In 1917 St. Petersburg, the frontline of the global war moves closer every day, and the Russian people are hungry, worried, and angry. When the tsar is overthrown in February, the revolutionary poets, thinkers, and avant-gardists are euphoric — freedom at last! —... Read more
Women in Film Spotlight
Sponsored by Steward Family Foundation
8 Borders, 8 Days
Saturday, November 11 at 2:15pm
“8 Borders, 8 Days” chronicles one woman’s personal revolution in the context of one of the greatest human-rights crises of our time. Sham, a Syrian single mother, serves as moving proof of the consequences of closing America’s doors to families fleeing war. With... Read more
All the Rage
Sunday, November 5 at 1:15pm
America is experiencing an epidemic of pain. For nearly 50 years, Dr. John Sarno has been facing that epidemic head on, but like a modern-day Cassandra (crossed with Don Quixote), he has been struggling to be heard. Sarno contends that chronic pain is a... Read more
And Then They Came for Us
Saturday, November 11 at 4:30pm
After the Trump administration called for a Muslim registry and tried to enact an immigration ban against people from Muslim-majority countries, Trump surrogate Carl Higbie cited the unconstitutional incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II as the... Read more
Ask the Sexpert
Saturday, November 11 at 5:30pm
“Ask the Sexpert” tells the story of Dr. Mahinder Watsa, a highly popular 93-year-old sex-advice columnist for a daily newspaper in India. Despite sex being a taboo topic in the country, Watsa’s brand of non-moralistic advice and humor emboldens many to write in... Read more
Atomic Homefront
Saturday, November 11 at 3:00pm
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... Read more
Axolotl Overkill
Friday, November 3 at 4:30pm
Thursday, November 9 at 12:00pm
The directorial debut of Helene Hegemann, who adapts her 2010 bestselling novel, “Axolotl Roadkill” tells the story of Mifti, a 16-year-old who has just lost her mother, and the people who share the shocking and rebellious world she inhabits. As Mifti searches for... Read more
Becks
Saturday, November 11 at 7:00pm
Singer/songwriter Becks (Tony-winning and Grammy-nominated Lena Hall) gives up her Brooklyn apartment and heads across the country to join her long-distance girlfriend (Hayley Kiyoko) in LA. But a surprise early arrival has disastrous consequences, and Becks... Read more
The Blot
Sunday, November 12 at 7:30pm
The pioneering Lois Weber was one of the first women to direct films, and SLIFF honors the filmmaker by screening a recent restoration of her silent “The Blot,” which addresses the all-too-relevant issue of income inequality. The local Rats & People Motion... Read more
Breadcrumbs
Thursday, November 9 at 4:15pm
Saturday, November 11 at 4:00pm
When photographer Liliana (frequent Almodovar star Cecilia Roth) returns to Uruguay — the stage for her tragic past — her conscience is painfully torn between the political and the personal. Will she move past her haunted history and live peacefully as a mother... Read more
The Cinema Travellers
Friday, November 3 at 7:30pm
This Cannes prize-winner takes viewers on a journey with the traveling cinemas of India, which bring the wonder of the movies to faraway villages annually. Seven decades on, as their lorries and cinema projectors crumble and film reels become scarce, these mobile... Read more
Copwatch
Sunday, November 5 at 1:00pm
In Ferguson, Michael Brown died after being shot by police. In New York, Eric Garner died after a chokehold by police. In Baltimore, Freddie Gray died being transported by police. The names of these men have been burned into our public consciousness, and the... Read more
Dalida
Saturday, November 4 at 9:30pm
Sunday, November 5 at 2:30pm
This powerful biopic is based on the true and fascinating story of acclaimed music icon Dalida (Sveva Alviti). Following the singer from her birth in Cairo through her traumatic childhood to her worldwide success with 170 million albums sold, “Dalida” provides an... Read more
Different Flowers
Friday, November 10 at 9:15pm
On the day of her big Midwestern wedding, persnickety bride Millie (Emma Bell) jilts her fiancé (Sterling Knight) at the altar with the help of spunky younger sister Emma (Hope Lauren) and embarks on an unexpected journey. Produced by Shelley Long (“Cheers,” “... Read more
The Divine Order
Friday, November 3 at 8:00pm
Saturday, November 4 at 2:30pm
Winner of the Audience Award for Best Narrative Film at the Tribeca Film Festival, “The Divine Order” is set in 1971 Switzerland, where women are still denied the right to vote, despite the worldwide social upheavals of the previous decade. When unassuming and... Read more
Doc Shorts: China Today
Monday, November 6 at 5:00pm
A look at education and social issues in modern China. 
