Fashion-themed “Films on the Green” Festival Brings Free French Films Nationwide Starting May 30!
This summer, cinephiles visiting local parks will be captivated by the glamour of French fashion through Films on the Green, Albertine Foundation and Villa Albertine’s free outdoor French film festival. Held at three iconic locations in Manhattan, this year’s selection of films is curated around the theme ‘Fashion in Film,’ and launches Friday, May 30, with a screening of Anne Fontaine’s Coco Before Chanel in Central Park.
Running through Friday, June 27 in NYC, Films on the Green will show three English-subtitled features in Manhattan parks, and will then expand to a total of five American cities through September.
This year’s edition is special, as we celebrate 130 years since the invention of cinema, a shared legacy between France and the United States that continues to inspire audiences and filmmakers across the globe and has united our two countries by a love for storytelling and innovation.
“From Academy Award-winner Sean Baker’s admiration for Godard, to Richard Linklater’s Nouvelle Vague premiering in Cannes this year, to Palme d’Or laureate and Villa Albertine resident Julia Ducournau’s creative kinship with David Cronenberg and David Lynch, there are probably no two countries that share a deeper, more enduring cinematic bond than France and the United States. This year’s Films on the Green will showcase the ways in which fashion has had an impact on the global stage, inviting film aficionados and fashionistas alike to enjoy cinema and the outdoors. We are thrilled to invite moviegoers to enjoy the pleasures of summer while experiencing a taste of French culture,” said Mohamed Bouabdallah, Cultural Counselor of France in the United States and Director of Villa Albertine.
In another exciting first, this year’s screenings will open with a selection of AI Shorts curated by mk2, an emblem of French and international auteur cinema. These short films, created or enhanced using artificial intelligence and shown in Paris during the AI Action Summit in February this year, open up new creative horizons and resonate with Villa Albertine’s ongoing exploration of the intersection between art and technology, from our dedicated AI Residencies for artists to the latest issue of States magazine, “Arts in the Age of AI.”
Films on the Green started over 15 years ago as an intimate film series in local New York City community gardens. Since then, it has blossomed into a beloved summer tradition, hotly anticipated by film buffs and casual viewers alike. This summer the festival will take place in five American cities, a testament to the ongoing enthusiasm for diverse and accessible outdoor film experiences.
Villa Albertine and Albertine Foundation would like to thank Films on the Green’s 2025 official sponsors: the Louis Roederer Foundation, BNP Paribas, JCDecaux, and TV5MONDE for their continued support.
Films on the Green was first launched in 2008 as a community-oriented festival that reaches out to audiences in the heart of their own neighborhoods —in parks and community gardens across New York City. Since then, the festival has expanded tremendously.
Films on the Green is one of our favorite outdoor movie series, not only for its inherent Frenchiness but because it takes you on a summer-long tour of the city’s coolest parks. Time Out New York
Films on the Green is one of our favorite outdoor movie series, not only for its inherent Frenchiness but because it takes you on a summer-long tour of the city’s coolest parks.
The Films on the Green Festival is like no other, offering extraordinary entertainment, and a taste of France itself in the very streets of New York. URBAN MATTERS
The Films on the Green Festival is like no other, offering extraordinary entertainment, and a taste of France itself in the very streets of New York.
Nathalie Charles | Festival Manager nathalie.charles@villa-albertine.org