This fall, add more French to your life. Whether you're learning French and want to reinforce your learning with a cultural aspect, or simply out of Francophilia, here are our recommendations for a French fall in New York - but also online!
1. Watch a French TV show: Voltaire High
Dive in the atmosphere of a provincial high school in 1960s France with the excellent series Voltaire High, available on Prime Video. The plot begins in 1963, five years before the student protests of May '68, which will profoundly transform French society. France is at the time a conservative country that is slowly opening to modernity. The Lycée Voltaire, until then reserved for boys, becomes co-educational and welcomed girls for the first time. Even if there was only a few girls, this opening is a real revolution. The life of the school is about to be turned upside down. This series, which alternates between drama and comedy, tells the story of a bygone era with freshness and humor. It will also be an opportunity to immerse yourself in the retro style of the 60s, with its Citroen cars and elegant wooden desks.
2. See French Art: François Schuiten
From November 10, visit the Philippe Labaune gallery to discover the work of Belgian artist François Schuiten. His project, commissioned by Louis Vuitton, is an invitation to real and virtual voyages. In this highly original exhibition, he takes us on an incredible journey to Planet Mars. In a not so distant future of exponential population growth and record temperature rises, a man and a woman, the new era's Adam and Eve, are sent on a mission to explore the Red Planet and the possibilities it might offer for human survival...
3. Listen to a podcast on French learning: LFBK The Podcast
If you haven’t listened to our podcast yet, give it a chance! We talk about all things interesting to Francophiles and French-language students. Discussions with former students who have lived in France, entrepreneurs who are launching transatlantic projects, tips on how to learn better... This podcast is an opportunity to discover France and its culture from a multicultural point of view, always with humor and vivacity.
4. Watch a French film: Anais in Love
In this delightful comedy, available on Hulu, we follow the hectic daily life of Anaïs, a 30-year-old woman who is broke and has a lover she thinks she no longer loves. She meets Daniel, who immediately falls in love with her. But Daniel lives with Emilie - who Anaïs also falls for. This film, the first by young director Charline Bourgeois-Tacquet, takes you to the literary haunts of the Latin Quarter of Paris, but also to the picturesque lands of Brittany. Starring Anaïs Demoustier and Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi, Anais in Love will remind you of the best hours of the young American comedy.
5. Bake a typical French pastry: the canelé
A French autumn would not be complete without a trip to the kitchen. Discover the delicious canelés, these small cakes typical of the southwest of France. A generous dessert, which we let you prepare with this excellent recipe.
6. A dazzling afternoon at the movies
The Metrograph Cinema on the Lower East Side has an amazing double-feature for October 29th: two masterpieces of French surrealist cinema. The afternoon starts with Jean Cocteau's Orpheus, a magnificent fable starring Jean Marais. A classic of avant-garde cinema, which will not fail to amaze you. A second screening follows: The Last Year at Marienbad, one of the must-see films by the great Alain Resnais. Get ready for two of the most surprising French films, visually sparkling, that will amaze you undoubtedly.