Doc Shorts: Facing Adversity
Thursday, November 9 at 5:00pm
Examinations of how subjects navigate difficult issues. 
Doc Shorts: Family Drama
Friday, November 3 at 5:00pm
All families have issues, but some have more than others. 
Doc Shorts: Kept Out
Wednesday, November 8 at 5:00pm
A look at immigration from the perspective of those who cannot enter the U.S. 
Doc Shorts: Music & Art
Tuesday, November 7 at 5:00pm
Profiles of artists, musicians, and the communities they serve. 
Doc Shorts: Queer Life
Sunday, November 12 at 3:30pm
A slice of the lives of trans and queer people. 
Doc Shorts: The Unexpected
Friday, November 10 at 5:00pm
Unusual dispatches from around the globe. 
Faces Places
Thursday, November 9 at 4:30pm
Sunday, November 12 at 3:00pm
Eighty-nine-year old Agnès Varda, one of the leading figures of the French New Wave, and acclaimed 33-year-old French photographer and muralist JR teamed up to co-direct this enchanting documentary/road movie. Kindred spirits, Varda and JR share a lifelong passion... Read more
Fanny's Journey
Wednesday, November 8 at 4:15pm
Sunday, November 12 at 12:30pm
Based on the memoirs of Fanny Ben-Ami, “Fanny’s Journey” is an incredible tale of bravery, strength, and survival — the story of a daring young girl who will stop at nothing and fear no one. In 1943, 13-year-old Fanny (Léonie Souchaud) and her younger sisters were... Read more
Heal the Living
Thursday, November 9 at 6:40pm
Friday, November 10 at 9:30pm
Based on Maylis de Kerangal’s 2014 international bestselling novel “Réparer les vivants,” “Heal the Living” examines the philosophical and emotional questions that are raised when approaching the realities of organ donation. The film follows three seemingly... Read more
I Am Evidence
Wednesday, November 8 at 6:30pm
A powerful indictment of the criminal-justice system’s seeming indifference to the crime of rape, “I Am Evidence” exposes the shockingly large number of untested rape kits in the United States today. Despite the power of DNA to solve and prevent crimes, hundreds... Read more
In Between
Monday, November 6 at 7:05pm
Wednesday, November 8 at 2:05pm
Lalia (Mouna Hawa), Salma (Sana Jammelieh), and Nur (Shaden Kanboura) share an apartment in the vibrant heart of Tel Aviv. Lalia, a criminal lawyer with a wicked wit, loves to burn off her workday stress in the underground club scene. Salma, slightly more subdued... Read more
Jackson
Sunday, November 5 at 3:00pm
“Jackson” is an intimate, unprecedented look at the lives of three women caught up in the complex issues surrounding abortion access: Shannon Brewer, the director of Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the only remaining abortion clinic in Mississippi; Barbara... Read more
Jasper Jones
Tuesday, November 7 at 8:15pm
Based on the best-selling novel and featuring a stellar cast that includes Toni Collette and Hugo Weaving, “Jasper Jones” is the story of Charlie Bucktin, a bookish boy of 14 living in a small town in Western Australia. In the dead of night during the scorching... Read more
Krotoa
Tuesday, November 7 at 4:25pm
Thursday, November 9 at 12:05pm
Krotoa, a feisty and bright 11-year-old girl, is removed from her close-knit Khoi tribe to serve Jan van Riebeeck, her uncle's trading partner. Brought into the first fort established by the Dutch East India Company in 1652, she grows into a visionary young woman... Read more
The Light of the Moon
Monday, November 6 at 2:30pm
Wednesday, November 8 at 2:00pm
Bonnie (Stephanie Beatriz), a young and successful Latina architect, is sexually assaulted while walking home from an evening out with friends in Brooklyn. At first, she attempts to keep the assault a secret from her long-term boyfriend Matt (Michael Stahl-David... Read more
Special Presentation: The Light of the Moon
Thursday, November 9 at 8:00pm
Bonnie (Stephanie Beatriz), a young and successful Latina architect, is sexually assaulted while walking home from an evening out with friends in Brooklyn. At first, she attempts to keep the assault a secret from her long-term boyfriend Matt (Michael Stahl-David... Read more
Lost in Paris
Wednesday, November 8 at 7:00pm
Thursday, November 9 at 2:30pm
Filmed in Dominique Abel and Fiona Gordon's signature whimsical style — last seen at SLIFF in “The Fairy” — “Lost in Paris” stars the filmmakers as a small-town Canadian librarian and a strangely seductive, oddly egotistical vagabond. When her orderly life is... Read more
Miss Kiet's Children
Friday, November 10 at 7:30pm
Both touching and hilarious, “Miss Kiet's Children” chronicles small changes of immense consequence. Using observation alone, without interviews or voice-over, the film assumes the perspective of four refugee children of different nationalities and closely follows... Read more
Mr. Handy's Blues
Sunday, November 5 at 7:00pm
“Mr. Handy’s Blues” chronicles the life of William Christopher (aka W. C.) Handy, known worldwide as the Father of the Blues. Handy’s trajectory to success is an against-all-odds odyssey that took him from a strict religious home in Northern Alabama, to a low... Read more
Narrative Shorts: Animation 1
Friday, November 3 at 9:30pm
An animated program that encompasses space, cats, and divorce. 
