SPONSORED by Barry & Jackie Albrecht

Join us for an evening complete with complimentary* beer and wine while Trackstar, the DJ (DJ for Run the Jewels), brings the hip-hop celebration to a close.

SLIFF will then present its juried-competition awards: the Interfaith Awards for Best Documentary and Best Narrative; the Shorts Awards; the St. Louis Film Critics’ Joe Pollack Award (for Best Narrative) and Joe Williams Award (for Best Documentary); and the New Filmmakers Forum Emerging Director Award (“The Bobbie”), which has a $500 cash prize. The Spotlight caps the juried awards on Inspiration Documentary Award presentation, which features a $5,000 cash prize. The awards presentations conclude with SLIFF’s audience-choice awards: the Leon Award for Best Documentary, the Award for Best International Film, and the Best Film Award.

The evening will come to a close with a conversation with the Post-Dispatch music critic, Kevin Johnson, and East St. Louis native and award-winning director, producer, and entertainment executive Reginald Hudlin. We will pay tribute to the accomplishments of his career and get a sneak peek of his latest film, Candy Cane Lane, coming to Amazon on Dec. 1.

CSL executive director Bree Maniscalco and Hudlin's longtime friend, Lyah LeFlore-Ituen, will then present Hudlin with the SLIFF Lifetime Achievement Award.

• Reginald Hudlin, Oscar and Emmy-nominated director and producer Reginald Hudlin is one of the most influential filmmakers of his generation. Hudlin’s first feature film was House Party, which was recently inducted into the National Film Registry.  
• Kevin Johnson has been the Pop Music Writer and Critic for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch since 1998 and has written reviews and feature stories covering all facets of the St. Louis music scene. Kevin’s stories have been picked up by numerous national publications and outlets, including the Associated Press, CNN, Tribune News Service, Billboard, BBC, E! News, the Washington Post, Vibe, Complex, and AOL. Kevin is from the DC area, having graduated from the University of Maryland-College Park.
• Trackstar the DJ is best known for his prolific mixtape work, and as the tour DJ for Run the Jewels, Trackstar the DJ has been fortunate to travel the world playing music he loves, working and performing with many of the greatest artists in hip hop since his start behind the turntables on college radio in St Louis in 1999.

*Each guest (21+) receives two drink tickets good for Urban Chestnut beer or wine.