Le Chef, To Be Takei to open RiverRun

Gillian Robespierre’s (US) Obvious Child is the Centerpiece Premiere and David Gordon Green’s Joe the Southern Showcase. The festival in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, is set to run from April 4-13 and will screen 145 films, including 63 features and 82 shorts from 33 countries.

The 10 films in Narrative Competition include Pawel Pawlikowski’s Ida (Poland-Denmark), Chloe Robichaud’s Sarah Prefers To Run (Canada), Tanta Agua (Uruguay-Mexico-Netherlands-Germany) from Ana Guevara and Leticia Jorge and Andrzej Walda’s Walesa: Man Of Hope (Poland).

Documentary Competition entries include Dave Carroll’s Bending Steel (US), Ben Cotner and Ryan White’s The Case Against 8 (US), Marmato (Columbia-US) from Mark Grieco and Joe Berlinger’s Whitey (US).

Special Presentations include Locke (UK) Breathe In (US), The German Doctor (Argentina-France-Spain-Norway), Tom At The Farm (Canada) and God Help The Girl (UK).

“One of the advantages of being a regional festival is that we’re not particularly constrained by audience or industry expectations,” said RiverRun’s executive director Andrew Rodgers.

“For instance, while we strive to show the best new films in pre-release from around the world, we don’t give a crap about premiere status – it just doesn’t mean anything to us or our audiences.

“As a result, we can push boundaries, try new things and showcase films that we love and deserve to be seen. This year, we’re phenomenally excited about our line-up. In particular, we’re thrilled to partner with some of the world’s leading film archives for our Spotlight programme to highlight the importance of film archiving and preservation.”

The Spotlight On Media Restoration & Preservation section features films such as Cry Danger and The Emperor Jones and guests from the Library of Congress, UCLA Film & Television Archive, George Eastman House, British Film Institute, Anthology Film Archives, Academy Of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences and the UNCSA.

Separately, Kartemquin Films – the company behind Hoop Dreams, A Good Man and The Interrupters – will receive RiverRun’s 2014 Master Of Cinema Award, following a screening of The Trials Of Muhammad Ali, on April 9.

The programme includes Altered States: New Directions In American Cinema, the non-competitive sidebar Focus, Community Cinema / Films With Class and a selection of shorts and panel discussions.

For the full line-up click here.