“The New York Alliance must be an anchor point”

Fiaf has become L’Alliance New York, can you explain to us the reasons for this rebranding?

On June 17, 2024, we revealed our new name and identity. After 125 years of history, we are opening a new chapter for the organization, marked by the arrival of our president Tatyana Franck and a new artistic director in 2023: Violaine Huisman in 2022. The -this change is important but our values ​​remain unchanged. Our mission remains dedicated to learning the French language and promoting French cultures. this name” L’Alliance New York » shows our vision of the future for the group with a word that can be said in French and English. This also reflects our pride in belonging to the Alliances francaises network, which has over 830 alliances worldwide with a range of French courses of exceptional quality.

Alliance New York welcomes a diverse audience and grows with the times. We monitor the changes in the city and we adapt our programs, which combine the French language and French cultures in a 360-degree approach. Our commitment remains to inform our American and French audiences about the dynamics of today’s French world.

Starting a Kindergarten in Montclair © Samia Pendleton

Why did you want to open a preschool in Montclair, New Jersey?

We have been in New Jersey for over ten years and have had a preschool in New York for ten years. So we have knowledge and experience. We knew there was an audience of families in Montclair waiting for more French offerings. By opening the kindergartenwe responded to this request from French, bi-national but also international families. We also believe that learning foreign languages ​​from a very young age will strengthen the growth of the language later on. This nursery school opened its doors in the middle of September with a very beautiful opening ceremony which was an opportunity to unite the local community. We are very proud to share this new project with her.

However, we feel that there is a real desire for this diversity of the French language.

The summit of the Francophonie took place in France. Is the French world also thriving on the other side of the Atlantic?

We changed the heart of our mission two years ago, wanting to show the American public all the diversity in the French world. It is not natural for Americans that French is spoken in many areas of the world. However, we feel that there is a real desire for this diversity of the French language and a desire to understand this growing French world.

This programming attracts a very different audience, especially young people who love avant-garde artists, innovations, our library but also our animation festival.

For Americans, France remains a cultural reference

In this important year for Franco-American relations, how do you see the state of bilateral cultural relations?

As a non-profit organization, the New York Alliance is apolitical and nonpartisan. But apart from political issues, I think for Americans, France is still a cultural reference. From this point of view, our relations are therefore excellent. The Olympic and Paralympic Games were a great time to share. We also noticed this on Bastille Day when we blocked Madison Avenue for 30,000 visitors. We have a lot of enthusiasm around our events with universal values ​​that we want to carry beyond election times.

What are the main events in cultural programs for the end of 2024?

We are right in the middle of it notre festival Crossing The linewhich will run until December 2024, and which will take place within the Federation but also throughout the city. Curator Violaine Huisman decided to extend its time, thus giving the public more opportunities to see exhibitions.

In 2025, our festival Animation first extended to nearly a week to meet public demand. We also have a new film commissioner who is putting together some fantastic programs for next year. We want to get as close as possible to what the public expects both in terms of content and forms. The films shown at the Federation come from all kinds of French perspectives. The cinema must also be a social time, to talk and socialize before and after the shows in our living room. The New York Alliance must be an anchor for the community.

Do you also have any new developments for your educational activity?

In addition to opening kindergarten in Montclair, we have opened an affiliate program by the CNED and thus a certificate related to French national education. This program is specially designed for children (ages 5 to 11) whose mother tongue is French or who have a similar level of ability. Although we still have online programs, we have real feedback from our face-to-face learners. So our language courses are a way to bring our cultural center to life and to have a real moment of social interaction.