Films & Events

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.

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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.

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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.

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Films With Class Shorts Program 2025 – Elementary School

Teaching through film. RiverRun recognizes the unique and critical role arts education plays in reaching students both inside and outside the classroom. Through our free education program, Films With Class, we present free screenings of carefully curated films for area students at the Festival each spring. Sponsored by Duke Energy and The Lovett Foundation.

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Late Night Shorts 2025

RiverRun’s Late Night Shorts program is all about the weird, wild, and unexpected. Packed with dark humor, creepy vibes, and plenty of surprises, these films are perfect for anyone who loves stories that go off the rails — in the best way possible.

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Narrative Shorts, Program 3: Coming of Age

One thing that really stood out in this year’s submissions is just how tremendous young people really are. Whether they are saving a crush from a deadly bee sting, hunting griffins, or wrestling with the everyday challenges of being a teenager, they all learn to come of age in their own unique way.

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Saturday Morning Cartoons 2025

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 andadults 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!

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