Chesterfield residents can spend all of Saturday, Nov. 7, watching environmental films, listening to live music and eating a four-course meal without paying admission.
The Mound City Film Festival runs from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. at Atomic by Jamo, 4140 Manchester Avenue, St. Louis. The event is free, though organizers ask guests to reserve spots through Eventbrite.
Last year the festival screened films monthly from April through September at different locations. This year, organizer Charles Whitt consolidated everything into a single day, St. Louis Magazine reported.
A new addition called Mound City Stories spotlights St. Louis-area filmmakers. The lineup includes The Trail State, a documentary about Missouri's push to build a 237-mile rail-trail that debuted at the Missouri History Museum in September. For the Love of the Region — The Life and Art of Bryan Haynes profiles the St. Louis artist's regional work. Intervention, Navigating the Mississippi and Gold Star Peak round out the local program.
Kate Grumke of St. Louis Public Radio will moderate a panel of regional filmmakers.
The day opens with Plastic Earth, a feature-length documentary on the global plastic crisis, followed by a virtual question-and-answer session with filmmaker Janice Overbeck, according to Sauce Magazine. The evening wraps with Beyond the Edge, a two-hour Mountainfilm program starting at 7:30 p.m. The festival's theme is "Stories That Move Us."
Chef Eric Prophete and his team at Atomic Eats are preparing a four-course tasting menu in partnership with 4 Hands Brewing Co. Each course offers a choice of beer, specialty cocktail or hard seltzer pairing. The menu runs from caprese salad to short rib sliders to chocolate mousse.
Between screenings, four DJs and three live musicians will perform, including sets by St. Louis Community Radio DJs. Artists from Third Degree Glass Factory will give live flame-glass demonstrations. An environmental art exhibition featuring five local artists will be on display, and an Artists + Environment panel takes place in the afternoon.
Festival partners include SWADE Cannabis, River City Outdoors, Climb So iLL, St. Louis Public Radio and STL Bucket List.
The full schedule is available at moundcityfilm.com.
