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RIVERRUN ANNOUNCES 2020 FILM LINEUP
‘Military Wives’ & ‘He Dreams of Giants’ to Open,
Spotlight on Rod Serling
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (FEBRUARY 28, 2020) – The RiverRun International Film Festival today announced the full lineup of films for the 22nd anniversary Festival, running March 26 – April 5, 2020. This year RiverRun will screen 173 films, including 77 features and 96 shorts from 42 countries.
“RiverRun has emerged as one of the region’s most-anticipated annual film festivals since our first festival in 1998,” RiverRun executive director Rob Davis said. “We work very hard every year to curate a festival line-up that includes films with appeal to a broad range of people and reflect the artistry of many rising filmmakers. In addition to the films themselves, RiverRun takes great pride in offering a diverse array of panels and discussions for filmgoers. In fact, we are offering more free screenings and panels this year than ever before.”
“Over the past 12 years of programming for RiverRun, my core belief has not only been about bringing unique, independent films from all over the world to Winston-Salem, but even more so about highlighting diverse, global viewpoints to help open lines of communication throughout our community. With another record year of submissions, over 2,000 films, our Senior Programmer, Christopher Holmes, and our Programming Associate, Caroline McMahon, and I worked tirelessly to curate our program with films from under-represented countries, individuals and stories that we believe you won’t see anywhere else,” said RiverRun Program Manager, Mary Dossinger. “We believe in pushing boundaries and highlighting new cinematic forms while providing a platform for filmmakers in all stages of their careers to connect directly with audience members and have those important conversations about our world and the human experience.”
RiverRun will kick off Opening Night with two films on Thursday, March 26, both presented by PNC. The first film is MILITARY WIVES, which tells the story of a group of women on the home front while their partners are away serving in Afghanistan who form a choir and quickly become a media sensation. Featuring Kristen Scott Thomas and Sharon Horgan, this utterly charming film from Peter Cattaneo (The Full Monty) will have audiences laughing and crying in equal measure.
The second opening night film is HE DREAMS OF GIANTS, which follows directors Keith Fulton and Lou Pepe 15 years after the making of their successful documentary Lost in la Mancha as they revisit their subject, director Terry Gilliam, as he once more attempts to complete his long awaited The Man Who Killed Don Quixote. The result is a cinematic journey of obsession, pathos, and humor.
The Festival will close on April 5 with DREAM HORSE, presented by Susan Gray Law. Starring Toni Collette and Damian Lewis, this Sundance standout tells the story of a Welsh cleaner and barmaid who decides to breed a racehorse in her small village. As the horse rises through the ranks, Jan (Collette) and the townspeople are pitted against the racing elite in a race for the national championship.
In between, the Festival will feature a wide variety of features, documentaries, shorts and animation in competition programs, as well as many films in non-competition sections.
Films of particular interest this year include the Billy Crystal and Ben Schwartz comedy STANDING UP, FALLING DOWN, which tells the story of an unlikely friendship between a struggling young comic and a flawed, charismatic dermatologist. Also of note are RESISTANCE, starring Jesse Eisenberg as Marcel Marceau, still a struggling actor when the Nazis seize France during World War II, which also features Ed Harris; THE TRUTH, starring Catherine Deneuve as a French cinema icon who has recently published her memoirs when her daughter and son-in-low, played by Juliette Binoche and Ethan Hawke, visit and the reunion turns confrontational as truths come out; and finally MY DARLING VIVIAN, the story of Vivian Liberto, the first wife of Johnny Cash, told with help from Cash’s daughters Rosanne, Kathy, Cindy and Tara, and featuring never-before-seen personal photos and videos of the family.
Included in the non-competition lineup this year is a four-film spotlight featuring the work of accomplished screenwriter Rod Serling. An American screenwriter, playwright, television producer, and narrator, Serling began his career writing for live television and later cemented his reputation as a television writer and producer with the classic series The Twilight Zone and later, Night Gallery. In addition to his award-winning work for television, Serling wrote a number of film scripts. He was a veteran of World War II where he earned a number of medals, including the Purple Heart, and a graduate of Antioch College. He was the recipient of numerous awards including the Peabody Award, six Emmy Awards, three Writers Guild of America Awards and a Golden Globe among many others.
Films highlighted in the spotlight series will include PLANET OF THE APES, REQUIEM FOR A HEAVYWEIGHT, PATTERNS and SEVEN DAYS IN MAY. In addition, RiverRun will also screen MAKING APES: THE ARTISTS WHO CHANGED FILM, a documentary highlighting the work of Tom Burman, Serling’s lead make-up artist for the PLANET OF THE APES film. Each film in the spotlight series this year will feature a special guest: for PATTERNS and REQUIEM FOR A HEAVYWEIGHT, Serling’s daughter Anne will be on hand to discuss her father’s life and legacy; for the screening of PLANET OF THE APES, the film’s lead make-up artist and Master of Cinema Tom Burman will host a discussion; and for SEVEN DAYS IN MAY, Ava Thompson, the great-niece of Ava Gardner, who stars in the film, will be joined by Lynell Seabold, Director of the Ava Gardner Museum.
Also this year, RiverRun’s headquarters will be located at the Milton Rhodes Center of the Arts – 251 N. Spruce Street. Besides using both the Reynolds Place Theatre and the Hanesbrands Theatre for film screenings, the Mountcastle Forum room will be used as the VIP Lounge. RiverRun merchandise will be on sale in the gift shop of the building and guests can make a purchase anytime the building is open. RiverRun will also have a Festival Concierge on staff to answer any pertinent festival-related questions from 10AM-4PM March 27 – April 4.
2020 OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
BULLY. COWARD. VICTIM. THE STORY OF ROY COHN
Director: Ivy Meeropol
USA / 2019 / 94 MIN. / ENGLISH / DOCUMENTARY
Offering an unflinching look at the infamous attorney who prosecuted director Ivy Meeropol’s grandparents, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, the film examines Cohn’s life as chief counsel to Senator Joseph McCarthy in the late 1950s through the 1980s, when he became a darling of the Reagan White House.
THE CAPOTE TAPES
Director: Ebs Burnough
USA/UK / 2019 / 91 MIN. / ENGLISH / DOCUMENTARY
Using newly discovered tapes of interviews that George Plimpton conducted with Capote’s friends after his death, the film explores the impact of Capote’s explosive unfinished novel Answered Prayers.
IMMORTAL BELOVED
Sponsored by Mercedes-Benz of Winston-Salem
Director: Bernard Rose
UK/USA / 1994 / 121 MIN. / ENGLISH/HUNGARIAN / NARRATIVE
As a part of the Beethoven Rocks Winston-Salem celebration of the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth, we are screening this award-winning film. This biography chronicles the life of legendary composer Ludwig van Beethoven (Gary Oldman) and details his transformation from passionate young man to troubled genius. Following Beethoven’s death in 1827, his assistant Schindler searches for an elusive woman referred to in the composer’s love letters as “immortal beloved.”
IN A LONELY PLACE
Sponsored by Tiffany Jones & Martin Sledge
Director: Nicholas Ray
USA / 1950 / 94 MIN. / ENGLISH / NARRATIVE
Part of our Film Noir Series, this thriller helmed by Nicholas Ray features Humphrey Bogart as Dixon Steele, a down-on-his-luck Hollywood screenwriter prone to violent rages, who finds himself accused of murder. Gloria Grahame is Laurel Gray, Steele’s neighbor who professes his innocence as they become romantically involved. However, Steele’s increasingly erratic behavior and the continued police interest in his potential guilt cause Gray to question her original belief in his innocence.
