Eager to leave the noise and daily distractions of daily life behind?  Cinema St. Louis invites you to find yourself again at the 33rd Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival (SLIFF) theme, which runs from Nov. 7 to 17.

“We ask film lovers and casual moviegoers alike to escape with us for 11 days as we showcase some of the most incredible filmmaking seen on the big screen,” said Bree Maniscalco, executive director of Cinema St. Louis. “Through this year’s festival theme, The Great Escape, we want the public to join us in a communal setting that will spark dialogue and action — an experience that only movie theatres can provide.”

This year’s SLIFF will feature more than 250 films from here and abroad, including 29 documentaries and 28 features. The 194 shorts screened at the festival will be automatically entered into the Oscar-qualifying Shorts Competition. 

Highlights of this year’s fest include: 

• The festival kicks off on Thur., Nov. 7th at the Hi-Pointe for the Opening Night film, Jesse Eisenberg’scritically acclaimed A Real Pain, co-starring Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin. A cocktail reception begins at 6pm.
• In conjunction with SLIFF’s inaugural Climate Summit, there will be a screening of Capturing the Carbon, which shines a spotlight on our planet’s fragile future.
• Don’t miss exclusive St. Louis premieres of studio films making waves internationally:
  • Ramell Ross’ Nickel Boys, playing Saturday, Nov. 9^th, is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Colson Whitehead. 
  • A 35mm presentation of Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist, starring Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, and Guy Pearce, screens on Fri., Nov. 8th.
• Pedro Almodóvar’s first English language feature, The Room Next Door, starring Julianne Moore, Tilda Swinton, and John Turturro, screens Thurs., Nov. 14^th.

• Film and music collide with the St. Louis premiere of Silents Synced, pairing the classic silent horror film Nosferatu with the music of Radiohead, playing Mon., Nov. 11th.
• On Veterans Day, SLIFF offers a program of military-themed short films. John Sturges’ 1963 classic WWII film, The Great Escape, will also be screened on that day at the Hi-Pointe Theatre, and is free for all veterans and those currently serving in the military.
• Cinema St. Louis partners with Sun Dogs: Filmmaker and Musician Pairings at Lindenwood University on Sat., Nov. 16th. This series pairs internationally acclaimed directors with composers to create short films with live musical accompaniment.    
• To commemorate the 10^th anniversary of the Ferguson Uprising, seven African-American filmmakers from St. Louis have created short films about how their lives and their community have been shaped by the events of that fateful 2014 day. The result is the TEN YEARS project, which will premier on Nov. 17. 
• Film lovers and future filmmakers can take part in masterclasses held during SLIFF, including one on “Music for Films: How and What to Listen For” – and more.
• The festival concludes on Nov. 17 with an Awards Party, preceded by a screening of the Marielle Hellerfilm Nightbitch, starring Amy Adams.

Films  will be screened at iconic venues like Cinema St. Louis’ Hi-Pointe Theatre, the Chase Park Plaza, B&B West Olive, The Wildey Theatre and other locations throughout St. Louis, St. Charles and Illinois. 

Ticket information

SLIFF Tickets are now on sale at https://sliff.cinemastlouis.org/2024/, where information about films and schedules is available.