"The RiverRun International Film Festival today announced the full lineup of films for the 16thannual Festival, running April 4-13, 2014. This year RiverRun will screen 145 films, which includes 63 features and 82 shorts from 33 countries.
“Once again, we’ve put together a fantastic lineup of films for this year’s Festival, ranging from hysterically funny comedies and powerful issue documentaries to groundbreaking independent works and critically-acclaimed international movies,” said RiverRun Executive Director, Andrew Rodgers. “We’ve selected some of the best cinema from around the world to share with our audiences – and I believe we’ve put together our best lineup yet.”
The Festival will open on April 4 with a screening of TO BE TAKEI, a brilliant documentary that explores the life of George Takei, known for his role as “Mr. Sulu” on the classic sci-fi television series Star Trek, and more recently as a pop culture hero; and a second opening night film, LE CHEF, a French comedy starring Jean Reno and Michaël Youn, in which a young chef innovates the menu of a famous restaurant. As our Centerpiece Premiere, we will screen OBVIOUS CHILD, starring comedienne Jenny Slate. For our Southern Showcase we will present JOE, directed by David Gordon Green and starring Nicholas Cage and Tye Sheridan. The Festival will close on April 14 with BICYCLING WITH MOLIÈRE, a French film in which the main character’s life reflects Molière’s The Misanthrope, which they are rehearsing. In between, the Festival will feature a wide variety of features, documentaries, shorts and animation in competition sections, as well as many films in non-competition sidebars. Additionally, Kartemquin Films (Hoop Dreams, A Good Man, The Interrupters) will receive RiverRun’s 2014 Master of Cinema Award, following a screening of THE TRIALS OF MUHAMMAD ALI, on April 9 at Wake Forest University.
Included in the non-competition lineup this year is a Spotlight on Media Restoration & Preservation with a panel discussion exploring the potential advantages and pitfalls of the digital revolution for audiovisual archives and the preservation of film and magnetic formats. Additional sidebars include our fourth year of Altered States: New Directions in American Cinema.
2014 OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
NARRATIVE COMPETITION: The 2014 Narrative Competition is incredibly diverse, including films from around the world that range from fast-paced thrillers to dream-like dramas. The films in the Narrative Competition are eligible for jury prizes and the Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature.
1982 – USA / Director: Tommy OliverBased on a true story, 1982 chronicles a young African American father whose wife suffers from a crack cocaine addiction, and his efforts to protect their 10-year old daughter from experiencing life as the child of a drug addicted mother.
2 AUTUMNS, 3 WINTERS – France / Director: Sébastien BetbederArman is 33 and ready for change, set in motion by a chance encounter with the lovely Amélie. During five fateful seasons, Arman, Amélie and his friend Benjamin share the unexpected accidents, unconventional romances and unforgettable memories that will define who they are.
GRIGRIS – France / Chad / Director: Mahamat Saleh Haroun
Despite having a paralyzed leg, Grigris, 25 years old, dreams of being a dancer, which is a challenge to say the least when his dreams are dashed when his uncle falls critically ill. To save him, Grigris resolves to enter the dangerous job of a petrol trafficker.
IDA – Poland / Denmark / Director: Pawel PawlikowskiAnna, a sheltered orphan raised in a convent, is on the verge of taking her vows when the Mother Superior insists she visit her sole living relative. Anna soon arrives at her cynical aunt Wanda’s door, where she discovers a dark family secret dating back to the years of the Nazi regime.
NIGHTINGALE – France / China / Director: Phillippe Muyl
After years in Beijing, Zhigen resolves to keep a promise to his deceased wife and return to his native village. He arrives with two unlikely travelers in tow – his beloved pet bird and his spoiled granddaughter, who is more familiar with iPads than trekking through forests and rice paddies.
After years in Beijing, Zhigen resolves to keep a promise to his deceased wife and return to his native village. He arrives with two unlikely travelers in tow – his beloved pet bird and his spoiled granddaughter, who is more familiar with iPads than trekking through forests and rice paddies.