Pre-film discussion with Master of Cinema Honoree Grover Crisp, Executive Vice President of Asset Management, Film Restoration & Digital Mastering at Sony Pictures Entertainment.
4K Digital Restoration courtesy of Sony Pictures Entertainment
LOVE SARAH
Sponsored by Solarté Collections
Director: Eliza Schroeder
UK / 2020 / 98 MIN. / ENGLISH / NARRATIVE
A young woman wishes to fulfill her mother’s dream of opening a bakery in Notting Hill, London. To do this, she enlists the help of an old friend and her grandma. Starring Rupert Penry-Jones, Celia Imrie, and Bill Paterson, this charming film will have its U.S. premiere at RiverRun.
ON BROADWAY
Sponsored by Ernest & Martha Clayton Logemann
Director: Oren Jacoby
USA / 2019 / 84 MIN. / ENGLISH / DOCUMENTARY
An all-star cast tells the inside story of Broadway’s return to prominence thanks to innovative work, inclusivity, and a savvy balance between art and commerce. Legends including Helen Mirren, Alec Baldwin, Viola Davis, Hugh Jackman, and Ian McKellen take us behind the scenes of Broadway’s most beloved shows.
IRELAND/BELGIUM/USA / 2019 / 97 MIN. / ENGLISH / NARRATIVE
Life with Shepard (Michiel Huisman) is the only life Selah (Raffey Cassidy) has ever known. Their self-sufficient community possesses no modern technology and is hidden far from civilization. When Selah begins to question the cult-like group, her leader, and her own reality, their world spins out of control.
RESISTANCE
Sponsored by Ernest & Martha Clayton Logemann
Director: Jonathan Jakubowicz
FRANCE/GERMANY/USA/UK / 2020 / 121 MIN. / ENGLISH & GERMAN / NARRATIVE
Jesse Eisenberg stars as a nascent Marcel Marceau, still a struggling actor when the Nazis seize France during World War II. Based on the true story of a Jewish Boy Scout group who helped the French Resistance to save over 10,000 orphans, the film also features Ed Harris.
SHADOW ON THE WALL
Sponsored by Tiffany Jones & Martin Sledge
Director: Patrick Jackson
USA / 1950 / 84 MIN. / ENGLISH
Part of our Film Noir Series, this classic features Master of Cinema Honoree Gigi Perreau as a child who witnesses a murder but enters a state of shock rendering her unable to identify the killer. Will a round of innovative therapy under the direction of her psychiatrist, played by Nancy Davis Reagan, enable her to make an identification before the wrong man is executed for the crime?
Pre-film discussion with film historian Foster Hirsch and Master of Cinema Honoree Gigi Perreau.
Archival print courtesy of Warner Bros. Classics
STANDING UP, FALLING DOWN
Sponsored by Cindy Christopher Commercial Real Estate
Director: Matt Ratner
USA / 2019 / 91 MIN. / ENGLISH / NARRATIVE
Billy Crystal and Ben Schwartz star in this comedy about an unlikely friendship between a struggling young stand-up comedian and a flawed but charismatic dermatologist. These kindred spirits help each other find healing and the confidence to face the failures that have shaken their lives.
THE TRUTH
Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda
FRANCE/JAPAN / 2019 / 106 MIN. / FRENCH & ENGLISH / NARRATIVE
Fabienne (Catherine Deneuve) is a French cinema icon. When she publishes her memoirs, her daughter Lumir (Juliette Binoche) returns to Paris with her husband (Ethan Hawke) and daughter to visit. The reunion quickly turns to confrontation as truths are told, accounts are settled, and loves and resentments confessed.
UNTAMED HEART
Sponsored by Kilpatrick Townsend
Director: Tony Bill
USA / 1993 / 102 MIN. / ENGLISH / NARRATIVE
Director Tony Bill and producer Helen Bartlett, two of RiverRun’s 2020 Master of Cinema honorees, explore romance, sentimentality, and dying young with Untamed Heart. The film stars Christian Slater as Adam, a shy and awkward busboy who saves waitress Caroline (Marisa Tomei) from being raped in a park late one night. The two begin to fall in love, and as their relationship progresses, Caroline discovers that Adam has a heart defect, though he claims he has a baboon heart. Rosie Perez also stars as Cindy, Caroline’s sassy comic-relief-providing co-worker.
35mm archival print courtesy of Park Circus
RE: VISION INDEPENDENT FEATURE COMPETITION
Emerging talents mixed with established masters. Representing some of the very best independent films of the year, the eight films in this section are eligible for jury prizes and the Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP Audience Award.
ASYMMETRY
Director: Maša Nešković
SERBIA / 2019 / 89 MIN. / SERBIAN
The summer is boiling hot, and the streets of Belgrade are empty as we watch the lives of three seemingly random couples gradually intertwine. As this pensive story unfolds, the gestalt of only one couple emerges—one couple in three key stages of their life.
BEFORE/DURING/AFTER
Directors: Stephen Kunken & Jack Lewars
USA / 2020 / 83 MIN. / ENGLISH
Written by and starring Finnerty Steeves (Orange Is the New Black), this sharp-witted dramedy studies a middle-aged NYC theatre actress suddenly forced to figure out the kind of person she wants to portray in real life when her seemingly perfect marriage comes to an end after she catches her husband cheating.
BIG HOUSE
Director: Jack Lawrence Mayer USA / 2020 / 86 MIN. / ENGLISH
Two sisters, two boyfriends, one simple birthday weekend getaway. Or it would have been, if not for the threesome, the love affair, the unexpected arrival of a fiancé, and the ensuing ridiculous dinner role-playing charade everyone is forced to participate in just to keep from getting caught.
DE LO MIO
Director: Diana Peralta
USA/DOMINICAN REPUBLIC / 2019 / 71 MIN. / ENGLISH/SPANISH
Two “ride or die” sisters raised in NYC reunite with their estranged brother in the Dominican Republic to clean out their late father’s childhood home. The siblings laugh, brawl, and face their demons as they come to terms with letting go of their last connection to their motherland.
FREELAND
Directors: Kate McLean & Mario Furloni
USA / 2020 / 78 MIN. (90 MIN. TOTAL) / ENGLISH
An aging pot farmer suddenly finds her world shattered as she races to bring in what could be her final harvest, fighting against the threat of eviction as the impact of cannabis legalization rapidly destroys her idyllic way of life. Freeland stars the always riveting Krisha Fairchild, and recently premiered at the SXSW Film Festival.
This film is preceded by . . . LITTLE CHIEF
Director: Erica Tremblay
USA / 12 MIN.
I’VE GOT ISSUES
Director: Steve Collins
USA / 2019 / 92 MIN. / ENGLISH
Calling to mind the work of Swedish surrealist Roy Andersson, Steve Collins’ deadpan comedy I’ve Got Issues features the likes of Jim Gaffigan and Macon Blair in a series of vignettes affably contemplating the topic of despair and what to do with it.
