About Us
The French World Festival was founded on a simple but powerful belief: that the French language and Francophone culture deserve to be celebrated, shared, and passed on to the next generation. From the streets of Paris to the music of West Africa, from Quebec's literary tradition to the poetry of the Caribbean, French is a living, breathing world.
We bring that world to Southern California — to its schools, its universities, its cultural venues — so that young readers, students, and families can experience firsthand the transformative power of language and the arts.
Our festival spans San Diego (March 4–6) and Los Angeles (March 7–9, 2027), bringing together some of the most iconic institutions in the region as partners in this cultural celebration.
Vanina Joulin Batejat
DIRECTOR/ President
Vanina Joulin-Batejat is an international jurist with two master’s degrees in intellectual property law and Contract law and ABD doctoral studies in consumer law, author, and literary activist driven by one enduring question: how do we find, and create meaning? She relocated to the United States in 2007, founding a business to support the French-speaking community through immigration, entrepreneurship, and career reinvention. Since 2023, she has channeled that same passion into writing that gives voice to those who live between worlds, cultures, and versions of themselves: her works include À la recherche du sens perdu and Réussir aux USA (Éditions Gereso), plus contributions to fiction and poetry collections. She is also a proud and devoted mother of two teenagers, her greatest adventure of all. Her motto: He who does not doubt acquires little (Leonardo Da Vinci)
Our board brings together leaders dedicated to promoting Francophone culture in Southern California.
Board of Directors
Alain Rolland
Director / vice president
Alain Rolland is originally from Brittany, lives in San Diego, California, with his wife, their three sons, and four grandchildren. He holds a Doctor of Pharmacy degree as well as a PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences. He has worked for three decades in the United States in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. He enjoys music and painting, which he practices as an amateur, as well as reading and writing historical and adventure novels. Scuba diving, hiking, and traveling are also among his interests. His first historical novel, Six Ans d’Absence, traces the journey of a Breton soldier during World War II. Inspired by real events and the odyssey of the author’s father, it was published by Éditions Spinelle (Paris). Its English version, Six Years of Absence, is available on several platforms, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Google. He is currently seeking a literary agent for his contemporary English-language thriller, The Sphinx Cipher, grounded in historical mysteries and modern science.
Vinciane Van Moer
Director / Secretary
& Advisor at Large
Vinciane Van Moer holds a PhD in French literature. Originally from Belgium and with Congolese roots, her personal and professional journey has been deeply shaped by the intersection of languages and cultures. After spending several years in Spain, she now lives in San Diego, where she is a lecturer and the academic coordinator of the French program at UC San Diego. Through her teaching, she seeks to convey not only the French language but also the richness and diversity of Francophone cultures. Convinced that learning a language fosters greater understanding and acceptance of others and promotes dialogue between cultures, she places cultural openness, curiosity, and mutual understanding at the heart of her teaching approach.
Corinne Cottereau
DIRECTOR/ MEMBER AT LARGE
A novelist and painter whose work explores the connections between memory and inner journeys. Her award-winning writing, including the novel Providence Canyon, bridges the cultural landscapes of France and California.
Vanina Joulin Batejat
Vanina Joulin-Batejat is an international jurist, author, and literary activist driven by one enduring question: how do we find — and create — meaning? She relocated to the United States in 2007, founding a business to support the French-speaking community through immigration, entrepreneurship, and career reinvention. Since 2023, she has channeled that same passion into writing that gives voice to those who live between worlds, cultures, and versions of themselves: her works include À la recherche du sens perdu and Réussir aux USA (Éditions Gereso), plus contributions to fiction and poetry collections. She is also a proud and devoted mother of two teenagers, her greatest adventure of all. [Full biography story placeholder... Discover more about Vanina's impact on literary activism and her journey in the cultural landscape of Southern California.]
Alain Rolland
Alain Rolland, originally from Brittany, lives in San Diego, California, with his wife, their three sons, and four grandchildren. He holds a Doctor of Pharmacy degree as well as a PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences. He has worked for three decades in the United States in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. He enjoys music and painting, which he practices as an amateur, as well as reading and writing historical and adventure novels. Scuba diving, hiking, and traveling are also among his interests. His first historical novel, Six Ans d’Absence, traces the journey of a Breton soldier during World War II. [Full biography story placeholder... Explore Alain's extensive research into historical narratives and his professional transition from pharmaceutical sciences to literary thriller writing.]
Vinciane Van Moer
Vinciane Van Moer holds a PhD in French literature. Originally from Belgium and with Congolese roots, her personal and professional journey has been deeply shaped by the intersection of languages and cultures. After spending several years in Spain, she now lives in San Diego, where she is a lecturer and the academic coordinator of the French program at UC San Diego.
Through her teaching, she seeks to convey not only the French language but also the richness and diversity of Francophone cultures. Convinced that learning a language fosters greater understanding and acceptance of others and promotes dialogue between cultures, she places cultural openness, curiosity, and mutual understanding at the heart of her teaching approach.
Catherine Goldschmidt
A passionate traveler and devoted mother, Catherine has called California home since 2013, though she divides her time between France and Quebec. With two decades of experience as a writer, journalist, and consultant specializing in gaming and family life, she has contributed extensively to Quebec’s leading media outlets. While she is the author of numerous columns and the charming picture book Le bisou (Dominique et compagnie), Catherine now devotes herself exclusively to crafting children’s literature and novels.
Laurence Denie-Higney
Originally from the small town of Guérande in Loire-Atlantique, Laurence Denié-Higney has been a Senior Continuing Lecturer in French and Francophone Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles since 2020. She holds a doctorate in International Relations from the University of Nantes (France) as well as a PhD in Francophone Literature from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Her research and teaching focus on a range of topics related to pedagogy and second-language acquisition—particularly French as a foreign language and hybrid instruction—as well as the work of Algerian writer Mohammed Dib. She teaches courses in professional French, integrating intercultural competence into her instruction, and enjoys encouraging her students to put their newly acquired skills into practice. She has also published several articles on the work of Mohammed Dib and on pedagogy. Since 2022, Laurence Denié-Higney has served as Director of the UCLA Center for the Study of Global France. The Center is part of a national network of centers of excellence supported by the French Embassy. Its mission is to support the teaching of the French language and to promote French and Francophone cultures. She organizes conferences and other events for UCLA students as well as for the wider Francophile community in Los Angeles. In 2025, she joined the Board of Directors of the Alliance Française of Los Angeles, where she continues to share her passion for the teaching of French and of French and Francophone cultures.
Corinne Cottereau
Corinne Cotereau writes novels and paints. After studying law, she shifted her career toward the creative arts.
Dividing her time between France and California, her work explores the connections between place, memory, and inner journeys.
Her first novel, Providence Canyon (Albin Michel, 2024), won the Notre Temps Readers’ Choice Award in 2025.
Her new manuscript, Faire avec, set in France, explores more personal themes inspired by her childhood in a working-class neighborhood.
She is represented by the Le Monte-Charge culturel agency.
Sylvie Almeri
Sylvie Almeri...
Locations
LA & San Diego
Reach Out To Us
contact@frenchworldfestival.com
Phone
+1 8283107505
Send us a message
FRENCH WORLD FESTIVAL
Literature and Arts
Celebrating the French language and Francophone culture across Southern California — inspiring young readers and communities to discover the world through words.
PROGRAMS
PARTICIPATE
SPONSORSHIP
VOLUNTEER
ORGANIZATION
PRESS AND MEDIA