Daniel Neman For the first time in its 17 years of existence, the Robert French Film Festival will have a theme. And it's delicious. This year's theme is Cuisine Française -- French cuisine. "It's about the role that French food has played throughout French cinema," says Emmett Wilson, director of festival curation and education at Cinema St. Louis, which produces the event. "It's not just food, it reflects the culture and traditions. Food is almost a character in French films." Nine films will be shown at the Hi-Pointe Theatre over the next two weekends. In an unusual twist, not all of them are in French or even were made in France, but each highlights the importance French food has in French culture and other cultures. Two of the movies have never been shown before in St. Louis. St. Louis sports radio show accused of spreading false rumor about Ole Miss student Procter & Gamble ends sponsorship for St. Charles County Pride festival Anti-Musk protests gather across St. Louis region. 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As Trump supporters claim election fraud, St. Charles County moves to keep 2020 ballots Sparse crowd sees Cardinals misplace lead in 7th, tumble in 10th for first loss, to Angels Busch Stadium food: Our critic takes you on a tour of what's new (and what's good) Missouri 'Chimp Crazy' woman admits she lied to feds, claiming her ape was dead "Holy Cow," a multi-award-winning 2024 comic drama by Louise Courvoisier, takes place during one summer in a teenage boy's life. After his cheesemaking father dies, he goes into cheesemaking himself in the hopes of winning a gold medal and enough money to provide for his young sister. At the same time, he experiences the raptures of first love. (7:30 p.m. April 4) The other new-to-St. Louis film, "Sugar and Stars," is also about a young man trying to change his life by winning a prestigious contest. Riadh Belaïche stars as a foster-home-raised Arab in Paris whose pastry-making talent finds him a job in a top restaurant. From there, he tries to win the Meilleur Ouvrier de France (Best Craftsman in France) competition. (7 p.m. April 11) "Kings of Pastry" is a 2009 documentary about that same ultra-high stakes competition, Meilleur Ouvrier de France. Directors Chris Hegedus and the late D.A. Pennebaker (in his last film) follow one competitor, Jacquy Pfeiffer, as he goes against 15 of the other top pastry chefs in France in an intense, three-day contest. (4 p.m. April 5) Although the festival's other documentary, "Menus-Plaisirs -- Les Troisgros," is four hours long, Williams says, "when I saw it I immediately wanted to see it again." "It's about the inner workings of a French restaurant that has had three Michelin stars for over 50 years. Even though it's about the restaurant and the details of this restaurant, it's really about family. One family has been running this restaurant," he says. It's directed by Frederick Wiseman, who was 93 when he made it. (1 p.m. April 6) "Delicious" is also about a restaurant; it is a fictionalized story about the first restaurant in France. Set on the eve of the French Revolution, it tells of a chef who tires of cooking for the aristocracy. When a woman asks to be his apprentice, he rediscovers the joy of cooking -- this time for commoners as well as aristocrats. (1 p.m. April 5) A very different kind of restaurant, set in a very different time, is at the heart of the 1991 cult favorite "Delicatessen." This one takes place at a butcher shop in a post-apocalyptic world. Although the stories are very different, the styles are similar: Co-director Jean-Pierre Jeunet also made "Amelie." (7 p.m. April 5) The Disney/Pixar animated classic "Ratatouille" is not, of course, in French. But it is set in a Paris restaurant, so that qualifies for this festival. Also, it was made in 2007, which means an entire generation or two has grown up without ever seeing it on a big screen. Williams says he hopes the story of a food-loving rat who gets to cook in a restaurant will get parents to bring their children to the theater. (1 p.m. April 12) There is something in the chocolate that Isabelle Huppert serves in "Merci Pour le Chocolat," Claude Chabrol's 2000 mystery thriller. That's not a spoiler -- you know it almost from the start. The film is more about the machinations and family secrets that inspire the nightly nightcap of hot chocolate. (4 p.m. April 12) The 1987 Danish film "Babette's Feast," which closes the festival, is considered by many to be the best food-related movie in the history of the cinema. Based on a story by Isak Dinesen, it tells of two religiously strict women who take in a French housekeeper fleeing the deadly violence of the Paris Commune, and of that woman's astonishing way of repaying their kindness. (7 p.m. April 12) If you go What: 17th Annual Robert French Film Festival When: April 4-13 Where: Hi-Pointe Theatre, 1005 McCausland Avenue How much: $15, $12 students More info: festivals.cinemastlouis.org/frenchfilm2025 0 Comments