SARAH PREFERS TO RUN – Canada / Director: Chloe Robichaud
Avid runner Sarah has a chance to join the track team at a top Quebec university, but her sheltering mother is doubtful and refuses any financial support. Her lovelorn roommate suggests they get married instead to secure a grant. She agrees, only to discover that her true heart lies elsewhere: Sarah prefers to run.
Avid runner Sarah has a chance to join the track team at a top Quebec university, but her sheltering mother is doubtful and refuses any financial support. Her lovelorn roommate suggests they get married instead to secure a grant. She agrees, only to discover that her true heart lies elsewhere: Sarah prefers to run.
STAND CLEAR OF THE CLOSING DOORS – USA / Director: Sam Fleischner
When a young autistic boy runs away from his Mexican-immigrant family on the fringes of New York City, he embarks on an unintended odyssey that forces his splintered family to reconcile their differences.
When a young autistic boy runs away from his Mexican-immigrant family on the fringes of New York City, he embarks on an unintended odyssey that forces his splintered family to reconcile their differences.
THE SUMMER OF FLYING FISH – Chile / France / Director: Marcela Said
Manena’s father, a rich Chilean landowner, devotes his vacation to one obsession: eradicating the carp that invade his lagoon. As he resorts to more extreme methods, Manena experiences her first love and discovers the world of the Mapuche Indians who claim access to these lands… and who stand up to her father.
Manena’s father, a rich Chilean landowner, devotes his vacation to one obsession: eradicating the carp that invade his lagoon. As he resorts to more extreme methods, Manena experiences her first love and discovers the world of the Mapuche Indians who claim access to these lands… and who stand up to her father.
TANTA AGUA – Uruguay / Mexico / Netherlands / Germany / Directors: Ana Guevara & Leticia Jorge
Alberto, a hapless divorced man, hopes to bond with his kids on a vacation to a Uruguayan resort. Mother nature has other plans, though, and non-stop rain forces them to re-imagine their stay in this amusing love letter to awkward teens and well-meaning single fathers.
WALESA: MAN OF HOPE – Poland / Director: Andrzej Walda
Depicting the extraordinary life of Nobel Peace Prize winner Lech Walesa, this explosive film traces in dramatic fashion the growth of the Polish Solidarity movement, which was central to the collapse of the Soviet Union and Poland's transition to democracy.
Depicting the extraordinary life of Nobel Peace Prize winner Lech Walesa, this explosive film traces in dramatic fashion the growth of the Polish Solidarity movement, which was central to the collapse of the Soviet Union and Poland's transition to democracy.
DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION: The 2014 Documentary Competition includes plenty of commentary on the issues that have so far defined the 21st century. From military documentaries to the songs of a remote tribe in the jungle, the topics of these works are sure to spark passionate discussions. The films in the Documentary Competition are eligible for jury prizes and the Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature.
BENDING STEEL – USA / Director: Dave Carroll
This deeply moving and inspiring documentary explores the life of 43-year-old Chris Schoeck as he trains in the lost art of Oldetime Strongmen and struggles to overcome the limitations of both his body and mind.
This deeply moving and inspiring documentary explores the life of 43-year-old Chris Schoeck as he trains in the lost art of Oldetime Strongmen and struggles to overcome the limitations of both his body and mind.
THE CASE AGAINST 8 – USA / Directors: Ben Cotner, Ryan WhiteShot over five years, this intimate, behind-the-scenes look inside the case to overturn California’s ban on same sex marriage follows the unlikely team that took the first federal marriage equality lawsuit to the U.S. Supreme Court.
THE EXPEDITION TO THE END OF THE WORLD – Denmark/Sweden/Greenland / Director: Daniel Dencik
Offering a grand and adventurous journey of discovery to the last uncharted areas around the globe, this stirring documentary reminds us that no matter how far we go and how hard we try to find answers, we ultimately meet ourselves and our own transience.
Offering a grand and adventurous journey of discovery to the last uncharted areas around the globe, this stirring documentary reminds us that no matter how far we go and how hard we try to find answers, we ultimately meet ourselves and our own transience.
