Performances Theatre 5 & 6 September at 6pm “Les Misérables”, a theatrical adaptation by Stéphanie Goud Join us for a vibrant and heartfelt theatrical adaptation, directed by the talented Stéphanie Goud and inspired by Victor Hugo’s timeless masterpiece “Les Misérables”. Brought…
Films Wed 10 Sep at 2pm & 6pm Marinette Biopic of Marinette Pichon, first French female soccer player to sign on to the American professional league, record-woman in number of goals per game, and…
Books & Ideas Kids & Families Sat 13 Sep at 10.30am Storytime with the author Camille Brunel Join us for a special storytime with French author Camille Brunel! Having taught literature for seven years near Paris, Camille Brunel now writes essays and…
Films Kids & Families Sat 13 Sep at 1pm Hello World! / Bonjour le Monde! + Q&A with film critic Camille Brunel Intro and Q&A with film critic and journalist Camille Brunel. Made of papier-mâché, the delicate puppets come to life in stop-motion, in beautiful, colorful settings,…
Films Tue 16 Sept at 6pm María la Portuguesa + Q&A with director Eduardo Montero This special international premiere at the French Institute will feature an in-person Q&A with filmmaker Eduardo Montero, live music by Inma Montero and Danielo Olivera,…
Films Wed 17 Sept at 2pm & 6pm Just a Couple of Days / Quelques jours pas plus A music critic turned field reporter covers a refugee camp evacuation in Paris. After witnessing police violence, he unexpectedly becomes a key figure in the…
Books & Ideas Tue 23 Sept at 12.30pm Reading group “Le soldat désaccordé” by Gilles Marchand Once a month, the reading group meets up to discuss a couple of books selected in advance (from classical to contemporary French literature) and discovers…
Films Wed 24 Sept at 2pm & 6pm Little Girl Blue "Marion Cotillard at her absolute best." Vanity Fair. "A heart‑wrenching film" Vogue. When her mother died, Mona Achache discovers thousands of photos, letters and recordings,…
Books & Ideas Education Thu 25 Sep at 6pm European Day of languages – Aberlangs: Aberdeen City of Languages During this talk hosted for the European Day of Languages, Drs Fransiska Louwagie and Clémence O’Connor (University of Aberdeen) will discuss Aberlangs, a partnership initiative…
Books & Ideas Kids & Families Sat 27 Sep - 10.30 to 14.45 Children’s Book Festival at the Institut français d’Écosse Calling all young readers, curious minds, and budding storytellers! Join us for a magical celebration of books, imagination, linguistic diversity and creativity at the Children’s…
Films Tue 30 Sept at 6pm The Universal Theory / Die Theorie von Allem ★★★ "Gorgeous images and a lush score intrigue in Timm Kröger’s 60s-set noir thriller about a postgrad student’s alpine adventures" The Guardian In 1962,…
Films Wed 1 Oct at 2pm & 6pm The Fourth Wall / Le quatrième mur Georges, a politically committed stage director, has given up activism. But when Samuel, his best friend suffering from an incurable disease, urges him to pursue…
Books & Ideas Thu 2 Oct at 4pm Meet the author Constance Trautsolt Meet French writer Constance Trautsolt for a talk on her brilliant first novel Pour la peau de Shirley Page (‘For the Sake of Shirley Page’)…
French Courses Networking 2 Oct, 6 Nov, 4 Dec Coffee & French Conversation Want to practice your French in an informal setting? Join us at the Institut français d’Écosse for a relaxed morning chat – over a cup…
Films Wed 8 Oct at 2pm & 6pm Pheasant Island / La isla de los faisanes In the borderless Europe of the 21st century, one border still separates Spain from France, marked by the Bidasoa River. On this river lies Pheasant…
