RiverRun Festival Archive

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• Abbygail Was Here

  A young woman is left stranded at an abandoned house in apocalyptic rural America. Isolated for the first time in her life, she searches for…

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• All of You

  Frankie, inundated by the notion that she’s somehow incomplete without a romantic partner, follows her friend to a weekend retreat led by a popular Shaman.…

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• Animated Shorts 1

  Titles in this program of short animated films include: Izzy’s Demons Mademoiselle Pigeon Our Bed Is Green Sad Beauty Souvenir Through the Cymbals I Will…

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• Animated Shorts 2

  Titles in this program of short animated films include: Crusoe A Family That Steals Dogs Lines of Exile Machi The Mechanical Dancer Migrants Namoo The…

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• Any Day Now

  Starring our 2021 Master of Cinema honoree Alan Cumming, Any Day Now is a powerful tale of love, acceptance and family. When a teenager with…

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• Atomic Cafe: The Noisiest Corner in J-Town

  In the late 1970’s, when L.A.’s punk rock scene was exploding, an unlikely family-owned restaurant in Little Tokyo started by Japanese Americans returning from America’s…

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• A Beautiful Curse

  In this inventive modern fairy tale, a whole island affected by an unexplainable sleep phenomenon is closed off from the mainland. Photographer Samuel heads there…

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• Becoming

  As the US ramps up border enforcement during summer 2019, a formerly undocumented activist prepares for her naturalization test with her filmmaker-partner. In impressionistic scenes…

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• before/during/after

  Written by and starring RiverRun’s 2021 Emerging Master honoree Finnerty Steeves (Orange Is the New Black), this sharp-witted dramedy, from our 2020 Festival, studies a…

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• Bethesda: A Shelter's Story

  This immersive documentary by RiverRun alum and Wake Forest University Professor Thom Southerland lovingly profiles The Bethesda Center for the Homeless, which operates a day…

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• Between the Shadows

  A woman is enchanted by a moonbeam and chases it up to the sky. This title screens as part of the Saturday Morning Cartoons block of films

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• Beyond the Line

  A wheelchair dreams of one day being fast like a racing car. One night, the wheelchair decides to do its own race in the hospital…

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• Big Touch

  Big Touch is an Afro-Surrealist story about a giant woman and a tiny man who, through the power of touch, experience an unexpected transformation. This…

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• Birdie

  During his golf game, Marcel finally gathers the courage to invite Joanne, the 9th hole canteen chef, on a date, never imagining his action would…

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• The Black Baptism

  The Black Baptism is a short film about a young woman who awakens imprisoned by a mysterious group. This afro-futurist psychological thriller explores themes around…

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• Black Conflux

  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…

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• Broken Bird

  Birdie, a biracial girl raised by her Jewish mom, spends a rare day with her father while preparing for her Bat Mitzvah. She overcomes her…

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• A Broken House

  When Mohamad Hafez received a single-entry visa to study architecture in the U.S., he realized if he couldn’t return home to Syria, he could make…

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• Bug Farm

  Four distinct women in Central Florida bond over working with crickets, superworms, and roaches on an insect farm in the small town of LaBelle. This…

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• Can You Hear My Voice?

  Can You Hear My Voice? chronicles the one-of-a-kind Shout at Cancer UK choir, whose members have all had their voice boxes removed, as they prepare…

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• The Capote Tapes

  Answered Prayers was meant to be Truman Capote’s greatest masterpiece, an epic portrait of New York’s glittering jet-set society. Instead, it sparked his downfall. Through…

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• Catgot

  This kaleidoscopic abstract film highlights the beauty of the colors, composition and transformations of the objects in the scene. This title screens as part of…

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• Coney Island, August

  A young couple goes on a date to Coney Island. Something is clearly off between them. This title screens as part of the Narrative Shorts…

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• Crusoe

  This sci-fi action comedy follows the adventures of an astronaut who has been stranded on an alien planet. This title screens as part of the Animated…

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• Dear Future Me

  Dear Future Me features both 6th graders writing letters to their future selves and high school seniors opening the letters they wrote 6 years previous.…

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• death. everything. nothing.