A FRAGILE TRUST: PLAGIARISM, POWER, AND JAYSON BLAIR AT THE NEW YORK TIMES – USA / Director: Samantha Grant
Jayson Blair may just be the most infamous serial plagiarist of our time. Grant’s film offers us a chance to see first-hand how he unleashed the massive scandal that rocked The New York Times and the entire world of journalism.
THE KILL TEAM – USA / Director: Dan Krauss
Specialist Adam Winfield is a 21-year-old infantryman in Afghanistan who attempted, with the help of his father, to alert the military to the heinous war crimes his platoon was committing. This is his story.
Specialist Adam Winfield is a 21-year-old infantryman in Afghanistan who attempted, with the help of his father, to alert the military to the heinous war crimes his platoon was committing. This is his story.
MANAKAMANA – Nepal / USA / Directors: Stephanie Spray & Pacho Velez
In this work of sensory ethnography we witness ten individual journeys high above the jungle in Nepal. Pilgrims there make an ancient excursion by cable car to worship at the Manakamana Temple, the sacred place of the Hindu Goddess Bhagwati.
MARMATO – Columbia / USA / Director Mark GriecoColombia is the center of the new global gold rush and the town of Marmato is the new frontier. Chronicled over the course of nearly six years, the film reveals how the townspeople confront a Canadian mining company that covets the $20 billion in gold beneath their homes.
MUNDIAL: THE HIGHEST STAKES – Poland / Director: Michael Bielawski
When their national team qualified for the 1982 World Cup, Poland briefly forgot the bleak reality of censorship, oppression and prisons filled with members of the political opposition. This fascinating film chronicles the untold story of sport and politics in an aberrant period of martial law.
When their national team qualified for the 1982 World Cup, Poland briefly forgot the bleak reality of censorship, oppression and prisons filled with members of the political opposition. This fascinating film chronicles the untold story of sport and politics in an aberrant period of martial law.
SONG FROM THE FOREST – Germany / USA / Central African Republic / Director: Michael ObertIn this moving epic, U.S. citizen Louis Sarno follows music to live with the Bayaka pygmies in the jungles of central Africa. When he finally returns to New York twenty-five years later with a thirteen year-old son, his seemingly utopian world goes off kilter.
WHITEY – USA / Director: Joe BerlingerInfamous gangster James “Whitey” Bulger wielded a mystique as the Robin Hood of South Boston. Bulger’s legend captured the imagination of the entire country, and this riveting documentary challenges conventional wisdom by detailing shocking new allegations.
SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS: This year, RiverRun’s non-competition Special Presentation section features a collection of stunning new films spanning all genres. RiverRun’s Special Presentation Screenings offer audiences an early glimpse of films destined for the multiplex.
OPENING NIGHT FILMS
LE CHEF – France / Spain / Director: Daniel Cohen
In this uproarious comedy, a famous veteran chef (Jean Reno) faces off against his restaurant's new CEO, who wants the establishment to lose a star from its rating in order to bring in a younger chef who specializes in molecular gastronomy.
LE CHEF – France / Spain / Director: Daniel Cohen
In this uproarious comedy, a famous veteran chef (Jean Reno) faces off against his restaurant's new CEO, who wants the establishment to lose a star from its rating in order to bring in a younger chef who specializes in molecular gastronomy.
TO BE TAKEI – USA / Directors: Jennifer M. Kroot and Bill WeberAt 76 years old, George Takei is probably more popular than ever, even more than his Sulu days on Star Trek. He has become an iconic figure in the movement for marriage equality and for reparations for the victims of Japanese internment camps through his active social media presence.
CENTERPIECE PREMIERE
OBVIOUS CHILD – USA / Director: Gillian RobespierreRecent SNL alum Jenny Slate stars in this honest and hilarious story about what happens when a Brooklyn comedian gets dumped, fired and pregnant just in time for the best/worst Valentine's Day of her life.
