St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase Begins July 16th at The Tivoli

By Tom Stockman | July 11, 2017

Shorts programs, narrative features, documentaries, and free beer – St. Louis style!

The 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 16-20 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 of the programs with feature-length films include post-screening Q&As with filmmakers.

All films will be screened at The Tivoli Theater (6350 Delmar)

Look for more coverage of The St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase here at We Are Movie Geeks in the coming days including interviews with the filmmakers and reviews of the film. 

Tickets: $13
Cinema St. Louis Members: $10
Students: $10 (with valid photo ID)
A&E Arts Card Holders: $10

Buy advance tickets at the Tivoli Theatre box office (4-10 p.m. Monday-Friday and noon-10 .p.m. Saturday-Sunday) or online.
Online sales are limited to full-price tickets only with an additional $1 per-ticket service charge. Bring the credit card used for purchase and confirmation number to the box office to receive tickets.

Here’s this year’s line-up:

Doc Shorts 1  – Sunday, Jul. 16 at 12:30pm

Family Rewritten Yasmin Mistry – 13 min. – A typical middle-class American teenager, Camilla finds herself in foster care just months before her 18th birthday.

I Am The Dance of Life – Randy Shinn – 35 min.  Controversial transgender performance artist Susan Stone dances at music events in St. Louis and pushes the envelope of free expression.

Mike Sidwell, Strongman – Brian Jun – 6 min. – Mike Sidwell talks about his journey and desire to be strong.

Phantom Glory: The Bob Little Story – Jacqui Poor – 15 min. – After flying 68 combat missions during World War II, Bob Little became a flight engineer/test pilot for the McDonnell Aircraft corporation.

The Terrifying Jellyfish: A Tj Hughes Biography – Ryan Fitzgerald – 4 min. – A portrait of up-and-coming digital artist Tj Hughes.

Tory Z Starbuck – Megan Griesenauer & Andrea Williams – 15 min. – Tory Z Starbuck has been composing, recording, and performing experimental rock music in St. Louis since the 1980s.

Experimental Shorts  – Sunday, Jul. 16 at 2:30pm

Bearing Witness – Jun Bae – 5 min. – An audiovisual tone poem that encourages us to re-examine the memories that ultimately define our identity.

Busy Do – Brandon Joseph Eckert – 4 min. – An ex-gangster’s life is told through a PI’s voicemail to “Tony.”

Colorado | True Nature – Hieronymus Cole  – 5 min. – An immersion in Colorado’s scenic beauty.

Down at Dusk – Kat Cory – 5 min. – A natural landscape is transformed into the abstract in a visual exploration of the Zen Buddhist concept of ox herding.

An Empty Bliss – Will Morris – 3 min. – After drinking absinthe at a picnic, a young couple starts hallucinating.

Even The Birds Know It – Zlatko Cosic & Rachel Cosic – 3 min. – St. Louis birds share their views about the environment and the sociopolitical climate.

Exit – Jacob Zavertnik – 17 min. – After an irreplaceable loss, a man confronts the visual manifestation of his grief to decide between acceptance or stagnation.

Hypervide – Natalie Rainer – 3 min. – This ode to nature is a lively combination of organic and digital processes.

Linear Motion – Leilei Wu – 3 min. – An exploration of the linear motion found in nature, ranging from car rides to water flowing on the window of an aircraft.

Ocean Breathes – Yihuang Lu –  1 min. – Undulating patterns of light and motion set upon a great body of water.

The Other Room – Shaun Gavin – 5 min. – A man awakens in a mysterious room and encounters myriad strange phenomena while attempting to care for some exotic cacti.

Shadow Track – Xiaoti – 4 min. – The vitality of nature is visualized in the simple black-and-white world of shadows.

Story 1: Scenes 1-9 – Zlatko Cosic – 5 min. – A multi-narrative experience in nine scenes.

Stung – Larry Ziegelman – 4 min. – In this dark music video, a heartbroken ex-boyfriend pines for the girl he still loves even after she begins a new relationship.

Summer Louis – Davey Rocco – 5 min. – A meandering visual exercise of nature’s interaction with man-made structures.

