Films

Abby the Spoon Lady

You’ve never seen anyone play the spoons like this! Asheville-based Abby Roach is one of a few in the world who makes a living clacking…
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After All

After all is said and done, all that is left are memories. A man cleans out his childhood home while he remembers conversations from the…
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Afterwork

We are all condemned to work and repeat the same empty routines. Can we ever reach that eternal carrot at the end of the stick?…
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Animated Shorts 1

Films screening in this program of short animated works include: After All Extinguished KCLOC Late Afternoon Liv Phototaxis Poles Apart Sog Toys Two Balloons Weekends…
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Animated Shorts 2

Films in the program of short animated works include: Afterwork Between Sand and Tides Carlotta’s Face Darrel The Driver Is Red Late Season Lotte that…
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Arlo Alone

In this futuristic drama Arlo, a young woman, comes to terms with her own loneliness in a world where in-person contact has become a rarity.…
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Automatic on the Road

Technologist Ross Goodwin takes his creative writing Artificial Intelligence robot car across-country to write its version of the archetypal American literary road trip. What does…
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The Beep Test

Wojtek is a mysterious new student at school being targeted by two bullying classmates in search of entertainment. Uncertain in front of his assailants, Wojtek…
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Between Sand and Tides

An exhausted girl travels across an endless desert to look for new hope, all the while trying to deal with her irascible anteater. This film…
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Carlotta's Face

As a child, Carlotta didn’t expect the people around her to have faces. She even doesn’t recognize her own face. Years later, she learns about…
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Crab Trap

Crawling back from the edge of society, Thirsty tries to prove he’s a changed man to his sister in order to gain access to his…
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Darrel

Glances are exchanged in the metro. How many opportunities have you let slip by? Darrel will do everything possible to not let this one escape…
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Destination Moon

France, 1969. In order to be adopted, twelve-year-old André is transferred by the authorities from Reunion Island to France and placed with Jean, a lonesome…
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Documentary Shorts 1

Films in this program of short documentary works include: Automatic on the Road Eye, Camera Handmade Film The Last Honey Hunter Nobody Loves Me Nuuca…
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Documentary Shorts 2

Films in this program of short documentary works include: Footprint I Have Something to Tell You The Sandman Talk To My Son While I Yet…
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Don't Walk

Inside the pedestrian signal, a man wants nothing more than to walk. But then he meets someone who wants something much different, and things get…
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Driven Blind

Driven Blind follows Dan Parker, a world champion drag racer, as he struggles to adjust to a new reality after a tragic racing accident that…
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The Driver Is Red

Set in Argentina in 1960, this true crime documentary follows the story of secret agent Zvi Aharoni as he hunts down one of the highest…
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Einstein-Rosen

Summer of 1982. Teo claims he has found a wormhole. His brother Óscar does not believe him–at least not for now. This film screens as…
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Extinguished

In a world where flames represent love, it’s easy for your heart to get burned. This film screens as part of the Animated Shorts 1…
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Eye, Camera

After losing her left eye in a car accident, artist Tanya Vlach attempts to make herself whole again by trying to build a camera that…
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The Fallen Swan

A baby swan discovers its potential to escape out of a well, and must overcome its fear and doubt to succeed. This film screens as…
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Family Day Shorts & Peppercorn Theatre at Kaleideum

Once again, RiverRun has put together a fantastic line-up of free events for audiences of all ages for our third annual Family Day! At 1:00pm, Peppercorn Theatre…
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Fern

A woman loses her husband and finds a houseplant. An unlikely friendship between a lonely woman and a household fern turns ugly in this darkly…
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Footprint

Footprint is a purely observational meditation on how different people engage with the World Trade Center Memorial, exploring the ways we choose to commemorate tragedy…
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The Future Is Bright

In 1979, a local newscaster prepares to cover an anti-KKK protest in Greensboro, NC, and realizes that she may never be ready for the events…
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Garage at Night

Twelve months. Four seasons. Two brothers. And a garage at night. This film screens as part of the Narrative Shorts 2 block of short films
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Garden Party

In the rich villa they inhabit, frogs explore their surroundings and follow their primal instincts. In this film, nominated for Best Animated Short Film at…
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Gays for Trump

In the 2016 general election, 14% of LGBTQ Americans voted for Donald Trump. This revealing film follows Peter Boykin and David Smith, an interracial gay…
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Get Bent

A man with a double-arm cast suddenly realizes he has to pee. This film screens as part of the North Carolina Shorts 2 block of films
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A God Among Us

A fallen superhero struggles with becoming human in a world that forgets they need a savior. This film screens as part of the North Carolina…
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Good Boy

A hopeful man goes on a blind date with the woman of his dreams, expecting to have the best night of his life. Things seem…
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Handmade Film

Handmade film is a rarely practiced craft in today’s film industry. Lindsay McIntyre spends three days making the film emulsion she shoots on than develops…
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A House in the Countryside

Jorge’s casual encounter with a unknown neighbor reveals that the walls of his house are thinner than he thinks. This film screens as part of…
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Hypertrain