SOUTHERN SHOWCASE
JOE – USA / Director: David Gordon Green
Ex-con Joe Ransom (Nicolas Cage) becomes the unlikely role model to Gary (Tye Sheridan), the oldest child of a poor family run by an abusive drunk. Joe takes Gary under his wing and together they try to find a path to redemption in small-town Mississippi.
Ex-con Joe Ransom (Nicolas Cage) becomes the unlikely role model to Gary (Tye Sheridan), the oldest child of a poor family run by an abusive drunk. Joe takes Gary under his wing and together they try to find a path to redemption in small-town Mississippi.
CLOSING NIGHT FILMBICYCLING WITH MOLIÈRE – France / Director: Phillippe Le GuayRetired actor Serge (Fabrice Luchini) is approached by Gauthier to star in a revival of Molière’s The Misanthrope, but he plays hard to get. Serge's new lover, the play's producer and his agent arrive on the same weekend to pressure him to make up his mind.
BREATHE IN – USA / Director: Drake DoremusGuy Pearce, Felicity Jones and Amy Ryan star in this story of an exchange student who challenges the dynamics of her host family's relationships when she arrives in their small upstate New York town, forever altering their lives.
A family in 1960s Argentina, take in a German boarder as the first guest in their new lodging house, unaware of his true identity. They are all gradually won over by this charismatic man – until they discover they are living with one of the world’s most notorious criminals.
GOD HELP THE GIRL – UK / Director: Stuart MurdochWritten and directed by Stuart Murdoch, the lead singer of Belle and Sebastian, this musical is set in Glasgow and follows a young woman dealing with emotional problems. Songwriting begins as a way for her to get better, but ultimately becomes her way forward, leading her to the City where she meets two musicians who are each at a crossroads of their own.
LOCKE – UK / Director: Steven Knight
With a powerful performance by Tom Hardy, this intimate film shows how a single phone call causes the life of a successful construction manager to unravel during his drive home.
With a powerful performance by Tom Hardy, this intimate film shows how a single phone call causes the life of a successful construction manager to unravel during his drive home.
TOM AT THE FARM – Canada / France / Director: Xavier Dolan
The story of Tom, who is in the grip of grief and depression following the death of his lover. When he meets the family of the deceased, it is revealed the mother was not aware of her son's sexual orientation, or his relationship with Tom either, for that matter.
The story of Tom, who is in the grip of grief and depression following the death of his lover. When he meets the family of the deceased, it is revealed the mother was not aware of her son's sexual orientation, or his relationship with Tom either, for that matter.
LE WEEKEND – UK / Director: Roger Michell
Jim Broadbent, Lindsay Duncan and Jeff Goldblum star in this story of an aging British couple who return to Paris, the site of their honeymoon, in an attempt to rejuvenate their marriage.
Jim Broadbent, Lindsay Duncan and Jeff Goldblum star in this story of an aging British couple who return to Paris, the site of their honeymoon, in an attempt to rejuvenate their marriage.
WORDS AND PICTURES – USA / Director: Fred Schepisi
A flamboyant English teacher (Clive Owen) and a new, stoic art teacher (Juliette Binoche) collide at an upscale prep school. A high-spirited courtship begins and they find themselves enjoying the battle between which is more powerful, the word or the picture.
SPOTLIGHT ON MEDIA PRESERVATION & RESTORATION: Rather than focusing on films of a specific country or filmmaker, the 2014 Spotlight will showcase archival 35mm films, as well as some video from the collections of renowned archives around the world to draw attention to the importance of preserving our shared cinematic history. The films in this section include:
CRY DANGER – USA / Director: Robert Parrish / Format: 35mm Print
Sent up for a heist he didn’t commit, an ex-con seeks revenge on the crooks who set him up. Dick Powell stars in the directorial debut of Robert Parrish, who skillfully elevates the equally caustic and humorous Cry Danger into an underappreciated noir gem. 35mm restored print courtesy of the UCLA Film & Television Archive. Preservation funding provided by the Film Noir Foundation.
