Along with baseball, spring brings miniature film festivals to St. Louis. In the next few weeks, the city will host celebrations of African, Italian, gay and even thrift-store films.

AFRICAN FILM FESTIVAL

First up is the annual African Film Festival, today through Sunday at Washington University. The free event includes four features and four shorts in four programs.

At 7 tonight, the feature is "Nothing but the Truth," a South African drama in which the funeral of an anti-apartheid activist opens old wounds.

The youth program at 1 p.m. Saturday includes Zimbabwe's "The Legend of the Sky Kingdom," an animated allegory about three children who escape from an underground city ruled by an evil emperor.

At 7 p.m. Saturday is "Apres l'Ocean" ("After the Ocean"), a kind of companion piece to Javier Bardem's "Biutiful," about the diverging paths of two resourceful immigrants from the Ivory Coast who seek their fortune in Europe.

The program at 7 p.m. Sunday includes "Pumzi," a South African sci-fi film in which water and dreams are tightly controlled by a goon squad; and "One Small Step," a Nigerian docudrama about a hairdresser who fights corrupt officials to clean up the local water supply.

The free screenings are in Room 100 of Brown Hall. For more information, visit wupa.wustl.edu/africanfilm.

ST. LOUIS ITALIAN FILM FESTIVAL

Starting next weekend at Washington University, the seventh St. Louis Italian Film Festival will offer new movies from Italy on weekend evenings throughout April.

This year's films include "L'Uomo Che Verra" ("The Man Who Will Come"), a drama about the Italian partisans who fought on the Allied side in World War II, followed by a Q&A with a surviving partisan. It screens at 8 p.m. April 8. All screenings are free and will be in Room 100 of Brown Hall. The lineup will include the latest Italian comedies and romances, but as of this writing, the particular dates for the particular titles were still being slotted. For more information, visit italianfilmfestivalstlouis.com.

QFEST

April 14-17, the Hi-Pointe Theatre will host the fourth annual QFest, presented by Cinema St. Louis and sponsored by Stella Artois. The lineup includes 11 gay-themed feature films (including two new comedies from Italy) and 10 shorts.

The opening night film is "The Sons of Tennessee Williams," a documentary about a gay Mardi Gras krewe in New Orleans. Also featured are documentaries about the National Equality Day march and gay high-school athletes; a caper about Los Angeles burlesque queens; and the hirsute comedy "Bear City." Admission to individual films is $12. For tickets and more information, visit cinemastlouis.org/qfest.

FOUND FOOTAGE FESTIVAL

And finally, on April 18, the traveling Found Footage Festival returns to the Mad Art Gallery (2727 South 12th Street) for an evening of oddball music videos and instructional tapes scoured from thrift stores across the country.

Also on the bill is a screening of the documentary "Heavy Metal Parking Lot," a time capsule of mulleted fans tailgating before a Judas Priest concert in 1986.

The fest is curated by writers for the Onion, "Late Show with David Letterman," "The Colbert Report" and "Mystery Science Theater 3000," so witty commentary is included with your $10 admission. For tickets and more information, visit foundfootagefest.com.