LOVE TYPE D
Sponsored by Julie Hutton, Sharon Shealy and Nancy Fitzgerald
Director: Sasha Collington
UK / 2019 / 95 MIN. (101 MIN. TOTAL) / ENGLISH
Sasha Collington returns to RiverRun with her debut feature, developed from the endearing short film Lunch Date, a festival selection in 2013. Love Type D introduces us to a young woman who has been dumped 11 times in a row and discovers, to her dismay, that she has inherited a “loser-in-love” gene.
This film is preceded by . . . THE MATCH
Director: Phillip Kibbe
USA / 6 MIN.
TEENAGE BADASS
Director: Grant McCord
USA / 2020 / 99 MIN. / ENGLISH
A recent premiere at the SXSW Film Festival, Teenage Badass takes us back to the mid-2000s and follows a band that has just won a shot to play on the local news. As their dreams start to become real, the band’s egocentric front man threatens to throw it all away.
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE COMPETITION
Compelling stories told with innovative style. RiverRun helps audiences see the world through the eyes of others by showcasing some of the year’s best real-life stories. The eight films in the Documentary Competition are eligible for jury prizes and the RiverRun Audience Award.
ANBESSA
Director: Mo Scarpelli
ITALY/ETHIOPIA/USA / 2019 / 85 MIN. / AMHARIC
In this coming-of-age tale set in changing Ethiopia, a young boy, Asalif, finds himself caught between the ancient and the new as he attempts to navigate the modernization on his own terms. By “becoming” a lion (anbessa) he can fight back against the forces outside of his control.
BASTARDS’ ROAD
Director: Brian Morrison
USA / 2020 / 95 MIN. / ENGLISH
An Audience Award winner at the 2020 Slamdance Film Festival, this documentary follows Marine Veteran Jonathan Hancock as he walks over 6,000 miles around the country, using the solitude of the road and the company of his fellow Marines to manage the wounds of war that never fully heal.
CHÈCHE LAVI
Director: Sam Ellison
MEXICO/HAITI / 2019 / 76 MIN. / SPANISH/HAITIAN
Two Haitian migrants find themselves stranded at the U.S.-Mexico border, strangers in a strange land. With no way forward and no one to depend on but each other, difficult choices lead the two friends towards very different futures.
COUP 53
Sponsored by Jane & Tom McKim
Director: Taghi Amirani
USA / 2019 / 119 MIN. / ENGLISH/FRENCH/ITALIAN/PERSIAN
While making a documentary about the 1953 coup in Iran, director Taghi Amirani and editor Walter Murch uncover archival material hidden for decades. The discovery allows them to tell the story of the overthrow of the Iranian government and leads to explosive revelations about secrets buried for 66 years.
I AM NOT ALONE
Director: Garin Hovannisian
USA/ARMENIA / 2019 / 90 MIN. / ENGLISH/ARMENIAN
On Easter 2018, a man puts on a backpack and begins to walk across Armenia. His mission: to inspire a velvet revolution and topple the corrupt regime that enjoys absolute power in his post-Soviet nation. The film tells the miraculous story of what happens in the next 40 days.
NARROWSBURG
Director: Martha Shane
USA / 2019 / 84 MIN. / ENGLISH
Narrowsburg, NY was poised to become the “Sundance of the East”—or so the Castellanos would have locals believe. When a glamorous French movie producer and her mafioso-turned-actor husband found the Narrowsburg Film Festival, promising to revitalize the town, a stranger-than-fiction tale of Hollywood dreams, delusions and deceit ensues.
PIGEON KINGS
Director: Milena Pastreich
USA / 2019 / 80 MIN. / ENGLISH
Pigeon Kings takes us through the backyards of South Central Los Angeles, where men are devoted to tumbling pigeons. We watch as enthusiasts breed and train their birds for the Birmingham Roller Pigeon World Cup, where pigeons must fly together and somersault in unison, like a flock of synchronized swimmers in the sky.
THE SEER AND THE UNSEEN
Sponsored by Karen McHugh for Mariella & Robinson
Director: Sara Dosa
USA/ICELAND / 2019 / 86 MIN. / ENGLISH/ICELANDIC
Against a spectacular Icelandic landscape, this film follows a “seer” who communicates with a parallel realm of huldufólk—invisible spirits of nature that much of Iceland believes in. The film explores the hidden forces that transform our geography, revealing not only what is worth seeing but what is worth saving.
GLOBAL CURRENTS
A cinema passport around the world. Film can take audiences to places they have never been before and teach them about the wide world outside our doors. These films are from all over the globe and show wide-ranging stories you might never see anywhere else.
ADAM
Director: Maryam Touzani
MOROCCO/FRANCE / 2019 / 98 MIN. / ARABIC / NARRATIVE
Abla runs a modest bakery from her home in Casablanca, where she raises a young daughter. Their routine is interrupted by Samia, a pregnant woman looking for a job and a place to stay. Despite Abla’s initial suspicions, this complicated stranger offers them the prospect of a new life.
TUNISIA/FRANCE / 2019 / 88 MIN. / FRENCH/ARABIC / NARRATIVE
After 10 years of living in Paris, Selma returns home to Tunis and, despite the bewilderment of everyone in town, she’s steadfast in her resolve to open a psychotherapy practice. Arab Blues is a whip smart comedy about coming home, breaking taboos, and building community.
AUGUST
Sponsored by The Isasi Family & The Hispanic League
In the midst of the período especial, one of the greatest crises in the nation’s history, thousands of Cubans try to flee to the U.S. by raft. Meanwhile Carlos plunges into a carefree August, wandering with his friends and falling in love, unaware that his world is about to be changed forever.
BURNING GHOST
Director: Stéphane Batut
FRANCE / 2019 / 104 MIN. / FRENCH / NARRATIVE
In the streets of Paris, Juste collects the last memory of people only he can see, before helping them into the afterlife. Juste is a ghost. But one day Agathe recognizes him. She knew him when he was alive.
CORPUS CHRISTI
Director: Jan Komasa
POLAND / 2019 / 115 MIN. / POLISH / NARRATIVE
Poland’s nominee for Best Foreign Language film at the Academy Awards, this mesmerizing film follows Daniel, a detention center inmate who experiences a spiritual transformation while incarcerated. His crime prevents him from applying to the seminary, but when fate intervenes, he seizes a chance to minister a small-town parish.
LINA FROM LIMA
Director: María Paz González
CHILE/PERU/ARGENTINA / 2019 / 83 MIN. / SPANISH/QUECHUA / NARRATIVE
In this collision of social realism with fantastical, Busby Berkeley-inspired musical sequences, Peruvian domestic aide Lina works for a wealthy Chilean family. With Christmas around the corner, Lina meets a series of setbacks with strength and humor as she prepares for a trip home to visit the son she left behind.
ON A MAGICAL NIGHT
Sponsored by Betty & Ross Griffith
Director: Christophe Honoré
FRANCE / 2019 / 86 MIN. / FRENCH / NARRATIVE
After 20 years of marriage, Maria (Chiara Mastroianni) decides to leave her husband. She moves into room 212 of a nearby hotel, where she has a bird’s-eye view of her apartment, her husband, and her marriage. As she contemplates her decision, an impossible array of past lovers pay a visit to weigh in.
