The Institut put special emphasis on cross-cultural exchange, which it has always encouraged. A series of encounters, ‘les dialogues du centenaire’, bring together well known British and French authors and film directors to discuss a wide range of challenging topics.

Consisting of three parts, Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité offers a selection of symbolic world cinema films to represent each theme. The first theme Liberté (thu 11 feb - thu 25 feb) offer an insight into cinema that captures the themes of freedom lost, stolen, sought, refound: freedom as a fight. Central to the season is the 20 year anniversary of the liberation of Nelson Mandela on 11 February 1990, who spent 27 years in prison. He was widely considered as one of the world's most revered statesmen and became a potent symbol of resistance as the anti-apartheid movement gathered strength in South Africa. The release of the film Invictus, directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon, tells the inspiring true story of how Nelson Mandela joined forces with the captain of South Africa's rugby team, François Pienaar, to help unite their country. Narrated by Mandela, the full-length documentary Mandela Son of Africa, Father of a Nation offers insights into his childhood, adolescence and career and sheds light on the charisma and spirit of the man who dedicated himself to the struggle of the African people.