THE EMPEROR JONES – USA / Director: Dudley Murphy / Format: 35mm Print
When his subjects revolt, a Caribbean dictator, who was a former Pullman porter, reflects on the path that led to his downfall. In his most dynamic and memorable film role, Paul Robeson plays Brutus Jones, a character Robeson perfected on stage during a long run of this Eugene O’Neill hit. Preserved by the Library of Congress.
LONESOME – USA / Director: Pál Fejös / Format: 35mm Print
This dazzling, visually expressive masterpiece set against a vibrant New York City tells a simple yet powerful story of boy meets girl. One of the great films made during Hollywood’s transitional period from silents to talkies, it features three scenes with dialogue, but the screening will have live piano accompaniment by Gil Fray. From the collection of George Eastman House.Preservation funded by the Packard Humanities Institute and Universal Studios.
SANTA FE SATAN (aka CATCH MY SOUL) – USA / Director: Patrick McGoohan / Format: 35mm Print
In this musical film adaptation of Jack Good’s rock-opera version of Shakespeare’s Othello, singer/songwriter Richie Havens plays the titular role, but in this interpretation, Othello is a religious prophet on a hippie commune who succumbs to the treachery of Iago. From the collection of the UNCSA Moving Image Archives.
Preceding Short: TAR HEEL FAMILY – USA / Director: George Stoney
From the collection of the NC Department of Cultural Resources.
THIS HAPPY BREED – UK / Director: David Lean / Format: 35mm Print
David Lean’s first Technicolor film evocatively depicts Noël Coward’s epic chronicle of a working-class family in the decades between the two World Wars as they make the most of their lives in a dreary London row house. From the collection of the British Film Institute.
Preceding Short: SNOW – UK / Director: Geoffrey Jones / Format: 35mm Print
From the collection of the British Film Institute.
UPSTREAM – USA / Director: John Ford / B&W / Format: 35mm PrintThis long-lost John Ford film centers on the daily routines of assorted stage actors, comedians and stuntmen who live in a ramshackle boarding house. When a desperate producer gives one of the actors a chance to perform Hamlet in London, the thespian reveals his true colors. We will present the film with live piano accompaniment by Gil Fray. Preservation through a partnership with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Twentieth Century Fox, and the New Zealand Film Archive.
SHORTS FROM THE ANTHOLOGY FILM ARCHIVES – USA / MEXICO / Format: 16mm & 35mm Prints, Video, Digital Files
The Anthology Film Archives presents a selection of avant-garde shorts, including films by Esther Shatavsky, Marjorie Keller, Luther Price, Manuel De Landa, Francis Lee and Stom Sogo. Preservation through a partnership with the National Film Preservation Foundation and the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.
The Anthology Film Archives presents a selection of avant-garde shorts, including films by Esther Shatavsky, Marjorie Keller, Luther Price, Manuel De Landa, Francis Lee and Stom Sogo. Preservation through a partnership with the National Film Preservation Foundation and the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.
ALTERED STATES: NEW DIRECTIONS IN AMERICAN CINEMA: With technological breakthroughs and new distribution models rapidly democratizing the landscape of the motion picture industry, this program features a new wave of exciting, independent American filmmakers who are exploring new territory within the medium.
CONGRATULATIONS! – USA / Director Mike Brune
In this absurdist comedy, an eight year-old boy goes missing in his own house, throwing the Gray family into chaos. Luckily, Detective Skok and his team of investigators specialize in this kind of oddball mystery.
HANK AND ASHA – USA / Director: James E. Duff
What do you do if your first real love is half a world away? In this charming romantic comedy, an Indian woman studying in Prague and a lonely New Yorker begin an unconventional video courtship — two strangers searching for human connection in a hyper-connected world.
What do you do if your first real love is half a world away? In this charming romantic comedy, an Indian woman studying in Prague and a lonely New Yorker begin an unconventional video courtship — two strangers searching for human connection in a hyper-connected world.
THE HEROES OF ARVINE PLACE – USA / Director: Damian Lahey
In this heartwarming first feature from UNCSA alum Damian Lahey, a recent widower and struggling children’s author makes one last push for his career while trying to take care of his two little girls over the holidays.
