This Thursday, November 1, kicks off the 27th Annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival.

Better known as SLIFF, the festival showcases hundreds of filmmakers and their work, including international films, documentaries, American indies, and short films that can’t be seen anywhere else. You can also see some of the most talked about films before anyone else in the region.

Below are some of the special events at SLIFF this year. For a full schedule, visit CinemaStLouis.org.

Special Events

Opening-Night Reception with Destroyer

Thursday, Nov. 1 at 6:30pm

SLIFF’s opening night features “Destroyer,” directed by native St. Louisan Karyn Kusama (“Girlfight,” “The Invitation”), who receives SLIFF’s Charles Guggenheim… Read more

Double Bill: Searching for Ingmar Bergman and Persona

Friday, Nov. 2 at 7:00pm

Internationally renowned director Margarethe von Trotta (“The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum,” “Hannah Arendt”) takes a close look at Ingmar Bergman’s life and work… Read more

*SOLD OUT* Tribute to John Goodman with The Big Lebowski

Friday, Nov. 2 at 7:30pm

SLIFF honors native St. Louisan John Goodman with a Lifetime Achievement Award at a tribute program that will include a clip reel of the actor’s career highlights… Read more

An Illustrated History of St. Louis Drive-In Movie Theaters

Saturday, Nov. 3 at 6:00pm

During the heyday of drive-in movies — from the 1950s through the ’70s — St. Louisans flocked to outdoor theaters such as the 66 Park-in, the Airway Twin, and the… Read more

Presley Barker Performance with Fiddlin’

Saturday, Nov. 3 at 7:30pm

If you’re a fan of Appalachia’s “good old-timey music” featured in “O Brother, Where Art Thou?,” “Fiddlin’” will exert a strong appeal. Largely focused on the 2015… Read more

Double Bill: Hal and Shampoo

Sunday, Nov. 4 at 6:00pm

Although Hal Ashby directed a remarkable string of acclaimed, widely admired classics throughout the 1970s — “Harold and Maude,” “The Last Detail,” “Shampoo,” “… Read more

Abbey Waterworth Performance with The Center of Nowhere

Sunday, Nov. 4 at 6:30pm

This evening of film and music celebrates the sounds — and sundry other attractions — of Springfield, Mo. Dave Hoekstra’s documentary “The Center of Nowhere” is not… Read more

Branwell Brontë’s Role-Playing Game with The Drunkard’s Lament

Tuesday, Nov. 6 at 7:30pm

Experimental filmmaker Jim Finn — a native St. Louisan who receives the Charles Guggenheim Cinema St. Louis Award — returns to SLIFF (which screened his “… Read more

Tribute to Joe Edwards

Wednesday, Nov. 7 at 6:00pm

SLIFF celebrates Joe Edwards, an iconic fixture of St. Louis, for his achievements in connecting cultures and communities since 1972, including the restoration of… Read more

The Blues Doctors Performance with Satan & Adam

Friday, Nov. 9 at 7:30pm

“Satan & Adam” is a celebration of the transformative power of music and the bonds that develop when worlds collide and artists collaborate. One day in 1986,… Read more

IDA Conversation Series: AJ Schnack

Saturday, Nov. 10 at 3:30pm

With the International Documentary Association, SLIFF co-presents an entry in the IDA’s signature Conversation Series, which hosts discussions with prominent… Read more

Double Bill: I, Douglas Fairbanks and The Half Breed

Saturday, Nov. 10 at 7:00pm

During the peak of the silent era, the dashing Douglas Fairbanks was the first “King of Hollywood,” ruling the box office in a series of epic adventures —… Read more

The Rats & People Motion Picture Orchestra with The Half Breed

Saturday, Nov. 10 at 7:00pm

St. Louis’ Rats & People Motion Picture Orchestra returns to SLIFF with an original score and live accompaniment for “The Half Breed,” a newly restored silent… Read more

NFF Coffee

Sunday, Nov. 11 at 12:00pm

As part of the New Filmmakers Forum (NFF), SLIFF holds a conversation with the five participating directors: Phil Blattenberger (“Point Man”), Catherine Dudley-Rose… Read more

Adam Maness Trio Performance with Blue Note Records

Sunday, Nov. 11 at 6:00pm

SLIFF offers a film-and-music combo with a screening of “Blue Note Records: Beyond the Notes” and a jazz performance by St. Louis’ Adam Maness Trio. The documentary… Read more

Rawstock

Sunday, Nov. 11 at 6:00pm

This celebration of the educational films of yesteryear — a co-presentation with Washington University Libraries’ Film & Media Archive — makes a return… Read more

Closing-Night Awards Presentation and Party

Sunday, Nov. 11 at 8:00pm

The festival concludes with a free closing-night party at the Urban Chestnut Grove Brewery and Bierhall. The fest’s prize-winning films are announced, and… Read more

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FOR THE COMPLETE SLIFF SCHEDULE, VISIT CINEMASTLOUIS.ORG