2025 SLIFF
Welcome to the 34th Annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival (SLIFF)!
SLIFF will be returning to local theatres, performance venues, public libraries, and art spaces this Nov. 6-16, 2025. Early Bird Pass sales begin Friday, Sept. 12 and tickets go on sale to the public, Oct. 11.
Annual Cinema St. Louis (CSL) Members get a sneak peek at the schedule and access to buying tickets first. Not a member? Become one today!
SLIFF: Nov. 6 – 16, 2025
FILM WITHOUT BORDERS
At the heart of the 11-day festival featuring more than 250 films is the idea that cinema expands how we see, feel, and connect. Every story invites us to look further than the world we already know, breaking down barriers of geography, culture, and ideology. In an age where division and restriction too often define our daily lives, these films remind us that imagination is boundless and that art has the power to travel freely, forging empathy and understanding across every line that seeks to separate us.
Festival History
Founded in 1992 as the St. Louis Film Festival and retitled the St. Louis International Film Festival (SLIFF) in 1998, the November festival is presented by Cinema St. Louis (CSL). It has grown into one of the Midwest’s signature film events.
Each year, SLIFF screens roughly 250 films from dozens of countries across St. Louis venues, now anchored by the historic Hi-Pointe Theatre, and pairs them with filmmaker Q&As, panels, workshops, and features an Oscar®-qualifying Shorts competition.
Since 2003, SLIFF’s free Cinema for Students program has welcomed K–12 classes to daytime screenings, and evolving spotlights, such as Race in America: The Black Experience, LGBTQ, Women in Film, Human Rights, archival presentations, and SLIFF/Kids, reflect the festival’s commitment to access and underrepresented voices, with hybrid presentation launched during the pandemic continuing to broaden reach.
