French Institute of Fez

A new cultural and educational site in Fez

The French Institute of Fez is part of the French Institute of Morocco network. It operates simultaneously as a cultural venue, language centre, media library, platform for educational and academic cooperation, and information point for students considering higher education in France.

Since February 2025, the Institute has welcomed the public at a new site on Avenue Abou Obeida Ibn Al Jarrah, in the historic former French Consulate General building. The move brought together services that had previously operated from different locations and created a more coherent setting for learning, artistic practice and public exchange.

The site is shared with consular services, but the two institutions have separate missions and access procedures. The French Institute is the relevant point of contact for language courses, the media library, exhibitions, workshops, cultural events and Campus France information.

A renovated building organised around a courtyard and garden

The redevelopment retained an emblematic site of the French presence in Fez while adapting it to contemporary cultural uses. The project announced by the Institute included a renewed media library, open areas around a courtyard and garden, a play library for younger visitors, a café, exhibition and meeting spaces, and an outdoor forecourt suitable for concerts and screenings.

A public open day in September 2025 introduced the new facilities through guided media-library visits, creative workshops, children’s theatre, exhibitions, language placement tests and an outdoor concert.

The new configuration makes the Institute more than an administrative cultural office or teaching centre. Visitors may come to read, study, attend a conversation, see an exhibition, join a workshop or encounter a live artistic project.

A multidisciplinary cultural programme

The Fez programme covers music, performance, cinema, animation, visual arts, literature, comics, public debate, digital culture and activities for children, teenagers and families.

Not every event takes place inside the Institute. Depending on scale and artistic format, programmes may use the media library, courtyard or forecourt, or be presented with partner venues, schools, universities, festivals and cultural organisations elsewhere in Fez. This distributed model allows the Institute to work across both the modern city and the medina.

The 2026 season illustrated this range through literary encounters, exhibitions, concerts, youth programmes, FICAM animation screenings, participation in the Fez Festival of World Sacred Music, an emerging-artists stage for the Fête de la Musique and open-air film nights on the Institute forecourt.

Cinema, animation and screen education

Cinema remains a regular part of the programme, including French, Moroccan, African and international films, documentaries, animation, family screenings and meetings with film professionals.

In Fez, the Institute contributes to the circulation of FICAM, the Meknes International Animation Film Festival. It also develops accessible outdoor formats such as Cinema under the Stars.

These events complement the media library’s film and screen-education resources. The Institute is not a commercial cinema with daily screenings, so visitors should consult the programme for dates, venues, language versions and admission conditions.

A fully renewed media library

The media library moved into its renovated premises in February 2025. It holds more than 32,000 items across print, audiovisual and digital formats, organised into adult, teenage and children’s sections.

Collections include fiction, essays, poetry, theatre, social sciences, history, philosophy, comics, children’s books, newspapers and magazines, films, French-learning materials and specialist holdings related to Morocco, Fez, art and teaching.

Members also have access to the network catalogue and Culturethèque, the French cultural network’s digital library of books, press, music, video and self-learning resources.

The media library is itself a cultural venue. Storytelling, creative workshops, youth cinema, philosophy discussions, literary meetings and other activities invite younger visitors to use the library as a space for expression and conversation rather than only a lending service.

French courses and official certification

The language centre offers programmes for children, teenagers, students and adults, from beginner to advanced levels. Formats may include group and individual courses, conversation and language-focus workshops, academic and professional French, corporate training, teacher development and online learning.

The Institute also administers recognised French-language tests and certifications. Dates, levels, fees and registration documents vary by session and should be confirmed directly with the courses and certification service.

Teaching also extends beyond the main building through partnerships with several schools in Fez.

Campus France and student mobility

The Campus France office in Fez supports students preparing a study project in France. It provides information on the French higher-education system, programmes and procedures; helps candidates structure their academic plans; facilitates applications to connected institutions; organises information sessions and interviews; and contributes to alumni networking.

Campus France is not a visa-issuing or consular service. University admission, Campus France procedures and visa applications are separate stages.

Artist residencies and support for creation

Fez is one of the host sites for the French Institute of Morocco’s artistic and cultural residency programme. Launched in 2012, the programme enables French-speaking artists from different disciplines to develop projects connected to Morocco and to local artistic, cultural or social questions.

Residencies may combine research, production, workshops, professional meetings and public presentations. The Institute also works with local organisations, including Les Étoiles de la Médina, to place artistic projects in direct conversation with the medina and its communities.

This means the Institute does not only present finished touring work. It can also support how projects are researched, produced and shared, while strengthening French-Moroccan and Mediterranean artistic cooperation.

Part of Fez’s wider cultural landscape

Fez combines exceptional historical heritage, scholarly and musical traditions, a large student population and emerging contemporary scenes. The Institute’s role is to create connections between these worlds.

It may host a Moroccan writer in the media library, support a residency with a medina-based cultural centre, present a contemporary installation, partner with an international festival or offer an early public stage to local artists.

Continue with Les Étoiles de la Médina, the Al Houria Cultural Complex, other cultural institutions in Fez and current events in the city.

Planning a visit

Access conditions depend on the service. Exhibitions and public events may be free, ticketed or invitation-only. Courses, examinations, group visits, Campus France services and document lending require their own registration or appointment procedures.

The official website currently lists general public reception hours of 8:30 am–12:15 pm and 2:30–6:30 pm. The media library has a separate timetable and is normally closed on Sundays and Mondays, with adjusted hours during Ramadan.

Practical information

Address: Avenue Abou Obeida Ibn Al Jarrah, BP 2227, Fez 30000, Morocco
Telephone: +212 5 35 62 39 21
General email: contact.fes@ifmaroc.org
French courses: cours.fes@ifmaroc.org
Official website: if-maroc.org/fes
Main services: cultural programming, media library, French courses and certifications, artist residencies and Campus France