THE PERFECT CANDIDATE
Director: Haifaa Al-Mansour
SAUDI ARABIA/GERMANY / 2019 / 101 MIN. / ARABIC/ENGLISH / NARRATIVE
When Maryam, a young Saudi doctor, is prevented from attending a conference without a male guardian’s approval, she seeks help from a relative but inadvertently registers as a candidate for the municipal council. Maryam sees the election as a way to fix the muddy road in front of her clinic, but her campaign slowly garners broader appeal.
QUEEN OF LAPA
Directors: Carolina Monnerat & Theodore Collatos
BRAZIL / 2019 / 73 MIN. / PORTUGESE / DOCUMENTARY
Larger-than-life actress, activist, and sex professional Luana Muniz—one of Brazil’s most recognizable transgender personalities—shapes a new reality of transgender sex workers by providing a safe working environment in the dangerous Rio neighborhood of Lapa. Queen of Lapa explores their lives in a turbulent political climate under Muniz’s guidance.
THE SWALLOWS OF KABUL
Directors: Zabou Breitman & Eléa Gobbé-Mévellec
FRANCE/LUXEMBOURG/SWITZERLAND / 2019 / 81 MIN. / FRENCH / NARRATIVE
This arresting animated feature premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and is set in Kabul during the summer of 1998. In love despite the daily violence and misery inflicted by Taliban rule, Mohsen and Zunaira want to believe in a promising future together. A senseless act by Mohsen will upend their lives forever.
This Little Land of Mines is about the resilience of the Lao people as they live among and work to clear unexploded bombs from the Vietnam War, when the CIA embarked on their largest covert operation to date. During over 580,000 bombing missions, the U.S. dropped 270 million bombs on Laos, 80 million of which have yet to explode.
THREE SUMMERS
Director: Sandra Kogut
BRAZIL/FRANCE / 2019 / 94 MIN. / PORTUGESE / NARRATIVE
Over a trio of summers, a caretaker for luxury condominiums relies on her resourcefulness and her eye for opportunity to take advantage of whatever comes her way as her employers are caught in major corruption scandals.
FOCUS
Festival favorites too good to miss. RiverRun’s Focus sidebar offers an eclectic mix of films from emerging talents, RiverRun alums and veteran filmmakers alike. The films in this section are all eligible for the RiverRun Audience Award.
AMERICAN TRIAL: THE ERIC GARNER STORY
Director: Roee Messinger
USA / 2019 / 100 MIN. / ENGLISH / HYBRID
American Trial engages the services of two legal teams to create an unscripted simulation of a trial that never happened for one of the nation’s most disturbing recent tragedies: the 2014 death of Eric Garner. The film places the audience in the position of the jury in this one-of-a-kind hybrid docu-fiction courtroom drama.
BLACK CONFLUX
Director: Nicole Dorsey
CANADA / 2019 / 100 MIN. / ENGLISH / NARRATIVE
Set in Newfoundland in 1987, Black Conflux is a dreamy account of two young lives on a fateful collision course. Fifteen-year-old Jackie is navigating from vulnerable adolescence to impending adulthood, leading her toward Dennis, a loner kept company by delusional fantasies of adoring women at his beck and call.
DISCLOSURE: TRANS LIVES ON SCREEN
Sponsored by OUT at the Movies Int’l LGBT Film Fest
Director: Sam Feder
USA / 2020 / 105 MIN. (116 MIN. TOTAL) / ENGLISH / DOCUMENTARY
Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen is an eye-opening look at transgender depictions in film and television, revealing how Hollywood simultaneously reflects and manufactures our deepest anxieties about gender. Leading trans thinkers and creatives, including Laverne Cox, Lilly Wachowski, and Chaz Bono, share their reactions and resistance to some of Hollywood’s most beloved moments.
This film is preceded by . . . THE BUTTERFLY
Director: Shiho Fukada
JAPAN / 11 MIN.
FROM WOUNDED KNEE TO STANDING ROCK: A REPORTER’S JOURNEY
Director: Kevin McKiernan
USA / 2019 / 89 MIN. / ENGLISH / DOCUMENTARY
A rookie NPR reporter, covering the armed occupation of Wounded Knee in 1973, is arrested by the FBI for defying a government news blackout. Forty years later, he meets a Yurok Indian that he had unwittingly photographed during the 10-week occupation. The two become friends, traveling back to the Dakotas to investigate the legacy of 1970s activism in Indian Country.
We are thrilled to be able to screen this new film from Jared P. Scott, who brought our audiences The Age of Consequences in 2017, just before its worldwide release on Earth Day. Executive Produced by Academy Award-nominee Fernando Meirelles (City of God, The Two Popes, Constant Gardener) The Great Green Wallfollows Malian musician-activist Inna Modja on an epic journey to the frontline of climate change along Africa’s ambitious Great Green Wall.
HOUSE OF CARDIN
Sponsored by Directions USA & The Snob Shop
Directors: P. David Ebersole & Todd Hughes
USA/FRANCE / 2019 / 95 MIN. / ENGLISH/FRENCH/ITALIAN/CHINESE/JAPANESE / DOCUMENTARY
Millions know the iconic logo and ubiquitous signature, but few know the man behind the larger-than-life fashion label. This film is a rare peek into the mind of a genius, chronicling the life of Pierre Cardin through exclusive access and unprecedented interviews at the sunset of a glorious career.
HUNGRY TO LEARN
Sponsored by Dave & Kelly Jacobius
Director: Geeta Gandbhir
USA / 2019 / 84 MIN. / ENGLISH / DOCUMENTARY
This film by Soledad O’Brien and Geeta Gandbhir introduces the faces behind an American crisis—college students so strapped to pay tuition that they don’t have enough money to eat or a place to live. The documentary studies the devastating hunger crisis unfolding on American campuses, and what can—and should—be done about it.
THE KEEPER
Sponsored by John C. Larson
Director: Marcus H. Rosenmüller
UK/GERMANY / 2018 / 113 MIN. / ENGLISH/GERMAN / NARRATIVE
The Keeper tells the incredible true story of a German soldier and POW who, amid British post-war protests, secures the position of goalie for Manchester City. His signing causes outrage among thousands of fans, many of them Jewish, but he receives support from a most unexpected individual.
LOST BAYOU
Director: Brian C. Miller Richard
USA / 2019 / 87 MIN. / ENGLISH / NARRATIVE
In this hauntingly evocative Southern Gothic mystery, a struggling addict ventures into the Louisiana swampland to reconnect with her faith-healer father, only to discover he is hiding a troubling secret aboard his houseboat.
MAKING APES: THE ARTISTS WHO CHANGED FILM
Sponsored by UNCSA School of Filmmaking & Atlantic & Pacific Studio
Director: William Conlin
USA / 2019 / 87 MIN. / ENGLISH / DOCUMENTARY
Making Apes takes a look back at the makeup artists behind one of the most groundbreaking and beloved science fiction franchises of all time, Planet of the Apes.
MY DARLING VIVIAN
Sponsored by WBRF-98.1, The Ramkat & The Reeves Theatre
Director: Matt Riddlehoover
USA / 2020 / 90 MIN. / ENGLISH / DOCUMENTARY
The story of Vivian Liberto—Johnny Cash’s first wife—is told here for the first time. A classic tale of stardom, love, fear, and heartbreak, My Darling Vivian is illustrated with never before seen photographs and home videos, and features the four Cash daughters (Rosanne, Kathy, Cindy, and Tara).
