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/filmmakers with strong local ties.

The film programs that will screen 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. Programs with feature-length films include post-screening Q&As with filmmakers.

The 2020 event will take place in mid July (10 - 19).

PLEASE NOTE: Due to the seriousness of the ongoing world health crisis and the ongoing need for strong social distancing, we have had to make the difficult decision to move the St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase this year to an exclusive online platform in July. We encourage you to still submit your projects for consideration, and our staff will continue to evaluate submitted films. Deadlines are still important, but we want to be as flexible as possible to be respectful of filmmakers’ abilities to submit fully completed projects. Last year, we were able to create DCPs for almost every film, but this year we will accept other digital formats for screening online. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to CSL artistic director Chris Clark directly.

Awards & Prizes

More than 2 dozen awards given by the St. Louis Film Critics Association, plus invitations to the St. Louis International FIlm Festival.

Rules & Terms

RULES & TERMS

This is a competitive, curated event and submission does not guarantee an invitation. Please read below and acknowledge the Rules, Terms, and Conditions for Eligibility:

ALL FILMS MUST:
1) be written, directed, edited, or produced by St. Louis natives or those with strong local ties
2) different from past years, we are absolutely willing to accept and possibly screen works-in-progress, provided that the versions submitted will work for the audience and jury
3) be a St. Louis film festival or theatrical premiere
4) be submitted with English subtitles if in a language other than English
5) be submitted with all contact info including mailing address, phone number, email and appropriate entry fee payment.
6) It is strongly preferred that films not be commercially or publicly available on video/DVD, cable, YouTube, Vimeo, iTunes, Facebook, Amazon Prime, or On Demand in the St. Louis region prior to the festival dates. Being on one of these platforms does not absolutely disqualify an entry, but first priority will be given to works that are true premieres.
7) Public cast/crew screenings, especially features, prior to the event are also discouraged.
Entry Procedure:

Please read and understand the agreement before submitting. For preview purposes, films may be submitted on secure online screener through FilmFreeway. All preview materials must be received by May 31st.

If your film is selected, it is mandatory that the projection master file be delivered via Dropbox or delivered to the CSL office on a flash or hard drive NO LATER THAN June 26th. Publicity images, if available, must also be sent promptly. 300 dpi or higher electronic images are preferred in .jpg or .png format. All invited short subjects should be submitted as an .mov file (Pro Res or H.264). Specs will be provided with an acceptance email. Unlike last year we will not be able to convert files to DCP and will most likely screen shorts from files.

Please contact Chris Clark at Cinema St. Louis for any/all questions and clarifications. All entrants will be notified of the status of their submission by e-mail no later than June 15, 2020. Notification of acceptance or rejection will not include criticism or feedback specific to your entry.

NOTE: At no extra charge SLFS submissions are also eligible for consideration for the 29th Annual St. Louis International Film Festival, Nov. 5-15, 2020. You will not need to resubmit your film.

REFUND POLICY
It is our intention to hold the event online in mid July as scheduled in an exclusive online platform. We do not currently have a refund policy in place.

20 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Nate Carroll

    Great communication, amazing masterclasses, and even an awards ceremony!

    July 2020
    Helpful
  • Nomadic Frames

    Really enjoyed our experience with the St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase. A must for all St. Louis filmmakers. COVID-19 meant our film did not play in the wonderful Tivoli Theater — which was unfortunate — but I guess we shouldn't have made a film during a once in a century pandemic.

    July 2020
    Helpful
  • Alessio Summerfield

    The St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase has time and again pushed me to deliver bigger and better work every single year, but has also inspired me to meet new filmmakers and step outside of my comfort zone.

    I cannot think of a more hardworking and genuinely supportive and kind film event staff in St. Louis, or even Missouri, as those at Cinema St. Louis, who push themselves to make the festival better each and every year.

    It's always an easy-to-follow process with a lot of transparent communication.

    Even in the face of a global pandemic, the Showcase made magic happen digitally, and I'll forever be thankful for that.

    July 2020
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  • Eric Chandler

    If you’re a local filmmaker, plugged into the social pipeline in St. Louis, this festival should be a must. I would go as far as saying that the showcase should be a mandatory entry for every student at any film school in Missouri. Even with everything going on in 2020, the showcase staff were on top of it. There were no delays and no connection issues (the whole festival was done via zoom). I’m happy with my experience. Do yourself a favor and submit. Also, if selected you can bypass the fee to SlIFF, which is always a plus.

    July 2020
    Helpful
  • Daniel Neville

    Great all around, good variety of awards 👍

    July 2020
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