I remember my very first film festival, also in St. Louis. I don't know if they were all from the same year, but there are a few that have stuck in my head for years and years, back when the Tivoli was still around.

• Last Night by Don McKellar - Canadians grappling with the end of the world
• George Washington by David Gordon Green - back when he was promising young director and before he discovered weed
• Deterrence by Rod Lurie - A bonkers one-act political thriller that's a wild snapshot pre-9/11 attitudes and ideas. Also costarring Sean Astin as a racist turd right before landing the role of Samwise in LotR.