Next year’s festival will be held a bit earlier on April 1 & 2, 2011. Our call for entries starts on August 28th. Simply visit our SUBMIT A FILM section to enter.

Early Bird Deadline
October 15th
($20 for non-WAB, $15 for WAB)

Regular Deadline
November 30th
($25 for non-WAB, $20 for WAB)

Late Deadline
December 15th
($40 for non-WAB, $35 for WAB)

Students subtract $5 for all categories.

Here are the films that the committee chose to win in several categories. Guest judge Stephen Susco (screenwriter of The Grudge films) chose his favorite as well.

Best Experimental: “You’re a Good Man, Antimin”
Committee High Score: “The Familiar”
Local Gem: “Always Reaching”
Best Drama: “138 Arlington”
Chairman’s Choice: “Blue Bus”
Stephen Susco Award: “”You’re a Good Man, Antimin”

Congratulations!

You can see photos from this year’s fantastic festival right HERE!

Festival director Tim Richardson was interviewed Wednesday on the WNDU morning show, which can be viewed online HERE.

Tim was also on the WSJV Fox Wake Up show with special guest filmmaker Lloyd Kaufman today. You can watch it HERE.

Last night we had an amazing kickoff at the Indiana University South Bend kickoff with short films and a screening of THE TOXIC AVENGER, with the film’s director Lloyd Kaufman. You can read all about it and see some video interviews from the event by Zorina Jerome right HERE. Photo at left courtesy of Zorina.

Be sure to come out tonight for the official opening night of the film festival at the beautiful Bendix Theatre at Century Center at 7:00 p.m.

The free Thursday night screening is 7 p.m. – 11 p.m. in Room 1001 in Wiekamp Hall at Indiana University South Bend. The first half of the evening will include a selection of short films, including the award-winning “The Vaudevillian”, about a ventriloquist’s strained relationship with his dummy after their act is canceled.

After an intermission, the festival’s keynote speaker, director Lloyd Kaufman, will introduce his cult classic comedy/horror film “The Toxic Avenger”, followed by a Q & A. He’ll also have plenty of Troma merch on hand for rabid Toxie fans.

Read today’s South Bend Tribune article about the River Bend Film Festival and local filmmaker Devi Snively’s film TRIPPIN’, which is screening Saturday night: http://www.inthebend.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100424/INTHEBEND/100429699/1171/INTHEBEND

Also, the Thursday night screening of short films and THE TOXIC AVENGER at Indiana University South Bend is FREE!  Director Lloyd Kaufman of Troma will be at the festival Thursday through early Saturday evening and will be presenting his “Make Your Own Damn Movie!” workshop at 4:00 p.m. at the Century Center. Check our 2010 festival schedule (in the left hand column)  for what’s happening when all weekend.

Join our Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=47901299132 and RSVP for the event if you wish at http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=106776966026373&index=1

You can now purchase tickets and passes for the festival on this website in our TICKETS & PASSES area using a credit card or PayPal.

You can buy tickets at the event as well, but we do not accept checks or credit cards there.

We offer discounts for students and seniors, as well as day and weekend passes.

SECOND ANNUAL RIVER BEND FILM FESTIVAL
BRINGS 70 FILMS AND DIRECTOR LLOYD KAUFMAN TO MICHIANA

South Bend, Indiana –The Second Annual River Bend Film Festival will be held Friday, April 30 & Saturday, May 1 at the Century Center, and is sponsored by Mid America Filmmakers and Downtown South Bend. A free kickoff screening will take place Thursday, April 29 at Indiana University South Bend with space provided by the Ernestine M. Raclin School of the Arts. Over 70 films in a wide variety of genres, cultures and topics from students to industry professionals will be shown throughout the festival weekend. Most of the films are grouped into thematic blocks such as experimental, horror, family friendly, documentary, Asian, Local, and gay and lesbian.

The free Thursday night screening is 7 p.m. – 11 p.m. in Room 1001 in Wiekamp Hall at Indiana University South Bend. The first half of the evening will include a selection of short films, including the award-winning “The Vaudevillian”, about a ventriloquist’s strained relationship with his dummy after their act is cancelled.  After an intermission, the festival’s keynote speaker, director Lloyd Kaufman, will introduce his cult classic comedy/horror film “The Toxic Avenger”, followed by a Q & A.

Kaufman is the president of Troma Entertainment and has produced such memorable and irreverent films as “Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D.” and “Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead.” He has served as the Executive Vice Chairman of the American Film Marketing Association. A champion of Do It Yourself filmmaking, he is author of the  “Make Your Own Damn Movie” book series, and will be present throughout the festival until 5:30 p.m. Saturday.

The festival opens Friday night and runs 7 p.m. – 11:45 p.m., starting with an introduction by Kaufman. The films include comedy and animation, as well as the entertaining documentary “The Alpha and the Mega”, an exploration of the American Megachurch and debunking of popular megachurch myths. Mishawaka’s Granger Community Church is one of the featured churches. After an intermission, several mature shorts will screen, followed by Kaufman’s feature-length horror/comedy/musical “Poultrygeist”, which is his statement regarding the fast food industry.

Saturday’s daytime events run from 9 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. In the morning, attendees can see a variety of styles in our Experimental, Potpourri and History blocks, including the feature “Esther’s Diary” about adult children of two holocaust survivors who are brought together by a diary. In the afternoon, blocks consist of Family, Local, Gay & Lesbian, Ecology, Documentary, and Asian. Highlights include the local drama “Always Reaching”, the slice of life feature “Blue Bus”, and the documentary “Quearborn & Perversion: An Early History of Lesbian & Gay Chicago”.

Also on Saturday afternoon, festival-goers will have the opportunity to learn more about filmmaking in three different workshops. Local FX artist Andrew Swisher will demonstrate makeup and prosthetics in his Film Makeup Effects workshop. Joel Langston and cinematographer Lynn King will be hosting the workshop Lighting and Camera for Video. Kaufman will host his Make Your Own Damn Movie Mini Master Class, followed by a meet and greet.

Saturday night’s programming is 7 p.m. – Midnight. Most of the films in this block are darker in their content, including “The Familiar”, about young man who becomes an assistant for a mentally unbalanced vampire. The closing feature of the festival is the locally produced, award-winning comedy/horror film “Trippin” by Devi Snively. The evening will include with the announcement of this year’s award winners in several categories.

Tickets for the River Bend Film Festival may be purchased online through the festival website starting April 12 at www.riverbendfilmfest.org. They will be available for purchase at the door starting at 6 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, and at 8 a.m. on Saturday. Student I.D.’s must be presented for student discounts. Prices are as follows:

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. – Midnight) – $10 regular, $8 student/senior
Saturday Day Pass (9 a.m. – Midnight) – $20 regular, $18 student/senior
Weekend Pass (Friday 7 p.m. – Saturday Midnight) - $30 regular, $25 student/senior

Our free Thursday night screening is April 29, 7 p.m. – 11 p.m. in Room 1001 in Wiekamp Hall at Indiana University South Bend.  The venue is sponsored by the Ernestine M. Raclin School of the Arts.

The first half of the evening will include a selection of short films, including the award-winning “The Vaudevillian”, about a ventriloquist’s strained relationship with his dummy after their act is canceled.

After an intermission, the festival’s keynote speaker, director Lloyd Kaufman, will introduce his cult classic comedy/horror film “The Toxic Avenger”, followed by a Q & A.

We will be selling tickets there for the festival on April 30 & May 1.