St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase has strong metro-east ties

A moving, hard-hitting documentary depicting the devastating impact of heroin in our communities, “The Heroin Project” by Edwardsville filmmakers Ashley Seering and Cory Byers, is among the 94 films that will be screened during the 15th annual Whitaker St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase from Sunday through Thursday.

Sponsored annually by Cinema St. Louis, the selected films must have been written, directed, edited or produced by native St. Louisans or films with strong local ties.

Regional filmmaker Brian Jun, of Alton, returns to the fest with “Sleep with Me,” a 90-minute dark suburban drama focusing on a young couple trying to start a family, and the problems in their lives that prevent their success.

The ensemble features veteran character actor Raymond J. Barry, Cliff Chamberlain and Danielle Camastra. Themes of infidelity and black-market drug use are explored.

Jun’s feature “Steel City” was selected for competition in the prestigious Sundance Film Festival. His locally shot drama “Joint Body” won awards for film and actor Mark Pellegrino (“Lost”) in the 2011 Filmmakers Showcase.

A comedy short, “Two Typewriters and a Microphone” by Tim Venhaus, of Belleville, is another work by a metro-east resident that will be screened. This is his third film selected for the annual event. He has a bachelor’s degree in cinema production from Southern Illinois University Carbondale. He won the fest’s Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Award for “My Dad Lives in a Trunk” in 2012.

“We’re the area’s primary venue for films made by local artists,” said Chris Clark, artistic director. “We have lots of great films, including one by a trio of 13-year-olds.

“The programs range from full-length fiction features and documentaries to multi-film compilations of fiction and documentary shorts. Many of the programs with feature-length films include post-screening Q&As with filmmakers.”

The closing-night Awards Party will be 8 p.m. to midnight on Thursday in the Duck Room at Blueberry Hill. Awards will be given out by the documentary and narrative film juries, comprised of educators, industry professionals and St. Louis Film Critics Association. Dan Cross and Stacy Singh, Southwestern Illinois College professors, are among the judges.

Cinema St. Louis will also announce the films chosen for inclusion in the St. Louis International Film Festival in November.

The metro-east filmmakers’ works will be screened at the Tivoli as follows:

“Sleep with Me” on Sunday at 6:30 p.m.

“Two Typewriters and a Microphone” is among the comedy shorts on Monday at 9:45 p.m.

“The Heroin Project” on Wednesday, July 22 at 5 p.m.

For a complete schedule, visit www.cinemastlouis.com. A PDF of the program is also available.

This story was originally published July 17, 2015 at 4:55 PM with the headline "St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase has strong metro-east ties."