Stories beyond words

St. Louis is not well known for filmmaking, but Ava Farrar, AB ’24, hopes to change that, one film, one story, at a time.

Already Farrar’s films are garnering attention — she won “Best Student Film” at the St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase in 2024 — as she continues to add a European flair to her distinctly Midwestern narratives. More than words, the young filmmaker relies on movement, evocative visuals and music to guide her stories.

Farrar’s newest, deeply personal project is Sweet Young Thing, where music is explored as a medium of communication that transcends family differences. Focusing on a granddaughter’s strained relationship with her grandmother, the film draws from aspects of Farrar’s own family experience. The daughter of American songwriter and musician Jay Farrar (Uncle Tupelo, Son Volt), Ava Farrar grew up in a household where music filled the air. Her grandmother was the source. “She would organize a lot of music and family events around my cousins’ band performances and my father’s shows,” Farrar says. “That was a way she tried to get us all together.” 

But every family has its own complex relationship dynamics. At the heart of Sweet Young Thing lies miscommunication and generational differences — issues that hit close to home. “I feel like there were areas where my grandmother and I couldn’t see eye to eye,” Farrar says. “I struggled with it for a long time.”

After her grandmother’s death, Farrar began to process their relationship more deeply and came to view music as a uniting force. “Music stood out to me as a way I connected with her throughout my entire life,” Farrar says.

While music was a defining feature of Farrar’s life, her interest in cinema came later, after a high school film class ignited her passion for the form. At WashU, she majored in film and media studies in Arts & Sciences, learning from experts like Richard Chapman, veteran screenwriter and film producer.

Farrar’s WashU experience also included a study abroad opportunity at the Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, which proved transformative. There, she learned the nuances of European-style filmmaking — a subtler approach that focuses on showing, not telling. “That was my first time being in a high-stress filmmaking environment,” Farrar says. “It helped me learn about the film industry.” She plans to continue blending European sensibilities into her work. 

For Farrar, WashU provided more than a top-tier education. The “In St. Louis, For St. Louis” initiative has had a lasting impact on her craft, as she aims to tie her work into the city whenever possible. “It’s important to me as a filmmaker — drawing attention to Midwestern stories,” she says. “And it’s important to people here because this dynamic city can sometimes be overlooked.”