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shareThis year’s Narrative Shorts program at the St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase highlights the breadth and depth of local storytelling, offering a dynamic mix of genres, voices, and perspectives. From coming-of-age dramas and dark comedies to experimental pieces and heartfelt character studies, each film brings something distinct to the screen. Whether rooted in specific St. Louis neighborhoods or pushing boundaries with bold cinematic style, these short narratives reflect the diversity of both the region’s filmmakers and the stories they’re driven to tell.
A Q&A with the filmmakers will follow the screening.
In this program
Mississippi River Princess
Directed by Camille Casmier
A short, narrative film cataloguing the journey of two sisters from their homes in Saint Louis and Chicago, back to their motherland home in New Orleans. Pascale and Valentine, estranged from their family, embark on a project to save their connection to their spiritual roots.
The Salad
Directed by Paul C Hibbard
A woman’s simple attempt to make a salad spirals into chaos, thanks to her dysfunctional family.
The Misconduct of Mr. Arnold
Directed by Muqing Niu
Ryan, an ordinary theatergoer, is thrust into the stage spotlight when he is coerced into the role of Dave Arnold, a man entangled in a staged love triangle. As he struggles to comprehend the surreal nature of the performance, he begins to realize his free will may be an illusion—every action subtly controlled by the cryptic directors. A desperate plea from his “wife” Eva hints that her life is at risk, blurring the lines between reality and performance. When the curtain falls, Ryan is abruptly cast out, left questioning whether he was merely a pawn in a grand theatrical experiment or if he has truly lost himself in a scripted fate.
Grave Expectations
Directed by Larry Ziegelman
Jacob has kept his childhood trauma a secret from his wife until today, when he surprises her with a nighttime trip through a cemetery to confront the grave of his recently-deceased childhood bully. What begins as a difficult journey into the past becomes an unexpected opportunity for catharsis, connection, and, of course, childish revenge.
Intruder
Directed by Camille Casmier
Intruder is a ten minute short film inspired by true events. It follows Sam, a white 20-something, as he returns home on a beautiful autumn day in Crown Heights to make dinner for his boyfriend. While he’s cooking, Roberta, an older black woman claiming to be his downstairs neighbor, asks if she can use his fire escape to get into her apartment after locking herself out. Sam obliges but he starts to think she may not be who she says she is and becomes paranoid to the point of breaking into Roberta’s apartment himself. Upon entering, he finds her taking a nap, making him the intruder. He leaves the apartment without a trace and returns to his anniversary dinner as though nothing happened. The film explores gentrification in Brooklyn, assumptions around race & class, and the ways in which we have become estranged from our neighbors and the relationship we have to the communities we live in.
Disposal
Directed by Scott Wisdom
On the night of his planned proposal, a desperate man must recover an engagement ring from the garbage disposal.
NONSTOP
Directed by Andy Compton, Zach Xanders
Desperate to score cocaine for a bachelor party, two old friends travel to meet with a hard-partying acquaintance they stopped talking to more than a decade prior and soon learn this unhinged party boy has been holding a grudge ever since.
Dates & Times
Hi-Pointe Theatre
July 25, 2025
7:00 pm
