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As a key part of the festivities for the upcoming RiverRun International Film Festival, organizers are hosting several momentous panel events that will occur throughout the schedule. With the festival running April 21-30 in and around Winston-Salem, the following events will be free and open to the public, subject to occupancy guidelines at the respective venues. Panels are sponsored by Truist, Flow Motors, and the Piedmont Triad Film Commission, with support from marketing partners Qué Pasa Media Network, WXII, WFDD, and The Chronicle.

A Woman’s Viewpoint: Mexican and Mexican American Films Today
April 22, 5:00 p.m., Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts Hanesbrands Theatre
Mexican and Mexican American cinema is currently being transformed by a number of women filmmakers working in both the documentary and narrative sectors of the industry. As Oscar Lopez wrote in 2021 in The New York Times, “After decades of struggling for the recognition long granted their male peers, female filmmakers in Mexico are setting the industry ablaze.” RiverRun is pleased this year’s festival includes Ilana Coleman’s narrative, “Dos Estaciones,” and Iliana Sosa’s documentary, “What We Leave Behind.” These talented filmmakers join us to discuss the impact of women filmmakers telling Mexican and Mexican American stories and how new markets are affording them greater opportunities. 

• Special Guests: Ilana Coleman, Iliana Sosa

11th Annual Pitch Fest Student Documentary Film Competition
April 23, 2:00 p.m., Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts Hanesbrands Theatre
Join us for RiverRun’s annual competition where student documentary filmmakers pitch their ideas to a panel of jurors, who provide feedback and award cash prizes to the first and second place winners.  Schools participating this year include Elon University, High Point University, Spelman College, St. Augustine’s University, University of North Carolina Wilmington, University of North Carolina School of the Arts, and Wake Forest University.

Some Things About “The Thing About Pam”
April 23, 3:00 p.m., UNC School of the Arts Gold Theatre
With the popularity of Dateline NBC and other true-crime shows, it is not surprising one of the profiled cases would prompt a series. From its Dateline-type narrations to its intense characterizations, “The Thing About Pam” was one of the most anticipated television programs of the spring season. Join us for a discussion with cast members on a range of topics including returning to work during a pandemic, portraying actual people on screen, the “Pam Cam” showing lead character Renee Zellweger’s viewpoints on certain happenings in the case, and the career opportunities afforded by the limited-edition series.

• Special Guests: Suanne Spoke, Sean Bridgers, Drew Scheid

Zaagi’idiwag (They Love Each Other)
April 24, 1:00 p.m., UNC School of the Arts Babcock Theatre
Eve-Lauryn LaFountain (Turtle Mountain Chippewa) and Jon Almaraz have been collaborating in many ways for over ten years. Jon creates unearthly soundscapes for Eve’s films and installations. They’ve performed improvisational light and sound magic lantern style shows at venues ranging from Human Resources in Los Angeles, to the Museum of Contemporary Native Art in Santa Fe. They have traveled to many ancient sacred sites to record sounds and images. For their first collaborative project, “In the Rockies,” a 16mm dual projection film that Eve shot on a handmade pinhole camera, she asked Jon to make a sound like the echoes of a plane drone flying over a canyon. Even their recent wedding was approached as an immersive art experience. Join Eve and Jon for a special screening of their work and a talk about their artistic collaboration.

• Special Guests: Eve-Lauryn LaFountain, Jon Almaraz

Filmmaking Approaches to Trafficking and Disappearance
April 24, 3:00 p.m., UNC School of the Arts Main Theatre
One of entrepreneur Iris Cole’s recent ventures, Do Good Artist, is pioneering social change through multi-sector collaborations between the arts and other industries. Do Good Artist launched “Unseen,” a virtual reality experience that raises awareness about human trafficking, at the 2019 RiverRun Film Festival. Ilana Coleman is a director, writer, editor, and producer, working in both documentary and fiction. “The Inventory” is her feature film born out of the murky line demarcating criminal organizations and The State, which is a relationship that’s resulted in more than 80,000 disappearances. Join these filmmakers as they discuss their approaches to trafficking and disappearance on film with Deborah LaVine, Dean of the School of Filmmaking at UNCSA.

• Special Guests: Iris Cole, Ilana Coleman, Deborah LaVine

Panel: Career Sustainability in a Changing Film and Television Landscape
April 30, 2:00 p.m., Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts Reynolds Place Theatre
While many individuals beginning a career in film and television look toward the high-profile, above-the-line careers like directing, writing, and acting, there are a myriad of career possibilities in the industry. The advent of streaming and new film and television outlets has seen an expansion of career opportunities in below-the-line careers not even imagined a decade ago. Join our panel for a discussion about the advent of new career opportunities and how these options can provide career satisfaction and sustainability in a rapidly evolving industry.

• Special Guests: Natalie Bullock Brown (will receive RiverRun’s Spark Award prior to the panel discussion), Roger Darnell, Eric Johnson, Andrew Harrison Brown

Please visit https://www.riverrunfilm.com for tickets, schedules, and further information on the festival and this year's selections.

About RiverRun
RiverRun International Film Festival is a non-profit cultural organization in Winston-Salem, NC, dedicated to the role of cinema as a conduit of powerful ideas and diverse viewpoints. Our mission is to foster a greater appreciation of cinema and a deeper understanding of the many people, cultures, and perspectives of our world through regular interaction with great films and filmmakers. While our 10-day Festival is our largest and most visible platform to reach audiences, RiverRun also presents several year-round screening programs which include RiverRun Retro; RiverRun Arts; the free ITVS Indie Lens Pop-Up Series in partnership with PBS North Carolina; and our free education initiative – Films With Class. More information: https://www.riverrunfilm.com.