RIVERRUN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES 2009 LINEUP OF FILMS

2009 OFFICIAL SELECTIONS

NARRATIVE COMPETITION: In this year's Narrative Competition, the heart of our annual festival, RiverRun once again showcases a collection of critically-acclaimed feature films from around the globe, highlighting the wealth of exciting filmmakers who live outside our borders. The eight films in this competition are eligible for a variety of Jury Awards as well as the BB&T Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature.

HEART OF FIRE – Germany/Italy/Austria & France / Director: Luigi Falorni – A 6-year-old girl is taken from an orphanage and pressed into service during the Eritrean Struggle for Independence from Ethiopia.

IL DIVO – Italy & France / Director: Paolo Sorrentino – Visually inventive biopic based on real-life Italian politician Giulio Andreotti and the investigation into his ties to the Mafia. Winner of the Prix du Jury at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival.

MOMMY IS AT THE HAIRDRESSER'S – Canada / Director: Léa Pool – The comfortable suburban life of three siblings is disrupted when their mother abandons them, forcing their father to take responsibility.

RUMBA – France & Belgium / Directors: Dominique Abel, Fiona Gordon & Bruno Romy – Offbeat comedy about a couple whose lives and passion for dancing undergoes a major shift, forcing them to learn all new steps.

THREE MONKEYS – Turkey/France & Italy / Director: Nuri Bilge Ceylan – A family suffers from a communication breakdown when the father takes the blame for a crime he didn't commit. Winner of the Best Directors prize at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival.

TREELESS MOUNTAIN – South Korea & USA / Director: So Yong Kim – Two young Korean sisters are forced to rely on each other and redefine their sense of family when their mother decides to leave in order to find their father.

TULPAN – Germany/Kazakhstan/Poland/Russia & Switzerland / Director: Sergey Dvortsevoy – An eager young man in Kazakhstan tries to get his own flock of sheep and win the heart of the only eligible bachelorette around. Winner of the Prix Un Certain Regard at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival.

A WOMAN IN BERLIN – Germany & Poland / Director: Max Färberböck –In order to protect herself from abuse, a German woman seeks out a protector during the 1945 Red Army invasion of Berlin, but the encounter forces them to both reevaluate their lives.

The 2009 Narrative Competition jury includes Lucasfilm distribution executive Eric Besner; filmmaker Jennifer Chambers Lynch ("Boxing Helena," "Surveillance"); Salon.com film critic Andrew O'Hehir; Michael Kutza, Founder and Artistic Director of the Chicago International Film Festival; and a film student from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. In 2008, Fatih Akin's "The Edge of Heaven" won the Best Narrative Feature jury prize and Gareth Lewis' "The Baker" won the Narrative Audience Award.

DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION: Our 2009 Documentary Competition is filled with universal stories that help paint an indelible portrait of the world as a small place where we can all connect and learn from one another. The eight films selected here are eligible for the BB&T Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature and a range of Jury Awards.

ART & COPY – USA / Director: Doug Pray – A history of the advertising industry coupled with an analysis of how advertising messages change lives.

FOOD INC. – USA / Director: Robert Kenner – The illusions of what we all eat will be shattered in this no-holds-barred film about the global food supply and how unhealthy it has become.

FOOTBALL UNDER COVER – Germany / Directors: Ayat Najafi & David Assmann – A women's soccer team in Berlin takes action when they learn that the national women's team in Iran is prohibited from competing in public or playing a real match.

GUEST OF CINDY SHERMAN – USA / Directors: Tom Donahue & Paul Hasegawa-Overacker – Filmmaker Hasegawa-Overacker explores his failed relationship with world-renowned artist Cindy Sherman.

KALINOVSKI SQUARE – Estonia / Director: Yury Khashchavatski – When protestors stood in opposition of the 2006 reelection of President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus, the government clamped down. In a country with seemingly corrupt officials, it's hard to be heard.