NAVIGATING THRU
Sponsored by Great Outdoor Provision Co.
Director: Lindsay Taylor Jackson
USA / 2019 / 88 MIN. (102 MIN. TOTAL) / ENGLISH / DOCUMENTARY
Every year, thousands of people attempt a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail, but only one in four will be successful and just a quarter of those are women. This documentary follows women attempting a 2016 hike and discovering what it takes to become “the 25% of the 25%.”
This film is preceded by . . . ONE WING IN THE FIRE
Director: Maximilian Armstrong
USA / 14 MIN.
ONCE UPON A RIVER
Director: Haroula Rose
USA / 2019 / 92 MIN. / ENGLISH / NARRATIVE
It’s 1978 and Margo Crane, a 15-year-old part-Native teen, must take to Michigan’s Stark River on an odyssey reminiscent of Huck Finn after a fateful turn of events. Based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Bonnie Jo Campbell, the film brings to life a heroine like no other.
SLAY THE DRAGON
Sponsored by Triad City Beat
Directors: Chris Durrance & Barak Goodman
USA / 2019 / 101 MIN. / ENGLISH / DOCUMENTARY
It influences elections and sways outcomes—gerrymandering has become a hot-button political topic and symbol for everything broken about the American electoral process. But there are those on the front lines fighting to change the system.
STRAIGHT UP
Sponsored by OUT at the Movies Int’l LGBT Film Fest
Director: James Sweeney
USA / 2019 / 95 MIN. / ENGLISH / NARRATIVE
Todd is an obsessive-compulsive gay twentysomething whose fear of dying alone leads him to a baffling conclusion: he might not be gay after all. When he meets Rory, a whip-smart actress with her own set of insecurities, the two forge a relationship that explores just how elastic our definitions of love and sexuality can get.
VHYES
Director: Jack Henry Robbins
USA / 2019 / 72 MIN. / ENGLISH / NARRATIVE
A bizarre retro comedy shot entirely on VHS, VHYes takes us back to a simpler time, when 12-year-old Ralph mistakenly records home videos and late-night TV over his parents’ wedding tape. The result is a nostalgic stew of home shopping clips, censored pornography, and nefarious true-crime tales that threaten to unkindly rewind Ralph’s reality.
SPOTLIGHT: ROD SERLING ON THE BIG SCREEN
Perspectives through retrospectives. RiverRun’s annual Spotlight section provides a rare opportunity to experience classic cinema curated around a central theme, be it a particular person, country, company, or genre. This year we are presenting a retrospective that highlights films with scripts by Rod Serling.
PATTERNS
Sponsored by Maynard & Associates Wealth Management & Susan Von Cannon & Franklyn Millman
Director: Fielder Cook
USA / 1956 / 83 MIN. / ENGLISH
The story of the fierce and corrosive competition that exists in the executive branch of Ramsey & Co., a New York industrial colossus headed by Walter Ramsey, its cold, designing, and ruthless chief. It is the saga, too, of Bill Briggs, his longtime second in command, who is swayed by human as well as technological values. Fred Staples, a comparatively youthful industrial engineer, is brought in by Ramsey to succeed Briggs; however, the younger man’s views and sensitivities are essentially the same as Briggs’. They both believe people are not merely units. Ramsey’s calculated pattern is not to fire his aging aide, but to create such untenable conditions that he will be forced to resign in this poignant depiction of the ruthless side of corporate America in the 1950s. The cast includes Van Heflin, Ed Begley, Everett Sloane, Beatrice Straight, and Elizabeth Wilson.
Archival print courtesy of the Academy Film Archive
Special Guest: Anne Serling, daughter of Rod Serling
Screening Time:
MARCH 27 / 6:00PM / UNCSA – GOLD THEATRE
PLANET OF THE APES
Sponsored by Nancy Phillips
Director: Franklin J. Schaffner
USA / 1968 / 112 MIN. / ENGLISH
George Taylor and two other astronauts come out of deep hibernation to find that their ship has crashed on what they believe to be a desolate planet in the year 3978, approximately two millennia after their departure in 1972. Finding water, the astronauts are swimming when a group of primitive humans take their clothes and pilfer their supplies. Taylor is shot in the throat, unable to communicate, when he and the primitive humans are captured by armed gorillas and taken to the City of the Apes, a society of talking apes who live in a caste system. Humans are considered vermin and are hunted, enslaved or used in scientific experiments. Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowell, Kim Hunter, and Linda Harrison are featured in the cast. The film met with critical acclaim, was a huge commercial success, and launched one of the most successful film and television franchises which continues to this day.
Special Guest: 2020 RiverRun Master of Cinema Tom Burman-Make-Up Artist for Planet of the Apes
Screening Time:
APRIL 3 / 7:00PM / UNCSA – MAIN THEATRE
REQUIEM FOR A HEAVYWEIGHT
Sponsored by Coventry Design, LLC
Director: Ralph Nelson
USA / 1962 / 95 MIN. / ENGLISH
Like Patterns before it, this film began as a teleplay. The original production aired on Playhouse 90 and earned a Peabody Award for Rod Serling, the first given to an individual script. Serling also received an Emmy Award for the work and adapted it as a motion picture six years later. The story centers on Louis “Mountain” Rivera, a has-been boxer suffering from punch-drunk syndrome, a form of brain damage caused by his career. He is managed by the unprincipled Maish, who wants to further exploit Rivera despite attempts from Rivera’s cut man and a sympathetic social worker to help him find a life outside the ring. The cast includes Anthony Quinn, Jackie Gleason, Mickey Rooney, and Julie Harris, and several actual fighters appear as themselves including Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali), Jack Dempsey, and Haystack Calhoun.
Archival print courtesy of Sony Pictures Entertainment
Special Guest: Anne Serling, daughter of Rod Serling
Screening Time:
MARCH 28 / 7:00PM / UNCSA – MAIN THEATRE
SEVEN DAYS IN MAY
Sponsored by Michael Ryden & The Ava Gardner Museum
Director: John Frankenheimer
USA / 1964 / 118 MIN. / ENGLISH
At the height of the Cold War, U.S. President Jordan Lyman manages to get a nuclear disarmament treaty with the Soviet Union through the Senate; however, his opposition and some members of the military oppose this action. A Pentagon insider and USMC Colonel discovers evidence that the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, himself certain to be a presidential candidate in two years, is plotting a coup where the military will seize control of the country in seven days. The Colonel takes this information to the President and a web of political intrigue unfolds. The film is set in 1974, 10 years into the future at the time of its release, and the cast includes Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, Ava Gardner, and Fredric March.
Special Guests: Lynell Seabold, Director of the Ava Gardner Museum and Ava Thompson, great-niece of Ava Gardner
Screening Time:
APRIL 5 / 1:00PM / UNCSA – MAIN THEATRE
ROD SERLING BIO:
Rod Serling was an American screenwriter, playwright, television producer, and narrator. He began his career writing for live television and later cemented his reputation as a television writer and producer with the classic series The Twilight Zone and later, Night Gallery. In addition to his award-winning work for television, Serling wrote a number of film scripts. He was a veteran of World War II where he earned a number of medals, including the Purple Heart, and a graduate of Antioch College. He was the recipient of numerous awards including the Peabody Award, six Emmy Awards, three Writers Guild of America Awards and a Golden Globe among many others.
