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French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF) is a 501(c) (3) not-for-profit organization incorporated in the State of New York. Its mission is to enhance the knowledge and appreciation of French and Francophone culture, to increase the knowledge of the French language, and to encourage interaction among French, Francophone, and American people through programs in education and the arts.

About FIAF
Founded in 1898, the French Institute and the Alliance Française de New York operated as two separate organizations, the first promoting French arts, the second teaching French. In 1971 they merged to form the French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF), which has become one of the largest and most respected centers of French-American culture and education in the U.S.

Located on New York City's Upper East Side in a Beaux-Arts building reminiscent of the architecture of Haussmann Paris, FIAF is one of the foremost destinations for French education and culture in the city. FIAF presents a strong mix of arts programs and events in addition to two acclaimed cultural platforms, Crossing the Line, presented each fall, and World Nomads, presented each spring. FIAF’s prestigious Language Center welcomes over 6,000 students each year who learn French from highly qualified professors, all of whom are native French speakers. FIAF is also home to the Haskell Library, the largest private French library in the United States. Cited by Time Out New York as one of the city’s top cultural institutions, FIAF offers New Yorkers the best of French and Francophone culture.

Cultural Programming and Events
FIAF presents a unique mix of programs in music, dance, theater, cinema, and visual arts in addition to two annual festivals, Crossing the Line, in the fall, and World Nomads, in the spring. FIAF also offers a variety of programs throughout the year from its longstanding cinema series, CinémaTuesdays, which presents classic and contemporary French films each Tuesday; to Art de Vivre, a lifestyle series bringing the art and style of French living to New York audiences with evenings devoted to food, wine, fashion, and gardening; to the Gallery which presents exhibitions of French and Francophone contemporary art and photography.

Crossing the Line
Crossing the Line, FIAF’s fall festival, was launched in 2007 as a platform to present vibrant new works by a diverse range of trans-disciplinary artists transforming and furthering cultural practices on both sides of the Atlantic. Initiated, conceived, and produced by FIAF in partnership with leading New York cultural institutions the festival delivers the highest caliber of original work with a specific focus on the artist’s role as a critically important thinker and catalyst for social change.

World Nomads
World Nomads, which launched in 2008, is an annual, month-long spring series, focusing on transculturalism and the cross-cultural exchange of artistic style, expression, and ideas. Serving as a platform for dialogue between French and Francophone cultures, World Nomads features a wide range of programs in theater, film, music, visual arts, and literature. World Nomads has celebrated and explored the cultures of Africa, Haiti, and Lebanon over the first three editions.

Social Events
In addition to its two annual festivals and its cinema series, FIAF hosts a wide array of cultural events such as its Art de Vivre series, which focuses on the best of the art of French living. This series includes events such as fashion talks and wine tastings, culinary workshops as well as gardening, and has brought to FIAF such luminaries as Catherine Malandrino, Diane Von Furstenberg, Marc Jacobs, Tommy Hilfiger, and Mireille Guiliano. Music concerts, plays, and literary talks, are also among FIAF's yearly cultural programming. Artists such as singer Jane Birkin, and actor Édouard Baer have performed in FIAF's Florence Gould Hall, and authors such as Paul Auster, Bernard-Henri Lévy, Francine du Plessix Gray, and Edmund White, have come to FIAF to discuss their respective works.

Events en français
While most of the events at FIAF are held in English, many events, such as the popular social event Rendez-Vous, FIAF’s annual celebration of Beaujolais Nouveau and Bastille Day, are held in French and offer terrific opportunities to speak French and meet Francophiles.

Language Center
An essential component of FIAF, the Language Center attracts over 6,000 students each year and is among New York City’s leading French language schools. Offering a wide selection of courses at all levels for toddlers to adults including among others, thematic courses, and corporate instruction, the Language Center offers a true immersion in French and Francophone culture. The Language Center offers classes in New York City and since 2008, has also been offering instruction in Montclair, NJ.

Haskell Library
Completely renovated by acclaimed architect Michael Graves in 1998, FIAF’s Haskell Library is among the most comprehensive private French libraries in the U.S., and offers over 40,000 books, magazines, CDs, and DVDs for both adults and children. Accessible to FIAF Members and students only, its mission is to provide a dynamic and enlightening collection of quality materials.

Family Programs
FIAF hosts a wide array of educational and family programs such as popular French movies for kids with Cinékids, and Ciné-club de frimousses program, as well as story hours with L’heure du conte, and many cooking and creative arts and crafts workshops.

FIAF Gallery
Since 2007, the FIAF Gallery has been exhibiting contemporary French and Francophone artists such as Arman, Visual System, Greg Lauren, Ryoji Ikeda, and Matthew Pillsbury.