  Separated by distance, time, and a pandemic, a daughter wrestles with her mother’s impending death. This title screens as part of the North Carolina Shorts…

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• The Desiring

  Filmed in the area from a script by Winston-Salem native Graham Pritz-Bennett, this film follows Richard, a typical Southern American who works hard and loves…

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• Documentary Shorts 1

  Titles in this program of short documentary films include: A Broken House The Field Trip Last Meal Pant Hoot Sophie and The Baron

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• Documentary Shorts 2

  Titles in this program of short documentary films include: Atomic Cafe: The Noisiest Corner in J-Town Bug Farm Finding Tyler Hayat Snowy Strawberry Forever

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• Don't Go Tellin' Your Momma

  In 1970 a group of Black educators in Chicago developed a flashcard set of the alphabet in order to provide Black centered teaching materials to…

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• Down and Out in America

  Directed by 2021 Master of Cinema honoree Lee Grant, Down and Out in America won an Oscar for Best Documentary Feature in 1987. This exploration…

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• Dream Horse

  Starring Toni Collette and Damien Lewis, this Sundance standout tells the story of a Welsh cleaner and barmaid who decides to breed a racehorse in…

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• The Dry

  Eric Bana stars in this pot-boiler Australian thriller about a police detective who returns to his drought-stricken hometown to attend a tragic funeral. But his…

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• Eddy's World

  Eddy’s World is an intimate portrait of a 98 year-old working toy inventor whose creativity and curiosity keep him young and healthy. This documentary short…

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• Events Transpiring Before, During, and After a High School Basketball Game

  It’s 1999 and the Middleview Ducks high school basketball team are about to play the most low-stakes game of their lives. As the team prepares…

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• A Family that Steals Dogs

  Strange experiences and realizations lead a grieving artist to reconsider his identity and beliefs in this meditation on grief, family and mental illness. This title…

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• The Field Trip

  A group of fifth graders learn what it takes to get ahead in the modern American workplace through a fascinating camp where they learn all…

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• Films With Class Shorts

  Titles in this program of short films include: Eddy’s World Home of My Memories Napo Returning Home Films With Class program sponsored by FaderRE

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• Final Set

  Once described as a young professional tennis prodigy, Thomas never had the career in the game he had hoped for. At 37, he decides to…

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• Finding Tyler

  In August of 2003, Tyler Johnson was a prized scholar in theoretical physics. Months later he was homeless on the island of Corsica, a fugitive…

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• Fires in the Dark

  In a small 17th century village nestled between the sea and the mountains, fifteen year-old Alan is suddenly forced to begin supporting his mother and…

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• Fish Like Us

  As part of an unusual farewell ritual, two siblings end up at a Chinese restaurant. Though the tables are close together, the siblings hardly notice…

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• Fishermen

  Fishermen is an animated, sci-fi, comedic micro short that answers an age-old question: are aliens among us? This title screens as part of the North…

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• Fog Likely Farm: An Appalachian Story

  After a difficult divorce, Susie Winters, a young mother with two small daughters, moves from the Piedmont of North Carolina to a run-down, Civil War-era…

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• For Madmen Only: The Stories of Del Close

  In this hilarious and poignant look at the life of improv impresario Del Close, we follow the comedy trailblazer from his early sideshow act to…

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• Go Fetch

  A worse-for-wear old tennis ball tries to escape his life as a dog’s chew toy to try something new. This title screens as part of…

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• Goalie

  A foosball table goalkeeper sees all the action happen on the other side of the field. In frustration he breaks away and tries to show…

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• GoldenEye

  When a powerful satellite system falls into the hands of Alec Trevelyan, AKA Agent 006 (Sean Bean), a former ally-turned-enemy, only James Bond (Pierce Brosnan)…

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• Hayat

  Rahma, a single mother of four, encourages her children to maintain a strong sense of family, faith and cultural identity as she navigates personal difficulties…

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• Los Hermanos/The Brothers

  Virtuoso Afro-Cuban-born brothers—violinist Ilmar and pianist Aldo—live on opposite sides of a geopolitical chasm a half-century wide. Tracking their parallel lives in New York and…

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• Home Movie

  Zeke’s parents use Zeke as an emotional pawn in their divorce. Not to be out manipulated, Zeke turns the tables on them, thinking that as…

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• Home of My Memories

  A young child find his passion through the experiences of his grandfather. All of those teachings come alive in a truly wonderful, magical way. This…

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• Hop Along, Hang On

  How do you take back a story you didn’t know was yours? How do you move forward while embracing and understanding your past? Follow Rose…

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• The Hot Air Balloon

  Enjoy a hot air balloon ride and discover what it’s like to see the Earth from above. This title screens as part of the Saturday Morning…

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• How To Be a Good Wife

  Paulette (Juliette Binoche) and her husband run a prim and proper housekeeping school, training teenage girls to become the perfect housewives. After the sudden death…

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• Identity

  The bald guy wanted to steal something from Nigel, and he needed me. He had to know everything about Nigel. He needed to get inside…

