18th Annual Robert French Film Festival
Opening night features the Midwest Premiere of Bienvenue en Islande by André Nerman, launching two dynamic weekends where painting, dance, theater, and music come vividly to life—across strands devoted to artistic performance, contemporary storytelling, visually inventive cinema, and stories shaped by history, biography, and literary worlds.
PROGRAM
Opening Night Reception
Friday April 3, 2026, 6:15 pm, Par lounge
Bienvenue En Islande directed by André Nerman, 2026
Friday, April 3, 2026, 7:30 pm, Hi-Pointe Theatre
Welcome to Iceland is a feature-length film inspired by a true story: a mother’s struggle for her disabled son, set against the backdrop of the ocean and its shifting tides. An unexpected encounter with a surfer and new therapies will transform the child’s destiny. Director André Nerman has performed as an actor, singer, musician, and dancer in St. Louis for over 20 years.
Introduction by Emmett Williams, Director of Festival Curation & Education, Cinema St. Louis
The Triplets of Belleville (Les Triplettes de Belleville) directed by Sylvain Chomet, 2003
Saturday, April 4, 2026, 1:00 pm, Hi-Pointe Theatre
When her grandson is kidnapped during the Tour de France, Madame Souza and her beloved pooch Bruno team up with the Belleville Sisters—an aged song-and-dance team from the days of Fred Astaire—to rescue him. Watch trailer
Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky directed by Jan Kounen, 2009
Saturday, April 4, 2026, 3:30 pm, Hi-Pointe Theatre
Paris 1913. Coco Chanel is infatuated with the rich and handsome Boy Capel, but she is also compelled by her work. Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring is about to be performed. The revolutionary dissonances of Igor’s work parallel Coco’s radical ideas. She wants to democratize women’s fashion; he wants to redefine musical taste. Coco attends the scandalous first performance of The Rite in a chic white dress. The music and ballet are criticized as too modern, too foreign. Coco is moved but Igor is inconsolable. Watch trailer
Introduction by Jean-Louis Pautrot, Vice-President of the Société Française of St. Louis, Professor of French at Saint Louis University.
The Divine Sarah Bernhardt (Sarah Bernhardt, la Divine) directed by Guillaume Nicloux, 2024
Saturday, April 4, 2026, 7:00 pm, Hi-Pointe Theatre
Sarah Bernhardt is at the height of her fame. An icon of her time and the world’s first star, the actress is also a passionate, free-spirited and modern woman who defies conventions. Discover the woman behind the legend. Watch trailer
Introduction by Simon Kelly, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, St. Louis Art Museum
Persepolis directed by Marjane Satrapi et Vincent Paronnaud, 2007
Friday, April 10, 2026, 7:00 pm, Hi-Pointe Theatre
In 1970s Iran, Marjane ‘Marji’ Satrapi watches events through her young eyes and her idealistic family of a long dream being fulfilled of the hated Shah’s defeat in the Iranian Revolution of 1979. However as Marji grows up, she witnesses first hand how the new Iran, now ruled by Islamic fundamentalists, has become a repressive tyranny on its own. Watch trailer
Introduction by Kaveh Razani
Museum directed by Hervé & Olivier Bienaimé, 2026
Saturday, April 11, 2026, 12:30 pm, Hi-Pointe Theatre
A French school class from the provinces sets out on an excursion to the Centre Pompidou in Paris in a thought-provoking film that, with simple means and a twinkle of humor, explores what art and culture mean, and for whom.
Moliere directed by Laurent Tirard, 2007
Saturday, April 11, 2026, 4:00 pm, Hi-Pointe Theatre
Molière, a down-and-out actor-cum-playwright up to his ears in debt. When the wealthy Jourdain offers to cover that debt so that Molière’s theatrical talents might help Jourdain win the heart of a certain widowed marquise, hilarity ensues. Watch trailer
Introduction by Isabelle Heidbreder, Honorary Consul of France in St. Louis, and Professor at the Alliance Française de St. Louis
The Artist directed by Michel Hazanavicius, 2011
Saturday, April 11, 2026, 7:30 pm, Hi-Pointe Theatre
Hollywood, 1927: As silent movie star George Valentin wonders if the arrival of talking pictures will cause him to fade into oblivion, he sparks with Peppy Miller, a young dancer set for a big break. Watch trailer
Colours of Time (La venue de l’avenir) directed by Cédric Klapisch, 2025
Sunday, April 12, 2026, 1:00 pm, Hi-Pointe Theatre
United by the unexpected inheritance of a house in Normandy, four estranged cousins discover their family history by retracing their ancestor’s steps. Watch trailer
La Danse: The Paris Opera Ballet (La Danse, le ballet de l’Opéra de Paris) directed by Frederick Wiseman, 2009 – Sunday, April 12, 2026, 4:00 pm, Hi-Pointe Theatre
The Paris Opera Ballet is one of the world’s great ballet companies. The film follows the rehearsals and performances of seven ballets: Genus by Wayne McGregor, Le Songe de Medée by Angelin Preljocaj, La Maison de Bernarda by Mats Ek, Paquita by Pierre Lacotte, Casse Noisette by Rudolph Nureyev, Orphée and Eurydice by Pina Bausch, and Romeo and Juliette by Sasha Waltz. The film shows the work involved in administering the company and the coordinated and collaborative work of choreographers, ballet masters, dancers, musicians, and costume, set, and lighting designers. Watch trailer
Introduction by Alex McPherson, Pop Life St. Louis Film Critic.
Sponsored by Jane M. & Bruce P. Robert Charitable Foundation.