Cinema St. Louis (CSL) — the presenter of the Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival (SLIFF) and other annual film fests and events — has announced the receipt of a $100,000 gift from the Jane M. & Bruce P. Robert Charitable Foundation.
Half of the gift will support the annual Robert Classic French Film Festival and SLIFF’s Robert French and French-Language Focus. The other $50,000 will support SLIFF’s overall programming.
Cliff Froehlich, CSL’s executive director, said: “Jane and Bruce Robert have been generous supporters of Cinema St. Louis for a decade. This new gift is among the largest the organization has ever received, and it will help ensure our continued success and viability in the future.”
A $50,000 gift from the Robert Foundation in 2014 supported Cinema St. Louis’ French programming through 2024, and this new gift extends that support through 2034 and expands its scope to include SLIFF’s other programming through 2031.
Jane Robert, a former French teacher, is a longtime board member of Cinema St. Louis. She has served as president or board member for many Francophile organizations, including the Federation of Alliances Françaises – USA. She was a founding board member for the American Friends of the Musée d’Orsay and for St. Louis Language Immersion Schools. The French government has honored her as an Officer of the Order of Academic Palms and a Knight in the French Legion of Honor.
Bruce Robert, an attorney, has been both a strong supporter of the Saint Louis University School of Law and active in Francophile projects, including the Alliance Française, Sister Cities, American Friends of the Musée d’Orsay, Opera Lafayette, French Heritage Society, and American Friends of Blérancourt.
