The French Institute's work is centred around developing South African creative ecosystems, talent, start-ups, and the creators of innovative content in partnership with French expertise and French key creative industry players. Our priorities are audiovisual content (animation), digital creation (video games, virtual reality, new formats), music, heritage, archives, museums and fashion.

Arts and Creative Industries

True Fashion, Try on Green

Emerging South African Designers Trailblaze Their Way to a Sustainable Future. The French Institute of South Africa and the Goethe-Institut South Africa have joined forces to champion five emerging designers […]

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Arts and Creative Industries

IFAS x FNB Art Joburg presents CONSTRUCT

The French Institute of South Africa (IFAS) and FNB Art Joburg are delighted to present CONSTRUCT: five women artists working in Joburg across non-traditional mediums, a video series in five parts.  […]

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Arts and Creative Industries

Africa Forward Summit in Kenya highlights culture and creative cooperation

Held in Nairobi on 11 and 12 May 2026, the Africa...

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Arts and Creative Industries

Honouring the life and work of IFAS collaborator Maria McCloy

The French Institute of South Africa (IFAS) is deeply saddened by...

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Arts and Creative Industries

Africa, in the Footsteps of the First Humans screening and discussion at Bioscope

On 15 April 2026, the French Institute of South Africa (IFAS),...

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Arts and Creative Industries

South African premiere of KancĂ­cĂ  at the Wits Anglo American Digital Dome

The South African premiere of KancĂ­cĂ  took place on 7 April...

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Jean Spiri, directeur de l'IFAS, s'entretient avec Georges Lory et Daphnée Breytenbach à l'occasion de leur tournée littéraire en Afrique du Sud. Pour plus d'informations sur les événements publics, veuillez consulter le site web de l'IFAS: https://frenchinstitute.org.za/arts-and-creative-industries/literature/french-south-african-literature-conversations-tour-daphnee-breytenbach-georges-lory/.
The Création Africa Top 50 is a true reflection of the depth and diversity of the cultural and creative industries! #CreationAfrica2 #FrenchInstituteSA
🎉 Meet the selected Top 50 entrepreneurs for the second edition of CrĂ©ation Africa, from South Africa. Lesotho and Malawi 🎉 Congratulations as they begin a seven-week mentorship journey with UVU Africa and its digital skills and innovation division CAPACITI. 👏
A conversation exploring the impact of the 2025 funding cuts for the HIV response, especially for at risk and LGBTQIA+ communities. The panel will consist of leading experts in the field, both within health research and operating directly on the ground with affected groups.
As part of the French Institute of South Africa’s (IFAS) 30th anniversary, this film turns to Lesotho to spotlight artists and cultural practitioners involved in co-creation initiatives supported by IFAS. Shot across the Mountain Kingdom, it features voices that have helped define the Institute’s work over the past three decades. Directed by Adam Heyns.
As part of the French Institute of South Africa’s (IFAS) 30th anniversary, a visit to Malawi captured the stories of artists and cultural practitioners involved in co-creation projects supported by IFAS. From Lilongwe to Blantyre, the film brings together voices that have contributed to the Institute’s work over the past three decades. Directed by Adam Heyns.
Join us for a special talk by Justice Edwin Cameron and Sohela Surajpal, two of the authors of the new book 'Behind Prison Walls'. Their talk will bring together Michel Foucault's reflections on the systems of discipline and South Africa's experience of incarceration, offering an original analysis: how prisons, far from serving as tools of rehabilitation, become instruments of social control and the perpetuation of inequality.
Launched in 2022 under the France 2030 initiative, the ICC Immersion programme supports French entrepreneurs in the cultural and creative industries (CCI) as they expand into global markets. Implemented in South Africa by Institut français in Paris, the French Institute of South Africa (IFAS), Business France, and Business France South Africa and Southern Africa, the initiative connects French companies with key players in South Africa’s dynamic creative sector. This year’s cohort featured nine innovative CCI companies—Allegria, Atrack (Beam for Music), Agence Culturelle PLUS (Reunion Island), Culturespaces, Fabrik & Moi (Reunion Island), France MusĂ©ums DĂ©veloppement, Jakob + MacFarlane, Memorist, and Sound Birth—representing fields from architecture and immersive technology to museum development, cultural consultancy, and music innovation. Altogether, the South African edition fostered meaningful exchange between French and South African cultural leaders, opening the door to future collaborations across the two countries.  Special thank you to the featured sites: Constitution Hill Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation Joburg Contemporary Art Foundation Spier Wine Farm, TRACE Studios Tshimologong Digital Innovation Precinct Wesgro Wits Digital Dome Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa ----- ICC Immersion is coordinated by the SecrĂ©tariat GĂ©nĂ©ral pour l'Investissement (SGPI) and driven by the Institut Français and Business France, with support from the Banque des territoires, the French Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs. The 2025 edition is implemented by IFAS and Business France in Johannesburg.
To mark the 30th anniversary of the French Institute of South Africa (IFAS), this documentary film brings together nearly 50 voices who have been part of IFAS’s journey over the past three decades. From its beginnings in Newtown to its current home in Braamfontein, IFAS has helped shape South Africa’s cultural and creative landscape through collaboration, exchange, and long-term partnerships. Director: Adam Heyns Producer: Lali van Zuydam Music: NØ FØRMAT! Records
For 30 years IFAS has nurtured a vibrant space for dialogue, experimentation, and creative growth. It has helped tell untold stories, amplify diverse voices, and build platforms for both emerging and established talents to shine. Now, as we mark 30 years of impact and memory, we look back at three remarkable decades of collaboration, co-creation, and cultural connection. And in the words of the legendary filmmaker Ramadan Suleman, here's to the end of Episode 1—and the beginning of many more episodes in the eclectic, ever-evolving series that is IFAS. Video Production and Editing: Adam Heyns Music: NØ FØRMAT! Records
Ahead of the 2025 Series Mania Forum taking place from 25th-27th March, IFAS invited delegates from around the world to join and gain valuable insights from our Audiovisual team and Forum organisers on what to expect and how to prepare for the three jam-packed days of pitching, networking, and high-level conferences.
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