Beginning July 19, Cinema St. Louis will hold its annual St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase featuring works created by St. Louis artists and films with strong local ties.
The four-day event includes 88 films ranging from full-length fiction features to documentaries and multi-film compilations of fiction. Screenings for all films will take place at the Tivoli Theatre.
“Four Way Stop,” written and directed by Efi da Silva, is a movie about the life of a 17-year-old inner city African-American named “Allen” who desperately tries to stay on a straight path, despite the obstacles he’s up against. Allen deals with criticism from his mother and a father who is a drug addict. Coupled with racism and peer-pressure, Allen often struggles to make the right decisions.
“The film is very much inspired by St. Louis and growing up in St. Louis,” said Silva, who now lives in New York. “It was very based off of what I saw around St. Louis about people who are similar to me, kids I see in the neighborhood, and different neighborhoods that I went to school in that they were a lot better off than my neighborhood.”
“Weldonkreig,” which means “Weldon War,” is another film that’s part of the showcase. It’s a film about the hobby of reenacting World War II events. Chris Grega, director of the film, explained that the filming took place in Weldon Spring, Mo., and documents the origin of the pastime, which began in the 1970s.
“I had no idea that World War II reenacting as a hobby actually started in Weldon Spring in the 70s,” Grega said.
Other films that will be showcased during the event are “The Safe Side of the Fence,” “The Swallows’ Tale: The Story of Ozark Air Lines,” “America’s Blues,” “Ferguson Matters,” and “The Heroin Project.”
“It’s remarkable,” said Chris Clark, artistic director of Cinema St. Louis. “The changes in digital technology have really opened the playing field to people with smaller budgets who can tell great stories.”
Related Events
Cinema St. Louis Presents St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase
- When: July 19 to July 23; Various Times
- Where: Tivoli Theatre, 6350 Delmar Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63130
- More information
"Weldonkrieg"
- When: Sunday, July 19; 4:00 p.m.
- Where: Tivoli Theatre, 6350 Delmar Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63130
- More information
"Four Way Stop"
- When: Thursday, July 23; 7:15 p.m.
- Where: Tivoli Theatre, 6350 Delmar Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63130
- More information
“Cityscape” is produced by Mary Edwards and Alex Heuer and sponsored in part by the Missouri Arts Council, the Regional Arts Commission, and the Arts and Education Council of Greater St. Louis.