The 11th annual Richmond International Film Festival brings six days of award-winning film premieres to various venues across Richmond June 7-12.
The 2022 RIFF festival will feature special guest filmmakers and cast members to present films during the festival week. Attendees will be able to engage in Q&A sessions with the filmmakers – and with visiting bands at music events. 171 films from 22 countries will be screened over six days during the “Turn Out Richmond” themed event. The event aims to highlight the recent creative surge taking place throughout Richmond in film, music, arts and commerce.
Opening night will feature “A Song For Hope: The Ryan Anthony Story” documentary feature that tells the story of the principal trumpet of the Canadian Brass and Dallas Symphony who refused to let his affliction affect his love of his art. The red carpet film event is open to the public and will be held at the historic Byrd Theatre on June 7 at 7 p.m. Special guest musicians from the U.S. Army Brass Section will present an introduction composed for the evening. A portion of proceeds from this event will benefit the Ryan Anthony Foundation and CancerBlows.
The late feature of opening night features an exclusive preview of “The is No Rain in Hell” directed by Zahra Shahhatami. The director will be present for a Q&A following the film, which begins at 9:15 p.m. at the Byrd Theatre. The film, shot in Iran, details survivors of a brute war who are captives in an old candle factory. A portion of the proceeds will benefit families in Ukraine who have impacted by the current war.
Another notable music events:
- June 8: Hip Hop, R & B and Soul Night at Vagabond, 5:15 p.m. VIP, 7:15 p.m. live music performances by local and visiting artists
- June 9: In Your Ear Studio, VIP Mixer at 5 p.m. followed by the Music Video Spotlight highlighting this year’s official selection videos followed by a singer songwriter panel where visiting bands pitch songs to filmmakers. Following that segment is a special edition of RIFF + Shockoe Sessions live featuring performances from Stone & Snow and Perfect Mark.
- June 10: Turn Out Richmond Planet Signature Event at 7 p.m., Bow Tie Cinemas. This is the premiere of the documentary, Richmond on Paper. Birth of a Planet. The film has close ties to Virginia, highlighting many notable change agents from the 1920’s era, including John Mitchell, Jr., the first African American newspaper editor. A panel discussion will immediately follow. The event will conclude with a reception after party at their studio with food, drinks, and live music by The Bergamot.
- June 11: Black Iris Social Club, RIFF’s annual Wrap Party event sponsored by Swedish Match. This event is the signature that closes out the festival’s large events leading up to the Sunday red carpet awards. Featured at the event is a Swedish themed dinner, drinks, and live music as VIP patrons celebrate and mingle alongside visiting filmmakers, musicians, special guests. Bands performing on this are PipoBeats (Los Angeles) and Skylar Love (Philadelphia, PA) with the evening kicking off at 7 p.m.
- June 12: Live music showcase, Hardywood Brewery downtown, all day with indoor and outdoor music stages running from noon to 5:30 p.m. Donations to benefit the RIFF Arts Institute.
The festival will conclude on Sunday, June 12, with the annual Red Carpet Awards for all film, music and writing categories.
Premier sponsors of the 2022 festival include: Swedish Match, the Virginia Film Office, the RIFF Arts Institute, Tilt Creative + Production, University of Richmond SPCS, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, the Quirk Hotel, Plan 9 Records, Hardywood, In Your Ear Studio, CBS6, the Byrd Theatre and Bow Tie Cinemas.
Advance tickets and a full schedule is available on the RIFF website at www.rvafilmfestival.com
Story by Crystal Abbe Graham
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Crystal Graham