On a train trip through spatial and temporal dimensions, a traveler suddenly comes across himself and a mischievous cat. This film screens as part of…
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I Have Something to Tell You

A fine-art photographer turns to his craft to cope with his HIV/AIDS diagnosis in the acclaimed portrait series “I Have Something to Tell You.” This…
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The Incident

At a bus stop near Beirut, a veiled Lebanese woman and a migrant Syrian worker get caught in a tumultuous moment and are arrested. They…
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Kaiju Bunraku

A day in the life of a husband and a wife, as told in a warped version of a traditional kabuki play. This film screens…
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KCLOC

A selection of brief interviews provide the voices for ten meticulously designed CGI clock characters, in a variety of real-world settings, as they respond to…
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The Last Honey Hunter

Maule Dhan Rai is the last man in the remote Nepal village of Saadi who’s been visited in a dream by a wrathful forest spirit…
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Late Afternoon

Emily finds herself disconnected from the world around her. She drifts back through her memories to relive different moments from her life. Emily must look…
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Late Night Shorts

For those ready to revel in the awkwardly hilarious and disturbing, our late night shorts have got you covered! Films included in this program of…
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Late Season

An elderly couple seem to have lost their affection for one another. One day at the beach, after falling asleep, something incredible happens–something that rekindles…
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The Law of Averages

Death waits for no woman. This film screens as part of the Narrative Shorts 2 block of short films
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Laws of the Game

Zeola is a single mother whose life alternates between her job as a prison guard and her career as a football referee in the men’s…
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Lion Dance

It’s love at first sight for Jian and Ayumi during the city’s annual Lion Dance–but will they be able to find each other during the…
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The Little Giraffe

A hungry little giraffe needs the help of a friend to reach the tasty leaves at the top of the tree. This film screens as…
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Liv

Instead of sitting around waiting for death, Liv goes back to her roots to live out the rest of her days in the wild. This…
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Lotte that Silhouette Girl

This film tells the tale of one of animation’s biggest influencers, Lotte Reiniger. Despite her monumental achievements within the field, she remains a footnote in…
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Love on the Balcony

A crotchety old man does what he can to break up his oppressively lovey-dovey neighbors. This film screens as part of the Saturday Morning Cartoons…
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Lovestreams

A story of net-cross’d lovers. This film screens as part of the Animated Shorts 2 block of films
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The Maestro

As Rob Kellum faces a menacing opponent across the wrestling ring, his only concern is how to tell the best story. This film screens as…
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Merry-Go-Round

The restaurant is closing, and Oleg wants to celebrate. Taking along three of his adoring employees, unable to resist his charm, he sets off in…
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Miner Difficulties

Two very different robot miners left behind by their spaceships must work together to escape the planet before a meteor hits. This film screens as…
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Mosquito: The Bite of Passage

A mosquito on her first hunting trip with her mother tries to confess that she doesn’t like blood. This film screens as part of the…
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Narrative Shorts 1

Films in this program of short narrative works include: The Beep Test Einstein-Rosen A House in the Countryside The Incident Laws of the Game Merry-Go-Round…
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Narrative Shorts 2

Films in this program of short narrative works include: Arlo Alone Destination Moon Garage at Night The Law of Averages Sans Réponse Tom Welcome Home…
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Nobody Loves Me

High in the Andes, a frog with an unusual appearance is threatened with extinction. This film screens as part of the Documentary Shorts 1 block…
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North Carolina Shorts 1--Documentary

Films screening in this program of short documentary works include: Abby the Spoon Lady Driven Blind Gays for Trump The Maestro Princess Warrior Regrowth Strange…
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North Carolina Shorts 2--Narrative

Films screening in this program of short narrative works include: Crab Trap The Future Is Bright Get Bent A God Among Us Redaction Shades Where…
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Nuuca

Over the last decade, an oil boom in North Dakota has doubled its population and brought an influx of drugs, crime and sexual violence. Juxtaposing…
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Odd One Out

Flipper, a 2D penguin chick, was somehow born into a 3D world filled with 3D penguins. Being different, Flipper struggles to find a place in…
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Party Mouth

A dubstep soundtrack and a talking toothbrush teach children how to brush their teeth. This film screens as part of the Saturday Morning Cartoons block…
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Phototaxis

Phototaxis uses exquisite pastel-on-paper palimpsest animation to illustrate the parallels between Mothman, a prophetic and demonized creature in West Virginia lore, and Narcotics Anonymous, the…
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Poles Apart

In a harsh Arctic landscape, a hungry and solitary polar bear has to decide if a naive Canadian grizzly bear is her food or her…
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Porcelain Stare

A young girl is invited in for tea by an old woman. Little does she know that the woman harbors a terrible secret that will…
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Positive

An unlucky diagnosis sends a lonely man on a quest to find an unlikely date. This film screens as part of the Late Night Shorts…
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Post Nuke

In the twilight of the Los Angeles punk scene, a world-weary singer encounters two young women who have consumed some questionably dangerous substances. She takes…
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Precious Images

