2025 SLIFF
The 34th Annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival (SLIFF), presented by arts nonprofit Cinema St. Louis (CSL), closed 11 days of screenings, events, and conversations that drew 22,921 participants, a nearly 60% increase over 2024, including 12,292 public attendees and 10,629 students from 202 schools through Cinema for Students. Public attendance grew by roughly 24% year over year, and Cinema for Students participation more than doubled, reflecting both a major rebound in school engagement and strong demand for in-person screenings. Audiences filled theaters across 12 venues in Missouri and Illinois, casting thousands of ballots and helping crown this year’s audience and juried award winners.
This year’s festival featured 271 films representing 39 countries and 37 languages, carefully selected from more than 2,500 submissions. Leaning into a “quality over quantity” approach, SLIFF continued its post-pandemic shift away from the nearly 400-title schedules of the past and toward fewer, more impactful screenings. Since the strategic pivot in 2022, public attendance has climbed nearly 70%, and in 2025, the festival averaged about 45 attendees per film, bringing room counts back in line with pre-pandemic levels. Even with a smaller slate, engagement remained strong and rooms were fuller, reflecting a strategy focused on creating “must-see” experiences rather than competing showtimes.
Guided by this year’s festival theme, FILM WITHOUT BORDERS, SLIFF invited audiences to explore how film can unite communities. From marquee events and classes to intimate Q&As, the festival highlighted stories that echoed the theme’s core ideas, challenging viewers to see the familiar in new ways and discover perspectives far beyond their own.
More than 200 volunteers helped make the festival possible, welcoming guests, managing venues, assisting filmmakers, and keeping screenings running smoothly. Their combined hours exceeded 1,500 during the festival, underscoring how deeply the St. Louis community powers SLIFF behind the scenes.
Across the festival, audiences cast thousands of ballots, awarding the coveted Audience Choice Awards to their favorite documentary feature, “Steal This Story, Please!” directed by SLIFF alum Carl Deal, showcasing the incredible work of Amy Goodman with Democracy Now; favorite narrative feature, “Undercard,” directed by SLIFF alum, Tamika Miller and starring Wanda Sykes in her first dramatic role; and favorite studio film, “Hamnet,” directed by Chloé Zhao.
For a full list of #SLIFF34 Awards, click here.
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.
