21st Whitaker St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase announces awards

ST. LOUIS - EntSun -- During the livestreamed closing-night awards presentation on the evening of July 25, the Whitaker St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase announced awards and the films invited to the Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival (SLIFF).

The Showcase, an annual presentation of the nonprofit Cinema St. Louis (CSL), screens works that were shot in the St. Louis region or were written, directed, or produced by St. Louis-area residents or by filmmakers with strong local ties who are now working elsewhere.

Because of the continuing Covid-19 health crisis, the Showcase again was presented virtually in 2021, with films available to view on demand from July 16-25. The event featured 15 film programs and four free master classes focused on key aspects of filmmaking.

CSL announced five audience awards, 29 jury awards — including the Essy Award, a $500 prize to the Best Showcase Film — and 24 Showcase films that will move on to SLIFF and the fest's free Cinema for Students program in November.

Essy Award for Best Showcase Film

• Monument, directed by Josh Johnson & Tim Maupin

Narrative

• Best Costumes: Ghostbusters
• Best Makeup/Hairstyling: Once a Hero, John Harris
• Best Use of Music: Monument, song "A Small Balloon and a Great Mountain"
• Best Sound: Sleepwalker
• Best Production Design/Art Direction: Ghostbusters
• Best Special/Visual Effects: Monument,
• Best Editing: Ghostbusters: South-Side (A Fan Film)
• Best Cinematography: Sleepwalker
• Best Screenplay: Face Mask
• Best Actor: Brett Jones, Once a Hero
• Best Actress: Angie Slaughter, Once a Hero
• Best Direction: Alexandria Ferguson, Castle Hill
• Best Animated Film: Lake Loch Pond Monster
• Best Comedy: Face Mask
• Best Drama: Monument
• Best Narrative Less Than 20 min.: Monument
• Best Narrative More Than 20 min.: Once a Hero
• Spirit of St. Louis: Hella Drove the Movie

Documentary & Experimental

• Best Animated Documentary/Experimental Film: Cave
• Best Use of Music: Cave
• Best Sound: every.single.one (karuna)
• Best Editing: ZIG ZAG Handclaps in Alternity
• Best Cinematography: Babes in the Woods
• Best Direction of a Documentary Film: Hammond's Books
• Best Direction of an Experimental Film: Woolgathering
• Best Experimental Film: Babes in the Woods
• Best Documentary Less Than 20 Min.: Hammond's Books
• Best Documentary More Than 20 Min.: House of Thunder

AUDIENCE CHOICE

• Best Narrative Short: Ghostbusters: South-Side (A Fan Film)
• Best Documentary Short: Black Girl, Bleu
• Best Experimental Short: Coffee Breath
• Best Narrative Feature: Once a Hero
• Best Documentary Feature: The Final 19

SLIFF INVITEES

• Babes in the Woods
• By the Sea
• Castle Hill
• Cave
• DesMotivaciones
• Ephemeral
• every.single.one (karuna)
• Face Mask
• The Final 19
• Ghostbusters: South-Side (A Fan Film)
• Hammond's Books
• I Am Kinloch
• Lake Loch Pond Monster
• Maxi
• Monument
• Once a Hero
• Postcards
• Sleepwalker
• Woolgathering
• ZIG ZAG Handclaps in Alternity

For a list of all awardees and more information, visit https://cinemastlouis.org/.

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