ROCATERRANIA – USA / Director: Brett Ingram – Seventy-six year-old North Carolina native Renaldo Kuhler has spent his life constructing the minute details of an imaginary world, right down to the sewer systems. For the first time, he invites the world inside.

UNMISTAKEN CHILD – Israel / Director: Nati Baratz – Part travelogue and part coming-of-age journey, a young monk treks through Nepal and Tibet to find the reincarnation of his spiritual master, Lama Konchog, providing a rare glimpse into a spiritual world rarely seen by outsiders.

WAVERIDERS – Ireland & UK / Director: Joel Conroy – Despite all the attention that Hawaii has gotten as the birthplace of surfing, the sport has deep roots and a fascinating history in Ireland.

The 2009 Documentary Competition jury includes Facets Cinematheque Film Program Director Charles Coleman; Christian Gaines, Director of Festivals for imdb.com; Nancy Kalow, Professor at the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University; Hollywood Reporter Managing Editor Dave Morgan; and a film student from Wake Forest University. In 2008, Yung Chang's "Up the Yangtze" won the Best Documentary Feature jury prize and Helen Hood Scheer's "JUMP!" won the Documentary Audience Award.

SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS: From unorthodox love stories to intricate dramas, the 2009 selection of non-competition Special Presentations includes films with excitingly fresh perspectives. Starting with a brilliant new spin on the romantic comedy by a first-time filmmaker on the Festival's Opening Night and lasting through the closing performance with the Alloy Orchestra alongside a legendary comedian's last silent work, the films selected here – both new and old – offer an excuse to spend more time at the movies.

(500) DAYS OF SUMMER – USA – Director: Marc Webb – Not your typical romantic comedy, this fast-paced story dissects the unruly and unpredictable year-and-a-half love affair of a young couple. Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel. (Opening Night)

THE BURNING PLAIN – USA – Director: Guillermo Arriaga – Two women struggle with overwhelming guilt and a desire to live life on their own terms, despite the turmoil it causes in their relationships. Cast: Charlize Theron and Kim Basinger. (Centerpiece Premiere)

GARRISON KEILLOR: THE MAN ON THE RADIO IN THE RED SHOES – USA – Director: Peter Rosen – A documentary portrait of the star of "Prairie Home Companion," revealing the real man behind the fictitious community of Lake Wobegon.

GOODBYE SOLO – USA – Director: Ramin Bahrani – When a young Senegalese taxi driver named Souléymane is hired by a tough, elderly white southerner to drive him to the peak of a secluded mountain in two weeks time, the two men form an unlikely bond.

THE PRISONER OF SHARK ISLAND – USA – Director: John Ford – Following charges of conspiracy to murder President Lincoln, a doctor is sent to prison in the Dry Tortugas, where his skills come in handy during an outbreak of yellow fever. This 1936 classic is on loan from the private collection of Martin Scorsese.

SHALL WE KISS? – France – Director: Emmanuel Mouret – After meeting a charming man and spending a nice evening with him, things are about to turn intimate when Emilie tells a story about another couple whose lives were turned upside down because of just such an intimate moment.

SPEEDY – USA – Director: Ted Wilde – Harold Lloyd's classic 1928 silent comedy explores the theme of modernization, pitting the last horse-drawn trolley in New York City against the evil forces of the transit monopoly. The Alloy Orchestra will perform live accompaniment. (Closing Night)

SURVEILLANCE – USA & Germany – Director: Jennifer Chambers Lynch – FBI agents roll into a small town on the heels of a series of gruesome highway murders by a pair of vicious serial killers. But things get complicated when everyone has a wildly different story to tell. Cast: Bill Pullman, Julia Ormond & French Stewart.

WORLD'S GREATEST DAD – USA – Director: Bob Goldthwait – In this dark comedy, when a single father and aspiring writer loses his son in a tragic accident, he gains sudden notoriety and unexpected opportunities, but they come with strings attached. Cast: Robin Williams.

