The St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase (SLFS), an annual presentation of the nonprofit Cinema St. Louis, serves as the area's primary venue for films made by local artists. With advances in affordable digital filmmaking, more and more movies are being made in St. Louis and environs, but opportunities for moviegoers to see that work are scarce, because few of the films ever screen commercially. SLFS frequently provides the only chance area filmmakers have to display their talents on the big screen. Participating filmmakers have included students, film hobbyists, and seasoned professionals.

Cinema St. Louis has presented the St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase since 2002, taking over from the now-closed St. Louis Film Office, which inaugurated the event in 2001. During its existence, SLFS has shown nearly 500 films with St. Louis ties. SLFS is held at the Tivoli Theatre in the vibrant Delmar Loop entertainment district. A carefully renovated art-deco theater from the 1920s with a 440-seat main auditorium, the Tivoli is regularly voted St. Louis' favorite theater in the Riverfront Times' annual "Best of St. Louis" poll.

• SLFS screens works that were written, directed, edited, or produced by St. Louis natives or those with strong local ties.
• SLFS annually features 15-20 programs over five days, ranging from full-length fiction features and documentaries to multi-film compilations of fiction and documentary shorts.
• SLFS includes post-screening Q&As with filmmakers and offers lively seminars on the moviemaking process.
• SLFS hosts a closing-night party at Blueberry Hill that features announcements of SLFS films chosen for inclusion in the St. Louis International Film Festival and awards given by the St. Louis Film Critics.

Invited to SLIFF & St. Louis Film Critic Awards

The following 27 films have been invited to screen in competition at the St. Louis International Film Festival this fall.

• After Thoughts directed by Anthony Sanchez
• And Seven Hours Later... directed by Lynelle White
• Being Born is Marvelous directed by Denise Ward-Brown
• The Blind Date of Coffin Joe directed by Raymond Castile
• Con Brio directed by Ben Hill Triola
• Donnie Baker & The Pork Pistols: Live directed by Jay Kanzler
• Electrical Storm directed by Ryan Doris
• Ella Se Cayo De Cada Montana directed by Jacob Taylor
• Gabriel and Romy directed by Sam Zvibleman
• Game of the Year directed by Chris Grega
• How I Got Lost directed by Joe Leonard
• I Always Wanted to Be A Teacher directed by Denise Ward-Brown
• It's Not Me, It's You directed by Doc Crotzer
• Just Shy of Being directed by Derek Elz
• The Last Legend directed by Brant Hadfield
• Love Lost directed by Jay Kelley
• Ninjas Protest Pirate Festival directed by Jeremy Corray
• Oranges directed by Whitney Gelnett, Emily Hatcher
• Playing Dead directed by Mike Rohlfing & Carey Keane
• Ragman directed by Dale Ward
• The Rink directed by Ronald Butts
• The Rotten Corpse directed by Meatloaf Productions
• Slice of Pie directed by Tim Reischauer
• Spaces directed by Zlatko Cosic
• Tarantula Consciousness directed by Nate Callaghan
• They Came From Above The Sea directed by Stephen Jones
• When the Body Speaks directed by James Freivogel

Following is a list of the awards presented by the St. Louis Flm Critics Association.

• Best Narrative Feature: How I Got Lost (directed by Joe Leonard)
• Best Documentary Feature: Paving the Way (directed by Brandon Wade)
• Best Comedy Short - Ninjas Protest Pirate Festival (directed by Jeremy Corray)
• Best Dramatic Short Over 10 Minutes: The Last Legend (directed by Brant Hadfield)
• Best Dramatic Short Under 10 Minutes: Playing Dead (directed by Mike Rohlfing & Carey Keane)
• Best Relationship/Romance Short Over 10 Minutes: Slice of Pie (directed by Tim Reischauer)
• Best Relationship/Romance Short Under 10 Minutes: And Seven Hours Later... (directed by Lynelle White)
• Best Documentary Short Over 30 Minutes: William Clark: The Further Journey (directed by James F. Scott)
• Best Documentary Short Under 30 Minutes: (tie) Being Born is Marvelous (directed by Denise Ward-Brown) & I Always Wanted to Be A Teacher (directed by Denise Ward-Brown)
• Best Animated Short (Computer): Con Brio (directed by Ben Hill Triola)
• Best Animated Short (Drawn): Ella Se Cayo De Cada Montana (directed by Jacob Taylor)
• Best Live-Action Experimental Short: Electrical Storm (directed by Ryan Doris)
• Best Screenplay: Rick Hall (for Slice of Pie)
• Best Cinematography: James Freivogel and Cary Norman (for When The Body Speaks)
• Best Actor: Rick Hall (for Slice of Pie)
• Best Actress: Kelley McLeod (for Slice of Pie)
• Best Score for Documentary: William Clark: The Further Journey (directed by James F. Scott)
• Best Current Events Subject for Documentary: Life On The Edge of A Bubble: Blowing the American Dream (directed by William Lewis)
• Best Contemporary Local History for Documentary: The Rink (directed by Ronald Butts)
• Most Inspiring Documentary: Continue Courageously (directed by Tom Barry, Bryan Stevens & Suzy Farren)

