Take Ten with Artist and Filmmaker Taylor Yocom

Take Ten with Artist and Filmmaker Taylor Yocom

By Lynn Venhaus
A working artist who explores femininity in visuals ranging from collages to short films, Taylor Yocom is one to watch — and on the move, so it seems fitting that Lambert International Airport has displayed her art — an installation “My mom said to always have flowers around.”

Flowers are a focus, a fashion statement, and part of her signature style. Her recent 19-minute film, “These Flowers Are For You,” won Best Experimental Film at the St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase in July, and is among the short films being screened at the St. Louis International Film Festival.

It has been doing well on the festival circuit. In fact, last week, her film screened in three places, from Iowa to Iceland — at the Flat Earth Film Festival in Iceland and the Des Moines Underground Film Festival in addition to SLIFF (Sunday, Nov. 12, 7:15 p.m., as part of the shorts program “Showcase I,” Alamo Drafthouse 3).

Describing it as her most ambitious film to date, it depicts Yocom’s experience of being matched as a bone marrow donor. She narrates her emotional journey and artistic process of grappling with the ethics of making work for, and about, a stranger.

2020-03-11—Portraits of Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts staff members.

Her previous short films touch on issues of femininity, the idea of craft and artistic labor amid a pandemic, and revisiting a project recollecting Maria Schneider’s sexual harassment on the set of “Last Tango in Paris” — “Just because!” – 3 minutes, which screened at the Citygarden; “Flowers/distance” – 8 minutes; “That floral wallpaper” – 13 minutes; and “In Paris, I tango for Maria (take 2) – 9 minutes.

The art at Lambert — in the Southwest Airlines Terminal, was on a 60-foot pink wall, and installed in April 2022.

Taylor was born in Des Moines, Iowa, and holds a BFA in Photography from the University of Iowa and an MFA in Visual Arts from Washington University’s Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts.

Her work has been exhibited and screened in venues across North America, including Indie Memphis, FilmDiaryNYC, The Kansas Union Gallery, and the Montreal Feminist Film Festival. She has artist books and zines in collections across the country, including Rutgers University, the MOMA Library and Washington University. Her residencies include ArtFarm Nebraska and Internationale de Arts in Paris.

For more information, visit her website: www.tayloryo.com

Take Ten Q and A with Taylor Yocom

(Editor’s note: This was written during the St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase last summer)

1. What is special about your latest project?

My latest film is about my journey of being matched as a bone marrow donor, the artistic documentation of that journey, and my own self reflection of the ethics of making work about a stranger. I was matched to donate to a woman who had leukemia like my maternal grandma that I never got to meet. Going through this process and making this film was an unexpected way to get closer to my mom and learn about her experience with her mother during her final days. 

2. Why did you choose your profession/pursue the arts?

I am currently an artist and filmmaker working in photography, collage, fibers, and film. I always was “crafty” as a kid and started to really take art seriously when I navigated towards photography and art in college. I would spend Friday nights at my typewriter and stack of magazines, making collages, and would bring my film camera to parties. Taking classes for fun turned into a minor, which turned into a major, and then I went to grad school for my MFA in Visual Art at the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis.

3. How would your friends describe you?

Upbeat, always working on a project, most likely wearing a floral dress and talking about my cat too much. 

4. How do you like to spend your spare time?

“I built my own loom and now enjoy weaving and watching ‘Sex and the City’ on repeat at my studio. 

5. What is your current obsession?

This $7 bag of very good gummy bears I got on sale at Schnucks! On a more serious note, I’m diving into learning about jacquard weaving and just devoured the book “Thread Ripper” by Amalie Smith. 

6. What would people be surprised to find out about you?

I was on the debate team in high school.

7. Can you share one of your most defining moments in life?

I was registering for classes during freshman year and thought “why not?” and took the last slot for an art class,

8. Who do you admire most?

Ah, so many! Within the arts I would definitely choose Moyra Davey, the filmmaker and artist. She has a very smart, poetic yet research-driven practice and lives in the art-writing-film world in an impactful way. 

9. What is at the top of your bucket list?

Make a feature-length film.

10. How were you affected by the pandemic years, and anything you would like to share about what got you through and any lesson learned during the isolation periods? Any reflections on how the arts were affected? And what it means to move forward?

I was very privileged to be able to work from home during that time with minimal financial impact, so I want to acknowledge that not everyone had that luxury. As for the arts, for me, I took it as an opportunity to slow down and focus on the act of making. I think there was more of an appreciation for art-for-arts-sake and the power of beautiful and moving objects to create meaning in our lives. 

11. What is your favorite thing to do in St. Louis?

I love getting lost in the galleries at SLAM and also visiting Moonshine the horse in Tower Grove Park. 

12. What’s next?

I received a RAC grant to go to Vancouver to learn Jacquard weaving! I am working on patterns I’ve drawn that are based on floral patterns I’ve found in vintage periodicals at the Dowd Illustration Research Archive here. I’ll be making them into tapestries!