That’s What You Get For Grabbing – Zlatko Cosic – 4 min. – Abstract explorations of society from the Women’s March in St. Louis on Jan. 21, 2017.

Turntable – Wyatt Weed – 4 min. – A music video for the original song “Turntable” by St. Louis artist Abigail Stahlschmidt.

You Look Like A Squirrel – Yuhan Zhang – 4 min. – It’s hard out there for a squirrel.

Palacios – Sunday, Jul. 16 at 4:45pm

Directed by Robert T. Herrera. Eugene, an inner-city teen, escapes the city streets and hides away on a Midwest city rooftop during the Fourth of July holiday. He is found by Holly, a widowed alcoholic, who lives in the secluded rooftop dwelling with her Boston terrier. They commit to spending the day together above the city as they wait for a hopeful resolution to Eugene’s situation. As the day passes, a friendship grows even as their personal realities begin to catch up with them.

Narrative Shorts 1 – Sunday, Jul. 16 at 7:15pm

Bouquets & Banana Peels – Spencer Elmore – 16 min. – Two brothers comically confront a lifetime of issues during a community-theater production.

Concession Standoff – Peter Grayson – 10 min. – Two movie-theater co-workers determine who has to train a new employee by involving him in a nerdy, spirited debate about their favorite movies.

Dream on Pig Boy – Ben Christensen & Ian Gibbs – 12 min. – Two amateur playwrights attempt to put on a production of their bizarre new play.

In A Mad House – Tim Mitten – 6 min. – A woman confronts her abusive ex-husband and finds that he has found another victim.

The Inside Job – Brooke Jolley – 4 min – Special Agent Lane faces her archnemesis after several years of desperate searching only to find out more than she is prepared to stomach.

Max Vice – Kyle Niehaus – 25 min. – Max Vice — a no-nonsense cop from the 1980s with a love of booze, cocaine, and, above all, justice — awakens from a 30-year coma to find himself irrelevant in an unfamiliar world.

Swipe Right – Brooke Johnson – 9 min. – When a young man is dumped by his girlfriend, he decides to plunge into the world of dating apps but virtual love proves no less complicated than the real thing.

Table 21 – Brooke Jolley – 20 min. – A nosy and overzealous waiter gets obsessively wrapped up in the personal affairs of a mysterious couple.

Tonight She Comes – Sunday, Jul. 16 at 9:30pm

Directed by Matt Stuertz. After a girl goes missing, two of her friends and a mysterious set of strangers find themselves drawn to the cabin in the woods where she disappeared. They will laugh, they will drink, they will kiss, they will make love — and most of them will die

Narrative Shorts 2 – Monday, Jul. 17 at 5:00pm

Be Light – Damon Gaige Leco – 3 min. – Roaming the ruins of a collapsed civilization, a higher being highlights the unsustainable trajectory and contradictions of an ego-driven society.

Breakdown – Rexx Villotti – 13 min. – After their car breaks down on the side of the road, the rocky relationship between Jeff and Louise is strained to the point of failure.

Egg – Brandon Joseph Eckert – 3 min. – Six greasers and an egg — the possibilities are endless.

Lester Leaps In – Mike Steinberg – 30 min. – At a lumber mill in 1970s Montana, a middle manager struggles to produce a safety film.

The Night Owl – Anthony Nicolau – 12 min. – A dark story of miscommunication and conflict between two neighbors living in New York City.

Trich – Isaac Knopf – 17 min. – As preparation for a high-priority pitch at work intensifies, Ethan develops an uncontrollable urge to pull out his hair.

Narrative Shorts 3 – Monday, Jul. 17 at 7:00pm

Alliance – Andres Colonna – 14 min. – An alien living on Earth discovers that he has been betrayed.

Coup De Grace – Michael Tilly Parks – 15 min. – A soldier must prove his loyalty to a totalitarian government by serving as a one-man firing squad.

Extricated – Will Reddell – 5 min. – Haunted by his past, a man finds he can run. But can he ever escape?

Little Drummer Girl – Chris Benson – 20 min. – At the peak of the Civil War, a father is forced to make a grave decision after the loss of his family.

Mage Arc Zero – Aaron Stolze – 8 min. – A supernatural trainee learns to value his gift while letting go of his ambitions.

