RiverRun film festival to open tonight

The 11th RiverRun International Film Festival will begin tonight with a screening of (500) Days of Summer, a movie that has already drawn acclaim at other film festivals, including Sundance.

"Every year, it takes some work to figure out what the opening-night film is going to be," said Andrew Rodgers, the executive director of the festival, which will run through next Wednesday. "In 2007, we had Paris, je t'aime and in 2008, Phoebe in Wonderland. It sets the bar pretty high.

"We look for something that has excitement and glamour to it, and it doesn't hurt if it has some recognizable faces in it," Rodgers said. "But when it comes down to it, that's not enough. It has to be a good story, it has to be a film that appeals to a broad audience, and that's exactly what (500) Days of Summer is."

The film features Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a young man smitten with a quirky young woman (Zooey Deschanel) who doesn't believe in romance.

Rodgers saw the film at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, in January.

"I knew very little about it going in, and when I saw it, it just blew me away," he said. "It's a nontraditional romantic comedy, it spins the genre on its head a little bit, and it has great music and great performances. I think our audience is going to love it."

(500) Days of Summer is the feature-film debut of director Marc Webb, whose previous work has been in short films and music videos.

Webb is in the middle of what he described as a whirlwind tour of film festivals after his film's positive reception at Sundance.

"It's a new town every week," he said. "It's like a traveling circus but with nicer accommodations. It's been a lot of fun so far."

He said he was pleased when he learned that his film would be the opening screening of RiverRun. He will attend the screening and speak afterward.

"It's a total honor," he said. "It's so cool. Opening nights are particularly fun. Audiences are excited and amped and pumped to see a movie."

He said he likes the fact that the people attending film festivals are movie lovers and are going for their love of the art, not just to have something to do on a date night.

"It's not just a sort of activity in passing," he said. "People are usually heavily engaged with the films. It's really fun."

Webb, who is 30, has been a fan of film festivals since he was in college, when he volunteered at Sundance as a parking valet. He has gone on to attend many festivals, first as a fan and now as a guest.

"You get to see movies before other people, you get to see movies you may not have access to in the future," he said. "Plus you're surrounded by people who love movies, and movies have been important to me in my life.

"I love talking about movies, and I think it's a place where people can come together and do that, and I find that very appealing."

He said he also likes having the chance to hang out with other filmmakers. "You're bonded by the unique set of circumstances and challenges you've had to go through," he said.

Webb was not familiar with River­Run before his movie hit the festival circuit, but he was familiar with UNC School of the Arts.

"David Gordon Green (a UNCSA alumnus who most recently directed Pineapple Express) and I are mutual friends, and we had talked about it…. I've heard very good things. I run into all these people who come out of there.… There seems to be a high density of talent coming from there. It's impressive."

RiverRun doesn't get started until today, but it has already sold out screenings of two films that were shot in Winston-Salem. Both screenings of Goodbye Solo by director Ramin Bahrani have sold out, as has the single screening of Eyeborgs, by director Richard Clabaugh. And Rodgers said yesterday that (500) Days of Summer is also close to selling out.

No additional screenings of any of those films will be possible during the festival, since the prints are due elsewhere, Rodgers said. "They're booked pretty tightly," he said.

But he said he expects the films will come back to Winston-Salem eventually, either as RiverRun special presentations or in general distribution. And filmgoers may still be able to get into the sold-out screenings by getting on a waiting list.

■ Tim Clodfelter can be reached at 727-7371 or at tclodfelter@wsjournal.com.

There's more

• The RiverRun International Film Festival will begin today and run through next Wednesday.

• Visit the Winston-Salem Journal's Web site, www.journalnow.com, for daily podcasts, a complete schedule, reviews of most of the films being shown, best bets, a map of venues and more.

• Tonight's activities include a screening of (500) Days of Summer at 7 at the Stevens Center, 405 W. Fourth St., $15, followed by the Opening Night Gala at 9 at Reynolda House Museum of American Art, 2250 Reynolda Road, $15.

• For tickets and more information, go to www.riverrunfilm.com.