RICHMOND, Va. — For eight years, the Richmond International Film & Music Festival (RIFF) has packed the city’s beloved Byrd Theatre, Bow Tie Movieland, and other venues, showing an eclectic range of films — long and short, documentary and fiction — from all over the world.
Kicking off April 23, the six-day festival will feature more than 150 films from countries across the globe: from Sweden to Senegal, Kosovo to Kenya, Australia to Iran.
There are the typical categories — narrative feature films, documentaries, and short films — but don’t forget about the experimental shorts, the web series and the music videos, which all have their place at this year’s festival.
RIFF isn’t all about film; other focal points include music, panel discussions and special events. The lineup includes acts from San Francisco to New York, with a special focus on hometown heroes.
The music culminates on April 28 with the Richmond jazz act Butcher Brown, and specialty panels will discuss the filmmaking industry, including technology and trade secrets.
Attendees can purchase single tickets, packages or an all-access pass here.
A comprehensive guide to the festival is available at here.
Several member of the CBS 6 team are taking part in RIFF 2019:
Tuesday, April 23, Greg McQuade will emcee the opening night feature film Prescience at 8:50 p.m. at the Byrd
Wednesday, April 24, Bill Fitzgerald will emcee Beer Jesus from America at 7:30 p.m. at Bowtie
Thursday, April 25, Cheryl Miller will emcee Spider Mites of Jesus: The Dirtwoman Documentary at 7:15 p.m. at the Byrd
Sunday, April 28, Rob Cardwell will emcee the outdoor music fest at River City Roll
By Benjamin West with Capital News Service
Capital News Service is a flagship program of VCU’s Robertson School of Media and Culture. Students participating in the program provide state government coverage for Virginia’s community newspapers and other media outlets, under the supervision of Associate Professor Jeff South.