Oberon (The Sentient Sword) – Alexander Hernandez – 5 min. – A clever thief steals the mighty sword Oberon, but the blade only wants to return to its master.

Redemption – Cesar Encalada – 18 min. – Post-Civil War, three outlawed brothers flee their town after gunning down the local authorities. Exhausted and with no resources, they plan to raid a dilapidated farmhouse and rob the sickened landlord.

Saving Buck – Cesar Encalada – 13 min. – An American paratrooper is lost behind enemy lines in Europe during World War II.

Narrative Shorts 4 – Monday, Jul. 17 at 9:30pm

Driver’s Ed – Chase Norman – 15 min. – A shy, overweight young woman leaves the safety of her home for an unwelcoming high-school classroom.

El Almuerzo – Jocelyn Cooper – 15 min. – After the death of their father and withdrawal of their mother, a brother and his two sisters in El Paso, Texas, in the 1970s attempt to piece their shattered lives back together.

The Gift – Tim Garrett – 6 min. – A young girl comes to terms with life in her new family.

Here And There – Janie Schlie – 10 min. – A young college student and an elderly florist find friendship in one another on a lonely holiday.

Sir – Luiz Costa Cruz – 12 min. – A transgender youth makes a difficult choice for the future.

Switching Gears – Rebecca Clayton – 8 min. – A mechanic seeks solace following the death of her father by finally completing his last project: fixing up an antique car.

Taste – Hors D’Oeuvre – Jørgen Pedersen – 15 min. – A young, stubborn chef tries to work through a surprise birthday party that blows up in her face.

An Uber Tale – Lynelle White – 8 min. – Two strangers, a guy and girl, share an Uber. Although there’s clearly an attraction between them, neither is able to initiate conversation, so they ride on. And on. And on.

Waiting to Die in Bayside, Queens – Garrett Tripp – 6 min. – A frizzy-haired hypochondriac who’s convinced she’s dying, 15-year-old Jordyn lives in a small co-op apartment in the predominantly Jewish middle-class suburb of Bayside Queens in 1976.

500: The Impact of The Reformation Today – Tuesday, Jul. 18 at 5:00pm

Directed by Dale Ward. Renowned Luther scholars from around the world reveal how the Reformation affects us in multiple ways, with a lone monk’s actions 500 years ago continuing to resonate profoundly in today’s world. This thought-provoking documentary was four years in the making, with portions shot on location throughout Germany, where the actual Reformation events occurred.

Atomic Homefront – Tuesday, Jul. 18 at 7:30pm

Directed by Rebecca Cammisa. St. Louis has a little-known nuclear past as a uranium-processing center for the atomic bomb. Government and corporate negligence led to the dumping of Manhattan Project uranium, thorium, and radium, thus contaminating North St. Louis suburbs, specifically in two communities: those along Coldwater Creek, where residents have high rates of very rare cancers, birth defects, and various autoimmune disorders that are potentially linked to ionizing radiation poisoning; and in Bridgeton, adjacent to the West Lake-Bridgeton landfill, where an uncontrolled subsurface fire has been moving toward an area where the radioactive waste was buried. Just Moms STL, a group of mothers-turned-advocates, believes their communities are being poisoned and demands that the government either fully remove the waste or permanently relocate residents living nearest the landfill. At the same time, the grassroots organization Coldwater Creek — Just the Facts Please is working to educate the community and healthcare professionals and to promote community inclusion in the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act. “Atomic Homefront” — from HBO Documentary Films — spotlights these citizen advocates, mostly women, who have mobilized to get answers, creating a powerful coalition that continues to fight for environmental justice.

Dev Diary – Wednesday, Jul. 19 at 5:00pm

Directed by James Reichmuth and Alessio Summerfield. Although St. Louis game designers the Coster brothers — Adam, Sam, and Seth — have a reputation for developing projects quickly, they have spent the last two years working on only one game. Sam’s dream game, “Crashlands” has helped him battle cancer as he struggles with Stage 4B lymphoma.

Narrative Shorts 5 – Wednesday, Jul. 19 at 7:00pm

Damage Over Time – Chris Null – 16 min. – A compulsive gamer reaches rock bottom.

