St. Louis has a rich and growing filmmaking community, and the St. Louis Film Project Showcase at the Alamo Drafthouse St. Louis is set to highlight some of the most exciting up-and-coming voices on May 6, 13, and 20.
The St. Louis Film Project is a grant program led by the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis in partnership with Continuity and funded through the ARPA for the Arts initiative to support the region’s growing film industry. Five filmmakers were awarded $100,000 grants to finish their films, under the stipulation that 75 percent of the grant funds be spent in St. Louis City and that the films be completed by January 2026 to screen as part of the St. Louis Film Project Showcase.
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Tracey Morgan-Harris, ARPA for the Arts Lead at RAC, notes that this project fits nicely into the organization’s broader goals of making sure artists and arts groups not only have funding, but also have meaningful opportunities for visibility, connection, and career growth.
“The St. Louis Film Project is a natural extension of the Regional Arts Commission’s commitment to supporting working artists and strengthening the cultural infrastructure of our region,” Morgan-Harris says. “This project in particular reflects the approach by centering filmmakers as part of St. Louis’ broader creative economy.”
Applications for the St. Louis Film Project opened in October 2024, and more than 100 applicants went through a fairly extensive screening process. Morgan-Harris notes that the selection committee included folks from RAC, Continuity, and industry professionals reviewing pitch decks and other submission materials to whittle the applicant pool down to the top 20 and then the final five recipients.
“Through the St. Louis Film Project, we wanted to make sure we could help them bring their vision to life, put more money in St. Louis’ ecosystem, and have a showcase screening, not a premiere, that would show the endgame of their work,” Morgan-Harris says.
READ MORE: 10 film screenings to catch this month
With production completed, now comes the fun part. Over the first three Wednesdays in May, the St. Louis Film Project Showcase will host screenings at the Alamo Drafthouse St. Louis for each of the films created with the grants. Morgan-Harris notes that each screening will feature an introduction from an emcee, an interview with each filmmaker filmed by RAC, a work-in-progress screening of the film, and a 30-minute audience Q&A following each screening.
“People who attend will get a chance to talk to the filmmakers and see what it is that inspired them, their process—this is a good chance for them to give some good feedback on what it’s like to produce a film in St. Louis,” Morgan-Harris says.
Kicking things off on May 6 is director Bobby Herrera’s documentary feature The Seven Ages of Olajuwon, which uses both onstage performance and more than 16 years of intimate footage to chronicle the life of a gifted Black performer from St. Louis City as he navigates defining moments and struggles. This film also notably features St. Louis artist and filmmaker Damon Davis as a producer and nonfiction filmmaker Kirsten Johnson as an executive producer.
On May 13, the showcase will screen a documentary short and feature. First is director Luke Terrell’s short Unlocked, which focuses on a group in Missouri’s death row prison who teach themselves to code without access to the internet and use those skills to fight against the exploitative prison education space. Second is director Ron Watermon’s feature Steak Guerrillas: The Dr. Arturo M. Taca Story, which details the story of Filipino surgeon-turned-revolutionary Dr. Arturo M. Taca and his covert war against Ferdinand Marcos’ dictatorship.
Closing things out on May 20 are a narrative short and feature. First is director Dustie Carter’s short Octarine, a haunting psychological thriller about the intoxicating allure of fandom in the digital age, as a lonely fan takes their obsession with a pop star too far. Second is director J Lee’s feature film Jacob Beats Up Nate, which follows a successful sci-fi author being inducted into his high school’s hall of fame, only to find out his bully is being inducted as well.
With this first class of St. Louis Film Project grant recipients ready to screen their work, Morgan-Harris sees this showcase as a great way to show off the vibrant St. Louis filmmaking community that many folks may not realize is right in their backyard.
“I’m so glad that we had the chance to bring these creatives out and show St. Louis that we do have the resources, creatives, filmmakers, producers, studios, and actors,” Morgan-Harris says. “People are going to see these films and say, ‘Dang, this wasn’t done in New York or California. This was done right here in the Midwest in St. Louis.’”
For tickets and more information about the St. Louis Film Project Showcase, visit racstl.org/stlfp.