Narrative Shorts: Animation 2
Saturday, November 11 at 9:30pm
Animated explorations of war, mental trauma, and feuding bears. 
Narrative Shorts: Comedy
Saturday, November 4 at 9:30pm
A program with a touch of love, a spot of the macabre, and a bit of criminality. 
Narrative Shorts: Experimental
Monday, November 6 at 7:30pm
The perfect compilation to delight the eye and dazzle the brain. 
Narrative Shorts: Feminist Agenda
Sunday, November 5 at 9:30pm
These women prove that strength is displayed in a variety of ways. 
Narrative Shorts: Girl's Life
Wednesday, November 8 at 7:30pm
They may be young, but they are worldly. 
Narrative Shorts: Horror & Sci-Fi
Friday, November 10 at 10:00pm
A mash-up of genre films that explore the future or provoke scares. 
Narrative Shorts: I Do
Sunday, November 12 at 4:00pm
This program has marriage as a key feature — or a major stumbling block. 
Narrative Shorts: Mixed Emotions
Tuesday, November 7 at 7:30pm
Dramatic shorts that take you around the world and through the wringer. 
Narrative Shorts: Music
Saturday, November 4 at 3:45pm
Music is an essential component of these shorts. 
Narrative Shorts: Stars in Shorts
Saturday, November 11 at 2:00pm
Little films with big stars, including Ann Dowd, Glenn Howerton, Melissa Leo, and Emily Mortimer. 
Never Again: Forging a Convention for Crimes Against Humanity
Saturday, November 11 at 12:30pm
Following World War II, at the Nuremberg trials, members of the Nazi regime were convicted of crimes against humanity as a response to the widespread and systematic atrocities they committed against civilian populations during the war, especially the attempted... Read more
Never Been a Time
Sunday, November 5 at 7:30pm
“Never Been a Time” uses the 1917 East St. Louis race riot to unpack hidden facts that reveal the complexity of racism in all of America. The film links events separated by as much as a 100 years and as few as 20 miles, tracing the line between the East St. Louis... Read more
Not Alone
Sunday, November 12 at 1:00pm
Driven by a desire to understand why her best friend killed herself at 16, co-director Jacqueline Monetta — herself a recent high-school grad — gets suffering teens to share their struggles with mental illness and suicide attempts. Through Monetta’s intimate one-... Read more
Poisoning Paradise
Friday, November 10 at 5:30pm
In seemingly idyllic Hawaii, communities are surrounded by experimental agricultural test sites that spray pesticides upwind of their neighborhoods. “Poisoning Paradise” details the ongoing struggle by native Hawaiians to advance bold new legislation governing the... Read more
Pop Aye
Thursday, November 9 at 9:00pm
Friday, November 10 at 7:05pm
In “Pop Aye,” a successful Bangkok architect in the midst of a midlife crisis is reunited with an elephant he knew growing up. The two embark on a road trip to the man's childhood home in the idyllic Thai countryside. Along the way, they meet a colorful cast of... Read more
The Rats & People Motion Picture Orchestra with The Blot
Sunday, November 12 at 7:30pm
The pioneering Lois Weber was one of the first women to direct films, and SLIFF pays tribute to the filmmaker by screening a recent restoration of her silent “The Blot,” which addresses the all-too-relevant issue of income inequality. The local Rats & People... Read more
Seeing Is Believing: Women Direct
Sunday, November 5 at 7:15pm
“Seeing Is Believing” is an in-depth investigation into the challenges faced by women directors. The film focuses on the journeys of four articulate filmmakers — Lesli Linka Glatter (“Homeland”), Sarah Gavron (“Suffragette”), Li Lu (“There Is a New World Somewhere... Read more
SLIFF/Kids Family Shorts 1
Saturday, November 4 at 12:00pm
A family-friendly program for kids ages 4-8. 