RIVERRUN ARTS
Art on Film. Part of our year-round curatorial programming, the RiverRun Arts banner encompasses any film that highlights the importance of art in our world. From the written word to huge exhibitions and events, art plays a vital role in our daily lives and we want to highlight these incredible artists in the Festival and all year long!
ACTUALLY, ICONIC: RICHARD ESTES
Director: Olympia Stone
USA / 2019 / 68 MIN. / ENGLISH / DOCUMENTARY
Admired by artists ranging from Salvador Dali to Chuck Close, Richard Estes is a humble icon of modern art. Despite having avoided media attention throughout his long career, he has been called the “king of photorealism,” a movement he helped launch in the late 1960s. His break with abstract, non-representational art transformed modern painting. Now, at 87, he is ready to reveal the techniques and inspiration behind his art.
AI WEIWEI: YOURS TRULY
Directors: Cheryl Haines & Gina Leibrecht
USA/CHINA/EGYPT / 2019 / 78 MIN. / ENGLISH/CHINESE/ARABIC / DOCUMENTARY
Following Ai Weiwei’s detention at the hands of the Chinese authorities, the outspoken artist and activist transformed the former island penitentiary of Alcatraz into an artistic platform. The resulting exhibition engaged nearly 900,000 visitors in a conversation about the plight of prisoners of conscience around the world.
THE BOOKSELLERS
Sponsored by Donna & William Cowden, Janice & Charlie Lovett & The Eclectible Shop – Frank Frye
Director: D.W. Young
USA / 2019 / 99 MIN. / ENGLISH / DOCUMENTARY
The Booksellers is a behind-the-scenes look at the rare book world and the fascinating people who inhabit it, brought about by executive producer Parker Posey and featuring interviews with some of the most important people in the business.
DIGGING FOR WELDON IRVINE
Sponsored by the North Carolina Black Repertory Company Producers of the National Black Theatre Festival
Director: Victorious DeCosta
USA / 2019 / 111 MIN. / ENGLISH / DOCUMENTARY
Weldon Irvine’s socio-culturally evocative work in music and theater drew appreciation from the likes of Freddie Hubbard and Nina Simone to Mos Def and Q-Tip. The film studies his influence on the Black Arts Movement of the 1970s, the evolution of hip-hop, and the development of some of the most well-known figures in jazz today.
FINSTER
Sponsored by Trixie May
Director: Ava Leigh Stewart
USA / 2019 / 73 MIN. (83 MIN. TOTAL) / ENGLISH / DOCUMENTARY
Finster illustrates the life of legendary folk artist Howard Finster, who demonstrated that art can thrive outside of museums and galleries, in ordinary places and in everyday objects. He took what others deemed trash and transformed it into something contemplative, opening his life’s work Paradise Garden for the world to enjoy and interact with.
This film is preceded by . . . THE GREAT TOILET PAPER SCARE
Director: Brian Gersten
USA / 10 MIN.
HENRY GLASSIE: FIELD WORK
Director: Pat Collins
IRELAND/USA / 2019 / 105 MIN. / ENGLISH / DOCUMENTARY
From Brazil to Turkey to right here in the American South, the worldwide travels and unique cultural finds of renowned American folklorist Henry Glassie are enthrallingly chronicled in this portrait by director Pat Collins, including extensive sequences documenting skilled potters working in North Carolina’s Piedmont area.
NC STORIES
Home grown stories. This section features films that focus on the filmmakers and stories in our great state and highlight the tremendous talent in North Carolina.
THE ARBORS
Director: Clayton Witmer
USA / 2020 / 116 MIN. / ENGLISH / NARRATIVE
A lonely locksmith longing to reconnect with his distant younger brother fears a string of mysterious killings in his small town may be his fault and connected to a strange small critter he finds, in this homegrown creature feature from a talented team comprised largely of UNCSA alums.
BYGONE BILLY
Director: Shea Sizemore
USA / 2020 / 86 MIN. / ENGLISH / NARRATIVE
R. Keith Harris stars as Billy, a troubled ex-cop working to rebuild a failing marriage. But when his wife bumps into his ex-wife and invites her over for dinner, he must finally face his past to have any hope of salvaging his future.
DEAD IN THE WATER / ORIGINAL BODY OF PAIN
Sponsored by Piedmont Federal Savings Bank & UNCW (for Dead in the Water)
USA / 2019 / 43 MIN./46 MIN. (89 MIN. TOTAL) / ENGLISH / DOCUMENTARY
Dead in the Water exposes the stories, science, and solutions behind the over 2,000 industrial hog and poultry Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) throughout southeastern North Carolina, many of which threaten the Cape Fear River. Original Body of Pain explores the nature of addiction through portraits of two women trying to escape its clutches, as well as a home health nurse who treats the emerging issue of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome. The filmmakers in this documentary short duo previously competed in RiverRun’s Pitch Fest competition that takes place each year.
DROUGHT
Directors: Hannah Black & Megan Petersen
USA / 2020 / 84 MIN. / ENGLISH / NARRATIVE
It’s 1993 and North Carolina is experiencing a historic drought. Autistic teen Carl, fascinated by weather, predicts that a storm will soon hit nearby. His sister Sam crafts a plan to help him chase the storm, stealing their mother’s ice cream truck to embark on a road trip about family, forgiveness, and following your dreams.
FEVER DREAMS
Director: Rob Underhill
USA / 2019 / 80 MIN. / ENGLISH / NARRATIVE
In this playful, Creepshow-esque horror anthology from RiverRun alum Rob Underhill, four eerie tales are bound to give you fever dreams.
FILMS WITH CLASS
Sponsored by Wells Fargo
Teaching through film.Films With Class is RiverRun’s most active year-round community outreach program. Its mission is to present films to area students as a vehicle through which to learn. With RiverRun’s strong and consistent reputation, Films With Class has access to a great variety of films and filmmakers and can offer exceptional film-related experiences. Moreover, as film is the medium through which 21st-century students learn, these opportunities provide students with extraordinary resources in a meaningful and interesting way.
HOOPS AFRICA: UBUNTU MATTERS
Directors: Dan Hedges & Taylor Sharp
USA / 2017 / 47 MIN. (56. MIN TOTAL) / ENGLISH / DOCUMENTARY
Hoops Africa: Ubuntu Matters is a collection of stories that celebrate the past, present, and future of basketball in Africa. From the dreams of a young Zimbabwean player to honoring the NBA legends who paved the way before him, this film journeys through the growth of the game in Africa.
This film is preceded by . . .
MUM
Director: Mariam Al Awadhi
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES / 9 MIN.
After 15 years of averting the source of her anxiety, Mariam at last walks the journey of voicing her avoided emotions regarding her non-Emirati mother, and the uneasiness she felt about her mixed background in the Emirati society.
REMEMBERING SHAKESPEARE
Director: Cecilia Rubino
USA / 2018 / 80 MIN. / ENGLISH / DOCUMENTARY
Remembering Shakespeare asks the simple question: “What lines of Shakespeare do you remember and why?” This documentary film engages participants in a dialogue about memory, memorization, and how Shakespeare’s words live in us now and why they continue to be resonant across time.
SHORTS PROGRAM
This collection of varied short animated films shows how many great films we get each year for young audiences. Made up of five short films, this program takes audiences on a wonderfully fun trip around the world. This program is being screened for area elementary aged students during the Festival.