Photo by Kalaija Mallery

More About Taylor Yocom
 
Age: 30
Birthplace: Des Moines, Iowa
Current location: St. Louis:
Education: MFA in Visual Art at the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis, BFA in Photography from the University of Iowa
First movie you were involved in or made: In Paris, I tango for Maria (take 2) was my first short film
Favorite jobs/roles/plays or work in your medium? I love films by Agnes Varda.
Awards/Honors/Achievements: Bustle Upstart Awardee in 2016, Residency at Cite Internationale des Arts in 2018
Favorite quote/words to live by: Anything from Julia Cameron
A song that makes you happy: Dancing Queen by Abba

“My mom said to always have flowers around” artwork by Taylor Yocom in installation at Lambert International Airport Terminal 2, April 2022.

Sightlines: Reflecting on This Year’s St. Louis Filmmakers’ Showcase

Sightlines: Reflecting on This Year’s St. Louis Filmmakers’ Showcase

By Lynn Venhaus
Congratulations to the local filmmakers who put their time, energy, money and creativity into making a local movie — 91 films were accepted this year! And a record number of women — 22 females directed movies! All these reasons to cheer.

Sunday night (July 30) was the 23rd Annual St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase Awards closing party, and this year, it was at Cinema St. Louis’ forever home, the Hi-Pointe Theatre.

Artistic Director Chris Clark, now in his 23rd year, announced the 14 films that move on to the 32nd Annual St. Louis International Film Festival Nov. 9-19, which is quite an honor: They are:

Gorilla Tactics
  1. The Box, directed by Doveed Linder
  2. The Candy Crucible, directed by Micah Deeken
  3. Captcha, directed by Andy Compton
  4. clusterluck, directed by Cami Thomas
  5. Eliza, directed by Delisa Richardson and Dan Steadman
  6. Fortune Cookie, directed by Fu Yang
  7. Gorilla Tactics, directed by Michael Long
  8. The Highland Incident, directed by Zia Nizami
  9. Honorable, directed by Zachary Scott Clark and Mariah Richardson
  10. Nova, directed by Gabe Sheets
  11. Pretty Boy, directed by Kevin Coleman-Cohen
  12. The Queue, directed by Michael Rich
  13. These Flowers Were for You, directed by Taylor Yocom
  14. Up for Air, directed by Chase Norman

The SLIFF schedule will be released in early fall. The festival will showcase various films across multiple venues throughout the St. Louis area, including the Alamo Drafthouse and CSL’s new home, the Hi-Pointe Theatre. The festival will offer more than 250 films, including documentary and narrative features and short film programs from the widest possible range of storytellers, representing multiple countries featuring more than 25 native languages.  

For this year’s St. Louis Filmmakers’ Showcase, 20 juried awards were given out in narrative, and also 10 in documentary and experimental. (See article recap in News: https://poplifestl.com/captcha-and-somewhere-in-old-missouri-win-three-awards-each-at-st-louis-filmmakers-showcase/).

Want to give a shout-out to all, and those in attendance after being part of 17 programs over two weekends, truly inspiring.

Michael Rich

To see people thrilled about their achievements being recognized, to peg certain folks as artists to keep your eyes on, and to meet some of the filmmakers is always fun. (How such a nice person as Michael Rich can make such terrifying, dark films — his “The Queue” won horror this year, and he’s won in the past. (Side note, his film will be part of Franki Cambeletta’s Haunted Garage Horror Film Festival Oct. 5-7 at the Hi-Pointe, so will “The Candy Crucible.”).

And to follow success of people I met when I was an adjunct journalism/media instructor at STLCC-Forest Park in ’09 and see them produce passion projects — Kevin Coleman-Cohen and Mariah Richardson, is exciting.

CSL established the categories — a solid list, and last year, I lobbied for ensemble to be added (recognized more in recent years in film awards, and St. Louis Film Critics Association added it in ’22). This year, other jurors and I felt that with the increase in horror/thriller films, we needed that genre category.

Since 2009, I have served on the narrative jury a number of times,  not every year, and certainly not the four times my late son Tim Venhaus’ comedies made the cut, but a considerable amount. I am always eager to see what local folks are up to, and I can attest the quality has grown by leaps and bounds.

This year, the quality of original music was quite exceptional – a longer list of worthy nominees.

(In my opinion, the four biggest things, negatively, are: sound and lighting, quality of acting and the follow-through —  how to end a story. I, too, have seen Francois Truffaut’s “The 400 Blows” and freeze-framing the final shot isn’t always the way to go. My latest pet peeve is how fake the fake blood looks, some far better than others, but I digress.)

We are here to celebrate film and the joy involved in community.

Through the whole festival, you see a sense of community — of collaboration, of coming together to produce an original work, emphasis on original. Everybody’s got a story to tell, and how they choose to tell it is a journey unto itself.

Winners Delisa Richardson, Mia Bible, Zachary Scott Clark, Kazia Steele. Photo Provided.

Movie-making is very hard work, and if you’ve spent long hours on a movie shoot, you know it’s something to admire – stamina, resourcefulness, ability to be flexible, and the long hours trying to capture the right angle or light.

Plus it takes courage. And tapping the right people for the job.

In recent years, some actors I know through covering regional theater are in front of a camera, and that’s a fun component – seeing a new side to them. Don McClendon, you must be the champ of most films in a year. David Wassilak, living in your mom’s basement in “The Box”? Eric Dean White, I can’t unsee your image as a creep in “Finch”! Paul Cereghino, you didn’t really kill that baby chick, did you? And is that Alan Knoll as a prison warden in “Penitentia”?

