Posts in category: Upcoming Events

🎼 Step into the world of French music as acclaimed pianist Maxime Zecchini presents a classical piano recital in Colombo, honoring the 160th birth anniversary of Erik Satie, French composer of the fin-de-siècle and early modernist period.
✨ The program explores the rich colors and charm of French composers, featuring works for piano by Satie, Poulenc, Fauré, Saint-Saëns, Bizet, Massenet, and Delibes, alongside chamber music performances with musicians from the Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka.

📅 Friday, 6 February | 7.00 PM
📍 Alliance Française de Colombo, 11, Barnes Place, Colombo 07

🎟 Tickets: 3000 LKR ( 2000 LKR for Alliance Française members & students )
📩 Tickets are available at the front desk of the Alliance Française de Colombo
📩 Online payments through- events@alliancefrancaise.lk

🖌️ Mahagama Sekera, post-independence Sri Lanka’s renaissance iconoclast – artist, poet, novelist, lyricist, playwright, filmmaker – passed away, as quietly as he had lived, 50 years ago on January 14th, 1976, leaving behind a diverse and unique body of work that is unmatched in the nation’s recent history.

🎨 To mark this anniversary, the Alliance Française de Colombo has collaborated with the Mahagama Sekera Archives to present an exhibition of his paintings titled “The Art of Mahagama Sekera”, on the 14th and 15th January 2026 from 9.00 am till 5.00 pm.

🌍 The paintings, which cover two decades of his artistic development, in turn become the occasion for a new assessment of Mahagama Sekera’s contribution to Sri Lankan humanities, which also traces the international dimensions of his oeuvre. In his commemorative lecture, “Their burden did I own”: the patient genius of Mahagama Sekera, Prof. Arjuna Parakrama will speak on the delicate artistic interweaving and creative synergies across Mahagama Sekera’s work, while locating him in the broader global post-colonial intellectual tradition. ___________________________________

👑 Galette des Rois Celebration in Colombo! 🍰
This January, we’re inviting kids aged 6-10 to a fun and delicious French cultural experience! Come make your own crown and taste the Galette des Rois, the traditional French cake enjoyed to celebrate Epiphany.

Learn about the charming tradition: whoever finds the hidden “fève” (a little charm) in their slice becomes king or queen for the day! It’s a delightful way for our youngsters to discover French culture, enjoy a sweet treat, and have fun with friends.
🗓 Date: January 10th, 2026
⏰ Time: 10:30 – 11:30 AM
💰 Registration Fee: 500 LKR
📍 Register in person: Front desk at Alliance Française Colombo
📧 Online registration & payments: events@alliancefrancaise.lk

Join us for a special literary evening featuring Sunethra Rajakarunanayake and Janaka Samarakoon, celebrating a landmark moment in Sri Lankan literature. 

The Sinhala novel “ප්‍රේම පුරාණය” written by Sunethra Rajakarunanayake, translated into French as “Le bonheur du néant” and Janaka Samarakoon, marks a historic milestone as the first contemporary work of fiction translated directly from Sinhala into French.

The author and translator will be in conversation, sharing insights into the creative and translational journey behind this groundbreaking work.

📅 Friday, 9th of January, 2026

🕕 6.00 PM

📍 Alliance Française de Colombo Library, 11, Barnes Place, Colombo 07

🎟️ Free entry – registration required 📩 events@alliancefrancaise.lk

🎄 To celebrate the Christmas and holiday spirit, we invite children and families to enjoy a special screening of “Marcel le Père Noël et le Petit Livreur de Pizzas.”

🎥 On December 24 in a quiet suburb, Abdou, a dreamy pizza delivery boy, meets the real Santa, Marcel, who’s exhausted and sidelined by a scooter accident. With the help of Abdou and some colorful neighbors, chaos turns into triumph as they save Christmas with music and song. 📆 Friday the 19th of December | 4.00pm
🏠 Alliance Française de Colombo
🎟️ Free entrance
🔵 With English subtitles

✨ This Christmas season, be treated by a timeless French comedy, a true cinematic gem.

