14th Annual Pitch Fest Student Competition
Join us for our annual competition of student filmmakers pitching their film projects to our panel of jurors, who provide feedback and award cash prizes to the first and second place winners.
2025 Closing Night Party
Celebrate 9 days of amazing films and indie filmmakers at our Closing Night Party! Enjoy food by Foothills, Stella and local beers, NC wine, and Tito’s Handmade Vodka.
500 Days in the Wild
“500 Days in the Wild” follows filmmaker Dianne Whelan’s six-year journey to complete all 16,000 miles of the land and water trails across North America on the world’s longest trail, the beautiful Trans Canada Trail (TCT), stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific Coast, as well as the Arctic Ocean. This documentary weaves together adventure, personal reflections, stunning wildlife, and human connection along the rigorous trail.
76 Days Adrift
Steven Callahan’s solo passage across the Atlantic Ocean was upended when a whale collided with his boat, and he was left stranded on an inflatable raft drifting towards the Americas. For 76 harrowing days, Steven reckoned with his own limitations and connected with his natural surroundings to survive against all odds.
A New Perspective Shorts
When going through the hundreds of short documentary film submissions we received, a theme emerged, highlighting the incredible resilience of the human spirit even in the face of tragedy or difficulty. This documentary shorts block celebrates humanity and the need for us all to look at life with a new perspective.
Above the Clouds
An ambitious owlet yearns to fly above the clouds despite his shortcomings but keeps falling short, only to find that all he needed was an unexpected glide down the mountainside.
After the Bomb
In an era where the violence of war often leaves victims forgotten, a woman whose life was devastated by a bomb in Northern Ireland joins with fellow victims and survivors to fight for restitution and acknowledgment from an unresponsive government. Amidst her fight, she finds new healing in a friendship based on shared need, where one walks and the other sees.
All That We Love
Following the death of her family dog, Emma finds herself at a crossroads where grief and release play together. A midlife awakening is now in full throttle, and those closest to Emma feel the impact, including her best friend Stan and her rambunctious daughter Maggie. To make matters more complicated and ripe for comedic mishaps, Emma’s estranged ex-husband Andy returns to the city from Singapore down on his professional luck and aiming to rekindle things
Always Looking: Titus Brooks Heagins
“Always Looking” explores the work of Durham photographer Titus Brooks Heagins and the challenging questions his photos pose about the systemic and casual exclusions and neglect of society’s most vulnerable communities of color.
American Coup: Wilmington 1898
AMERICAN COUP: WILMINGTON 1898 tells the little-known story of a race massacre and coup d’état in Wilmington, North Carolina, in which White supremacists overthrew the multi-racial “Fusion” government of North Carolina’s largest city through a coordinated campaign of violence and intimidation that destroyed Black political and economic power and imposed white control.
American Dream No More
From his upbringing in the Jim Crow South to Harvard, Deon, a Native American college professor, reflects on the struggles and triumphs of growing up Lumbee in a world that often refused to see him fully—navigating the weight of systemic inequalities while carrying the cultural richness of his heritage.
Animated Shorts 2025: Program 1
RiverRun’s Academy Award®-qualifying Animated Shorts Program showcases a vibrant collection of imaginative storytelling and artistic innovation. From hand-drawn wonders to cutting-edge digital creations, these films push the boundaries of animation while delivering heartfelt, humorous, and thought-provoking narratives.
Animated Shorts 2025: Program 2
RiverRun’s Academy Award®-qualifying Animated Shorts Program showcases a vibrant collection of imaginative storytelling and artistic innovation. From hand-drawn wonders to cutting-edge digital creations, these films push the boundaries of animation while delivering heartfelt, humorous, and thought-provoking narratives.
Antheor
A young woman decides to face her anxieties, returning to places occupied by the shadows of the past. Driven by tempestuous winds, she defies a wild sea and crosses sharp rocks like blades, to return to the origin..”
Anxiety Club
“Anxiety Club” provides an intimate and humorous look at anxiety through the eyes and minds of some of the most brilliant comedians working today. Tiffany Jenkins, Joe List, Marc Maron, Aparna Nancherla, Mark Normand, Baron Vaughn, and Eva Victor offer candid reflections on their relationship with anxiety through exclusive interviews, standup performances, sketch videos, therapy, and everyday life.