This year I was introduced to Zachary Scott Clark as Boy Willie in Encore’s “The Piano Lesson,” and to see him become Muhammed Ali in “Honorable” was impressive (how intimidating to play a historical figure!), and likewise, improv comedic actor Ryan Myers in “Captcha” — is he or is he not a robot?

And to discover new talent — Kazia Steele in “Eliza,” Ramone Boyd in “Pretty Boy” and the musicians in “Somewhere in Old Missouri,” among others. And see how hard Tanner Richard Craft works making movies that say something.

Or seeing people you know as actors, Delisa Richardson, move behind the scenes as a writer and director, in “Eliza.”

Tanner Richard Craft in “Processing”

Through promoting the local arts scene, and Cinema St. Louis’ programs, I enjoy meeting these people who are letting their voices be heard, collaborating with others on a labor of love, and have a distinct point of view.

Sadly, some very good films become also-rans. Not everyone can get a trophy, and we always have a healthy discussion on why certain films receive recognition, and others don’t. We don’t name the runners-up. But we do admire many efforts that don’t make that cut — “Cheated!” was a clever original musical told in a few minutes! Attorney Ed Herman spoke the truth in the comically entertaining animated short “Ed V Bathrooms.”

Spencer Davis Milford

And some actors are quite good in films that are in the conversation but just don’t get the top vote. (Brock Russell and Spencer Davis Milford, we enjoyed you guys in the offbeat black comedy “Food Poisoning” — who knew funny and cannibalism could be in the same sentence? Likewise, two outstanding females in “Broken Vessels” — Alicia Blasingame and Cathy Vu, the dynamic duo of Chrissie Watkins and Joe Hanrahan in “Patient #47,” Rusty Schwimmer in “Penetentia,” and the list is long.

I particularly enjoy seeing different shot selection — local parks, neighborhoods, cool historic homes, use of rivers, high schools, colleges. After all, this is “St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase.” Filmmakers from here who’ve moved can shoot where they are, like L.A., but it’s really fun to see different parts of the ‘Lou, or Illinois, with fresh eyes. Hmmm, that diner is in St. Charles? Is that bar in south city? In “Pretty Boy,” Kevin Coleman-Cohen used ‘underground’ downtown areas that were fascinating.

A film can be 3 minutes, like “Up for Air,” and make its point effectively, or it can be a half-hour, like “Honorable,” and deliver a sense of time and place eloquently. We know they didn’t fly to Ghana, but you understood the setting.

A nondescript apartment became a prison for someone in a mental health crisis in “Where Monsters Lurk.” And Gabe Sheets used a vintage Chevy Nova to tell a transgender teen’s story in “Nova.”

And for Fu Yang’s brilliant stop-motion animation “Fortune Cookie,” the amount of thought and effort is remarkable (won animation/experimental and best narrative under 20 minutes). The backstory told by many directors in their notes is key to understanding all that is involved.

So, the best of the best moves on, while excellent efforts may not get the SLIFF spotlight, but I hope can be seen in other ways. A film has to be seen, and felt. And sometimes, that filmmaker will come back stronger the next year.

Andy Compton, Ryan Myers, Larry Claudin and composer Austin McCutcheon. Photo provided.

I look forward to see what Andy Compton is up to next, and hope to see some shorts turned into features for ambitious filmmakers. (Scott Wisdom’s “No Rest for the Wicked” perhaps).

The narrative jury watched 59 films this year. Chris gave us a good lead time, and our panel would text each other about certain ones, sometimes we’d go back and watch one a second time to evaluate. The due diligence that I witnessed in fellow jurors Alex McPherson and Cate Marquis is a commitment we willingly take on, because it’s important.

I know the doc committee feels the same way — Carl “The Intern” Middleman, my podcast colleague, watched his slate before he left for a fishing trip to Canada. So did Aisha Sultan, whose family went on an overseas trip, back to discuss the winners. Gayle Gallagher was on hand Sunday night to talk about their decisions.

Now I need to watch the docs I missed, particularly Zia Nizami’s “The Highland Incident.” Zia is a former Belleville News-Democrat photographer that I have known for years, and I was covering metro-east news when the UFO incident was reported in 2001. It will be part of SLIFF.

Hope to see you film fans and dreamers at SLIFF in November.

And kudos to all the folks at Cinema St. Louis who work so very hard to make this annual event happen. Thanks, Bree Maniscalco, Brian Spath and of course, fearless AD Chris Clark.

The Candy Crucible. Not a Superhero or Disney Princess in sight.

Cover photo of winners Mia Bible and Zachary Scott Clark at the Hi-Pointe, July 30. Photo used with permission.

‘Captcha’ and ‘Somewhere In Old Missouri’ Win Three Awards Each at St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase

‘Captcha’ and ‘Somewhere In Old Missouri’ Win Three Awards Each at St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase

The Whitaker St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase, an annual presentation of the nonprofit Cinema St. Louis (CSL), serves as the area’s primary venue for films made by local artists. The Showcase screened works that were shot in the St. Louis region or were written, directed, or produced by St. Louis-area residents or by filmmakers with strong local ties who are now working elsewhere. The Showcase’s 14 film programs ranged from narrative and documentary features to multi-film compilations of fiction, experimental, and documentary shorts.

The closing-night awards presentation took place in the Hi-Pointe Theatre on Sunday, July 30. Announced were nearly two dozen Showcase jury awards — including two $500 prizes to the overall Best Documentary and Narrative Showcase film. Cinema St. Louis staff also announced the films that will move on to the 32nd Annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival in November. Below are the winners.

