Our partnerships
The Franco-German Youth Office (FGYO) works with its partners to organise cross-border cultural events. This gives young people from both countries (and beyond) an opportunity to get to know one another, and to discover the language and culture of the partner country. No matter whether it’s cinema, dance, science or theatre: The FGYO offers support for a broad range of projects.
Cinema
CannesKritik
In cooperation with Semaine de la Critique, the FGYO organises Franco-German cinema critics workshops for school pupils from Germany and France. In this workshop, young people from different backgrounds spend several days viewing short films and feature films from the official film competition. Under the guidance of film critics and journalists, the participants complete cinema-related seminars and write their own film reviews – creating an unforgettable and lasting intercultural experience.
Gen Z Audience Award
In cooperation with the Berlinale Co-Production Market, the FGYO presents the Gen Z Audience Award. This award recognizes a feature film project that is specifically aimed at young film enthusiasts aged 16 to 31, and whose subject matter reflects the interests and perspectives of Generation Z.
It is awarded by a jury composed of film students from universities in France and Germany. As part of the Berlinale Co-Production Market, the jury meets with film teams, immerses itself intensively in the projects, and participates in networking and professional exchange events.
The goal of this partnership is to directly involve young people from Generation Z in the development of forward-looking film projects. It also aims to sustainably strengthen the younger generation’s interest in cinema.
Französische Filmtage Tübingen
The Französische Filmtage Tübingen | Stuttgart is the largest and oldest festival of French-language films in Germany.
The FGYO supports a Franco-German youth jury, which screens recent French-language films as part of the festival and awards its own prize. This project promotes international youth exchange while developing their skills in the fields of film and media. It raises awareness of cultural differences and similarities and strengthens Franco-German cooperation in the film sector and—more broadly—in culture.
The “Jeune public – CinEnfants” program, launched in 2025, is also supported by the FGYO. It is aimed at families, offering recreational activities for children from preschool through elementary school. It provides an early introduction to both cinema as a cultural space and the French language—starting at a very young age.
French Film Week Berlin
The FGYO has been a partner of French Film Week Berlin since 2017. The Film Week is distinguished by a particularly high-quality and up-to-date programme of French and francophone cinema.
The wide-ranging selection attracts young people to the cinemas to create an atmosphere of delightful, emotional and insightful encounters with the neighbouring country. French Film Week also brings together cinema operators, teachers, educational specialists, directors and artists from Germany and France.
Every year, the FGYO contributes to intercultural exchange and cross-border media education with thematic workshops for school pupils.
The FGYO supports many other festivals, including:
- Séries Mania, featuring a Franco-German exchange on media literacy, Echange en Séries,
- festival international du film de Braunschweig,
- festival international de cinéma de Marseille,
- festival Augenblick de Strasbourg,
- festival du Cinéma allemand
Music
Fusion Concept Festival
For more than 10 years, the FGYO has been a partner in the Fusion Concept Festival in Paris. With the support of this Hip-Hop Festival, the FGYO seeks to strengthen the exchange of artistic forms of expression, thereby contributing towards overcoming language and cultural barriers. The FGYO organises, among other things, discussion sessions, residency programmes and workshops on intercultural dialogue through dance.
École du Flow
The École du Flow is a project by the hip-hop group Zweierpasch. It is the largest creative competition for students in France and Germany. In class or in small groups, young people (ages 8 and up) create French-German lyrics, songs, and videos, which are then submitted to a jury. The best groups are invited to the École du Flow finals. The group that wins the finals receives an exclusive Zweierpasch concert at their school. In addition, the winning group gets to perform on stage during the finals. École du Flow has been held since 2018. It takes place in a different city each year. Nearly 1,500 students participate every year.
Theatre
Starke Stücke
Since 1994, the Starke Stücke International Festival has been presenting a rich and varied theater program to young audiences in the Rhine-Main region. The festival takes place in a wide variety of venues, including community centers, youth and cultural centers (MJC), schools, and theaters. Since 2009, it has been organized under the auspices of the KulturRegion FrankfurtRheinMain initiative, which helps organize the project.
As part of its long-standing partnership with Starke Stücke, the FGYO aims to foster dialogue between young people in France and Germany and spark their interest in theater and the art of dramatic storytelling. Theater is indeed a powerful tool for breaking down language barriers and building bridges between different cultures.
Video games
Gamescom
SpielFabrique and the FGYO are inviting young people from France and Germany to Gamescom. This is an opportunity to take a look behind the scenes of the international video game industry. The world’s largest video game trade fair invites participants to explore career opportunities in game development and to learn more about Franco-German cooperation in the fields of culture and the creative industries.
Educ'arte
The OFAJ and ARTE Education are renewing their partnership to strengthen Franco-German educational cooperation through the Educ’ARTE platform, by supporting teachers and students in both countries. As part of this initiative, the TELE-TANDEM x EDUC’ARTE educational project continues in 2025–2026 with the creation of ten new tandems, promoting intercultural exchange and collaborative learning.