Runtime: 62 MIN.
MASTER MOLEY BY ROYAL INVITATION
Director: Leon Joosen
UK / 30 MIN.
The story of a young mole and his adventure to pick a rose from the Queen’s Garden, not knowing that this simple act will change, not only his life, but the life of all moles.
MY BROTHER LUCA
Directors: Carlos Algara & Catalina Serna
MEXICO / 9 MIN.
When an imaginative little girl discovers that her older brother might have superpowers, she sets out on a quest to make sure everyone else sees him as she does.
PRESSURE
Directors: Tony Drake & Luke James Shaffer
USA / 4 MIN.
Pressure follows a boy as he faces a slew of obstacles throughout the school day. He’s dealing with what feels like the weight of the world on his shoulders, all while still attempting to do the right thing. Will our hero come out victorious? Or will he melt under the pressure?
This short, animated film is an amusing look into the world of sharks, with interviews from the majestic creatures themselves. They have been portrayed as monsters, lifeless eating machines, and in some cases tornadoes of death, and they just want a chance to tell their side of things.
TOO MUCH RAIN
Director: John M. Cernak
USA / 8 MIN.
Winston-Salem’s own Out of Our Minds Studios created this animated short to take a look at overwhelming circumstances through the eyes of a little girl. When her world is swept away by a flood, she navigates the troubled waters of nature but still maintains hope.
RIVERRUN AT RED & MARKETPLACE CINEMAS
Collaboration. Thanks to a partnership with RED Cinemas, an upscale movie theatre in Greensboro, and Marketplace Cinemas on Peters Creek Parkway, RiverRun is further expanding its reach in the Triad! We are screening multiple films, from different sections of our program, in an effort to allow more people to experience what RiverRun has to offer.
RED CINEMAS SCREENINGS
SLAY THE DRAGON
(Listed under Focus)
MARCH 30 / 5:30PM
THE KEEPER
(Listed under Focus)
MARCH 30 / 8:00PM
NAVIGATING THRU
(Listed under Focus)
MARCH 31 / 5:30PM
MY DARLING VIVIAN
(Listed under Focus)
MARCH 31 / 8:00PM
STANDING UP, FALLING DOWN
(Listed under Special Presentations)
APRIL 1 / 5:30PM
HE DREAMS OF GIANTS
(Listed under Special Presentations)
APRIL 1 / 8:00PM
DE LO MIO
(Listed under Re: Vision Independent Feature Competition)
APRIL 2 / 5:30PM
HOUSE OF CARDIN
(Listed under Focus)
APRIL 2 / 8:00PM
MARKETPLACE CINEMAS SCREENINGS
Sponsored by Deuterman Law Group
FLY ME TO THE MOON
(Listed under Family Day)
MARCH 28 / 2:00PM
LOST BAYOU
(Listed under Focus)
APRIL 3 / 5:00PM
LOVE SARAH
(Listed under Special Presentations)
APRIL 3 / 8:00PM
FILMS WITH CLASS SHORTS
(Listed under Films With Class)
APRIL 4 / 2:30PM
FREELAND
(Listed under Re: Vision Independent Feature Competition)
APRIL 4 / 5:00PM
FEVER DREAMS
(Listed under NC Stories)
APRIL 4 / 8:00PM
THE SWALLOWS OF KABUL
(Listed under Global Currents)
APRIL 5 / 1:00PM
AMERICAN TRIAL: THE ERIC GARNER STORY
(Listed under Focus)
APRIL 5 / 4:00PM
RIVERRUN FAMILY DAY
All events listed below are FREE and open to the public!
RiverRun has put together another fantastic line-up of free events for audiences of all ages for our fourth annual Family Day! Beginning with our Saturday Morning Cartoons and ending with a screening under the stars, we hope to have you all join in the fun!
SATURDAY MORNING CARTOONS
Sponsored by Salem Smiles Orthodontics
Each year RiverRun presents our own version of Saturday Morning Cartoons to our young audiences. We search high and low for the best new animated shorts that we think will appeal to both children and adults alike. This year we have a wide array of films encompassing many different interesting animation techniques and stories. Our Saturday Morning Cartoons truly have a little something for all ages! Runtime: 60 min.
MARCH 28 / 9:00AM – Pre-Film Activities in Lobby with Kaplan Early Learning Co. & Peppercorn Theatre at Kaleideum
The year is 1969 and three young houseflies are looking for adventure and hatch a plan to stowaway aboard Apollo 11 in homemade space suits. In doing so, they become the first insects ever to journey into space . . . but this is no ordinary thrill ride!
Special guest: Producer Gina Gallo
MARCH 28 / 2:00PM / MARKETPLACE CINEMAS – FREE
OUTDOOR SCREENING
Sponsored by Mast General Store
Starting early in the afternoon this year, RiverRun is excited to host family fun in Bailey Park in the Wake Forest Innovation Quarter with Paperhand Puppet Intervention leading puppet parades, a performance by Peppercorn Theater, live music from Swingset, games and crafts from Kaplan and other vendors. We will also have free photos from It’s a Photo Booth Life and food and beverages for sale from Hoots, Que Viva, NC Specialty Foods, Duck Donuts, and Wolfie’s among other food partners. Come play, socialize, eat, dance, create, sign, strike a pose and then settle in for the 35th anniversary screening of the classic teenage adventure filmThe Goonies.
Rain location: Inside Biotech Place
THE GOONIES
Director: Richard Donner
USA / 1985 / 114 MIN. / ENGLISH
A group of young misfits called The Goonies discover an ancient map and set out on a quest to find a legendary pirate’s long-lost treasure.
MARCH 28 / 3:30PM EVENT BEGINS – FILM WILL BEGIN AT DARK / BAILEY PARK – 445 N. PATTERSON AVE. – FREE
SHORTS PROGRAMS
Small films with big ambitions. Many of the world’s best filmmakers started their careers making short films. It’s a medium that requires concise editing, great storytelling, and the ability to render an entire story in just a few minutes. RiverRun’s Shorts Program features 11 collections of shorts from around the world, eight of which are in competition and will be evaluated by our juries.
ANIMATED SHORTS PROGRAM ONE
Sponsored by Kaplan Early Learning Company
BLIESCHOW
EMBRACED
I BLEED
THE KITE
THE MASQUE OF BLACKNESS
PACE
PETTY THING
SAGUARO
WHEN THE LIGHT COMES
ANIMATED SHORTS PROGRAM TWO
Sponsored by Kaplan Early Learning Company
ABE’S STORY
CATS CAN’T SWIM
FATA MORGANA
GRANDAD WAS A ROMANTIC
IF ANYTHING HAPPENS I LOVE YOU
INSIDE BLUE
MEDIUM RARE
THE MOON’S NOT THAT GREAT
SOUS LA GLACE
SATURDAY MORNING CARTOONS Sponsored by Salem Smiles Orthodontics
CON AMORE
THE CREDITS MOVIE
DRAGON RECIPES
FOLDING FUR
FUNCTION
LULU DOTAWAY
MISGUIDED
RUNAWAY RADISH
WANDER
THE MOST MAGNIFICENT THING
NARRATIVE SHORTS PROGRAM ONE
I’M NO HOLIDAY
NIGHTY NIGHT
NOWHERE TO NUN
QUIET CARRIAGE
SALES READY
STAR OR POUND
SUNDAY DINNER
NARRATIVE SHORTS PROGRAM TWO
AUTOMATIC
FREDERICK DOUGLASS BOULEVARD AKA FOOD & DRINK BOULEVARD AKA F.D.B.