Narrative jury awards:

  1. Best Costumes – The Candy Crucible
  2. Best Makeup/Hairstyling – Eliza
  3. Best Use of Music – Somewhere in Old Missouri – Mother Meat, Bas Drogo, & Kevin Koehler
  4. Best Sound – Kyle Pham, Up for Air
  5. Best Production Design/Art Direction – Somewhere is Old Missouri
  6. Best Special/Visual Effects – Austin Zwibelman, Processing…
  7. Best Editing – Chase Norman & Hattie Smith, Up for Air
  8. Best Cinematography – Chris Lawing, Penitentia
  9. Best Screenplay – Andy Compton, Captcha
  10. Best Actor – Zachary Scott Clark, “Honorable”
  11. Best Actress – Kazia Steele, “Eliza”
  12. Best Ensemble – Honorable
  13. Best Direction – Kevin Coleman-Cohen, “Pretty Boy”
  14. Best Animated Film – Gorilla Tactics, Michael Long
  15. Best Comedy – Captcha, Andy Compton
  16. Best Drama – Pretty Boy, Kevin Coleman-Cohen
  17. Best Horror/Thriller – The Queue, Michael Rich
  18. Best Narrative Film under 20 minutes – Fortune Cookie, Fu Yang
  19. Best Narrative Feature over 20 minutes – Somewhere is Old Missouri, Tom Boyer
Bring Dat Mono Back

Documentary & Experimental jury awards:

  1. Best Animated Documentary or Experimental Film – Fortune Cookie, Fu Yang
  2. Best Use of Music – Bring Dat Mono Back, Edward Thornton
  3. Best Sound – Loup Garou, Erin Greenwell
  4. Best Editing – Todd Soliday, Uncle Bully’s Surf Skool
  5. Best Cinematography – Papa Blankson, Shark Brained
  6. Best Direction – Raising Spirits | The Big Muddy Dance Company, Chadwell & Ria Ruthsatz
  7. Best Documentary under 20 minutes – The Highland Incident, Zia Nizami
  8. Best Documentary Feature over 20 minutes – clusterluck, Cami Thomas
  9. Best Experimental Film – These Flowers Were for You, Taylor Yocom
Raising Spirits. The Big Muddy Dance Company.

Films invited to SLIFF:

  1. The Box, directed by Doveed Linder
  2. The Candy Crucible, directed by Micah Deeken
  3. Captcha, directed by Andy Compton
  4. clusterluck, directed by Cami Thomas
  5. Eliza, directed by Delisa Richardson and Dan Steadman
  6. Fortune Cookie, directed by Fu Yang
  7. Gorilla Tactics, directed by Michael Long
  8. The Highland Incident, directed by Zia Nizami
  9. Honorable, directed by Zachary Scott Clark and Mariah Richardson
  10. Nova, directed by Gabe Sheets
  11. Pretty Boy, directed by Kevin Coleman-Cohen
  12. The Queue, directed by Michael Rich
  13. These Flowers Were for You, directed by Taylor Yocom
  14. Up for Air, directed by Chase Norman
The Box

Chellapa-Vedavalli Foundation Best of Fest Essy Awards $500 cash prize: 

Documentary: Bring Dat Mono Back, Edward Thornton

Narrative: Captcha, directed by Andy Compton

Somewhere In Old Missouri

Instagram: @stlfilmshowcase Twitter: @stlfilmshowcase Facebook: @STLFilmmakersShowcase

For more information, the public should visit cinemastlouis.org.

Pretty Boy

Cinema St. Louis

For more than 30 years, Cinema St. Louis (CSL) has served as the region’s go-to arts nonprofit for educating and inspiring audiences of all ages through film. Annually, the organization hosts the St. Louis International Film Festival (SLIFF) —  included among USA Today’s 10 Best “Film Festivals Worth Traveling To” — as well as the St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase, QFest St. Louis, Classic French Film Festival, and Golden Anniversaries. In addition, Cinema St. Louis seeks to engage younger audiences, exposing them to the possibilities of becoming filmmakers, through free hands-on filmmaking camps and screenings through Cinema for Students.

Take Ten with Filmmaker Fu Yang

Take Ten with Filmmaker Fu Yang

By Lynn Venhaus

Feeling burnt out, Fu Yang took a real-life event, wrapped it inside a metaphorical tale about being consumed by an authority’s endless needs, being unappreciated and manipulated, and made an animated short, “Fortune Cookie.”

She is one of 22 female directors whose work was accepted into this year’s St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase. The nearly 4-minute stop-motion short is part of the Animation and Experimental Shorts line-up that will be shown at 1 p.m. on Sunday, July 30.

“The film speaks about where I was and how I saw a new path from the dead end,” she said..

Through personal projects, she shares pieces of herself and the culture she grew up in, she said. “I see every work as a journal to connect with people and share a message on subjects that matter in my heart.”

The short was created through a Voices With Impact production grant and premiered at Art With Impact ‘s Voices With Impact mental health film festival in June. 

Yang, originally from Taiwan, came to San Francisco to study traditional animation in 2016. In 2022, she re-established an animation studio with her husband, Ben Ellerbracht, in St. Louis.

