Checking In With The President Of The French Institute Alliance Française

As president of the French Institute Alliance Française, Tatyana Franck leads FIAF’s mission for French education and culture in New York City. We checked with Franck for a quick tête-à-tête.

Guests at the FIAF Trophée des Arts Gala

What first sparked your interest in the organization? I thought FIAF was a great institution with an important purpose: to promote French language and francophone culture, as well as building bridges between America and all the Francophone countries. It’s a nonprofit organization with no links to the French government, completely self-funded. Half of the revenue comes from a successful language center, as well as a preschool (the preschool is expanding to FIAF’s Montclair, N.J., location this fall). FIAF also has a 400-seat auditorium and a separate first-floor gallery space. The auditorium presents theatrical plays and dance performances along with a wide range of cinema programs. This year the FIAF Gallery hosted exhibitions by artists Omar Ba, Eva Jospin and Jean-Jacques Sempé, to name just a few.

FIAF President Tatyana Franck

What news or upcoming initiatives can we buzz? On May 15, FIAF welcomes Isabella Rossellini’s new one-woman show, Darwin’s Smile, that humorously broaches the worlds of art and science; we celebrate the art of bubbles on May 18 with our very popular wine tasting series From “Vine to Vin;” and in FIAF’s first-floor Gallery through May 19, we have a wonderful black-and-white photography exhibition by Marina Gadonneix entitled Phénomènes. We also have upcoming parties at Le Bain, as well as our Tuesday film series, CinéSalon.

Tatyana Franck and actor Matthew Broderick

Artist JR and Franck

What do you hope to share with people about FIAF that they might not already know? In addition to having been a language school for 125 years (2023 is our anniversary year!), FIAF is an equally impressive cultural and arts institution championing a diversity of francophone voices, and host to progressive programming. This is evident with our Crossing The Line and Animation First festivals, as well as the FIAF Talks and Gallery exhibitions. Many events are free or discounted for students and FIAF members. We also offer French classes for all ages and levels, from preschool through adult. FIAF is a very welcoming and inclusive place. There’s something for everyone. If you haven’t already been to FIAF, please, come join us!

Artist Eva Jospin and fashion designer Paloma Picasso