• Downtown Winston-Salem plays home to the 2015 RiverRun International Film Festival from Thursday, April 16, through Sunday, April 26. Founded in Brevard in 1998 by actor Vincent D’Onofrio (Full Metal Jacket; Men in Black) and his father Gene, the festival name was inspired by the French Broad River. RiverRun then moved east in 2003 under the direction of Dale Pollock, then the dean of the School of Filmmaking at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.
Festival highlights for 2015 include screenings of Manglehorn, starring Al Pacino and written and directed by David Gordon Green (All the Real Girls; Pineapple Express); People Places Things, starring Jemaine Clement (What We Do in the Shadows) and Jessica Williams (TV’s The Daily Show); and a six-film Spotlight on Black American Cinema from 1971-91, featuring such works as John Singleton’s Boyz n the Hood and Charles Burnett’s Killer of Sheep. riverrunfilm.com
• The 2015 Indie Grits Festival takes place Wednesday, April 15, through Sunday, April 19, in Columbia, S.C. Hosted by The Nickelodeon Theatre, South Carolina’s lone nonprofit art house theater, Indie Grits began in 2007 as a DIY film festival and also offers art, technology and music events. This year’s film selections include eight documentary features, two narrative features and over 60 short films from a variety of genres. This year also marks the first time the festival has a theme: “Future Perfect” encourages all involved with Indie Grits to look at the years to come with creative thought and an ownership of how life can turn out. indiegrits.com
• The Brevard Music Center and the WNC Film Society will collaborate during the music center’s season and throughout the year on projects that explore the role of music in film. Interdisciplinary activities will include film screenings, lectures, panel discussions, concerts and other events. “Melody Defines Story in Short Films,” the first project of this partnership, takes place Thursday, July 9, and will be followed by a panel discussion with industry experts. brevardmusic.org
• The newly established N.C. Film and Entertainment Grant has awarded funds to three in-state projects. The grant provides financial aid to attract productions that will stimulate economic activity and create jobs in North Carolina. Companies receive no money upfront and must meet direct in-state spending requirements to qualify for funds. Under The Dome will continue its Wilmington-based production for a third season. The CBS series is an adaptation of Stephen King’s novel of the same name and examines how the citizens of the fictional Chester’s Mill react when a giant dome is placed over their town. Additional filming takes place in Burgaw and Southport, and the eligible grant amount is $5 million.
An untitled Lionsgate Television Project will receive eligible grant amount of $4 million and is expected to shoot in Western North Carolina. The third production is the feature film Late in the Season, which, according to its IMDb page, is about “a 31-year-old Seattle stockbroker with a mysterious past who walks on to a small North Carolina college basketball team and inspires his struggling teammates’ lives with hope as they reach for a championship.” The film is written and directed by actor Gary Hershberger (Sneakers; TV’s Twin Peaks) and stars Kevin Sorbo (TV’s Hercules) and Fred Thompson (TV’s Law & Order). It will be shot primarily on the campus of Davidson College and the greater Charlotte area, and receive an eligible grant amount of $1 million.
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