In this heartwarming first feature from UNCSA alum Damian Lahey, a recent widower and struggling children’s author makes one last push for his career while trying to take care of his two little girls over the holidays.
HIDE YOUR SMILING FACES – USA / Director: Daniel Patrick Carbone
The sudden death of a close friend forces two adolescent boys to confront changing relationships, the mystery of nature, and their own mortality. Hide Your Smiling Faces is an atmospheric exploration of rural American life through the often-distorted lens of youth.
The sudden death of a close friend forces two adolescent boys to confront changing relationships, the mystery of nature, and their own mortality. Hide Your Smiling Faces is an atmospheric exploration of rural American life through the often-distorted lens of youth.
MY SISTER’S QUINCEAÑERA – USA / Director: Aaron Douglas Johnston
Big brother Silas dreams of leaving his hometown and starting a new life while his family prepares for his sister’s fifteenth birthday. Made with Mexican-American residents of Iowa, the film shows how circumstances and family ties clash with American aspirations.
WE GOTTA GET OUT OF THIS PLACE – USA / Directors: Simon Hawkins, Zeke Hawkins
Billy Joe robs his cotton farmer boss Giff to pay for one last blow-out weekend at the beach before his friends leave for college. When Giff learns of their misdeed, the teens are forced into a dangerous heist that will test friendships and accelerate their journey into adulthood.
Billy Joe robs his cotton farmer boss Giff to pay for one last blow-out weekend at the beach before his friends leave for college. When Giff learns of their misdeed, the teens are forced into a dangerous heist that will test friendships and accelerate their journey into adulthood.
FOCUS: For the third year, RiverRun continues its non-competition sidebar, Focus, which features films of all shapes and sizes. Including films from emerging talents, RiverRun alums, veteran filmmakers and living legends alike, this section highlights a variety of film styles and stories, presenting a collection of some of our favorites.
ALICE WALKER: BEAUTY IN TRUTH – USA / UK / Director: Pratibha ParmarThe compelling story of an extraordinary woman’s journey from a shack in the cotton fields to becoming one of the key writers of our time. Alice Walker made history as the first black woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for her groundbreaking novelThe Color Purple.
ALIVE INSIDE: A STORY OF MUSIC & MEMORY – USA / Director: Michael Rossato-BennettAn investigation into the power music has to awaken deeply locked memories. When a social worker decides on a whim to bring iPods to a nursing home he discovers that many residents suffering from memory loss seem to respond to music from their past.
ALL CHEERLEADERS DIE – USA / Directors: Lucky McKee, Chris SiverstonA rebel girl signs up a group of cheerleaders to help her take down the captain of their high school football team, but a supernatural turn of events thrusts the girls into a different battle.
COHERENCE – USA / Director: James Ward Byrkit
A mind-bending puzzle of a film that twists logic to the breaking point. A group of friends gather on the night a strange celestial object passes overhead, causing reality and relationships to fracture.
A mind-bending puzzle of a film that twists logic to the breaking point. A group of friends gather on the night a strange celestial object passes overhead, causing reality and relationships to fracture.
FREEDOM SUMMER – USA / Director: Stanley NelsonFifty years later, this film takes a look back at the summer of 1964, when more than 700 student activists took segregated Mississippi by storm, registering voters, creating freedom schools and establishing the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party.
GERALDINE FERRARO: PAVING THE WAY – USA / Director: Donna ZacaroThough Geraldine Ferraro’s history-making campaign is well-known, few know much about her journey from an impoverished childhood or the hurdles she faced and overcame in order to achieve what no woman had done before.
GORE VIDAL: THE UNITED STATES OF AMNESIA – USA / Italy / Director: Nicholas D. WrathallFew 20th century figures have had a more profound effect on the worlds of literature, film, politics and culture than Gore Vidal. Anchored by intimate interviews with the man himself, this is a fascinating portrait of the last lion of the age of American liberalism.
