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.

Awards Jury

Documentaries: Diane Carson, Dan Cross, Gayle Gallagher, Tiffany Greenwood, Ben Scholle

Narratives: Robert Hunt, Sam Smucker, Tom Stockman, Lynn Venhaus, Wyatt Weed

Shorts in multi-film programs are listed alphabetically, not in the order screened. All programs are at the Tivoli Theatre except for the closing-night awards party, which is held at Blueberry Hill’s Duck Room.

SHOWCASE JURIED AWARD WINNERS

Experimental Film

• Best Experimental Film - STORY 1: SCENES 1-9, directed by Zlatko Cosic

Documentary Films

• Best Use of Music - HEARTBEAT, original music by Octavio Rodríguez Maldonado
• Best Sound - Ryan Fitzgerald, THE TERRIFYING JELLYFISH: A TJ HUGHES BIOGRAPHY
• Best Editing - Cameron Hill, Alessio Summerfield, & James Reichmuth, DEV DIARY
• Best Cinematography - Cory Byers, Reid Linksvayer, & Ashley Seering, SANCTUARY
• Best Direction - Luke Terrell, GABE
• Best Documentary - FAMILY REWRITTEN, directed by Yasmin Mistry

Narrative Films

• Best Costumes - Carlos One Night Stand, LESTER LEAPS IN
• Best Makeup/Hairstyling - Katherine Shae Spradley, Adrienne Bruce, Megan Hill, & Haley Hill, TONIGHT SHE COMES
• Best Use of Music - LESTER LEAPS IN, original music by Travis Yost & Schmedly
• Best Sound - Anthony Nicolau, THE NIGHT OWL
• Best Production Design/Art Direction - Tessla Hastings, LESTER LEAPS IN
• Best Special/Visual Effects - Matt Steurtz, TONIGHT SHE COMES
• Best Editing - Randi Atkins, WAITING TO DIE IN BAYSIDE, QUEENS
• Best Cinematography - Julius Damenz, SWITCHING GEARS
• Best Screenplay - Julie Nicholson, WAITING TO DIE IN BAYSIDE, QUEENS Best Actor - Jeff Medley, LESTER LEAPS IN
• Best Actress - Dana Melanie, WAITING TO DIE IN BAYSIDE, QUEENS
• Best Direction - Mike Steinberg, LESTER LEAPS IN
• Outstanding Short Form Narrative - WAITING TO DIE IN BAYSIDE, QUEENS, directed by Garrett Tripp
• Outstanding Long Form Narrative - TONIGHT SHE COMES, directed by Matt Steurtz
• Best of Showcase - LESTER LEAPS IN, directed by Mike Steinberg

Films screening at .ZACK special Showcase program on 9/25/17

• Bearing Witness directed by Jun Bae
• I Am the Dance of Life directed by Randy Shinn
• Little Drummer Girl directed by Chris Benson
• Richie and the Styles directed by Aaron Landgraf
• Rob in the Hood directed by Greg Sporleder
• That’s What You Get For Grabbing directed by Zlatko Cosic
• An Uber Tale directed by Lynelle White

Showcase films screening at the 26th Annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival

Showcase Shorts Program @ SLIFF

• Driver’s Ed directed by Chase Norman
• The Gift directed by Tim Garrett
• He Who Listens directed by Maalik Shakoor & Maxine du Maine
• Heartbeat directed by Hadley Schnuck
• Lester Leaps In directed by Mike Steinberg
• Mike Sidwell, Strongman directed by Brian Jun
• The Night Owl directed by Anthony Nicolau
• Sanctuary directed directed by Cory Byers & Ashley Seering
• Spitting Image directed by Maxine du Maine

Pre-feature and other shorts programs @ SLIFF

• Blues & Ragtime: The Sounds of St. Louis directed by St. Louis Artworks
• Displaced & Erased directed directed by Emma Riley
• Even the Birds Know It directed by Rachel & Zlatko Cosic
• Just Listening: A Short Film About Art and Activism directed by Dan Parris and Missouri Humanities Council
• Story 1: Scenes 1-9 directed by Zlatko Cosic
• Summer Louis directed by Davey Rocco
• Waiting to Die in Bayside, Queens directed by Garrett Tripp

Features

• Atomic Homefront directed by Rebecca Cammisa
• Gabe directed by Luke Terrell
• Palacios directed by Bobby Herrera
• Tonight She Comes directed by Matt Steurtz