In her biography, she said being an alien in the US has made her more sensitive to other storytellers trying to express their roots through filmmaking as a way to bridge communication and understanding among different cultures. Having the experience as a foreign art student also brings her attention to how other immigrants follow their dreams and break through the barrier of language and limited resources they often have, she said.

Tools of the trade for her stop-motion project.

The Whitaker St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase, an annual presentation of the nonprofit Cinema St. Louis, serves as the area’s primary venue for films made by local artists. The Showcase screens works that were written, directed, edited, or produced by St. Louis natives or films with strong local ties. Artistic Director Chris Clark said they chose to include 91 films.

The 17 film programs that screen at the Hi-Pointe Theatre from July 21-23 and 28-30 serve as the Showcase’s centerpiece. The Closing-Night Awards Party is at 7:30 p.m. at the Hi-Pointe Theatre.

The film programs range from full-length fiction and documentary features to multi-film compilations of fiction, documentary, and experimental shorts. The programs with feature films include post- screening Q&As with the filmmakers and/or subjects.

For a complete schedule and more information, visit: https://www.cinemastlouis.org/23rd-annual-st-louis-filmmakers-showcase

Fu Yang

Take Ten Q&A with Fu Yang:

1. Why did you choose your profession/pursue the arts?

It feels more natural to me to open up and connect with people through crafts and animation. I believe films have the power of empathy and can broaden the viewers’ knowledge and strengthen their minds.

2. How would your friends describe you?

Composed and resilient workaholic. 

3. How do you like to spend your spare time?

Snuggle with my hubby and puppy.

4. What is your current obsession?

Ramen.

5. What would people be surprised to find out about you?

I am a cheerful person who tends to create dark stories.

6. Can you share one of your most defining moments in life?

Every moment when I am physically animating a stop-motion scene.

7. Who do you admire most?

My Mom is a saint.

8. What is at the top of your bucket list?

Create reality competition shows about stop-motion animation to highlight the creators, storytelling and craftsmanship.

9. How were you affected by the pandemic years, and anything you would like to share about what got you through and any lesson learned during the isolation periods? Any reflections on how the arts were affected? And what it means to move forward?

When Black Lives Matter and Stop Asian Hate movements happened along with the pandemic, I transited more of my creative energy on my identity and seeking understanding among different cultures through my art and work content.

10. What is your favorite thing to do in St. Louis? (Or your hometown)

Typing preplans of film projects on my studio deck.

11. What’s next?

Write a truthful animated short about sibling rivalry reflecting Taiwanese 90s to present memories.

More on Fu Yang

Name: Fu Yang 楊馥
Birthplace: Taiwan
Current location: St. Louis
Education: Academy of Art University | San Francisco, CA  2016 – 2019
MFA Traditional and Stop Motion Animation
Day job: Freelance Content Creator
First job: Album Cover Design
https://tompkinssquare.bandcamp.com/album/anti

First movie you were involved in or made: TellTale (2019)
https://fuyang.wixsite.com/fuyang/telltale-thesis-film

Favorite jobs/roles/plays or work in your medium? Teaching and producing animation interview program, Nice Shorts.
https://www.instagram.com/niceshorts.interview/

Dream job/opportunity: Hold stop-motion workshop & animation festival in St. Louis

Awards/Honors/Achievements: Voices with Impact Production Grantee for Fortune Cookie Short Film

Favorite quote/words to live by: Love & Kind

A song that makes you happy: Religious Man ( I am I am )

https://www.instagram.com/p/CKsI_A-DDIf/

Here is her director’s statement on this content, on why she focused on burnout:

“The original concept came out as a reflection of my working experience right after graduating from art school. I volunteered at non-profits believing in their missions. I trusted their false promises that they would consider hiring me in the future, and I dedicated all my time and efforts to proving my worth to the team

However, what I did seemed never good enough and never fit their qualifications of being “a true professional.” Those authorities told me it is normal for aspiring artists to compromise on their well-beings and payments as an exchange for their exposures and opportunities– this is how “everyone” starts in the beginning. I felt my face became their advertisement of embracing diversity, but my voice was undervalued. My projects related to servicing justice and supporting artists, but I was not the case to be noticed and considered.

I need an exit to put my mixed feeling of hopelessness, exhaustion and anxiety aside. Therefore, I want to transform the negativity into art to remind myself, other aspiring artists and young professionals the importance of knowing our limits and taking care of our well-beings while pursuing our dreams. People who are older than us, staying in the industry longer than us and having more resources than us do not mean they have the right to surpass and manipulate others. Be brave to say no and walk away. Believe in ourselves and find the right community to heal and to grow.” — Fu Yang

Take Ten with St. Louis Filmmaker Andy Compton

Take Ten with St. Louis Filmmaker Andy Compton

By Lynn Venhaus
At home behind a movie camera, Andy Compton has strived to be a resourceful filmmaker, working through pitfalls to take a film from page to screen. Post-pandemic, he has been busy, crafting shorts that have been accepted for the St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase, and last year’s comedy, “Ethan and Edna,” played at the St. Louis International Film Festival.

He’s currently working on four more shorts this summer through fall.

“Basically, just having a blast making stuff with my friends and trying to keep getting better as a filmmaker,” he said. 

