Cinema St. Louis to Receive $20,000 Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts for SLIFF

11 January 2022

St. Louis, MO — The National Endowment for the Arts has approved funding for 1,248 Grants for Arts Projects (GAP) totaling $28,840,000. Included in this announcement is a grant of $20,000 to Cinema St. Louis (CSL) for the 31st Annual St. Louis International Film Festival (SLIFF).

The Grants for Arts Projects awards range from $10,000 to $100,000 and cover the following artistic disciplines: Artist Communities, Arts Education, Dance, Design, Folk & Traditional Arts, Literary Arts, Local Arts Agencies, Media Arts, Museums, Music, Musical Theater, Opera, Presenting & Multidisciplinary Works, Theater, and Visual Arts.

“The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to support arts projects like this one from Cinema St. Louis that help support the community’s creative economy,” said NEA Acting Chair Ann Eilers. “Cinema St. Louis is among the arts organizations nationwide that are using the arts as a source of strength, a path to well-being, and providing access and opportunity for people to connect and find joy through the arts.”

The 31st Annual St. Louis International Film Festival will be held in November and will screen more than 300 animated, narrative, and documentary features and short films, and will host master classes, special events, and an ambitious Cinema for Students program. Panels and Q&As with filmmakers and documentary subjects will accompany many of the screenings. Programming streams will include the Women in Film Spotlight, Race in America: The Black Experience, and the Human Rights Spotlight.

The nonprofit Cinema St. Louis (CSL) produces SLIFF, one of the largest and highest-profile international film festivals in the Midwest. The fest has been lauded in USA Today’s 10Best list. CSL also annually produces the locally-focused St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase, the LGBTQ-centric QFest St. Louis, the Classic French Film Festival, and Golden Anniversaries (festival of films celebrating their 50th anniversary).

For more information on projects included in the NEA grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news. For info on SLIFF and other CSL programs, visit cinemastlouis.org or call 314-289-4150.

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