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• In Our Nature

  This animated documentary explores humanity’s relationship with nature through a world of interviewed “animals.” This title screens as part of the North Carolina Shorts 2…

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• Inheritance

  A Black family in rural Vermont attempts to live a life of solitude and cope with the ghosts living on their property. This title screens…

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• Inspace

  Inspace is an exploration of Black bodies in white space through the mediums of dance and film. The unconventional film includes performances from four dancers…

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• Izzy's Demons

  Izzy is a person who struggles with the decision to reconnect with an old friend. As she gives into her jealousy for her friend’s success,…

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• Just Over the Line

  This film tells the story of Daniel Noell, who was arrested for drug trafficking in two adjacent North Carolina jurisdictions. Through interviews with Noell, his…

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• Kapaemahu

  Long ago, four extraordinary individuals brought the healing arts from Tahiti to Hawaii and imbued four giant boulders with their powers. The stones still stand…

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• Kindred Kings

  Kindred Kings is a poetic visual piece that reminds us that Black men are Kings, and they will be the ones to decide the new…

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• Kiss the Ground

  Kiss the Ground reveals that, by regenerating the world’s soils, we can completely and rapidly stabilize Earth’s climate, restore lost ecosystems and create abundant food…

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• Knock

  Late at night, Kim hears a sound in her apartment. She asks her partner to investigate. This title screens as part of the Late Night Shorts block…

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• Landlocked

  After his mother’s death, a man is reunited with his estranged, transgender father as they journey to scatter her ashes off the Georgia coast. Landlocked…

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• Last Meal

  Capital punishment simmers in a boiling pot of controversy. Amidst the political and religious debate surrounding the issue, one thing sets tongues wagging more than…

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• Late Night Shorts

  Titles in this program of short films include: Abbygail Was Here All of You Identity Knock Luv U Cuz The Mother Sleep Tight Space Vamps…

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• Life in the Sacrifice Zone

  In his first feature film, Winston-Salem filmmaker Chad Nance highlights an African American community in rural North Carolina who battled systematic racism and one of…

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• Lily Topples the World

  Lily Topples the World follows 20 year-old sensation Lily Hevesh, the world’s most acclaimed domino toppler and the only girl in her field, as she…

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• Lines of Exile

  Hamid Naficy’s fifty years of drawings of prominent scholars, philosophers, and theorists form a unique index of the evolution of cultural theory over the last…

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• The Love Bug

  The Love Bug follows the adventures of a 1963 Volkswagen Beetle named Herbie, who seems to have a mind of his own! Among his human costars are…

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• Ludi

  After a half truth lands her under immense financial pressure, Ludi Alcidor embarks on a frantic scour through Miami’s private care-taking world in an increasingly…

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• Luv U Cuz

  Set in a not-too-distant future, two cousins bond over the course of a night on the town, until their relationship is tested in more ways…

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• Machi

  Growing up with her four siblings in Indonesia back in the 70’s, my mother tells me of the years she spent being cared for by…

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• The Machinery of Dreams

  In this stunning and heartwarming young adult fantasy film made in nearby Charlottesville, VA, 8 year-old Lily goes to stay with her aunt and grandmother…

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• Madeline the Child Exorcist

  It is career day at Lakeside Elementary School and among vets, firefighters, and dancers, one child sticks out–Madeline the Exorcist. When a class photo reveals…

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• Mademoiselle Pigeon

  1917. Private Pepin vowed to write the beautiful Mademoiselle Pigeon a letter daily. He will soon have to use his imagination to keep his promise.…

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• Make-Believers

  This whimsical Japanese romance gives a reverent tip of the cap to the classic Hollywood musical in telling the story of a man, Masa, who…

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• The Mechanical Dancer

  In a run-down part of town there stands a small theater, owned by an eccentric old man. His spectacle “The Mechanical Dancer” is a sight…

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• Medicine Man: The Stan Brock Story

  This timeless documentary adventure recounts the incredible life story of British-born Amazonian cowboy turned US TV star, Stan Brock, who sacrificed everything to bring free…

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• Migrants

  Two polar bears are driven into exile due to global warming. They will encounter brown bears along their journey, with whom they will try to…

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• Misha and the Wolves

  A young orphaned girl survives the Holocaust by fleeing her home in search of her parents, escaping Nazis by sticking to the woods and living…

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• Missing in Brooks County

  Two families search for their loved ones who went missing in the vast ranch lands of Brooks County, Texas, the site of more migrant deaths…

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• The Mother

  A young woman visits a farmer’s market and finds a lot more than she bargained for in a chance encounter with a local kombucha brewer.…

