By now it is abundantly clear that New Yorkers are more than a little in love with the French and French culture. And with Bastille Day coming on Wednesday, July 14, the amour fou is just getting "fouer". Those ready for a New York dose of haute cuisine and cinema francais can get their fill at this week's Cinemonde program.

Cinemonde is an initiative by Jerome Rudes of Mistral Artist Management to bring quality cinema to New Yorkers, who can feast on delicacies and drink native wines along with their cinema experience. Rudes is the former honcho of the respected (and much missed) Avignon Film Festival and Avignon/New York Film Festival.

For this year's event, Rudes has assembled some award winning French short films in a program called Cinema Independence. The screenings will be followed by a Provencal barbeque prepared by master chef Pierre Paumel. The event takes place on the rooftop terrace of the Roger Smith Hotel in midtown Manhattan, affording dramatic views of New York City.

For more information on this week's event, visit: http://www.mistralartistmanagement.com/

Sandy Mandelberger, Film New York Editor