ROOM 264
SHOEGAZER
SUZE
TATTOO
WONDER
NARRATIVE SHORTS PROGRAM THREE
BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE
GUARD DOG
PURA VIDA
TERMINAL
TREE #3
DOCUMENTARY SHORTS PROGRAM ONE
CALL CENTER BLUES
DIFFICULT
FOLLOW THE SUN
GREYKEY
MR. SOMEBODY
DOCUMENTARY SHORTS PROGRAM TWO
ASHES TO ASHES
ELVERS
EXIT 12
FLOWER PUNK
STILL PLAYS WITH TRAINS
LATE NIGHT SHORTS
BLUE & HUES
INFINITE SCROLL
KITTY’S NAUGHTY KNICKERS
LOVE YOU TYLER
ROPE-A-DOPE
SIXTEEN THOUSAND DOLLARS
TOM SAX IN A CLONE PIT
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
WASHED
NC SHORTS PROGRAM ONE
Sponsored by Nelson Mullins
ALL THE POSSIBILITIES . . .
APRIL EIGHTY-NINE
BLUE & GOLD MARCHING MACHINE
BULLS AND SAINTS
HEBO
THE ICE CLIMBER
QUILT JOURNEYS
SOUND AND SOLE
UPS AND DOWNS
NC SHORTS PROGRAM TWO
Sponsored by Nelson Mullins
ALLEY RATS
CAMILLA, KEEP YOUR WORD
CORPORATE CLUELESS
THE DEEP END
GODSPEED
INOCULATION
INTERSTATE 8
LONG DRIVE TO YADKIN
PANELS / GALA / EVENTS
RiverRun Gala Presented by PNC
April 3 / 7:00PM / Millennium Center – 101 West 5th Street – $20
*All panels are FREE and open to the public unless otherwise specified*
PITCH FEST
Sponsored by Piedmont Federal Savings Bank
March 28 / 1:30PM
Hanesbrands Theatre – 209 N. Spruce Street – FREE
In an effort to further promote the development of new filmmaking talent, RiverRun is again joining forces with a consortium of universities around the south to present our annual Pitch Fest, this year with double the number of schools taking part.
PANEL: THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA FILMMAKING
Sponsored by Piedmont Triad Film Commission & Atlantic & Pacific Studios
MARCH 28 / 12:00PM
Reynolds Place Theatre – 251 N. Spruce Street – FREE
Come and hear from Rebecca Clark, the Executive Director of the Piedmont Triad Film Commission, and a panel of filmmaker and legislative guests talk about what the current state of filmmaking is like in our region and state.
PANEL: AS I KNEW HIM: MY DAD ROD SERLING
Sponsored by Maynard & Associates Wealth Management
MARCH 28 / 3:00PM
UNCSA – Babcock Theatre – 1533 S. Main St. – FREE
Come hear Anne Serling’s presentation about the life of her famous father, and the subject of our Spotlight this year, Rod Serling.
WORKSHOP: SEED&SPARK CROWDFUNDING
March 29 / 11:00AM
MILTON RHODES CENTER FOR THE ARTS – MOUNTCASTLE FORUM – 251 N. Spruce St. – FREE
In this workshop you’ll learn how to build and define your audience, how to prepare a successful crowdfunding campaign, and why staged financing might be right for your film. Bri Castellini, Film Community Manager from Seed&Spark, will lead this workshop.
PANEL: CITIZEN CANINE: DOGS IN THE MOVIES
Sponsored by Carolina Pet Place
APRIL 4 / 11:30AM
MILTON RHODES CENTER FOR THE ARTS – MOUNTCASTLE FORUM – 251 N. Spruce St. – FREE
Wendy Mitchell, a Winston-Salem native who is now a London-based film journalist and author of the new book Citizen Canine: Dogs in the Movies, will deliver an entertaining talk about the most famous canines on the big screen.
PANEL: FROM PAGE TO SCREEN
Sponsored by Bookmarks
APRIL 4 / 3:00PM
Bookmarks – 634 W 4th St #110 – FREE
Join North Carolina authors Charlie Lovett and Jason Mott as they discuss the process of adapting books for the screen.
Sponsored by UNCSA School of Filmmaking & Atlantic & Pacific Studio
APRIL 4 / 1:30PM
UNCSA – Main Theatre – 1533 S. Main St. – $12
Following the screening of Making Apes: The Artists Who Changed Film—The story of the makeup artists behind one of the most ground-breaking and beloved science fiction franchise of all time, Planet of the Apes—RiverRun will convene a panel with Tom Burman, the award-winning make-up artist of Planet of the Apes, Bari Burman, and Will Conlin, Director of the film. The panel will be moderated by Bob Keen, Dean of Design & Production at UNCSA.
PRE-FILM PRESENTATION: BOGART AND GRAHAME IN 4K: RESTORING THE CLASSICS IN THE DIGITAL AGE
Sponsored by Tiffany Jones and Martin Sledge
APRIL 4 / 4:30 PM
UNCSA – Main Theatre – 1533 S. Main St. – $12
Join Grover Crisp, Executive Vice President of Asset Management, Film Restoration & Digital Mastering at Sony Pictures Entertainment, as he discusses the process and challenges of film restoration in the digital age.
RIVERRUN TICKETS & INFO: All regular Festival screenings are $12 for adults and $10 for students (students must purchase tickets in person and present a valid student ID to receive discounted price). Matinees are priced at $6 for all films screened Monday – Friday before 5:00pm.
Again this year is the availability of the Ticket Sampler – it is available for purchase from any RiverRun box office, or online here, and costs $108 ($120 value).
For more information about the many benefits of becoming a RiverRun member, visit www.riverrunfilm.com/donate. Pre-Festival tickets are available at the Stevens Center Box Office or by calling 336-721-1945. A list of box office locations for the dates of the Festival itself can be found at https://riverrunfilm.com/buy-tickets/.
SPONSORS: The sponsors of the 2020 RiverRun International Film Festival help sustain the organization’s mission to foster a greater appreciation of cinema and a deeper understanding of the many people, cultures and perspectives of our world through regular interaction with great films and filmmakers. Festival sponsors include:
Title Sponsors – Reynolds American, The Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County, Wake Forest University, and UNCSA; Presenting Sponsors – City of Winston-Salem, Shift Creative, Nelson Mullins, Millennium Fund, MullenLowe Mediahub, and Wells Fargo
Marquee Sponsors –Forsyth County, Parkway Lincoln, PNC, Salem Smiles Orthodontics, Visit Winston-Salem, and Kilpatrick, Townsend & Stockton
ABOUT RIVERRUN: The RiverRun International Film Festival is a non-profit cultural organization dedicated to the role of cinema as a conduit of powerful ideas and diverse viewpoints. Founded in 1998, RiverRun is a competitive event that annually showcases new films from both established and emerging filmmakers around the world. Each spring, RiverRun screens new narrative, documentary, short, student and animated films, offering both audience and jury prizes in competition categories.
March 1, 2020
