A selection of standout documentaries, some experimental in form, from the 2021 St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase.
In this program
Babes in the Woods
Directed by
Leanna Kaiser
U.S.
2019
34 minutes
English
Filmed over the course of four years in 16mm, the film offers a portrait of a young woman and her two sons living on an agricultural commune founded in the early 1970s in rural Missouri.
Ephemeral
Directed by
Sabrina Urban
U.S.
2021
2 minutes
English
Image-manipulated nature footage is set to a soundtrack of two kids having a conversation.
every.single.one (karuna)
Directed by
Cherie Sampson
U.S.
2019
6 minutes
English
The first 72 hours after a breast-cancer diagnosis is depicted through a montage of sound juxtaposed with close-ups of gestural expression and contrasting images of the natural world.
Hammond's Books
Directed by
Joshua Mullins
U.S.
2021
10 minutes
English
A look at the brother/sister duo who run an eclectic bookstore on Cherokee Street.
Maxi
Directed by
Zia Nizami
U.S.
2021
4 minutes
English
A profile of St. Louis activist Maxi Glamour, a nonbinary drag artist and self-described “Demon Queen of Polka and Baklava.”
Postcards
Directed by
Ashley Seering
U.S.
2021
18 minutes
English
An exploration of the history and modern-day importance of postcards.
Zig Zag: Handclaps in Alternity
Directed by
Van McElwee
U.S.
2021
10 minutes
A series of claps, each creating a new space, echoes through anonymous worlds.