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…
Festivals & series Films Networking Wed 29 Oct at 10am Presentation of the 2025 French Film Festival Programme The French Film Festival UK celebrates its 33nd edition in leading cinemas across the UK. The selection at the Institut français d’Écosse provides a perfect opportunity…
Films Music Thu 30 Oct at 6pm Elevator to the Gallows / Ascenseur pour l’échafaud + Live Jazz Performance – SOLD OUT! Join us for the very first Cinetopia Salon, a new monthly gathering where cinema meets live performance, nibbles and drinks, and good conversation. Experience Louis Malle’s…
Books & Ideas Tue 4 Nov at 12.15pm Reading group “La cache” by Christophe Boltanski On 4 November, we will discuss Christian Boltanski's La cache, winner of the 2015 Prix Femina. The book was later adapted by Lionel Baier, and…
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…
Music Thu 6 Nov at 8pm Rachel Koblyakov plays Boulez Franco-American violinist Rachel Koblyakov performs works for solo violin and electronics based around Pierre Boulez Anthèmes II and Kaija Saariaho Frises, and with Timothy Cooper,…
Music Talks 6 & 7 Nov Pierre Boulez and His Cultural Legacy Today As a composer, conductor, administrator and thinker, Pierre Boulez (1925-2016) emerged as one of the decisive figures of the Trente glorieuses, the period of unprecedented…
French Courses Networking 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 Sat 8 Nov at 6.30pm The Safe House / La cache + Q&A with film director Lionel Baier UK Premiere with filmmaker Lionel Baier It’s Paris, May 1968. A nine-year-old boy is thrilled to be staying with his grandparents. They are joined by…
Films Sun 9 Nov at 6pm Fantômas + live musical accompaniment Gaumont Anniversary Special Event with live musical accompaniment This silent film series helped to establish the reputation of Gaumont Studios, celebrating its 130th anniversary this…
Films Mon 10 Nov at 6.30pm Doves in Zero Gravity / Colombes sans gravité + Q&A with director Christophe Gargot How the prolonged crisis in Mali has turned peacekeepers into powerless pawns caught between local wars and global geopolitics in a changing World Order. The…
Films Tue 11 Nov at 6.30pm The Baker’s Wife / La Femme du boulanger Marcel Pagnol anniversary & introduction by Pasquale Iannone When the village baker refuses to bake bread because his unfaithful wife has left with a handsome…
Arts Books & Ideas Tue 11 Nov at 5pm Talk and book signing with Nina Six Born in 1998 in Orléans, Nina Six has lived in Belgium for almost ten years. Her narrative practice is based on personal and historical archives.…
Films Wed 12 Nov at 2pm & 6.30pm Cold Cuts / Buffet froid Black comedy about solitude and the dehumanisation of the modern world, through the adventures of three men. First introduced is Alphonse Tram, an unemployed young…
Books & Ideas Talks Wed 12 Nov at 4pm Meet the author Arnaud de La Grange Arnaud de la Grange is a journalist, UK and Ireland correspondent for Le Figaro, and a writer. His latest novel: “La promesse du large »…
Films Thu 13 Nov at 2:30pm Topaze Marcel Pagnol anniversary & introduction by Pasquale Iannone Albert Topaze, a serious schoolteacher addicted to “rote” morality, works at a private school run by supremely…
Films Thu 13 Nov at 6.30pm Where There Is Love, There Is No Darkness / Là où on s’aime, il ne fait jamais nuit + Q&A Scottish Premiere with filmmaker Stevan Lee Mraovitch Seydou (Oumar Diaw) is a migrant delivery worker in the heart of Paris. He navigates the challenges…
Films Fri 14 Nov at 6.30pm The Dinner Game / Le Dîner de cons Gaumont anniversary screening & intro by Sue Harris on the golden age of Gaumont comedy One of the biggest box office hits in French…
Films Kids & Families Sat 15 Nov at 11am Nina and the Hedgehog’s Secret / Nina et le secret du hérisson An exquisite and enchanting new animated feature, featuring the voice talents of beloved French cinema icons Audrey Tautou and Guillaume Canet. Ten-year-old Nina has always…
Films Sat 15 Nov at 6.30pm Dead Tired / Grosse fatigue Gaumont anniversary screening & intro by Sue Harris on the glories of Gaumont The story of a film star (Michel Blanc) whose life comes undone…
Films Sun 16 Nov at 5pm Short cuts Spot the film-making talents of tomorrow in this selection of garlanded francophone shorts from France and Belgium, in association with IFCinéma, Manifest, Miyu Distribution and…
Films Tue 18 Nov at 6pm Hannah Arendt Margarethe von Trotta’s Hannah Arendt is a powerful biopic about one of the most influential thinkers of the 20th century. The film follows Arendt during…
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…
Arts Books & Ideas Sat 22 Nov at 11.30 Talk and book signing with comics legend Bryan Talbot Come to meet British comics artist and writer Bryan Talbot at the French Institute! Best known as the creator of The Adventures of Luther Arkwright and its…
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…
Arts Exhibition Theatre 26 Nov to 20 Dec Creating a Scene… and more Director and playwright Stéphanie Goud brings to life her new production of Victor Hugo’s novel “Les Misérables” with French speaking theatre group, Les Pantouflards. Background…
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…
Course Workshops Mon 08 Dec Singing in French You like French and singing? Why not practice your French singing and learning classic French songs with our teacher Sarah.
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…
Performances Theatre Thu 11 Dec at 6.30pm “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 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…
Thu 15 Jan SOS Grammar A2 Brush’up “French is too difficult…” Not at all! It may have a complex grammar system, but that’s exactly what makes it so fascinating to explore. Once…
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…
Mon 2 Feb at 4.30pm Teaching French made easy with the Creative Puppetry for French Toolkit Join us for a special presentation of the Creative Puppetry for French toolkit — an inclusive, play-based resource designed by Tania, teaching artist and director…
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…
French Film Festival UK 2025 Next event : Presentation of the 2025 French Film Festival Programme Wed 29 Oct at 10:00
Films Music Networking Performances Cinetopia Salons Next event : Elevator to the Gallows / Ascenseur pour l'échafaud + Live Jazz Performance - SOLD OUT! Thu 30 Oct at 18:00
Centenary of French composer Pierre Boulez Next event : Pierre Boulez and His Cultural Legacy Today Thu 06 Nov at 13:00
Books & Ideas Celebrating Comics and Graphic Novels Next event : Talk and book signing with Nina Six Tue 11 Nov at 17:00
Films 2024-2025 Edinburgh Film Guild Season Next event : Paris Memories / Revoir Paris Fri 21 Nov at 18:00
Books & Ideas Talks 3 to 8 Feb Languages Week Scotland Next event : Teaching French made easy with the Creative Puppetry for French Toolkit Mon 02 Feb at 16:30