Our Mission:
The mission of The Saint Charles Film Festival is to celebrate the power of storytelling through independent cinema, fostering a vibrant community that connects filmmakers, audiences, and industry visionaries. As a non-profit organization, we are dedicated to showcasing diverse voices, promoting artistic innovation, and inspiring cultural dialogue, while providing accessible platforms for emerging talent to thrive and audiences to discover transformative films.
Founders Of Saint Charles Film Festival:
Greg Upchurch
Working behind a bar in Tokyo is the last place you expect to hear the words, "Hey, ever think about being an actor?" I had always been interested, but never had the opportunity. It was a fabulous experience, as it was my introduction to the film industry. I even had speaking lines in my very first film.
Eventually, I ended up back in the United States and found myself in LA. I referred to it as La La Land because it was like being in a dream. It was magical. After many years, I was recommended to work for the Key West Film Festival and have been a team member since 2022. I now run their headquarters and am generally the first person guests see as they come to retrieve their VIP badges and collect schedules and festival information. My current business, Grand Opera House Banquet Center, will serve this purpose for Peter as a headquarters and movie location. So, when the opportunity arose, it seemed quite natural to start a film festival in my beautiful hometown of Saint Charles, Missouri. It is time for my hometown, and Main Street, to receive the industry recognition this city deserves, as a Special Event destination for so many regional guests. Therefore, I am extending this invitation to you. Yes, I am speaking to you.
I want YOU to know that you are welcome to join us to enjoy my hometown of Saint Charles; From the Missouri River to the Katy Trail, then on to our historic brick-lined Main Street, YOU are welcome HERE!
Peter Vincent Carlos
Chosen as one of the Top 100 Multimedia Producers in America by AV Video Magazine in 2002, Peter Vincent Carlos has worked in film and television as a freelance Producer, Director, Writer, and Editor. He has worked in Hollywood with Jim Carrey, Kirsten Dunst, Steve Oedekerk, and Denise Crosby. Carlos was a Production Manager, Second Unit Director, Co-Producer, and Script Reader, directed CEOs, Joan Rivers, Ozzie Smith, and Jay Leno, among others, and he has written or co-written film treatments and scripts for directors and producers. His short film, Dad's Day, won "Top Applause" and "Rising Star" awards in national film festivals and was shown on national broadcast and cable channels-Philadelphia (WHYY-TV), New Jersey (Com Cast Cable), and St. Louis (KPLR-Warner/Tribune). His other short films have played in various film festivals from Belarus to Turkey. In 2012, he won the Best Dramatic Short in the Whitaker Filmmakers Showcase for his film Gravity. Tokyo Shorts Film Festival chose Gravity’s script as a semi-finalist winner. Gravity has been shown in Belarus, Turkey, the Cannes International Cinema Festival, and the Venice Short Films Festival. In 2019, his short script Slow Down was a finalist in the SoCreate’s Screenwriting Competition. Peter has won two St. Louis Emmys for a Television Spot and Corporate Programming. Lindenwood University honored Carlos with its Service Award for 2012-2013. In January 2016, he was a fellow at the Institut Americain Universitaire in Aix-en-Provence, France, where he lectured about French New Wave Film’s Influence on American New Wave Directors. He was invited to Stephenville, Texas, in September 2016, to present his award-winning short films. In March 2020, Peter travelled to Montmartre, Paris, France, on an Educational Sabbatical, working on a screenplay about Picasso and his iconic Les Demoiselles d’Avignon Cubist masterpiece painting. The screenplay Dinner with Rousseau has won numerous awards. In 2021, he was selected to be part of Sundance Collab Workshop “Screenwriting: Crafting Your Horror Feature.” In 2025, the St. Louis Showcase Film Festival honored Professor Carlos with the Peter Carlos Best Student Film Award.
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