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• Must Love Pie

  A lonely man finds a love connection. This title screens as part of the Narrative Shorts 2 block of films

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• Namoo

  Namoo, Korean for “tree”, is a lyrical poem come to life. Inspired by the loss of his grandfather, Oh paints a searing narrative of the…

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• Napo

  John, unable to understand the illness that drives his grandfather between past and present states, stumbles into an old album full of photographs and then…

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• Narrative Shorts 1

  Titles in this program of short films include: Birdie Broken Bird Inheritance Madeline the Child Exorcist The Other Morgan Pawsea (or: The Melancholy Ruminations of…

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• Narrative Shorts 2

  Titles in this program of short films include: Big Touch Coney Island, August Don’t Go Tellin’ Your Momma Fish Like Us Home Movie Must Love…

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• The New Corporation: The Unfortunately Necessary Sequel

  Described by Forbes magazine as the “must-see documentary of the year,” this follow-up to the critically acclaimed 2003 film The Corporation reveals how the corporate takeover…

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• North Carolina Shorts 1

  Titles in this program of short documentary films include: Becoming Fog Likely Farm: An Appalachian Story Just Over the Line Pink, White & Blue Seeding…

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• North Carolina Shorts 2

  Titles in this program of short films include: The Black Baptism death. everything. nothing. Fishermen In Our Nature Inspace Kindred Kings Regulars Sideways Stuffed Two…

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• One Moment

  Featuring the unforgettable Danny Aiello in his final screen performance, One Moment is a humorous, heartwarming story of middle-age siblings struggling to manage their own…

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• The Other Morgan

  When a happy young exterminator discovers there’s a better version of her out in the world, she begins to question the life she chose for…

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• Our Bed Is Green

  Realm, a virtual reality facility, is quite transparent about the erotic potential of its services. Wall to wall, Realm is lined with tempting previews from…

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• Pant Hoot

  As the world’s chimpanzee population dwindles in the wild, one man risks everything to care for a group of mistreated animals rescued by Jane Goodall’s…

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• Pawsea (or: The Melancholy Ruminations of a Solitary French Bulldog)

  Rocky certainly has a lot on his mind, questioning his purpose and attempting to fortify himself against existential angst as he searches for meaning. It’s…

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• The Peak

  In the middle of the night Sarah wakes up as she wants to go to the bathroom. As she leaves her room, she finds herself…

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• Pink, White & Blue

  After years of transitioning in front of a camera, Aydian Dowling discusses how allowing his transition to be visible via YouTube has helped the trans…

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• Proper Pronouns

  Proper Pronouns tells the story of Dawn as she seeks validation in the pulpit and reconciliation in her marriage, problems she did not face when…

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• The Quarantine Muse

  In this stop-motion animation, a furry stuck-at-home New Yorker makes a bold socially distanced gesture for a front-line nurse next door. This title screens as…

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• Regulars

  Jake’s Diner is a 24-hour diner in Greensboro, North Carolina. Over the course of all 24 hours, Regulars gets to know the people that make…

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• The Restoration

  The real estate “boom” is making a lot of people rich. But Tato, a fifty year-old reckless man-child, has lost everything. He moves back in…

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• Returning Home

  Richie Schley has built a career using the nature the earth provides us. In Returning Home, with stay at home orders in place, Richie takes…

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• Ronnie's

  A chronicle of the life of saxophonist Ronnie Scott, from poor, Jewish kid growing up in 1940s East End, London, to the owner of the…

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• Sad Beauty

  In a heavily polluted world, a young woman mourns the disappearance of animal species. When she falls ill due to a bacterial infection, nature appears…

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• Sapelo

  On the Georgia barrier island of Sapelo, two brothers, JerMarkest and Johnathan, are growing up in the last remaining enclave of the Saltwater Geechee people.…

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• Saturday Morning Cartoons

  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…

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• Saving the Dinosaur Fish

  Rory Moore, a marine biologist and wildlife photographer, is on a mission to save the sturgeon, a prehistoric fish and one of the most critically…

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• Seeding the Sea

  Where fishermen were once able to catch over 100 pounds of fish in one day off the coast of Belize, now they can barely catch…

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• She Carries On

  Among the Cherokee people in North Carolina, the cultural tradition of stickball exemplifies “more than a game”. Cherokee women played the game at the turn…

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• Sideways

  Best friends Kurt and Carter find out that living together may not be as easy as they thought when their competing lifestyles begin to crash.…

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• Sky Blossom: Diaries of the Next Greatest Generation

  Filmed over three years, Sky Blossom is a raw, uplifting window into 24.5 million children and millennials stepping forward as frontline heroes. Caring for family…