His latest “Captcha,” a sci-fi horror thriller comedy short, will be screened as part of the Narrative Shorts #4 Program on Saturday, July 22, at 9 p.m. at the Hi-Pointe Theatre. At the July 30 Closing Night Awards Party, Cinema St. Louis’ artistic director Chris Clark will announce which of the 91 films screened this year will move on to SLIFF in November (3-13).

The Whitaker St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase, an annual presentation of the nonprofit Cinema St. Louis, serves as the area’s primary venue for films made by local artists.The Showcase screens works that were written, directed, edited, or produced by St. Louis natives or films with strong local ties.

The 17 film programs that screen at the Hi-Pointe Theatre from July 21-23 and 28-30 serve as the Showcase’s centerpiece. In addition, the event features a quartet of live-streamed master classes — the legal-issues class is also available as an in-person event — and the Closing-Night Awards Party at the Hi-Pointe Theatre.

The film programs range from full-length fiction and documentary features to multi-film compilations of fiction, documentary, and experimental shorts. The programs with feature films include post- screening Q&As with the filmmakers and/or subjects.

For a complete schedule and more information, visit: https://www.cinemastlouis.org/23rd-annual-st-louis-filmmakers-showcase

You can find Andy’s films on his YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/@andycompton and follow him on social media — @andycompton_ on twitter and Instagram

He also produces “The Social Screenwriters Podcast,” where he interview screenwriters he has met on the internet about who they are, their projects, their writing process, and more. Available on podcast platforms.

“It’s a fun listen for writers chasing this crazy dream,” he said..

Here’s more about Andy.

Q&A QUESTIONS FOR “TAKE TEN”:

1. What is special about your latest project?

I think the most special thing about our latest short film, CAPTCHA, is that we shot it with a 4-person crew of friends for only about $250 when all was said and done. I’m incredibly proud of what we were able to make with very few resources.

2. Why did you choose your profession/pursue the arts?

A turbulent childhood coupled with a need for attention. That’s the recipe.

3. How would your friends describe you?

I would hope for charismatic and outgoing but more likely weird guy who goes to see movies alone.

4. How do you like to spend your spare time?

I grew up skateboarding and I’m still holding onto that at 35. Playing guitar. Watching movies. Pretty much the same stuff I was doing when I was 14. 

5. What is your current obsession?

Watching YouTubers watch movies I love for the first time and seeing how much they love it or if they cry when I cried or get scared when I got scared. I was just watching people react to Avatar 2 (another James Cameron banger).

6. What would people be surprised to find out about you?

Probably that I’m a former high school dropout. I quit school at 16, then just worked random jobs for most of my 20s until I got my GED at 26, enrolled in community college at 27, and graduated from Webster University with a Bachelor’s degree in Scriptwriting at 31. I took the long road, lol.

7. Can you share one of your most defining moments in life?

When I got sober in 2017. Drugs and alcohol were a big part of my life from my early teens on through my 20s. Eventually, I started noticing that those things were only holding me back in life. Then in 2017, I got a DUI. Obviously not proud of it, but it was undoubtedly the best thing that could have happened to me at that time and I was able to turn my life around starting the next day and I haven’t looked back since. Life has gotten so much better. Coming up on 6 years in September. 

8. Who do you admire most?

My mom. 

9. What is at the top of your bucket list?

I want to kickflip over the Arch.

10. How were you affected by the pandemic years, and anything you would like to share about what got you through and any lesson learned during the isolation periods? Any reflections on how the arts were affected? And what it means to move forward?

My hair got a lot more gray during the pandemic and I’m not sure if it was caused by the stress or simply coincidence. But, obviously it was a tragic and scary time for everyone. I will say, as a natural introvert, I was not mad about being forced to stay inside everyday. I got a ton of writing done. I was actually supposed to graduate from Webster in May 2020, but it was postponed. Also, we had a short film I had directed at Webster called TIN BOX entering into the film festival circuit at the time so all of that went online as well. It was a bummer for sure, but when people are losing family members out there, it was kind of hard to be upset about my dumb short film or not walking at graduation right away. It’s an interesting time for filmmakers as just when pandemic restrictions were lifted, the Writer’s Guild and Actor’s Guild have gone on strike (rightfully so), so it’s another pause on progress for those of us trying to break into the industry. That’s life, though. 

11. What is your favorite thing to do in St. Louis?

I’m a big St. Louis Blues fan so I love going to games. Also, Grammy Sammies at The Gramophone. Also, seeing shows at The Improv Shop. I did their training program when I first got sober and played on some teams until I just got too busy chasing the film dream. It’s a great theater and great community, though. Go see a show!

12. What’s next?

A lot! The same team behind CAPTCHA have another short film in post-production right now, then we’re shooting three more in August, September, and October. Four shorts from June to October seemed like a great idea earlier this year but now that we’re doing it, it’s a lot! But, I’m too stubborn to admit defeat so we’re pressing on. Basically, just having a blast making stuff with my friends and trying to keep getting better as a filmmaker. 