GRINGO TRAILS – USA / Director: Pegi VailCombining stunning footage from Bolivia, Thailand, Mali and Bhutan, this film follows the well-worn ‘gringo trail’ travel route in Latin America and beyond and reveals a complex web of relationships and raises urgent questions about one of the most powerful global industries of our time: tourism.
MISFIRE: THE RISE AND FALL OF THE SHOOTING GALLERY – USA /
Director: Whitney Ransick
A documentary about the independent film company that rose to the top of the 90’s film scene with the Academy Award-winning Slingblade before financial risk-taking caused its spectacular crash. This is the story of the “Enron of independent films.”
SIDDARTH – Canada / India / Director: Richie Mehta
Mahendra, a chain-wallah from Delhi, must travel across India in search of his missing son, Siddharth, after he learns he may have been taken by child-traffickers. With little resources, he sets off in hot pursuit to return his son home unharmed.
THAT GUY DICK MILLER – USA / Director: Elijah DrennerDick Miller is the last of the great American character actors. Whether sharing the screen with Nicholson, DeNiro, Schwarzenegger or The Ramones, Dick has been stealing scenes since his debut in 1955 and has made nearly 200 films in six decades.
WHEN JEWS WERE FUNNY – Canada / Alan Zweig
Insightful and hilarious, Alan Zweig’s latest film surveys the history of Jewish comedy, from the early days of the Borscht Belt to the present, ultimately exploring not just ethnicity in the entertainment industry but also the question of what it means to be Jewish.
Insightful and hilarious, Alan Zweig’s latest film surveys the history of Jewish comedy, from the early days of the Borscht Belt to the present, ultimately exploring not just ethnicity in the entertainment industry but also the question of what it means to be Jewish.
COMMUNITY CINEMA: The 2014 Festival will mark the fourth annual presentation of our Community Cinema program, created to broaden our outreach efforts and ensure the Festival is accessible to audiences from all backgrounds. These screenings further our mission of fostering a deeper understanding of the many people, cultures and perspectives of our world through great films and filmmakers. These films are FREE and open to the public.
FIDO FROLIC & FILM
UP – USA / Director: Pete Docter, Bob Peterson
By tying thousands of balloons to his home, 78-year-old Carl sets out to fulfill his lifelong dream to see the wilds of South America. Russell, a wilderness explorer 70 years younger, inadvertently becomes a stowaway in this recent Pixar triumph.Sponsored by Flow Subaru
UP – USA / Director: Pete Docter, Bob Peterson
By tying thousands of balloons to his home, 78-year-old Carl sets out to fulfill his lifelong dream to see the wilds of South America. Russell, a wilderness explorer 70 years younger, inadvertently becomes a stowaway in this recent Pixar triumph.Sponsored by Flow Subaru
THE WIZARD OF OZ – USA / Director: Victor FlemingNominated for a Best Picture Oscar, this heartwarming Technicolor tale tells of Dorothy Gale, who is swept away by a tornado to a magical land and embarks on a quest to see the Wizard who can help her return home. Sponsored by Hanesbrands Inc.
LANDSCAPES OF THE HEART: THE ELIZABETH SPENCER STORY – USA / Director: Rebecca Cerese
This documentary chronicles the life of Elizabeth Spencer, a controversial Southern author still writing in her nineties. Spencer authored the novella Light in the Piazza and other poignant stories of race, gender and sexuality during a defining period of American history. Presented in partnership with Bookmarks.
THE COLOR PURPLE – USA / Director: Steven Spielberg
Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Alice Walker, this groundbreaking work spans the years 1909 to 1949, relating the life of Celie (Whoopi Goldberg), a Southern black woman effectively sold into a life of servitude to her brutal husband, sharecropper Albert (Danny Glover).
Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Alice Walker, this groundbreaking work spans the years 1909 to 1949, relating the life of Celie (Whoopi Goldberg), a Southern black woman effectively sold into a life of servitude to her brutal husband, sharecropper Albert (Danny Glover).
