160 years of Bangkok-Paris diplomatic relations are being celebrated this year. Life caught up with new French Ambassador to Thailand Gilles Garachon to discuss food, the AEC and cultural exchange. Political and economic diplomacy may be the core business of his job, but the ambassador puts emphasis on understanding culture.

Spread across three weekends, the Tournées French Film Festival is returning to screen a vibrant cross-section of dramas, thrillers, comedies and one animated film surrounding murder, treachery and illicit activities.
Dubbed “C’est une crime!” or “It’s a crime,” audiences will follow the thread through award-winning cinema brought to Northern Arizona University to share in francophone culture.

Europe and Iran have common interests in several areas. In light of their historical and traditional bilateral relations as well as other positive sources, such as the existence of complementary economies, mutually-beneficial cooperation in the fields of energy and technology [...] through both collective and bilateral mechanisms, it is possible to actively pursue the struggle against the important threats such as terrorism, violence, extremism, drug trafficking.

The Indianapolis Museum of Art has joined an international consortium. The 30-member French American Museum Exchange promotes cultural exchange among museums in France and North America. [...] Other members of FRAME include the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Cleveland Museum of Art, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and Musée des Beaux-Arts de Bordeaux in France.

French President François Hollande arrives in India for a three-day visit. Mr. Hollande will be the Chief Guest at the Republic Day parade on Tuesday [...] the French President appreciated Prime Minister Narendra Modi “for his diplomacy reflecting both a sense of proportion and a strong determination. He recently took important steps to engage in a dialogue with the political leadership in Pakistan.”

The repeated terrorist attacks in Paris and the disputes within UNESCO between Japan and its neighbors highlight the danger that culture can become a source of international confrontation.

Hundreds of French mosques are participating in a major open-house event this weekend, offering visitors the opportunity to come in for tea and a chat about Islam in a country shaken by jihadist attacks. 

“Bienvenue en France, la Startup Republique!” For the past 18 months or so, since LaFrenchTech began to make noise abroad, I began hearing talk of the Startup Republique. [...] Most attempts at finding patriotism in France have been dismissed as personal branding; however, when BPIFrance’s Romain Serman published “France, the new Startup Factory” last month, it garnered enough positive momentum that I had to sit down and have a chat with Romain.