More on Andy:

Name: Andy Compton
Age: 35.
Birthplace: Lansing, Michigan
Current location: St. Louis Missouri
Education: Bachelor’s degree in Scriptwriting/Minor in Film & Television Production from Webster University
Day job: Wedding/Event Videography
First job: Line cook at Sonic Drive-in
First movie you were involved in or made: PET TURTLES, written & directed by Vern Tooley. Some improv friends and I were extras in one scene. My best friend and actor in all my movies, Larry Claudin, stars.
Favorite jobs/roles/plays or work in your medium: Due to a lack of budget, I’m usually wearing a lot of hats on the shorts I make. I write, direct, produce, edit, do production design, wardrobe, casting, etc. Of all those, I love the writing process, but my absolute favorite part is directing. Writing is a lonely profession. Being on-set with a whole creative team throwing out ideas, and actors who bring their own flavor to the words you put on the page is the best part. I also love doing improv on-set so I just love pitching jokes on the fly to actors and seeing if we can make the crew laugh. If the crew laughs, I know it’s funny.
Dream job/opportunity: I would love to develop a movie with Adam Sandler. He’s one of my heroes and it would be an honor to direct him in something. I think I would have to fist fight the Safdie Brothers to get to him, though.
Awards/Honors/Achievements: I had two feature scripts, SUPLEX, and BELLYACHE, make the Semifinals of the Nicholl Fellowship, the screenwriting competition run by The Academy in 2020. That kind of kicked off a lot of things for me and helped me land a manager in LA. 
Favorite quote/words to live by: Be kind.
A song that makes you happy: “Check the Rhime” by A Tribe Called Quest

Popster Picks for Monday, Sept. 26

Popster Picks for Monday, Sept. 26

By Lynn Venhaus

LIVE STREAMING: NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test Spacecraft (DART)

DART is set to collide with a small asteroid that is the moon of a larger space rock, Dimorphos. NASA launched the DART mission last year to see if this technique could one day be used for planetary defense.

DART is set to crash into Dimorphos at 14,000 miles per hour at 6:14 p.m. Central time on Monday.

NASA Television will broadcast coverage of the end of this mission beginning at 5 p.m. You can watch it here on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21X5lGlDOfg

If you want to watch a stream of photos from the spacecraft as it closes in on the asteroid, NASA’s media channel will begin broadcasting those at 4:30 p.m. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nA9UZF-SZoQ

From the New York Times:

The DART mission isn’t like the movie “Armageddon.” Blowing up an asteroid generally would not be a good thing to do. Rather, the mission is a proof-of-principle demonstration that hitting an oncoming asteroid with a projectile can nudge it into a different orbit.

For a dangerous oncoming asteroid, that nudge could be enough to change the trajectory from a direct hit to a near miss.


TV: “tasteMAKERS,” PBS Nine, 8 p.m.

In an hour-long documentary, “Winemaking in Missouri: A Well-Cultivated History,” Emmy-winning producer and host Catherine Neville (cover photo, above) dives deep to uncover the roots of one of the U.S.’s most storied wine regions, which at one time was the second largest wine—producing state in the country.

The documentary traces the nearly 200-year history of Missouri’s rich winemaking past and discusses its present as one of the state’s leading industries.

The series “Taste Makers” explores the local food movement, and the show can also be found on Amazon Prime.

(Besides Monday, it will be on Sept. 27 at 10 p.m., Oct. 1 at 2:30 p.m., and Oct. 2 at 2 p.m. on Nine PBS)

A Chorus Line at Stages St. Louis. Photo by Phillip Hamer.

LIVE THEATRE: “A Chorus Line,” Stages St. Louis, Kirkwood Performing Arts Center.
Stages St. Louis closes out its ground-breaking 36th season with “A Chorus Line,” ending on Oct. 9. The show is not performed on Mondays, but you can see it Tuesday through Sunday (with 2 shows on Wednesday, a matinee at 2 p.m. and an evening show). It’s directed by Stages’ artistic director Gayle Seay, who knows that story well – she’s appeared in Broadway shows and on tour, including several stints in “A Chorus Line.”

Here is my review in the Webster-Kirkwood Times: https://www.timesnewspapers.com/webster-kirkwoodtimes/a-vibrant-theater-masterpiece/article_83dc9972-3a8d-11ed-8b9c-ff2eebcd1693.ht

Tasty: Sugar Fire Smokehouse is celebrating its 10th anniversary

In a space in a strip center in Olivette on Sept. 26, 2012, Charlie Downs and chef Mike Johnson opened Sugarfire Smoke House, and it didn’t take long before the lines formed.

They eventually opened 12 more in Missouri and Illinois, and have three more in Colorado, Iowa and Texas. To see the locations and hours, visit: https://sugarfiresmokehouse.com/locations/

Their RIBBLE ME THIS special today had pulled rib, mac and cheese, fried pickles, and honey badger sauce in a flour tortilla.

Check out their Facebook page and Instagram for their daily specials and what’s happening.

ON THIS DAY: “West Side Story” debuts at the Winter Garden Theatre, 1957

The Leonard Bernstein-Stephen Sondheim-Jerome Robbins’ musical “West Side Story” premiered in Broadway. The original, directed and choreographed by Robbins, was Sondheim’s Broadway debut. It ran for 732 performances before going on tour.

Nominated for six Tony Awards, it won two (lost to “The Music Man” for Best Musical).
It ran in London’s West End, has had a number of revivals. The 1961 movie was nominated for 11 Academy Awards, winning 10. The 2021 film, nominated for seven Oscars, features Oscar winner Adriana DeBose as Anita.

Spielberg’s film is currently available streaming on HBOMax.

