Belleville’s Lincoln Theatre rolls out red carpet for international film festival

The historic Lincoln Theatre has reached another milestone in its 104-year history. For the first time, it will serve as a venue for the 34th annual St. Louis International Film Festival, which runs Nov. 6-16.

The 11-day festival will feature 271 films — 142 features and 129 shorts — at venues throughout the St. Louis metropolitan area, now including Belleville. The films represent 39 countries.

Emmett Williams, director of festival curation and education for Cinema St. Louis, said his goal is to create a sense of community.

This year’s theme, “Film Without Borders,” encourages filmgoers to connect through stories and break down geographic, cultural and ideological barriers.

Dave Schoenborn, who owns the Lincoln Theatre with his wife, Sandy, said they are ready to roll out the welcome mat.

“We’ve always thought we are a perfect location to be part of the festival. People love our venue, being downtown. People can get dinner, shop, and walk around. We feel we have a lot to offer. Everybody’s really excited about it,” he said.

The historic theater at 103 E. Main St. has stood on the same corner since 1921.

For its first year as a festival venue, Williams said he selected six films to be shown over two Sundays.

“They are very different types. We want to learn what films people want to see,” he said.

On Sunday, Nov. 9, “25 Cats from Qatar” will screen at 1 p.m., “Remaining Native” at 4 p.m., and “Micro Budget” at 7 p.m. On Sunday, Nov. 16, “Immutable” will screen at 1 p.m., “Mr. Wonderful” at 4 p.m., and “Steal This Story, Please!” at 7 p.m.

“You don’t often have this opportunity to see these types of films. You can see them at this festival, and these are movies that are part of other festivals around the country. Some of them are released in theaters later and go on to big success,” Schoenborn said.

“It’s a huge festival. A festival of this size is very important to St. Louis, and now we can bring it to the Metro East. We’re hoping people come out for it,” he said. “If things go well, I hope we can expand selections next year.”

St. Louis-based screenwriter Daniel Blake Smith, who adapted “Mr. Wonderful” from his 2018 novel, will attend the Nov. 16 screening and participate in a pre-show introduction.

Smith said his drama “has a lot of truth to it.”

“I’m so thrilled it’s going to be playing at the Lincoln. I’m pretty proud of the movie,” he said.

He praised Madsen’s performance for taking a risk, noting it was a departure from his usual roles.

“It’s an unlikely showcase for the legendary tough guy. He was an incredible trouper. He stepped into the role and just killed it. The best stories are character-driven ones. It’s a very personal story to me,” Smith said.

Williams said he appreciated that the Lincoln is independently owned and that the owners have been “so nice and welcoming.”

Schoenborn and his wife took over theater operations in 2007 after her father, Richard Wright, suffered a stroke. Wright and his wife, Betty, bought the theater from California-based Mann Theatres in 1980. Wright was previously general manager of BAC Cinema in Belleville.

Schoenborn is proud that the same family has operated the theater for 40 years.

The Lincoln seats 540 patrons. Its proscenium arch was restored in the 1980s, giving the auditorium a distinct appearance. When planning its 100th anniversary in 2021, the Schoenborns expanded live music concerts, returning to the theater’s roots as a vaudeville house in the 1920s.

“We’re getting better at curating the shows. The classic rock and the country acts fill the place up,” he said. “We’re drawing people from east of here, who don’t mind driving, but they don’t have to add more time going to St. Louis.”

Adding concerts has broadened the Lincoln’s audience, drawing sold-out crowds for national acts and special tributes. Schoenborn recalled a Wisconsin couple who drove five and a half hours to attend Crazy Train, a touring Ozzy Osbourne show, on Oct. 30.

“They fell in love with the venue and with downtown,” he said. “We have great sound — the acoustics are outstanding because we were built as a vaudeville house.”

The concession stand now features beer and wine for purchase, as well as its highly praised popcorn, available in regular and Abe’s Gourmet flavors.

The festival has also added events at the Chase Park Plaza Cinema, MX Movies & Bar, Arkadin Cinema & Bar, Greenfinch Theater and Dive, B&B West Olive 10, Platypus, Webster University, Washington University and Cinema St. Louis’s permanent home, the Hi-Pointe Theatre, all in St. Louis city and county.

For the festival, general admission tickets are $15. Cinema St. Louis members, students, seniors and military members receive a discounted rate of $12 per ticket. For more information, visit https://festivals.cinemastlouis.org/sliff2025/ and www.LincolnTheatre-Belleville.com.

More About the Movies

25 Cats from Qatar — When the owner of Milwaukee’s Sip and Purr Cat Café learns of the feral cat crisis in Qatar, she creates a bold and unsanctioned plan to fly 25 cats from Doha to Wisconsin for adoption. This documentary offers a heartwarming, urgent look at strangers overcoming barriers to save lives, highlighting the global struggle for animal welfare.

Immutable — A documentary that follows a group from the Washington Urban Debate League, beginning at debate camp in the summer of 2022. They navigate adolescence as they dedicate themselves to research, critical thinking, teamwork and performance, striving to improve their prospects.

Mr. Wonderful — Legendary actor Michael Madsen appears in his final performance as a jaded college professor trying to keep his job in this family saga spanning three generations. The family patriarch is fighting senility, the millennial son is on the run from a drug dealer, and all three are searching for meaning in life.

Micro Budget — SNL comic actors Bobby Moynihan and Chris Parnell are in the cast of this comedy-mockumentary about an aspiring director who recklessly moves himself and his nine-months-pregnant actress wife from Iowa to Los Angeles to shoot a low-budget indie film with hopes of selling it to a streamer.

Remaining Native — This documentary profiles Ku Stevens, who aspires to be an elite runner. When the remains of Native children are found, Ku must face his family’s past while pursuing his future. Living on the Yerington Paiute reservation in Northwest Nevada, Ku hopes to be recruited by the University of Oregon.

Steal This Story, Please! — A documentary portrait of journalist Amy Goodman, known for her commitment to truth-telling on her daily news show, “Democracy Now!” From the front lines of global conflicts to the organized chaos of her studio, Goodman broadcasts stories and voices often silenced by commercial media in a landscape transformed by technology, corporate consolidation and political pressures.