on American art. The Alliance Française is waiting for you to “see”.

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• Children's events

  AFDC has many events specially designed for children of all language ability and background! 

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• Library

  AFDC's library has a number of events throughout the year, from book sales to book signings. 

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