Books & Ideas Thu 9 Oct at 4pm Meet the author Elise Hugueny-Léger Meet French writer Elise Hugueny-Léger for a talk on her first creative writing non-fiction, Twenty twenty: petites traversées franco-britanniques, which came out with Editions Créaphis in…
Books & Ideas Kids & Families Sat 11 Oct at 10.30am Storytime: The Fables of La Fontaine Join us for a special Heure du conte dedicated to the famous Fables of La Fontaine! On the agenda: clever and timeless tales, followed by…
Books & Ideas Talks Tue 14 Oct at 5.30pm Jean-Yves Laurichesse: Writing between memory and fiction A Professor of Modern and Contemporary French Literature with a string of publications on such authors as Jean Giono, Claude Simon and Richard Millet, Jean-Yves…
Films Wed 15 Oct at 2pm & 6pm Magnetic Beats / Les Magnétiques A bunch of friends broadcast a free radio station from their home in 1980s rural France. After one of them is called away to Berlin…
Books & Ideas Kids & Families Thu 16 Oct at 2pm Family Afternoon: Story Collage / Histoires en papier In this hands-on workshop, kids will dive into the colorful world of collage to create their very own stories. Using paper, textures, magazines, and found…
Music Fri 17 Oct at 7pm Hector Berlioz and Louise Bertin, a friendship in music by Brenda Poupard and Anne Louise Bourion Around the figures of Hector Berlioz and Louise Bertin unfolds a fascinating web of connections and resonances. In 1841, at nearly 40 years old, the…
Films Wed 22 Oct at 2pm & 6pm Eloïse’s Journey / La Page blanche Eloïse is sitting alone on a bench in Paris. She can't remember who she is, where she comes from or how did she get here.…
Networking Talks Wed 22 Oct at 1pm Franco-Scottish Relations in Trade, Business and Work: The Franco-Scottish Society of Scotland Anniversary Event This year the Franco-Scottish Society of Scotland celebrates 130 years of actively promoting friendship and understanding between the Scottish and French peoples through educational, cultural…
Music Performances Thu 23 Oct at 6.30pm Auld Alliance Concert with The Choir of St Giles’ Cathedral Join the Choir of St Giles' Cathedral for a spectacular evening of choral music celebrating the 730th anniversary of the Auld Alliance between Scotland and…
Books & Ideas Thu 23 Oct at 3pm ‘Engraved on Man’s Skin’: The Auld Alliance, Much More than a Military Alliance ‘For this bond was not written on parchment but engraved on the living flesh of man’s skin, not in ink but with their mixed blood.’…
Thu 23 Oct at 5pm The Aftermath of the Auld Alliance: Franco-Scottish attitudes from the Union of the Crowns to the age of romanticism The ‘special relationship’ between Scotland and France goes as far back as the 13th century and even, according to myth, to the reign of Charlemagne.…
Films Fri 24 Oct at 6pm Halloween Special: Les Diaboliques "Henri-Georges Clouzot's film about two women plotting murder is a masterclass in macabre dread – and inspired Hitchcock's classic 'Psycho'" BBC The cruel and…
Arts Special events Sat 25 Oct - 10.30 to 16.30 Franco-Scottish Fair On the occasion of the 730th anniversary of the historic Auld Alliance, come to the Franco-Scottish Fair to discover the many talents of French and…
Books & Ideas Kids & Families Sat 25 Oct at 10.30am Storytime Halloween Special: The Ghost, the Cat, and the Loch Ness Mystery Join us for a spooky and magical storytime! We’ll gather round to read a magical children’s books featuring a ghost, a mysterious black cat, and…
Books & Ideas Tue 28 Oct at 12.30pm Reading group “Le premier exil” by Santiago H. Amigorena Once a month, the reading group meets up to discuss a couple of books selected in advance (from classical to contemporary French literature) and discovers…
Films Wed 29 Oct at 2pm & 6pm Divertimento Classical symphonic music is everything for 17-year-old Zahia Ziouani and her twin sister, Fettouma. Nevertheless, living in underprivileged Parisian suburbs in 1995 with their Algerian…
