5) Along the River Seine Martin Wickramasinghe and the Sri Lankan Mind

Along the River Seine: Martin Wickramasinghe and the Sri Lankan Mind | Literary Evening

🎬 The Alliance Française de Colombo, in collaboration with the Martin Wickramasinghe Trust, presents a special literary evening, screening, and discussion: “Along the River Seine: Martin Wickramasinghe and the Sri Lankan Mind.”

 

📚 This event explores and reflects on the life and work of Martin Wickramasinghe (1890–1976), one of Sri Lanka’s most influential literary figures. A self-taught intellectual, Wickramasinghe engaged deeply with global thought, drawing inspiration from French literary giants such as Victor Hugo, Honoré de Balzac, Guy de Maupassant, André Gide, and Jean-Paul Sartre.

 

🗼 The session will also reflect on his intellectual and cultural connections with France, including his visit in 1968, highlighting the influence of French literature on shaping the modern Sri Lankan mind.

 

🎥 The evening will feature a screening of Rendez-Vous Special with Yasmin and Kumar, centred on the legacy of Martin Wickramasinghe, offering insights into his enduring contribution to literature and thought.

 

💬 The screening will be followed by a discussion led by Uditha Devapriya, providing a deeper understanding of Wickramasinghe’s work and relevance today.

 

📅 Date: 29 April 2026
 Time: 06:30 PM
📍 Venue: Alliance Française de Colombo, No. 11, Barnes Place, Colombo 7

📧 Free registration: events@alliancefrancaise.lk 

4) L'une chante, l'autre pas- French Film

L’une chante, l’autre pas | French Film Screening

🎥 “L’une chante, l’autre pas” (Restored Classic)- directed by Agnès Varda

 

 The film is a feminist musical. Two young women live in Paris in 1962. Pauline (17), a student, dreams of leaving her family to become a singer. Suzanne (22) takes care of her two children and faces the tragedy of their father’s suicide. Life separates them, and each lives her own struggle as a woman. Pauline becomes a singer in a traveling activist group after experiencing a difficult relationship in Iran. Suzanne overcomes her hardships and works at the Family Planning center. Ten years later, they reunite during a feminist demonstration. By the end of this chronicle, they are together again, with their grown-up children.

 

📅 Date : Thursday 23 April 
 Time : 7:00 PM
📍 Venue: Alliance Française de Colombo, 11, Barnes Place, Colombo 07

🎟️ Free entrance
💬 English subtitles available
🔞 For audiences aged 18+

L’Argent de poche- French film

L’Argent de poche | French Film Screening

🎥 “L’Argent de poche” (Restored Classic), directed by François Truffaut

⚡ À Thiers, dans le Puy-de-Dôme, a handful of children experience the final weeks of the school year, eagerly awaiting the holidays: Bruno, Patrick, Laurent, Mathieu, and Franck, not to mention Martine… Each lives at their own pace, bringing life and spirit to this village, where the two teachers, Miss Petit and Mr. Richet, struggle to capture their attention as the summer camp approaches.

📅 Date : Saturday, 11 April 
⏰ Time : 3:00 PM
📍 Venue: Alliance Française de Colombo, 11, Barnes Place, Colombo 07

🎟️ Free entrance
💬 English subtitles available
🔞 For audiences aged 10+

La Haine- French film

La Haine | French Film Screening

🎥 “La Haine” (Restored Classic), directed by Mathieu Kassovitz

 

 All night long, clashes erupted between the youths of the “Muguets” housing project and the police because Abdel, a sixteen-year-old boy, was beaten during an interrogation and is near death. Among these kids, blinded by hate, are three ordinary boys: Hubert, Saïd, and Vinz. Together, they are about to experience the most important day of their lives—the day when the fourth “hero” of the story makes its appearance: a gleaming, chrome-plated 9mm Beretta that a plainclothes police officer reportedly lost during the riots.

 

📅 Date : Thursday, 09 April
 Time : 7:00 PM
📍 Venue: Alliance Française de Colombo, 11, Barnes Place, Colombo 07

🎟️ Free entrance
💬 English subtitles available
🔞 For audiences aged 13+

 

Pop-up Easter Card Workshop

Pop-up Easter Card Workshop

🌸 Celebrate the joy of Easter with a fun-filled creative session at Alliance Française de Colombo! Children will get the chance to explore their imagination and craft their very own colorful pop-up Easter cards to take home or gift to loved ones.