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• Sleep Tight

  When a wheelchair-bound teen is put to bed by his overly attached father, he complains about personal space. However, when the lights go out, he’ll…

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• Snowy

  Snowy, a four inch-long pet turtle, has lived an isolated life in the family basement. With help from a team of experts and his caretaker,…

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• Sophie and the Baron

  This charming story of an unlikely friendship between iconic photographer Baron Wolman at the end of his prolific career and up-and-coming artist Sophie Kipner at…

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• The Source of the Mountains

  The Paccha-Picchus are festive little creatures. They live a carefree daily life in sync with the mountains. When the mountains come, their oasis rises and…

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• Souvenir

  Souvenir is the story of a father and daughter and the extraordinary journey through their memories. This title screens as part of the Animated Shorts 1 block…

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• Space Vamps

  When the Space Vamps discover a sun that allows them to walk in daylight, they rejoice. But like the myth of Icarus, they fly too…

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• Spellbound

  It’s Halloween night, and thirteen year-old Blair has just moved into a new neighborhood. She carves a pumpkin that magically comes to life! They go…

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• Stains

  A man washes his hands. This title screens as part of the Late Night Shorts block of films

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• Strawberry Forever

  Fifty years ago, Tim McDermit fell forty feet from his college dorm roof. He suffered a traumatic brain injury and was diagnosed with aphasia, a…

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• Stuffed

  Silas comes to terms with his estranged father’s death by finishing his father’s final taxidermy job. This title screens as part of the North Carolina…

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• Summer Years

  Summer Years follows a teenage girl, Ellie, who is spending a summer day with her friends. However, these are just memories, and Ellie must confront…

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• Summertime

  Over the course of a hot summer day in Los Angeles, the lives of 25 young Angelenos intersect in this Sundance standout from exciting young…

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• Super Generic

  A character model sheet tries to change himself after getting a critique from an instructor saying that he was “super generic.” This title screens as…

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• Survivers

  Natural selection says that only those who adapt will survive. What if humans have become stupid? This title screens as part of the Late Night Shorts block…

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• The Teahouse Drama

  While seeing an interesting puppetry show in a Chinese tea house, a little boy falls in love with the puppets and wants to play with…

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• Television Event

  The Kid Stays in the Picture meets The Atomic Cafe in this archive-based documentary that views the dramatic climax of the Cold War through the…

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• Theirs Is the Kingdom

  Theirs is the Kingdom follows the rare creation of a contemporary fresco mural inside the sanctuary of a small church in Asheville, NC, examining the…

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• Thorp

  After fleeing Earth in the 1980s, an eccentric alien returns to his quaint childhood home to look for his best friend Sam. While Thorp may…

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• Through the Cymbals I Will Watch

  On a barren shore, an individual awakens and begins an arduous journey toward an illusory fate. In dream states, one’s journey has many beginnings and…

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• A Tiny Ripple of Hope

  Jahmal Cole is the confident and charismatic leader of My Block, My Hood, My City: an organization that brings hope and opportunity to teenagers across…

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• A Tiny Tale

  A dog gets abandoned on the side of the road. Attached to a street light, he stays alone until the day he meets a young…

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• Tobi and the Turbobus

  You fly with no seat! That’s the rule on the Turbobus. To find a place to sit on the bus is no easy task for…

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• The Train to Qinling

  A traveler gets lost on a train in China with no one else but a panda. She must learn to communicate with him in order…

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• Two Different Kinds of Love

  A little girl is excited to discover more about her adoption story. This title screens as part of the North Carolina Shorts 2 block of…

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• Two Ways to the League

  Two young basketball prospects from North Carolina, Josh Hall and Ty-Shon Alexander, walk different paths, but their ultimate goal is the same: make it to…

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• The Washing Machine

  A young couple need to get rid of their broken washing machine. When they decide to sell it online instead of taking it to the…

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• Werewolf in a Gucci Sweater

  Meet a werewolf in a Gucci sweater, our new friend in the city! He and his wife are super into dance parties and making friendly…

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• White Eye

  A man finds his stolen bicycle and it now belongs to a stranger. In his attempts to retrieve it, he struggles to remain human. This…

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• Windup

  A father tries to stay connected with his unconscious daughter through music. He plays a windup music box and hopes she can hear it while…

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• The Winter

  Walking in a snowy forest, a peasant sees an unusual deer and goes to follow it. The deer enamors him and the peasant wants even…

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• Youth v. Gov

  Youth v. Gov is the story of America’s youngest citizens taking on the world’s most powerful government. Twenty-one courageous youth lead a groundbreaking lawsuit against…

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