SPOTLIGHT: While RiverRun has always featured non-competition sidebars in the annual Festival, 2009 marks the first year for the Spotlight section. Created to provide a showcase for films of a particular type or style, this year's Spotlight focuses on American and Canadian documentaries by emerging talents.

'BAMA GIRL – USA – Director: Rachel Goslins – Amidst a strictly segregated Greek system, a young black woman seeks to become the homecoming queen at the University of Alabama, but her quest proves to be more difficult because of her skin color.

FOR THE LOVE OF MOVIES: THE STORY OF AMERICAN FILM CRITICISM – USA – Director: Gerald Peary – The history of film criticism in America told through interviews with dozens of the most influential critics, illustrating how they transformed the world of cinema.

THE GARDEN – USA – Director: Scott Hamilton Kennedy – The existence of the country's largest urban farm, located in South Central Los Angeles, is threatened by city politics and in danger of closure. 2008 Academy Award nominee for Best Documentary Feature.

HERB AND DOROTHY – USA – Director: Megumi Sasaki – Retired postal clerk Herb Vogel and his wife Dorothy, a librarian, live humble lives but are celebrities in the art world, having amassed one of the country's most important and valuable collections of Minimalist and Conceptual Art.

OFFICIAL REJECTION – USA – Director: Paul Osborne – Two filmmakers document the painful and confusing process of navigating the film festival circuit and building an audience for their independent feature.

PRESSURE COOKER – USA – Directors: Jennifer Grausman & Mark Becker – In an inner-city high school where fewer than 65 percent of the students graduate, a demanding culinary arts instructor helps her students find a way out by winning competitions and earning scholarships to attend top cooking schools.

SAVING LUNA – Canada – Directors: Suzanne Chisholm & Michael Parfit – When a lonely killer whale gets separated from her pod and interacts with the locals in a remote Canadian Fjord, it stirs a heated debate over whether it's better to leave wild animals alone or allow them into our lives.

WITH THESE HANDS: THE STORY OF AN AMERICAN FURNITURE FACTORY – USA – Director: Matt Barr – When family-owned Hooker Furniture, based in Martinsville, Virginia, closed its doors after 83 years, local filmmaker and RiverRun alum Barr chronicled the factory's final days.

Other Non-Competition Features:

IDIOTS AND ANGELS – USA – Director: Bill Plympton – When an unlikable guy wakes up one morning and discovers he has grown wings that make him act nice, he tries everything he can to get rid of them. (Animation)

SITA SINGS THE BLUES – USA – Director: Nina Paley – An animated version of the epic Sanskrit tale of Ramayana set to the 1920's jazz vocals of Annette Hanshaw, this multi-layered film effortlessly brings a feminist bent to the classic ancient Indian story of infidelity and distrust. (Animation)

I SELL THE DEAD – USA – Director: Glenn McQuaid – On the eve of his execution, a long-time grave robber confides in a priest about his peculiar adventures in the resurrection trade. (Late Night)

EYEBORGS – USA – Director: Richard Clabaugh – Set in the not-too-distant future where government surveillance has reached unprecedented levels, this cautionary tale features incredible CGI of mobile, robotic surveillance cameras. (Late Night)

SHORTS: Short films are to feature films what short stories are to novels. Filmmakers have more freedom to explore difficult themes and intense character studies, which would be washed out in a feature. This year, RiverRun is particularly proud to present five different shorts programs that showcase 62 different films, including two Oscar-nominees, 26 student films, and shorts from 15 different countries. A majority of the shorts selected for this year's RiverRun are eligible for a variety of jury awards. (For a full list of short films, please contact the Festival.)

DOCUMENTARY SHORTS – To get anywhere in life, you have to pursue your goals… or at least express your dreams. The people featured in this year's lineup of documentary shorts have all passionately mobilized their hopes and dreams, particularly exemplified by the devotion of Jewish Orthodox parents (UNATTACHED), the resilient defenders of the British Red Squirrel (NUTKIN'S LAST STAND), and the courage of Martin Luther King, Jr. on his last day in the Oscar- nominated (THE WITNESS – FROM THE BALCONY OF ROOM 306).

