St. Louis International Film Festival (SLIFF)

Overview

The Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival (SLIFF) is a competitive, curated festival presented by the nonprofit Cinema St. Louis. The 34th edition (November 6 to 16, 2025) screened 271 films at 12 venues across Missouri and Illinois, drawing 22,921 participants, a nearly 60% increase over 2024. This figure includes 12,292 public attendees (up 24% year over year) and 10,629 students from 202 schools through the Cinema for Students program, which more than doubled its participation. The 35th edition runs November 5 to 15, 2026.

SLIFF is a regional, internationally themed festival dedicated to cross-cultural understanding through cinema. The organization's mission is to showcase the best in international, documentary, and American independent cinema, with particular emphasis on works that would otherwise never screen in St. Louis. USA Today named SLIFF one of the top "10 amazing film festivals worth traveling for" in 2019.

The juried award winner for Best Animated Short can submit to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for Oscar consideration, making SLIFF an Academy Award-qualifying festival in that category.

Submission Details

Submissions are accepted through FilmFreeway. The 35th edition (2026) has the following deadlines:

• Regular deadline: May 12, 2026
• Additional deadlines: Available on the FilmFreeway submission page
• Final deadline: August 1, 2026
• Notification date: September 1, 2026
• Entry fees: Starting from $30

Eligibility requirements:

• All films must be fully completed by the entry deadline (no works-in-progress)
• Films must be a St. Louis theatrical premiere, meaning no previous public, ticketed screening in the St. Louis metro area (St. Louis City, St. Louis County, and adjacent Illinois counties). Private cast/crew screenings and educational classroom use do not count as theatrical screenings.
• English subtitles are required for films not primarily in English
• Films must not be widely commercially available on video/DVD in the U.S. before the festival dates
• Submission must include complete FilmFreeway entry information and the required fee
• Films must be provided as secure online screeners (no physical media)

If accepted, filmmakers must:

• Sign a filmmaker agreement by September 10, including an updated synopsis, three film stills, and any additional promotional materials
• Deliver a DCP (for venues that require it) or MP4 file by September 28, 2026
• Notification of screening venue by September 15

The festival does not accept fee waiver requests once the cap has been reached.

Competition Sections

• International Feature Program: Curated world cinema from over 50 countries
• Documentary Competition: Nonfiction features competing for jury prizes, including the Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Award ($5,000 cash prize)
• Short Film Programs: Competitive and curated short films across fiction, documentary, and animation. Best Animated Short is Academy Award-qualifying.
• St. Louis Films: Films by St. Louis and Missouri filmmakers
• New Filmmakers Forum: Emerging director showcase, with "The Bobbie" award carrying a $500 cash prize
• Special Screenings: Premieres and special events

The festival screens both short films (under 40 minutes) and feature films (over 40 minutes) in both fiction and documentary categories.

Major Awards (2025 Winners, 34th Edition)

Audience Choice Awards:

• Best Documentary Film: Steal This Story, Please! (Carl Deal), about the work of Amy Goodman with Democracy Now
• Best Narrative Film: Undercard (Tamika Miller), starring Wanda Sykes in her first dramatic role
• Best Studio Film: Hamnet (Chloe Zhao)

Juried Awards:

• Best Documentary (jury prize)
• Best Narrative (jury prize)
• Shorts Awards (multiple categories, including Academy Award-qualifying Best Animated Short)
• St. Louis Film Critics' Joe Pollack Award (Best Narrative)
• St. Louis Film Critics' Joe Williams Award (Best Documentary)
• New Filmmakers Forum Emerging Director Award ("The Bobbie") - $500 cash prize
• Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Award - $5,000 cash prize
• Leon Award for Best Documentary
• Award for Best International Film
• Best Film Award

Career Honors:

• Contemporary Cinema Award: Razi Jafri (documentary filmmaker, Knight-Sundance Fellow)
• Women in Film Award: Dori Berinstein (six-time Tony-winning producer, Emmy-winning director)
• Great Perseverance Award: Christine Handy (subject of Hello, Beautiful)
• Trailblazer Award: Wanda Sykes
• Lifetime Achievement Award: W. Kamau Bell

Venues

The 2025 edition used 12 venues across Missouri and Illinois, including:

• Arkadin Cinema
• Washington University
• Hi-Pointe Theatre (awards ceremony venue)
• Cinema St. Louis' own theater

The festival's footprint spans both sides of the St. Louis metropolitan area, with screenings in Missouri and adjacent Illinois counties.

What Filmmakers Should Know

For Missouri and Midwest filmmakers: SLIFF requires a St. Louis theatrical premiere, meaning films that have screened publicly at other local venues are not eligible. The St. Louis Films section provides a dedicated platform for regional filmmakers. The November timing creates year-end momentum for films in awards consideration.

For short filmmakers: The Best Animated Short category is Academy Award-qualifying. Winning this category allows filmmakers to submit their film for Oscar consideration without the standard theatrical run. Short films (under 40 minutes) and feature films (over 40 minutes) are both accepted.

For documentary filmmakers: The Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Award carries a $5,000 cash prize, one of the larger documentary cash awards at a regional U.S. festival. The festival has particular strength in documentary programming.

For international filmmakers: SLIFF's mission is to bring international films to St. Louis that would otherwise never screen in the region. The festival programs films from over 50 countries. The Award for Best International Film and the Leon Award for Best Documentary are audience-choice awards.

Submission strategy: The St. Louis theatrical premiere requirement means filmmakers should plan their festival circuit to avoid screening at other St. Louis-area venues before SLIFF. The $30 starting entry fee is among the more affordable for a U.S. festival of this scale.

Festival History

SLIFF was founded in 1992 as the St. Louis Film Festival and retitled the St. Louis International Film Festival in 1998. In its first year, 25 films were shown during the last week of April, with attendance estimated at 4,500. Under the direction of co-founder Barbara S. Jones, the festival established a tradition of programming a daring and eclectic array of American and foreign films.

The festival is produced by Cinema St. Louis, a not-for-profit arts organization. It has grown into one of the Midwest's signature film events, expanding from a single-week program to an 11-day festival screening 271 films across 12 venues. The Cinema for Students program, which brings festival films to school groups, has become a core component, reaching 10,629 students from 202 schools in 2025.

The 35th edition (SLIFF 2026) runs November 5 to 15, 2026. Filmmakers can submit through FilmFreeway, with a regular deadline of May 12, 2026 and a final deadline of August 1, 2026.

See Also

For Midwest film culture and independent filmmaking strategies, see Independent Filmmaking Strategies. For festival circuit planning, see Film Festival Strategy. To calculate the return on your festival submission spending, use the Festival Entry Fee ROI Calculator. For budgeting a short film, use the Indie Film Budget Calculator.