Fun Fact: The 2021 film features several Muny alums, including:  Sean Harrison Jones as Action (Mike in “A Chorus Line” 2016, “Newsies” 2016); Jonalyn Saxer (Peggy Sawyer in 2017’s “42nd Street”); Eloise Krupp (Minnie Faye in 2014’s “Hello, Dolly!”); Halli Toland (), Kyle Coffman (“Seven Brides for Seven Brothers”2021, “Newsies”2016, “West Side Story” 2013); Garrett Hawe (“Seven Brides for Seven Brothers”2021) and Gaby Diaz (“West Side Story” 2013.

My review of 2021 “West Side Story”:  https://www.poplifestl.com/west-side-story-brims-with-vitality/

Playlist: TV Theme Songs

The popular sitcoms “The Beverly Hillbillies” (1962, featuring Belleville’s own Buddy Ebsen), “Gilligan’s Island” (1964) and “The Brady Bunch” (1969) premiered today. Their theme songs are among the most iconic. Here they are:

The Beverly Hillbillies: https://youtu.be/OvE9zJgm8OY

Gilligan’s Island: (Second season here) https://youtu.be/-fqXcKFg08w

The Brady Bunch: https://youtu.be/d2JooUMsDdA

Paul Newman

Words for Today
From Paul Newman, who died on this date in 2008 at age 83:
“If you don’t have enemies, you don’t have character.”

21st Annual St Louis Filmmakers Showcase Now Underway Virtually

21st Annual St Louis Filmmakers Showcase Now Underway Virtually

The Whitaker St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase, an annual presentation of the nonprofit Cinema St. Louis (CSL), serves as the area’s primary venue for films made by local artists. The Showcase screens works that were shot in the St. Louis region or were written, directed, or produced by St. Louis-area residents or by filmmakers with strong local ties who are now working elsewhere. 

Because of the continuing Covid-19 health crisis, the Showcase will again be presented virtually in 2021. CSL will once more partner with Eventive on the virtual festival. Films will be available to view on demand anytime from July 16-25. There are no geographic limits on access. Once a ticket-holder begins watching a program, access remains available for 48 hours. 

The Showcase’s 15 film programs range from narrative and documentary features to multi-film compilations of fiction and documentary shorts. Feature programs will include recorded Q&As with filmmakers, which will also be available on CSL’s YouTube channel. In addition to the film programs, this year’s event will feature four free master classes focused on key aspects of filmmaking. These will be offered as livestreams at specific times/dates during the Showcase. 

The July 25 closing-night awards presentation will be either an in-person outdoor party or a livestream. Visit the CSL website for updated info. Announced during the event will be nearly two dozen Showcase jury awards — including a $500 prize to the Best Showcase Film. Cinema St. Louis staff will also announce the films that will move on to the 30th annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival in November.

The 102 films and four master classes in this year’s Showcase will be available to be seen worldwide and include the following:

  • Animated and Experimental Shorts: More than two dozen animated and experimental works will be presented in two colorful shorts programs. 
  • The Balancing Act: Circus Harmony’s Jessica Henthoff directed this charming peek behind the curtains at how current and former performers coped during the pandemic.
  • Doc Shorts: Two illuminating and thoughtful documentary-short programs feature a wide range of stories and subjects.
  • The Final 19: Director Tim Breitbach tells the astonishing true story of Sgt. Dan Hefel, one of the final 19 prisoners of war to come home from Vietnam. 
  • House of Thunder: Paul Schankman produced this fascinating documentary about a pivotal but little-known Revolutionary War battle.
  • Indians, Outlaws, Marshals and the Hangin’ Judge: Director Larry Foley uses a first-person re-creation of an account written by St. Louis Republic reporter Ada Patterson to tell the story of infamous “hangin’ judge” Isaac Parker.
  • Interrobang: This sexy, “adults only” comedy anthology was directed by former St. Louisan Paige Feldman, who was an intern for the St. Louis Film Office when it produced the very first St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase in 2000.
  • Master Classes: A series of four free master classes — featuring filmmakers and industry professionals — focused on key aspects of filmmaking: Special and Visual Effects (July 17), Cinematography (July 18), Sound (July 24), and Historical Documentary (July 25).
  • Narrative Shorts: Five eclectic narrative-short programs include comedies, dramas, horror films, and thrillers.
  • Once a Hero: Showcase alum Tim Reischauer directed this poignant drama about a veteran haunted by his PTSD. 

The Whitaker Foundation again serves as the Showcase’s title sponsor. The foundation’s twofold mission is to encourage the preservation and use of parks and to enrich lives through the arts. The Chellappa-Vedavalli Foundation is underwriting both the Showcase’s master classes and the $500 prize for the Best Showcase Film.

The event’s other sponsors include the Arts & Education Council, Grizzell & Co., Joni Tackette Casting, Missouri Arts Council, Missouri Film Office, Regional Arts Commission, and St. Louis Public Radio.

Instagram: @stlfilmshowcase Twitter: @stlfilmshowcase Facebook: @STLFilmmakersShowcase

For more information, visit cinemastlouis.org. 


21st Annual Whitaker St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase

Dates: July 16-25, 2021

Tickets: Individual tickets are $14 for general admission, $12 for Cinema St. Louis members and students with valid and current photo IDs

Passes: 5-film passes are available for $60, $50 for CSL members; all-access passes are available for $135, $105 for CSL members

Ticket and Pass Purchase: cinemastlouis.org/st-louis-filmmakers-showcase