🎥 “La Grande Vadrouille” is set during the Second World War: ordinary Parisians unexpectedly find themselves helping British airmen after their bomber is shot down over the city. La Grande Vadrouille remains one of France’s most iconic films, holding the all-time box office record with over 17 million tickets sold

📆 Thursday the 11th of January | 6.00pm

🏠 Alliance Française de Colombo

🎟️ Free entrance

🔵 With English subtitles

Program | Sister Library at Colombo Public Library
🌸 The Sister Library presents a vibrant programme of readings, workshops, and discussions at Colombo Public Library, with additional film screenings at the Goethe-Institut and the Alliance Française de Colombo.
🌸 Visit the Sister Library in the lobby of the Colombo Public Library until 30 November.
________________________________________
📚 Fri, 7 Nov | 7.00–8.30 p.m.
Screening of “Sultana’s Dream” by Isabel Herguera — Goethe-Institut
📚 Sat, 15 Nov | 3.00–4.30 p.m.
Screening of “Sultana’s Dream” by Isabel Herguera — Alliance Française de Colombo
📚 Thu, 20 Nov | 4.30–6.00 p.m.
“Her Voice Lingers” — Reading group on Dr. Malathi de Alwis’ writing
Led by Dr. Chulani Kodikara | Supported by Everystory
📚 Fri, 21 Nov | 4.30–6.30 p.m.
“Books We Carry I” — With Madhubhashini Disanayaka Ratnayake, Yolani Fernando, Charitha Liyanage

🌸 Sister Library returns to Colombo!
After its inspiring journey through Kandy, Weligama, and Jaffna, accompanied by a rich programme of workshops, performances, talks, and readings, Sister Library now returns to Colombo for its final stop at the Colombo Public Library.

📚 Duration: 6 – 30 November
🕓 Time: 10.00 AM – 5.00 PM
📍 Venue: Lobby, Colombo Public Library, 15 Sir Marcus Fernando Mawatha, Colombo 07

✨ The Sister Library at the Colombo Public Library presents a vibrant programme of reading sessions, workshops, and discussions. In addition, film screenings will take place at both the Goethe-Institut and the Alliance Française de Colombo. We warmly invite you to explore the collection and engage with Sister Library in the lobby of the Colombo Public Library until the end of November.

🌿 Founded by aqui Thami, Sister Library is an evolving, generative artwork that celebrates women’s contributions to literature, art, and zine culture. It fosters inclusive community engagement and invites deeper reflection on the visual and reading cultures of our time.

🤝 This project is realized in partnership with Everystory Sri Lanka, with the support of the Goethe-Institut, Alliance Française de Colombo, and the Embassy of France in Sri Lanka and the Maldives, and is funded by the Franco-German Cultural Fund.

🖼️ Image credit: Audre Lorde © Getty Images/Jack Mitchell; Jean Arasanayagam © The Island; Kumari Jayawardena © Social Scientists’ Association of Sri Lanka; Uma Chakravarti © Feminism in India; Virginia Woolf © Hulton Archive.

🧒 For audiences aged 12 and above

🗓️ Sunday, October 19

⏰ 2.00pm onwards

📍 Alliance Française de Colombo

🎟️ Free entrance

🔤 With English subtitles

🍿 Fresh popcorn to purchase

🎥 2:40–2:55 PM – Beurk! (by Loïc Espuche)
Little Léo laughs at kisses as gross, but secretly, whenever he thinks of Lucie, his lips glow bright pink.

🎥 2:55–3:10 PM – Kaminhu (by Loïc Espuche)
Joanna, a young Western traveller with a sketchbook, meets Lito, a fisherman in Cape Verde, who inspires her to extend her stay in Esperança.

🎥 3:30–5:00 PM – La Plus précieuse des marchandises (by Michel Hazanavicius)
In a war-torn forest, a woodcutter’s wife saves a baby from a train, altering many lives forever.

A celebration of creativity, imagination, and storytelling through animated film. Organized by the Alliance Française de Colombo and Alliance Française de Kandy, as part of the global Fête du cinéma d’animation initiated by L’Association Française du Cinéma d’Animation (AFCA).