Villa Albertine

Films on the Green, Villa Albertine’s signature outdoor French film festival, returns for 2026! 🎥

Celebrating the 250th anniversary of French-American relations, this year’s edition brings a selection of French films to cities across the U.S. from June through October.

Featuring favorites such as Breathless, The Young Girls of Rochefort, Arco, and the Academy Award–winning The Artist, the festival celebrates iconic French cinema, all free and subtitled in English.

Opening June 27 in Chicago with Jeanne du Barry, Films on the Green will travel to Houston, Los Angeles, Washington, DC, Philadelphia, Puerto Rico, Tulsa, Marfa, and New Orleans.

Check the link for the full lineup and screening details: https://villa-albertine.org/va/events/films-on-the-green-2026-returns-with-a-celebration-of-america-250/

Design: Des Signes - Studio Muchir Desclouds

Films on the Green is organized nationwide in partnership with Albertine Foundation, TV5MONDE, and JCDecaux North America, Inc.

We are pleased to have welcomed to the East Coast the legendary filmmaker Michel Ocelot for a tour of universities, festivals, and schools across Princeton, New Jersey, and New York.

Creator of multigenerational animated films such as Kirikou and the Sorceress (1998), Princes and Princesses (2000), and Azur and Asmar (2006), he is often described as the "modern father of French animation". Throughout his visit, he engaged with Francophone, Francophile, and cinephile audiences at various cultural and educational institutions.

He was notably invited to close the 2026 edition of the Princeton French Film Festival (PFFF), supported by the Albertine Cinémathèque program. He also participated in screenings in classrooms, at institutions such as the French American School of Princeton and the Princeton Charter School, whose students were already familiar with his work through the Villa Albertine's Cinéschool program and the Institut Français film platform.

Ocelot was welcomed by similarly passionate audiences in New York City, where he opened the 10th edition of Francophone Short Films in Harlem at the Maysles Documentary Center, supported in part by the International Organization of the Francophonie. Lastly, he participated in the annual "En Français, Oui but Why" fair organized by the Lycée Français de New York.

Read more about the details of his visit in this article: https://villa-albertine.org/va/news/legendary-filmmaker-michel-ocelot-celebrated-in-princeton-and-new-york/

📚Earlier this month, we hosted the 2026 US Goncourt Prize ceremony, in which author Laurent Mauvignier was awarded this year’s prize for “La maison vide.”

Selected from the four finalists of the 2025 Prix Goncourt in France, the novel explores the layered histories of a family home across generations, tracing the echoes of two world wars and rural life in the twentieth century. An English translation will soon be published in the US by Liveright Publishing Corp.

The distinction was announced on Saturday, April 11, during a ceremony at Villa Albertine’s New York headquarters. Led by a jury of students from 11 American universities, the selection marked the culmination of months of study and deliberation.

The US Goncourt Prize is organized in partnership with the Académie Goncourt and the Embassy of France’s Centers of Excellence, a network of which the universities are a part.

📸Jasmina Tomic

Celebrating five years of our residency program! Today, we spotlight Alain Damasio, 2022 Villa Albertine resident, science fiction author, and typographer whose work combines political anticipation with elements of fantasy.

During Damasio’s residency in San Francisco, he authored “Vallée du silicium”, a clear-eyed account of American tech culture and the erosion of social ties, presented as a techno-poetic essay that recollects his observations and mixed feelings.

Continuing this exploration, on May 5 he will participate in “Masters of Books” at MK2 Bibliothèque, where he will offer insight into the craft of contemporary writing, sharing his human-centered approach to sci-fi storytelling.

Read more in our story & stay tuned for future highlights!

Ahead of this year’s , meet Frantz Wehrlé, 2026 laureate decorative painter known for creating exceptional interiors that reflect both refined elegance and a signature, transforming living spaces into true works of art.

Wehrlé has completed numerous projects internationally, including in the United States. A graduate and medalist of the Van der Kelen School of Decorative Painting in Brussels, he has perpetuated ornamental arts and the offspring of the great tradition of imitation décor, from fresco to faux marbling and trompe-l’oeil. His work graces prestigious locations such as the Château de Versailles, as well as other historical landmarks and luxury residences. He has been actively involved with the Comité France-Amérique in Paris, participating on a yearly basis in the restoration of its historic building, the Hôtel Le Marois.

Alongside other Jury-selected grantees and Villa Albertine residents, .wehrle will be featured in our Oui Design Exhibition curated by designer Harry Nuriev, on view from May 14 until May 18 at the Payne Whitney Mansion.

Oui Design! is a highly anticipated festival, now firmly anchored in New York City’s cultural calendar. Held during the NYCxDESIGN Festival, this year’s edition further strengthens collaborations between the French and American design communities.

Oui Design! is made possible with the support of , major sponsor of Oui Design! as well as & .

