The kick-off screening is Wednesday, April 11 from 7 p.m. – 11 p.m. at Merriman’s Playhouse at 1211 Mishawaka Ave. South Bend, IN 46615 with short films and a presentation by award-winning local and L.A. director Devi Snively, an alumnus of the American Film Institute’s Directing Workshop for Women. The evening concludes with a documentary 7 Year Underground:A 60’s Tale on Café au GoGo, a New York café that was home to great performances of ’60s legends like Jimi Hendrix.
Our annual free Thursday night screening is 7:30 p.m. – 11 p.m. in room 1001 in Weikamp Hall at Indiana University South Bend, which is sponsored by the Ernestine M. Raclin School of the Arts. View some work by the college’s New Media students, a variety of shorts, and the feature Finding Xanadu: The Life & Films of Samuel W. Truss, a student-produced mockumentary chronicling the life of an Indiana filmmaker.
The main festival takes place at the lower level of the Century Center on Friday, April 13 and Saturday, April 14. It opens Friday night from 7 p. m. – 11 p.m., starting with an introduction by keynote speaker John Hancock, the director of Bang the Drum Slowly, Weeds, and the locally-filmed Christmas favorite Prancer. Following a wide variety of shorts, the evening showcases the award-winning feature Separation Anxiety, directed by Notre Dame graduate John Klein of Glass City Films.
Saturday’s daytime events run from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. where five simultaneous screening rooms assure there is always something amazing to be seen. Highlights include local and regional films The Autopsy of Sleeping Beauty, Door to Door, Leah, Not Leia, and the feature Currency, as well as a block of Notre Dame Student shorts. Brilliant national and international films abound, including …und Exitus from Germany, where a suicidal man finds himself on a supernatural journey with his own personalized, cynical Death sporting a clown costume. A new feature this year is the inclusion of 3fest , which screens films 3-minute or less, including general shorts, and films by and for children, all of which are family friendly. IU South Bend New Media students will also have a display of video art throughout the weekend lining a main hallway.
During Saturday morning and afternoon, festival-goers will have the opportunity to learn more about film production, directing, visual effects, editing and acting through five different workshops. Actors may pose on-site for professional head shots provided by Glass City Stills for the fee of $25, plus the cost of a weekend or day pass – which must be ordered online in advance. Hancock will host a 2-hour seminar on his experiences in television and Hollywood productions. His company FilmAcres is based in LaPorte, IN.
Saturday night’s program is 7 p.m. – 11 p.m. and includes some fun animation with Floyd the Android, the experimental Mugs with morphing celebrity mug shots, and The Perfect Skate with spinning wheels and teenage love. The feature Weeds stars Nick Nolte and will have an introduction and Q&A by Hancock.
Wednesday (7 p.m. – 11 p.m.) – $10 regular, $8 student/senior (Limited ticket, purchase ahead online)
Thursday (7:30 p.m. – 11 p.m.) – FREE
Friday (7 p.m. – 11 p.m.) – $10 regular, $8 student/senior
Saturday (9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.) – $5 regular, $4 student/senior
Saturday (12:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.) – $10 regular, $8 student/senior
Saturday (7 p.m. – 11 p.m.) – $10 regular, $8 student/senior
Saturday Day Pass (9 a.m. – 11 p.m.) – $20 regular, $18 student/senior
Weekend Pass (Friday 7 p.m. – 11 p.m.) – $30 regular, $25 student/senior
Okuyamba will screen on Friday April 13th. For detailed information regarding the festival schedule, listings and description of films, workshops, and purchasing tickets please visit the website at www.riverbendfilmfest.org.
See photos from the River Bend Film Festival:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=632698217515&set=o.47901299132&type=1&theater
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.3814733411641.172555.1376743273&type=1
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