Cinema St. Louis now accepting entries for 11th Annual St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase

The 11th Annual St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase (SLFS), an annual presentation of the nonprofit Cinema St. Louis, is accepting entries now through May 31.

SLFS serves as the area’s primary venue for films made by local artists. SLFS screens works that were written, directed, edited or produced by St. Louis natives or those with strong local ties. With advances in affordable digital filmmaking, more and more movies are being made in St. Louis and environs, but opportunities for moviegoers to see that work are scarce, because few of the films ever screen commercially. SLFS frequently provides the only chance area filmmakers have to display their talents on the big screen.

The film programs that will screen at the Hi-Pointe Theatre in late July will serve as SLFS’s centerpiece. SLFS annually features 15-20 programs over four days, ranging from full-length fiction features and documentaries to multi-film compilations of fiction and documentary shorts. Most programs include post-screening Q&As with filmmakers. SLFS also hosts a series of free seminars on the filmmaking process and a lively awards party on closing night that features announcements of SLFS films chosen for inclusion in the St. Louis International Film Festival and awards given by the St. Louis Film Critics.

Cinema St. Louis has presented the St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase since 2002, taking over from the St. Louis Film Office, which inaugurated the event in 2001. During its 11-year existence, SLFS has shown more than 550 films with St. Louis ties. SLFS is held at the Tivoli Theatre in the vibrant Delmar Loop entertainment district.