Collinsville native makes directorial debut at 24th annual St Louis Filmmakers Showcase

ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - The 24th Whittaker St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase is set to begin Friday and among the films that will be showcased at the festival this weekend includes a short documentary directed by a Collinsville, Illinois native.

The short documentary "You Are Enough" will be one of the films/documentaries that will air at the festival this weekend. The short three minute documentary, directed Jessica Ambuehl, is about a young boy in Jamaica finding an abandoned egg and he goes to great lengths across the island to return the egg to its home. All the while, the film showcases the positive difference one person can make.

"I grew up loving films, but never thought I would have a career in it," said Ambuehl on Total Information A.M. Thursday. "Just kind of dabbled in tangents of it as I grew up."

Ambuehl, a Webster University alum who will make her directorial debut with "You Are Enough" says the idea of the film came as she was doing a pro-bono photography work with a non-profit foundation in Jamaica called Robin's Nest Children's Home.

The non-profit helps give Jamaican children a safe home on the mountaintop of Jamaica. Ambuehl says she has visited the home in Jamaica 17 times in a four to five year stretch.

"That's obviously created a bond, and even though I had to step away and started serving other organizations around the world, we still stayed connected," said Ambuehl. "They reached out and said they were celebrating 25 years of serving children and 'we love to have a film which honors what we do'."

Ambuehl says that while there are differences in producing a three-minute film to a 30-minute film or a feature, but the tasks still remains similar.

"From conception, to being on set, to post-production work, all of the that tends to look the same, and the tasks are similar," said Ambuehl. "But as far as what it takes to do that it takes a lot of heart, perseverance, and a wonderful team. It's really a collaborative work."

The film will air at the High-Pointe Theatre on Saturday, July 20 at 5 p.m. Tickets can be purchased here . "You Are Enough" will be one of seven short documentaries that will be aired during that time slot.