Precious Images, directed by 2018 Master of Cinema honoree Chuck Workman, is a breathtaking short film featuring approximately 470 half-second-long splices of movie moments through the…
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Princess Warrior

The years she served in Afghanistan as the “Green Mile Guy” left her with debilitating PTSD. Now, life is all about the little victories. This…
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The Puppy Trials

Written by 3rd grader Claire Hartman, The Puppy Trials is the story of an old abandoned German Shepherd teaching a group of puppies how to…
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Redaction

A young man uses a found toy to travel back in time and correct his mistakes in creating the perfect New Year’s Eve date. This…
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Regrowth

Regrowth traces the friendship, recovery, and philanthropic endeavors of two “battle buddies” twelve years after they were badly injured in an IED explosion in Iraq.…
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The Sandman

A doctor walks the line of his own morality as he participates in executions, while personally opposing capital punishment. This film screens as part of…
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Sans Réponse

A young man moves back home to Sonoma after failing to “make it” in the Los Angeles film scene. So says our all-knowing narrator, anyway.…
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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 we…
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Shades

A chance encounter between a beautiful drifter and a cynical gas station clerk results in a night that neither of them will ever forget. This…
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The Shuttle

An infertile nail salon owner decides to confront her husband, the salon’s shuttle driver, whom she suspects of sleeping with one of her employees. This…
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Sog

After an enormous flood, fish are left stranded in the tops of old trees. In danger of drying out they scream sharply, and the inhabitants…
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Sol

That voice in her head. It just won’t let go. This film screens as part of the Late Night Shorts block of films
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Steve's Kinkoes

A man copying posters for his missing (and dead) cat at an otherworldly 24/7 photocopy shop is forced to reexamine his motives and make a…
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Strange Kid

Ethan Gingerich is the quiet and brilliant founder of a company that converts old film projectors into guitar amps. Strange Kid follows him in search…
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Sunny and Gerd in Spring Cleaning

A whistle blows, signalling break time. Things go from zero to chaos when Sunny finds himself in a tight spot and Gerd has to rescue…
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Supernova

When a little boy’s late night viewing of his favorite space adventure videotape is cut short by a scolding from his mom, he channels the…
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Talk to My Son

Kyung-hee, a barista in South Korea, is a North Korean defector who left her son in China 13 years ago. With the help of a…
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Tête à Tête

A young woman visits her family. Over the weekend tensions flare, whilst technology provides an easy respite. As Kerri’s gaze shifts from the screen, she…
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Tethered

Oscar is a scientist who takes his invention up to test in amateur pilot Wendy’s hot air balloon. In order to live up to his…
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Tom

Sophie and Henry are trying to locate their grown up son Tom, having lost contact with him for the umpteenth time during his struggles with…
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Toys

In 1930s farm country, a father wants a son, but he gets a little girl. He tries to toughen her up by giving her toys…
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Train to Peace

The sound of the Berlin subway takes a stranger back to the history of his country–Iraq–where peace is rare and happiness only comes as a…
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Two Balloons

Two adventurous lemurs navigate their handmade dirigibles halfway around the world to return to each other, though happenstance and fate threaten to disrupt their reunion.…
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Undiscovered

Sasquatch has always remained elusive in photos–but not for the reasons we think. This film screens as part of the Saturday Morning Cartoons block of…
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Unexpected Discoveries

A young fellow stumbles upon an ordinary flashlight that allows him to explore other places. Unexpected Discoveries reminds us to always be present. You never…
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Versus

In this increasingly escalating back and forth on a tennis court, the end justifies the means. This film screens as part of the Late Night…
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The Wayward Kite

A little kite breaks its tether, fleeing to the city for a dream. The setbacks it faces make it grow, change, and realize its real…
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Weekends

A young boy is shuffled between the homes of his recently divorced parents. Surreal, dreamlike moments mix with the domestic realities of a broken family…
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Welcome Home

Set in the North of Norway, an Iranian refugee couple invite two Jehovah’s Witnesses in when they knock on their door. This film screens as…
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Where Mothbloods Bloom

Fed up and exhausted Autumn cuts off her relationship with her heroin addict boyfriend. This leaves her stranded and alone at a gas station at…
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While I Yet Live

Five acclaimed African-American quilters from Gee’s Bend, Alabama talk about love, religion, and the fight for civil rights as they continue the tradition of quilting…
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Wishing Box

A pirate and his sidekick monkey finally find a treasure box after years of sailing, and the box can make all your wishes come true–if…
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The Wishing Cranes

When an orphaned paper boy fails to spend time with his lighthearted younger sister, she makes a wish by folding his papers into a thousand…
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The Woman Who Was in Love with Seashells and Other Stories

In the fight to make ends meet in the uphill battle against fishing regulations, a changing climate, and their own geographical isolation, multiple generations of…
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Xavier Corbero: Portrait of an Artist in Winter

This film offers a first and last glimpse into the universe of iconic Spanish sculptor Xavier Corbero, whose kaleidoscopic life and career traversed a turbulent…
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