Films Wed 5 Nov at 2pm & 6pm Softie / Petite nature Johnny stands out from his family and his tough neighborhood in eastern France. He's sensitive, intelligent and interested in all kinds of things way beyond…
Films Wed 19 Nov at 2pm & 6pm After the Fire / Avant que les flammes ne s’éteignent Malika confronts the death of her younger brother, killed during a police investigation in the Strasbourg suburbs. They hadn’t spoken in three years. In order…
Films Fri 21 Nov at 6pm Paris Memories / Revoir Paris ★★★★ “Cemented by Efira’s restrained, empathetic performance, Paris Memories is a deft exploration of recovery” Little White Lies “It’s a sensitive, careful film with real emotional…
Books & Ideas Tue 25 Nov at 12.30pm Reading group “Alpinistes de Staline” by Cédric Gras Once a month, the reading group meets up to discuss a couple of books selected in advance (from classical to contemporary French literature) and discovers…
Films Wed 26 Nov at 2pm & 6pm The Crusade / La Croisade Abel and Marianne discover that their 13-year-old son has been selling the family’s valuables to finance a secret ecological project in Africa he believes will…
Films Wed 3 Dec at 2pm & 6pm Eugénie Grandet Felix Grandet reigns supreme in his modest house in Saumur where his wife and daughter Eugenie lead a distraction-free existence. Extremely avaricious, he does not…
Special events Fri 5 Dec at 7.15pm Quiz of the Institut français d’Ecosse You are a quiz fan? Come and test your knowledge about France and French language in a fun and relaxed atmosphere at the Institut français…
Films Wed 10 Dec at 2pm & 6pm Age of Panic / La Bataille de Solférino On 6 May 2012, the day of the second round of the French presidential election, TV journalist Laetitia is late leaving home for her assignment…
Films Fri 12 Dec at 6pm Special Section / Section spéciale A German officer is murdered in Nazi-occupied France. Unable to apprehend the actual culprits, the collaborationist Vichy government decides to pin the murder on six…
Films Wed 17 Dec at 2pm & 6pm The Empire / L’Empire Winner of the Jury Prize at this year’s Berlinale, Empire is Bruno Dumont’s first foray into science-fiction. In a quiet and picturesque fishing village on the…
Films Fri 23 Jan at 6pm L’Atalante A timeless masterpiece of love and yearning, L’Atalante was the only full-length film made by Jean Vigo before his tragic early death. The film is now considered…
Films Fri 20 Feb at 6pm Holy Cow / Vingt Dieux Totone is 18 and spends most of his time drinking beers and partying with his group of friends in the Jura region. But reality catches…
Films Fri 20 March at 6pm Monsieur Lazhar At a Montréal public grade school, Bachir Lazhar, an Algerian immigrant, is hired to replace an elementary school teacher who died tragically. While helping his…
Books & Ideas Festivals & series The Earth, Here and Now Next event : Hello World! / Bonjour le Monde! + Q&A with film critic Camille Brunel Sat 13 Sep at 13:00
Films IberoDocs Next event : María la Portuguesa + Q&A with director Eduardo Montero Tue 16 Sep at 18:00
Books & Ideas Education The European Day of Languages 2025 Next event : European Day of languages - Aberlangs: Aberdeen City of Languages Thu 25 Sep at 18:00
Films Edinburgh Spanish Film Festival Next event : Pheasant Island / La isla de los faisanes Wed 08 Oct at 14:00
Music Talks 730th anniversary of the Auld Alliance Next event : Franco-Scottish Relations in Trade, Business and Work: The Franco-Scottish Society of Scotland Anniversary Event Wed 22 Oct at 13:00
Films 2024-2025 Edinburgh Film Guild Season Next event : Halloween Special: Les Diaboliques Fri 24 Oct at 18:00