STL Filmmaker's Showcase
Check Out The Program For The 15th Annual Whitaker St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase
The 15th Annual Whitaker St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase, an annual presentation of the nonprofit Cinema St. Louis, serves as the area’s primary venue for films made by local artists.
The Showcase screens works that were written, directed, edited, or produced by St. Louis natives or films with strong local ties.
The 15 film programs that screen at the Tivoli from July 19-23 serve as the Showcase’s centerpiece. The programs range from full-length fiction features and documentaries to multi-film compilations of fiction and documentary shorts. Many programs include post-screening Q&As with filmmakers. There are 94 films in this year’s event.
The Showcase also hosts a free closing-night awards party on Thursday, July 23, at Blueberry Hill’s Duck Room. KDHX-FM DJ Rob Levy will spin music, and Cinema St. Louis will announce the Showcase films chosen for inclusion in the St. Louis International Film Festival. Juried awards for the best Showcase films will also be given. Complimentary beer is supplied by Kräftig; cash bar for all other drinks. Attendees must be 21 or older.
Tickets for film programs from July 19-23 at the Tivoli are $12 each; $10 for students with valid and current photo ID and for Cinema St. Louis members with valid membership cards. Advance tickets are on sale at the Tivoli Theatre box office (4-10 p.m. Monday-Friday and noon-10 p.m. Saturday-Sunday). No phone sales, but tickets can be purchased online at http://www.landmarktheatres.com/st-louis/tivoli-theatre/film-festivals. There is a $1 per-ticket service charge; online sales are limited to full-price tickets only. The closing-night awards party is free and does not require tickets.
Highlights of this year’s Showcase include the following:
● Four Way Stop. A 17-year-old inner-city African-American, Allen (Paul Craig) is desperately trying to improve his life but lacks essential support from family: His absent father is a needy drug addict, and his seriously ill mother offers only relentless criticism. Although offered illegal work by childhood friend Tay, Allen resists the lure of the street and instead seeks legitimate employment. But in his hunt for a better job, Allen ends up jeopardizing his current fast-food position by chronically arriving late or simply failing to show. Angry at the racism he confronts and the limited options he’s given, Allen all too often engages in self-sabotage, thwarting his attempts to do the right thing.
● The Safe Side of the Fence. World War II’s Manhattan Project required the refinement of massive amounts of uranium, and St. Louis-based Mallinckrodt took on the job. As a result, the chemical company’s employees would become some of the most contaminated nuclear workers in history. This documentary both explores that legacy — St. Louis is still coping with the fallout of creating some of the world’s first nuclear waste — and tells the story of nuclear workers both past and present.
● Sleep With Me. “Sleep With Me” is a dark suburban drama focusing on Paul (Cliff Chamberlain) and Gabi (Danielle Camastra), a young couple unsuccessfully striving to start a family. Paul lives in the shadow of his overbearing father (played by veteran character actor Raymond J. Barry), and Gabi copes by engaging in risky activities that threaten to break up their marriage. Helmed by acclaimed regional filmmaker Brian Jun — whose previous features include “Joint Body” and Sundance competition film “Steel City” — this ensemble drama explores themes of sex, infidelity, and black-market drug use.
● Ferguson Matters. This provocative and compelling shorts program explores the effects of the Michael Brown shooting on Ferguson and the region, while also offering glimpses of hope and progress in the area.
● America’s Blues. Transcending generations and racial barriers, the blues laid the foundation for pop culture and virtually all American music. Through interviews with musicians, historians, professionals, and activists, “America’s Blues” offers a new angle on an established narrative, focusing on the evolution of the blues and the music’s impact on American society and culture.
● Weldonkrieg. The hobby of World War II re-enacting started in Weldon Spring, Mo., in the mid-1970s, and this documentary by “Rhineland” director Chris Grega takes a look at the origins of the event — called Weldonkreig — and chronicles its triumphant return in 2014.
● The Heroin Project. “The Heroin Project” raises awareness about the devastating impact of heroin. Although focused on events in Madison County, Ill., the film documents a widespread but underdiscussed problem that affects not just the St. Louis metro area but the entire country. Beyond the monetary cost of increased law-enforcement efforts and goods stolen from businesses, the negative effects of heroin are more accurately measured in the ever-growing number of young lives lost.
The Whitaker Foundation serves as title sponsor for the 2015 Showcase. The foundation’s twofold mission is to encourage the preservation and use of parks and to enrich lives through the arts. By supporting excellence in the arts, the Whitaker Foundation promotes art forms and institutions that challenge, entertain, and contribute to our overall quality of life.
The event’s other sponsors include Arcade Apartments, Arts & Education Council, First Rule, Kräftig, Missouri Arts Council, Missouri Film Office, Regional Arts Commission, and St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission.
For more information, visit www.cinemastlouis.org.
https://www.facebook.com/STLFilmmakersShowcase
Sunday-Thursday, July 19-23: Film Programs
Tivoli Theatre, 6350 Delmar Blvd.
$12 each; $10 for students and Cinema St. Louis members
See full schedule at www.cinemastlouis.org for times and film descriptions.
Thursday, July 23: Closing-Night Awards Party
8 p.m.-midnight at Blueberry Hill’s Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd.
Free (donations accepted); attendees must be 21 or older; sponsored by Kräftig
LINK TO FULL PROGRAM PDF: http://cinemastlouis.org/
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