NARRATIVE SHORTS 1 – Everyone has something to hide. In this collection of shorts, we explore the many ways people try to hide their indiscretions. While some do it for sadistic pleasure (FAMILY THERAPY) and some for perceived good (GAINING GROUND), others simply lie about their nefarious affairs, only to burden their families with the many skeletons in the closet (TEN FOR GRANDPA). No matter what the transgression, however, there is a revelation to be found.

NARRATIVE SHORTS 2 – With each passing year, we grow older, wiser – and arguably – more vulnerable. We learn to trust our instincts and respect our strengths, while the bumps along the way help shape our future choices. In these shorts, we see the world from the perspective of a boy's fantastic imagination (YOU, ME AND CAPTAIN LONGBRIDGE), a teenager's unplanned pregnancy (PREMATURE), and a boy's unconventional friendship with a blow-up doll (POP ART).

ANIMATION SHORTS – Unconventional, hardly mainstream, thought-provoking and visionary... The world is our oyster when a keen imagination and a well-trained hand collide. In our collection of animated shorts the characters often challenge the status quo, be it with the end of human domination with psychotic birds (LAST TIME IN CLERKENWELL), quibbling morticians in the Academy Award-nominated (THIS WAY UP), or a spunky little dog with high energy and a big, misguided heart in Bill Plympton's newest short (HOT DOG).

SATURDAY MORNING CARTOONS – Waking up early to see the newest cartoons is a tradition that adults and children alike can appreciate. Once again, RiverRun has created its own version of Saturday Morning Cartoons with the hope of challenging the idea of what a cartoon should be. We have an unconventional cooking lesson (WESTERN SPAGHETTI), a weatherman angered by the weather (THE WEATHERMAN) and a whole menagerie of adventurous animals (ROADKILL, BARE, GOTCH YA', FINDERS KEEPERS and THE COYOTE AND THE TORTOISE). This popular program has something for kids of all ages! Sponsored by Piedmont Federal, tickets are $1.00 for all children under 18.

LATE NIGHT SHORTS – Our late night shorts are known for being a little out of the ordinary. This year we focused on the various manifestations of love and obsession. Included in our motley crew are Parisian pirates fighting over a girl (SWASHBUCKLERS) and a mother disposing of her son's pets so that he will seek out her motherly love (GARY & MILDRED). We also have a racy short about teenage love (LOVE YOU MORE) and a guy obsessed with finding the bird that keeps him up at night (SAPSUCKER). No matter your mood, these shorts are worth staying up late.

ABOUT RIVERRUN: The RiverRun International Film Festival is a non-profit cultural organization dedicated to the role of cinema as a conduit of powerful ideas and diverse viewpoints. Founded in 1998, RiverRun is a competitive event that annually showcases new films from both established and emerging filmmakers around the world. Each spring, RiverRun screens new narrative, documentary, short, student and animated films, offering both audience and jury prizes in competition categories. The Festival also presents a broad range of special events each year, including high-profile regional premieres of significant films, celebrity tributes, family matinees and classic retrospectives as well as a variety of panel discussions and parties.

SPONSORS: The sponsors of the 2009 RiverRun International Film Festival help sustain the organization's mission 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. This year's Festival sponsors includes: Title Sponsors – Reynolds American and The Arts Council of Winston-Salem; Presenting Sponsors – City of Winston-Salem and the Millennium Fund; Marquee Sponsors – BB&T, University of North Carolina School of the Arts, ShapiroWalker Design and Visit Winston-Salem.

TICKETS AND INFO: Tickets and all-access passes are now on sale at the Stevens Center box office, via www.riverrunfilm.com or over the phone (336-721-1945). For up-to-date information, or for details about volunteering at the Festival, visit www.riverrunfilm.com or call 336-724-1502