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-- Close your eyes and picture it: small-town America.

It has a little post office, of course. A general store, too, and a fishing hole. There's a barber who knows everyone – and knows about everyone. There's a friendly auto mechanic. The picture wouldn't be complete without several women who could be anyone's favorite older sister or aunt.

Kids scurry around at reasonable paces, making low-grade mischief while dirtying their short-sleeve plaid shirts or striped T-shirts. Quirky characters wander about in a landscape of picket fences and healthy storefronts. And the police officer in charge? He's tough but fair, community minded, the Solomon of his entire, geographically limited jurisdiction. He's Atticus Finch without any of the racial tension.

This is, today, the comforting script America often reaches for when it summons the vanished rural nation that so many say they long for. Not coincidentally, it is also the state of mind...

The 20th Annual Stella Artois St. Louis International Film Festival (Sliff), which began on Nov. 10, concluded on Nov. 20. Nearly 24,000 people attended . 23,948 patrons participated in fest-related events, a 23 percent increase from 2010 and a festival record.

Awards were announced at the Nov. 20 closing-night party at the Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark:

Audience Choice Awards

Best Narrative Feature: .In Darkness,. by Agnieszka Holland

Best International Narrative Feature: .The Artist,. by Michael Hazanavicius

Leon Award for Best Documentary Feature: .Carol Channing: Larger Than Life,. by Dori Berinstein

New Filmmakers Forum Emerging Director Award

.96 Minutes,. by Aimee Lagos ($500 cash prize)

Interfaith Awards

Best Narrative Feature: .The White Meadows,. by Mohammed Rasoulof

Best Documentary Feature: .The Welcome,. by Kim Shelton

Midrash Awards

Best Narrative Feature: .Joint Body,. by Brian Jun ($500 cash prize)

Best Documentary Feature: .The Pruitt-Igoe Myth,. by Chad Freidrichs ($300 cash prize)

Short Film Awards

Best of Fest: .Baby,. by Daniel Mulloy

Best Local Short: .My Best Wand,...

It was a late night down at the Ballpark Hilton where Cinema St. Louis held their annual post-fest awards party for the St. Louis International Film Festival last night. The most coveted prize is the audience-choice award and this year it was a bit of a surprise when In Darkness was announced as the winner. The Descendants or The Artist both seemed like more obvious choices but Agnieszka Holland’s drama about Jewish refugees living in the sewers beneath in Nazi-occupied Poland apparently wowed St. Louis audiences enough to take home the prize. It was not a film that We Are Movie Geeks was able to review in our extensive coverage of the fest, but one we will certainly look forward to seeing and reviewing. The Artist received the second highest number of votes and was named “Best Foreign Narrative Feature”. Big congratulations to Cinema St. Louis. This was their...

Hollywood, take note! If you're searching for the next female director to break big, here's a look at five filmmakers who are making a lot of noise on the festival circuit with their short films this month. If their shorts are indications of their abilities to helm features, all five women are more than ready to join the big leagues. Mollie Jones Mollie Jones's 16-minute "Animal Love" would impress even ...

The 17th annual Slamdance Film Festival is all set to run for eight days and nights Jan. 21-27. The festival is featuring a bold theme this year of “All Is Not Lost” where — due to the current devastating economic climate — Slamdance will donate 10% of ticket proceeds back to the filmmakers.

The fest is screening 14 feature films — 10 of which are in competition — and 8 feature documentaries, all of which are in competition. In addition, there will be 56 short films screening.

Plus, there are a couple of special screenings, including the Straight 8 event where anybody can register to receive a single roll of Super-8 film that they can use to direct their own in-camera edited mini-masterpiece. Also, on the 26th, there will be a special retrospective of the works of renegade ’60s filmmaker J.X. Williams.

The full film lineup is below, but for more information on the site please visit the official Slamdance website.