Cinema St. Louis Presents the 18th Annual Whitaker St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase July 13th-22nd

The 18th Annual Whitaker St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase, a 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 residents or films with strong local ties.

The 20 film programs that screen at Washington University’s Brown Hall from July 13-15 & 20-22 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 106 films in this year’s event.

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. 

The Showcase also hosts a free closing-night awards party on Sunday, July 22, at Blueberry Hill’s Duck Room. Cinema St. Louis will announce the Showcase films chosen for inclusion in the St. Louis International Film Festival, and juried awards for the best Showcase films will be given.  Complimentary Urban Chestnut beer and a cash bar are available for attendees who are 21 or older.

 
Tickets for film programs from July 13-22 at Washington University’s Brown Hall are $13 each; $10 for students with valid and current photo ID and for Cinema St. Louis members with valid membership cards. No phone sales, but tickets can be purchased online at brownpapertickets.com. Direct ticketing links will be on the Cinema St. Louis website, or search for “St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase” on Brown Paper Tickets. There is a small service charge per ticket for online sales, which 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:

• The Best of Us: 100 Seasons of Muny Magic: Veteran Showcase director Kathy Bratkowski from HEC-TV brings us this delightful chronicle of the 100-year history one of the true crown jewels of St. Louis: the St. Louis Municipal Opera Theatre.
• Parallel Chords: Filmmaker Catherine Dudley-Rose first presented this story of a talented yet frustrated young female violinist as a short in 2015, and after a successful crowdfunding effort, she has expanded the drama into a full-length feature.
• An American Tragedy: Jeffrey Ferguson was executed March 26, 2014, for a murder he committed in St. Charles. His last wish was for the victim’s family forgive him. Documentary filmmaker Lisa Boyd brings us the story of his lengthy and painful road to redemption.
• Dirty Laundry: Two cousins journey across the U.S. by bicycle, fueled by curiosity about their grandmother’s sudden passing from a rare cancer: mesothelioma. Through interviews and research, they uncover a trail of broken families all bound by the common thread of asbestos exposure.
• A Song for Sarah: A heartwarming family musical about an orphaned teenage girl who is reunited with her wacky uncle, who then has to fight to keep them together. Originally shot in 2003, the film had to be abandoned when several reels were lost in a lab. Many years later, in 2011, the missing reels miraculously surfaced, and 15 years after it was begun, this joyful film finally receives its long-delayed debut.
• Daniel Lord, S.J.: The Restless Flame: Jesuit priest Daniel Lord, a St. Louisan, was one of the most influential American religious figures of the 20th century. He wrote 230 pamphlets and 70 plays and musicals. Lord also co-wrote the controversial Motion Picture Production Code, the self-censorship rules to which the studios adhered from 1930-68.
• Documentary Shorts: Three programs of outstanding documentary shorts offer inspiring and intimate portraits of our city and its inhabitants.
• Narrative Shorts: A wide array of filmmakers of all ages — ranging from 12 to 84 — present new fiction works, including more than a dozen films directed by teenagers.

The Whitaker Foundation again serves as the Showcase’s title sponsor. The foundation’s twofold mission is to encourage the preservation and use of parks and to enrich lives through the arts.

The event’s other sponsors include the Arts & Education Council, Missouri Arts Council, Missouri Film Office, Regional Arts Commission, St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission, and Urban Chestnut Brewing Co.

For more information, the public should visit cinemastlouis.org. For press inquiries, call Chris Clark at 314-289-4152 or email chris@cinemastlouis.org.