 

📅 Date: Saturday, 04th April

 Time: 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM

 

👧🧒 Open to children aged 8 and above

🎟️ Free entry – registration required (limited spots available)

📧 Register now: stagiaire.culture@alliancefrancaise.lk

Francophonie Film Fest 2026 Program

FRANCOPHONIE FILM FESTIVAL 2026

🌏 As part of the Francophonie celebration, join us for a cinematic journey across the Francophone world!

 
🗓️ Dates: 27 – 28 March 2026
📍Location : Alliance Française de Kotte in Colombo
🎟️ All sessions are FREE and without registration.
🔤 Films with English subtitles
🎞️ 3 feature films from 4 Francophone countries (including 2 rated 16 years and above)
🎬 4 short films (young audiences)

 
🎉  Join and celebrate cinema, cultures & languages with us! 

Cultural Events 2026 -

Exhibition | Notre-Dame de Paris: The Great Adventure of the Restoration.


⏳ A unique opportunity to explore this iconic French monument and understand the extraordinary challenge behind its reconstruction.

⛪️ On April 15, 2019, a devastating fire struck Notre-Dame de Paris, a historic symbol of the French capital and of France itself. Built over 850 years ago, the cathedral welcomed nearly 12 million visitors each year. This tragedy sparked a wave of emotion across France and around the world, leading to an unprecedented outpouring of solidarity. Thanks to the donations collected, the entire restoration project could be funded. The day after the fire, President Emmanuel Macron set an ambitious goal: to reopen Notre-Dame in 2024.

🗓️ Exhibition dates: February 20 – March 16
🕘 Opening hours: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
📍 Location: 11 Barnes Place, Colombo 7

________________________________________________

International Women's Day Screening

SCREENING & DISCUSSION | INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY 2026 | SHORT FILMS BY FEMALE FILMMAKERS

🎬 10 short films. 10 bold voices. 10 female filmmakers from Sri Lanka

💜 Celebrating International Women’s Day 2026 with a special screening of short films by young female filmmakers from across Sri Lanka — representing Sinhala, Tamil, and Muslim communities, and stories rooted in different corners of the island.

✨ Featuring films by:
Rashini Kanchima Chandrasiri, Ginuki Jayaweera, Sawmya Wimalarathna, Sanduni Wanasinghe, Hemamalini Srinath, Nayani Narayana, Nuzha M.W.F., Sureni Ranawaka, Elangoven Niroshika, and Nimesha Herath.

🎤 Curated by Anomaa Rajakaruna from the Agenda 14 Short Film Festival and supported by the Embassy of France in Sri Lanka and the Maldives with the Alliance Française de Colombo, the screening will be followed by a discussion with the filmmakers.

🗓 05 March 2026
🕕 6.00 PM
📍 Alliance Française de Colombo, 11, Barnes Place, Colombo 07
⏱ Total screening time: 75 minutes

📝 Free entrance | no registration

Turtle Walker- Screening

SCREENING OF “TURTLE WALKER” | THE PEARL PROTECTORS

🎬 The Pearl Protectors and the Alliance Française de Colombo are excited to announce the 1st-ever public screening of the film “Turtle Walker” in Sri Lanka.

🐢 This award-winning documentary follows the life of Satish Bhaskar, an Indian conservationist who dedicated himself to studying and protecting endangered sea turtles along India’s coasts in the 1970s, and explores the aftermath of the 2004 tsunamis on their habits

📍 The screening is on 2nd March at 2.00 pm at Alliance Française de Colombo, 11, Barnes Pl, Colombo 7

🎟️ Kindly consider that the screening is fully booked.

⚠️ Limited seats available. E-ticket required to enter.

Piano masterclass

Piano Masterclass with Maxime Zecchini 

🎹 Calling all classical pianists and advanced piano students for an exclusive opportunity to participate in a masterclass with the internationally acclaimed French classical pianist Maxime Zecchini.

📅 Date: Saturday, 7 February
🕙 Time: from 9.00 am onwards
📍 Location: Alliance Française de Colombo, 11 Barnes Place, Colombo 07
💡 For: Advanced classical pianists and students
🎟️ Free registration: Sign up before the 31st of January
📝 To register, send your CV or recommendations to: events@alliancefrancaise.lk