Ahead of this year’s , meet Yassine Ben Abdallah, 2026 laureate artist and designer working between La Réunion and Europe, whose practice interrogates the cultural and political legacies embedded in objects.

Drawing on his background in social science and design, Yassine Ben Abdallah, combines critical inquiry with material experimentation within a research-based approach that explores questions of heritage, cultural identity and belonging. Deeply informed by the colonial history of La Réunion, where he grew up, his work emerges from personal and collective stories shaped by displacement and creolization. His work is held in major public collections, including the Stedelijk Museum, the Centre Pompidou, and the Van Abbemuseum, and has received notable awards such as the Grand Prix at Design Parade (2023) and the Gjis Bakker Award (2002).

Alongside other Jury-selected grantees and Villa Albertine residents, .b will be featured in our Oui Design Exhibition curated by designer Harry Nuriev, on view from May 14 until May 18 at the Payne Whitney Mansion.

Oui Design! is a highly anticipated festival, now firmly anchored in New York City’s cultural calendar. Held during the NYCxDESIGN Festival, this year’s edition further strengthens collaborations between the French and American design communities.

Oui Design! is made possible with the support of , major sponsor of Oui Design! as well as & .


Credits: Souleyman Bachir Diaw, , Bastien Duval, Camille Lemonnier, Luc Bertrand

[NYC] Join us tomorrow for "Reimagining Images: From Early Photography to AI" 📷

On April 24, hear from 2026 Villa Albertine resident and artist-researcher Hanako Murakami, media theorist and curator Natasha Chuk, and moderator Jonah King for a thought-provoking panel on how AI is reshaping the meaning of images.

From historical photography to generative and interactive technologies, the conversation will explore evolving ideas of authenticity, aesthetics, and perception—inviting us to see vision as an active, participatory process.

Attendees will also experience "EXPOSURE – le regard qui brûle", an interactive installation by Murakami where the act of looking transforms the image itself, revealing the intensity and power of the gaze.

Register here: https://villa-albertine.org/va/events/reimagining-images-in-the-age-of-ai/

Relive the highlights of Night of Ideas in San Francisco! 🌙

San Francisco’s Night of Ideas, “Lighting the Way,” took place across , , and , bringing together thinkers, artists, and the public for a dynamic mix of talks, performances, and interactive experiences. Conversations, performances, and installations unfolded in parallel, with audiences moving between spaces and ideas throughout the night.

The evening program invited Bay Area audiences to explore how ideas, creativity, and collective action can illuminate paths forward. Earlier in the day, the Afternoon of Ideas welcomed families and younger audiences with hands-on workshops and creative activities, encouraging curiosity and intergenerational exchange.

This free, festive event was open to all in the heart of the city. Thank you to all the speakers, performers, and contributors who made it possible.

Night of Ideas 2026 is presented by .albertine and thanks to the leadership support of the Judy and Peter Blum Kovler Foundation. It is coordinated worldwide by . Media Partner: TV5MONDE.



Night of Ideas in San Francisco was also presented by , , and . It was also supported by the Friends of San Francisco Public Library, , , and .

📸 Frederic Neema, Come Bonnet

Les candidatures sont ouvertes pour la première édition du Prix littéraire French Press 📚

Ce prix s’adresse aux auteurs et autrices de langue française ayant publié au moins deux ouvrages à compte d’éditeur et portant un projet en lien avec les États-Unis. Le lauréat bénéficiera d’une résidence d’écriture Jules Verne à The Ohio State University (Columbus, OH), ainsi que d’une tournée universitaire dans le Midwest.

Le Prix littéraire French Press est lancé en partenariat avec Villa Albertine Chicago, le Consulate General of France in Chicago et Networks of Centres of Excellence.

Postulez ici: https://villa-albertine.org/va/fr/professionals/appel-a-candidatures-prix-litteraire-french-press-2026/

Ahead of this year’s , meet Xolo Cuintle, 2026 laureate artist duo, formed by and , specializing in sculpture and bas relief through a space-oriented practice.

Standing at the crossroads of contemporary and decorative arts, their approach centers on concrete as both material and concept, developing layered compositions in which time itself is treated as a medium. Through staged environments, they transform solid, inert matter into works that balance function and symbolism, allowing objects to shift between use, representation, and fiction. Their work has been exhibited widely in France and internationally, and is held in major public collections, alongside recent citizen-led and public commissions.

Alongside other Jury-selected grantees and Villa Albertine residents, will be featured in our Oui Design Exhibition curated by designer Harry Nuriev, on view from May 14 until May 18 at the Payne Whitney Mansion.

Oui Design! is a highly anticipated festival, now firmly anchored in New York City’s cultural calendar. Held during the NYCxDESIGN Festival, this year’s edition further strengthens collaborations between the French and American design communities.

Oui Design! is made possible with the support of , major sponsor of Oui Design! as well as & .