The films

• About A Girl directed by Michael Dorn
• After Thoughts directed by Anthony Sanchez
• And Seven Hours Later... directed by Lynelle White
• Battle of the Sexes directed by Hybrie Brownlee & Jarohn Johnson
• Being Born is Marvelous directed by Denise Ward-Brown
• Black Thorn directed by Josh Rolens
• The Blind Date of Coffin Joe directed by Raymond Castile
• Con Brio directed by Ben Hill Triola
• Continue Courageously directed by Tom Barry, Bryan Stevens & Suzy Farren
• The Death of Roger directed by Andrew Ritter
• Donnie Baker & The Pork Pistols: Live directed by Jay Kanzler
• Down the Rabbit Hole directed by Dana Hildenbrand
• Electrical Storm directed by Ryan Doris
• Ella Se Cayo De Cada Montana directed by Jacob Taylor
• The Ending directed by Lauren Staebell
• Evil Gal directed by Denise Ward-Brown
• Flamingo directed by Michael Speckart
• Gabriel and Romy directed by Sam Zvibleman
• Game of the Year directed by Chris Grega
• Have A Nice Day directed by Jason Britton
• Hope and Expectation directed by Chuzen Jalipa
• How I Got Lost directed by Joe Leonard
• I Always Wanted to Be A Teacher directed by Denise Ward-Brown
• Illinois Wants Me directed by Tim Maupin
• Isis directed by Denise Ward-Brown
• It's Not Me, It's You directed by Doc Crotzer
• Just Shy of Being directed by Derek Elz
• The Last Legend directed by Brant Hadfield
• The Life of James C. Holmes directed by Zlatko Cosic
• Life On The Edge of A Bubble: Blowing the American Dream directed by William Lewis
• Love Lost directed by Jay Kelley
• Lutz Bacher: Spill directed by Ben Kaplan
• Mei Artis, Mei Mundus directed by Rachel Kingen
• Ninjas Protest Pirate Festival directed by Jeremy Corray
• The Oberserver directed by David Uthus
• Oranges directed by Whitney Gelnett, Emily Hatcher
• Paving the Way directed by Brandon Wade
• People On A Row directed by Nathaniel Calvert
• Playing Dead directed by Mike Rohlfing & Carey Keane
• Ragman directed by Dale Ward
• Remember to Forget directed by Param
• The Rink directed by Ronald Butts
• The Rotten Corpse directed by Meatloaf Productions
• Salad Daze directed by Randy Prywitch
• Shadowland: Beneath the Soil directed by Brian Wessel
• The Sharp Edge of Revenge directed by Dan McGee
• Slice of Pie directed by Tim Reischauer
• Spaces directed by Zlatko Cosic
• Street Preacher directed by Brian Spath
• Sweet Revenge directed by Nick Young
• Tantalus directed by Matthew Rice
• Tarantula Consciousness directed by Nate Callaghan
• Theodore: Recording Defeated, TN directed by Aaron Robertson & Justin Johnson
• They Came From Above The Sea directed by Stephen Jones
• Third Times A Charm directed by Wilson Wood
• Unreal Housewives of Kansas City directed by Jon Davis
• The Weed directed by Elliott Geolat
• When the Body Speaks directed by James Freivogel
• William Clark: The Further Journey directed by James F. Scott
• You Got It Dude directed by Ryan Doris & Sean Gartner

The seminars

Regional Arts Commission, 6128 Delmar Blvd.
10:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
Free Filmmaking Seminars: Working St. Louis filmmakers share their practical and professional experiences in four free seminar sessions.

10:30 a.m.-noon
Down on the Ground with "Up in the Air":
A look at the St. Louis film community's experience with a major-studio production.

12:15-1:45 p.m.
Why Go to Film School?
Film and media professors from area colleges and universities discuss their programs and the benefits of taking film classes.

2-3:30 p.m.
Feature-Film Distribution Out of St. Louis:
Local filmmakers who produced/directed narrative features the past few years provide updates on their distribution experience.

3:45-5 p.m.
Earning a Living as a Filmmaker in St. Louis:
A look at the variety of film-related "day jobs" that local filmmakers work when not pursuing personal projects.