THE TRIALS OF MUHAMMAD ALI – USA / Director: Bill Siegel
Prior to becoming the most recognizable face on earth, legendary boxer Muhammad Ali found himself in the crosshairs of conflicts concerning race, religion and wartime dissent. This captivating documentary chronicles his toughest bout: the battle to overturn a five-year prison sentence for refusing US military service. Presented in partnership with ITVS Community Cinema ITVS Community Cinema and Wake Forest University.
Prior to becoming the most recognizable face on earth, legendary boxer Muhammad Ali found himself in the crosshairs of conflicts concerning race, religion and wartime dissent. This captivating documentary chronicles his toughest bout: the battle to overturn a five-year prison sentence for refusing US military service. Presented in partnership with ITVS Community Cinema ITVS Community Cinema and Wake Forest University.
FILMS WITH CLASS: RiverRun’s year-round FILMS WITH CLASS program gives area teachers the opportunity to expose their students to Festival films. During the Festival, students attend and participate in private screenings with the filmmakers and special guests. Then, throughout the school year, RiverRun brings films into classrooms to help enrich and enhance school curriculum. Sponsored by Wells Fargo
IF YOU BUILD IT – USA / Director Patrick Creadon
Set in rural Bertie County, North Carolina, this powerful documentary follows two activists who work with high school students to help transform both their community and their lives, despite the challenges of dwindling grant money and a very resistant school board.
Set in rural Bertie County, North Carolina, this powerful documentary follows two activists who work with high school students to help transform both their community and their lives, despite the challenges of dwindling grant money and a very resistant school board.
LANDSCAPES OF THE HEART: THE ELIZABETH SPENCER STORY – USA / Director: Rebecca Cerese
This documentary chronicles the life of Elizabeth Spencer, a controversial Southern author still writing in her nineties. Spencer authored the novella Light in the Piazza and other poignant stories of race, gender and sexuality during a defining period of American history. Presented in partnership with Bookmarks.
PARTICLE FEVER – USA / Director: Mark Levinson
Ten thousand scientists from more than 100 countries joined forces to recreate the conditions just moments after the Big Bang and found the Higgs boson particle, potentially explaining the origin of all matter. But their efforts raise a larger question: have we reached our limit in understanding why we exist?
Ten thousand scientists from more than 100 countries joined forces to recreate the conditions just moments after the Big Bang and found the Higgs boson particle, potentially explaining the origin of all matter. But their efforts raise a larger question: have we reached our limit in understanding why we exist?
SHORTS: The Festival will be continuing the competitive Documentary, Narrative, and Animated Shorts sections. In January, RiverRun was accepted as a qualifying festival for the Oscars® in the Documentary Short Subject award category by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This year’s recipient of RiverRun’s Jury Award for Best Documentary Short will qualify for consideration in the Documentary Short Subject category of the annual Academy Awards®, allowing the recipient to forgo a standard theatrical run, provided that winning films otherwise comply with Academy rules.
For the fourth time, RiverRun will feature special selections of North Carolina Shorts. This program will screen some of the best short films received from N.C. filmmakers this year in two different programs, while giving attendees a chance to support local artists.
Also returning are the wildly popular Saturday Morning Cartoons, a series of family-friendly animated shorts that include many sweet tales to delight the younger filmgoers at the Festival.
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.
SPONSORS: The sponsors of the 2014 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: The Arts Council of Winston Salem and Forsyth County, Reynolds American, The University of North Carolina School of the Arts; Presenting Sponsors: City of Winston-Salem, Millennium Fund; Marquee Sponsors: Flow Companies, Elephant in the Room, John W. and Anna H. Hanes Foundation, Wells Fargo, Hanesbrands Inc.; Premiere Sponsors: Wake Forest University, JDL Castle Corporation, Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP, and Kilpatrick Design.
TICKETS AND INFO: Tickets are on sale at the Stevens Center box office, via www.riverrunfilm.com or over the phone (336)721-1945. Purchasing tickets in-person at the Stevens Center or via phone is recommended to avoid third-party handling fees. For up-to-date information, or for details about volunteering at the Festival, visit www.riverrunfilm.com or call 336-724-1502."
Submitted press release
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