The 24th Annual St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase runs from July 19-21 and 26-28 at the Hi-Pointe Theatre, featuring some of the most exciting work from St. Louis filmmakers. This year’s showcase features 64 films across 11 programs that include genre-spanning features and shorts.
Emmett Williams, director of programming and education at Cinema St. Louis, sees this yearly showcase as a great way to explore and engage with the local filmmaking community. “I want to do what’s best for the St. Louis film community,” Williams says. “This includes not only filmmakers, but also the audience, exposing them to new and different kinds of work while also giving the St. Louis film community a platform to be the best that they can be.” Williams notes that this year’s slate features 12 first-time filmmakers and 22 filmmakers under 30.
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This year’s showcase features a collaboration with the International Institute of St. Louis, as well as an entry in Cinema St. Louis’ ongoing Race in America series. New this year is the Mayor’s Award for the Best Student Film, which will be given out in addition to the other 11 festival awards. As in years past, a selection of films from the showcase will also move on to be included as part of the St. Louis International Film Festival’s 2024 programming later this year.
“Everyone is so eager to see their work onscreen and level up their skills,” Williams says. “It’s been exciting to just become part of that community. The showcase will be great this year, but I am so excited for years to come, too.”
In addition to the film programming, the showcase also includes a series of masterclasses that cover a range of topics, such as exploring the debate around whether to go to film school, the world of St. Louis commercial work, a live script reading event hosted by the Missouri Stories Scriptwriting Fellowship, a look at working in animation for Apple, and a live recording of The Screen Lawyer Podcast hosted by Pete Salsich.
For those looking to get the most out of their experience at the St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase, here are four programs we recommend adding to your schedule:
The opening night film of this year’s showcase, playing on Friday, July 19 at 7 p.m., is a documentary that focuses on the Iraqi national soccer team’s journey to winning the 2007 Asian Cup championship, uniting their country amid a bloody civil war. Post-production on the film was handled by the St. Louis–based Bruton Stroube Studios, who will be present for a post-screening Q&A. Williams also notes that this screening is sponsored by the International Institute of St. Louis, and free tickets will be offered to the local Iraqi refugee community.
St. Louis: An Alternative View:
This shorts program, playing on Friday, July 26 at 7:30 p.m., features three short films that, according to Williams, offer a new perspective on St. Louis. Architecture and Acrobats focuses on the history of the Fairground and O’Fallon parks in North St. Louis; Flotsam River Circus profiles the Flotsam! River Circus’ 2023 journey traveling 650 miles down the Mississippi River giving performances along the way; and Paint It Black features narration from John Goodman and digs into the world of rugby union football in St. Louis, specifically the Bombers Rugby Football Club, who are the current USA Rugby National Champions.
Playing on Saturday, July 27 at 7:30 p.m., this documentary turns its camera to the people behind the Afghan Support Program and the Afghan refugees who are building new lives in St. Louis. Williams notes that this screening, also sponsored by the International Institute of St. Louis, will feature a post-screening Q&A about the state of the refugee community in St. Louis.
Closing out the showcase on Sunday, July 28 at 3 p.m., Catching Bullets is a documentary that focuses on one man’s attempt to break the cycles of gun violence in his St. Louis neighborhood by purchasing a condemned church with the dream of turning it into a youth mentoring center. Playing as part of Cinema St. Louis’ ongoing Race in America series, this screening will be followed by a Q&A about the state of gun violence in St. Louis.
For tickets and passes, visit cinemastlouis.org.