SLIFF/Kids Family Shorts 2
Saturday, November 11 at 12:00pm
Our second SLIFF/Kids program — perfect for ages 8-12 — features films that are both fun and educational. 
St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase Sampler
Monday, November 6 at 7:30pm
A selection of the best films from the 2017 St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase. 
Stumped
Saturday, November 4 at 8:00pm
Young Will Lautzenheiser had moved from Boston to Montana to teach, and his future looked bright. But when he began to feel pain in his arms and legs, an examination revealed that he was being attacked by flesh-eating microbes, and his lower arms and legs were... Read more
Summer 1993
Monday, November 6 at 12:05pm
Friday, November 10 at 2:25pm
Carla Simón’s autobiographical jewel — named Best First Feature at the 2017 Berlinale — is an evocative and affecting depiction of childhood that marks the arrival of a major new voice in world cinema. In the summer of 1993, following the death of her parents, 6-... Read more
Surviving Home
Saturday, November 11 at 12:30pm
In honor of Veterans Day, SLIFF offers a free screening of “Surviving Home,” an intimate documentary that follows four veterans over an eight-year period as they rebuild their lives after war. Interwoven with their stories are veterans' voices from across the... Read more
Title VII
Friday, November 10 at 7:00pm
She’s powerful, black, and female. But at her firm, blacks need not apply. The highly successful Hillary Kelsey (Chicava Honeychild) is the CEO of Sanger International, an IT consulting firm. Kelsey is a black woman with no black employees, and no one can figure... Read more
Traditional-Jazz Performance with Mr. Handy's Blues
Sunday, November 5 at 7:00pm
Joanne Fish’s “Mr. Handy’s Blues” chronicles the life of William Christopher Handy, known affectionately worldwide as the Father of the Blues. Handy’s trajectory to success is an against-all-odds odyssey that took him from a strict religious home in Northern... Read more
Tribute to Pam Grier with Jackie Brown
Friday, November 3 at 8:00pm
SLIFF pays tribute to the legendary Pam Grier, star of such blaxploitation classics as “Foxy Brown” and “Coffy,” and presents her with the fest’s annual Women in Film Award. Grier co-stars in the fest’s opening-night film, the locally shot “Bad Grandmas,” and she... Read more
Under the Same Sun
Saturday, November 4 at 4:30pm
Sunday, November 5 at 12:00pm
“Under the Same Sun” — directed by Mitra Sen (“The Peace Tree”) — tells the story of a confused and injured young man, Karim Jamal (Aadar Malik), who accidentally stumbles into a village of Hindu and Muslim orphaned children while on a journey to reunite with his... Read more
Vazante
Tuesday, November 7 at 2:00pm
Saturday, November 11 at 12:15pm
In 1821, in the remote Diamantina Mountains of Brazil, slave trader Antonio (Adriano Carvalho) returns to the decaying but imposing farmhouse he inherited to discover his wife has died in childbirth. Confined to this desolate property in the company of his... Read more
Wanda
Saturday, November 11 at 7:30pm
In 1970, the actress Barbara Loden wrote, directed, and starred in “Wanda,” a much admired but too little seen American indie. “Wanda” has recently been celebrated in the well-reviewed book “Suite for Barbara Loden,” which was published by the St. Louis small... Read more
What If It Works?
Wednesday, November 8 at 7:15pm
Sunday, November 12 at 8:45pm
Adrian (Luke Ford), an irrepressibly chirpy tech nerd, suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder. Grace (Anna Samson), a beautiful street artist, suffers from dissociative identity disorder (aka multiple personalities). As new neighbors in an edgy, graffitied... Read more
Whose Streets?
Sunday, November 12 at 6:00pm
Told by the activists and leaders who live and breathe the Black Lives Matter movement for justice, “Whose Streets?” is an unflinching look at the Ferguson uprising. When unarmed teenager Michael Brown is killed by police and left lying in the street for hours, it... Read more
Working in Protest
Sunday, November 5 at 7:00pm
Filmmakers Suki Hawley and Michael Galinsky have documented protests for more than 30 years. “Working in Protest” collects footage they’ve captured over those decades, offering a largely chronological compilation of protests from both the right and the left: Klan... Read more