Greg’s Going to Rehab – Chris Lawing – 15 min. – It’s 1986, and 15-year-old Greg is off to rehab for screwing up … but not before one last party!

Richie and the Styles – Aaron Landgraf – 24 min. – At the end of a long tour, a struggling jazz band receives news that the founder of an esteemed record label is to attend their next show.

Rob in The Hood – Greg Sporleder – 18 min. – A modern-day version of the classic tale.

Spitting Image – Maxine Du Maine – 9 min. – Jerome experiences the consequences of the unending cycle of gang violence in his urban community.

Stronger – Spencer Elmore – 11 min. – A hockey-playing son reaches a crisis point with his overbearing and abusive father.

Narrative Shorts 6 – Wednesday, Jul. 19 at 9:15pm

Blink– Peter Carlos – English/French – 4 min. – A dying man tries to hang on until his killers are brought to justice.

Bob – John Gross – 25 min. – A gay couple moves into their first apartment together and experiences paranormal activity.

Cursed World Problems – Stephen Province – 5 min. – A group of supernatural individuals vent to each other in a special support group.

Dead Air – Abby Zahuranec – 9 min. – A man finds himself in a tight place between a dangerous criminal, his loved ones, and a mysterious hotel television.

Deal Breaker – J. Miller – 6 min. – A man struggles to rent out the spare room in his apartment.

Done Deal – Cory Mack – 9 min. – Faced with signing away the memories of her dead son, a woman stands up for herself.

The Runt – Beth Ashby – 12 min. – Waking up after a nearly successful suicide attempt, Chelsea is greeted by a Dr. Carter, but as the physician questions her, she begins to wonder whether something much stranger is at work.

Shadows – Camila Morales – 4 min. – Nearing the end of his life, a man is haunted by the shadows of a past tragedy.

Spooky Sweets – Abby Zahuranec – 9 min. – A boy is forced to go trick-or-treating by his well-meaning mother as he deals with the loss of his father.

What’s Written – Alex Van Almsick & Joe Hellberg – 8 min. – A struggling writer discovers he must choose between the life of a child and the publication of his work.

Doc Shorts 2 – Thursday, Jul. 20 at 5:00pm

48 Hours to France – Mike Rohlfing – 32 min. – The story of how a short film made in just two days found its way to the Cannes Film Festival.

Blues & Ragtime: The Sounds of St. Louis – St. Louis Artworks – 11 min. – The story of how ragtime music — with it local roots — became the foundation for much of modern blues, R&B, and hip-hop.

Displaced & Erased – Emma Riley – 7 min. – The history of Clayton’s uprooted former black community.

Heartbeat – Hadley Schnuck – Spanish – 5 min. – A journey through Central Havana to the percussive sound of “Song to Elegua,” the Santería deity who unites the earthly and the divine.

Just Listening: A Short Film About Art And Activism – Dan Parris & Missouri Humanities Council – 21 min. – Exploring art as both a reaction to tragedy and a form of activism, “Just Listening” interviews artists about their response to Michael Brown’s death.

Sanctuary – Ashley Seering & Cory Byers – 8 min. – An abandoned church gets an unexpected second chance as a skate park.

Seed The Change – Jessica R Witte, Meridith Mckinley & Brad Witte – 4 min. – A 400-foot-long drawing made of birdseed is created over the course of a day on the riverfront below the Arch.

Under The Glass – Levi Barnes – 8 min. – Pinball is making a comeback, but did it ever really go away?

Gabe – Thursday, Jul. 20 at 7:30pm

No parent should have to bury their child, but that was the reality the Weils faced when their son Gabe was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Told he would not live past 25, Gabe made it his life goal to earn a college degree. Then, during his senior year of college, he received a new diagnosis, doubling his life expectancy overnight. This unforeseen scenario, though remarkable, presented Gabe with a complicated obstacle: creating a future for which he had never planned in a world that often forgets he exists.

Closing-Night Awards Party – Thursday, Jul. 20 at 8:00pm

Cinema St. Louis announces the Showcase films chosen for inclusion in the Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival, and a jury gives awards to the best Showcase films. Complimentary Kräftig beer is served, and a cash bar is available. Attendees must be 21 or older.