The River Bend Film Festival has always been about more than watching movies. It’s about discovering new voices, celebrating creative risk-taking, and giving filmmakers an opportunity to share their stories with audiences. This year, that mission comes into particularly sharp focus with the return of Goshen College & Beyond, a special program showcasing the work of emerging filmmakers from Goshen College’s Communication Department during the 2026 River Bend Film Festival.
Presented in partnership with the Goshen College Communication Department and the Community Foundation of Elkhart County, Goshen College & Beyond takes place Thursday, Sept. 3, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at Goshen Theater. The program is free and open to the public and will include screenings and a Q&A, giving audiences the opportunity not only to see the films but to meet and hear directly from some of the young filmmakers behind them.
For Goshen College’s Kyle Hufford—Chair of the Communication Department, Executive Director of FiveCore Media, and Chair of the 2026 RBFF Board of Directors—bringing student work to a festival environment like River Bend is an important part of the filmmaking process.
“We want our students to understand that filmmaking isn’t something that happens in a classroom and then ends when the semester is over,” said Hufford. “These are stories created by emerging filmmakers who have something to say, and River Bend gives them the opportunity to share those stories with a real audience and become part of a larger filmmaking community.”
A still from the film ‘The Display’, directed by Matija Margetic
Six Student Films. Six Distinct Stories.
The Goshen College & Beyond program features six films representing a remarkable range of perspectives, experiences, genres and creative approaches.
“The Display” — Film Production LA May Term Class
Linda, the owner of a charming clothing boutique, finds herself at a crossroads in her career. Faced with a challenging decision, she turns to an old friend who might hold the key to her future. As they reconnect, Linda embarks on a journey of self-discovery and unexpected opportunities, leading her to redefine her path and embrace new possibilities.
“Burning” — Isabel Massud
After losing her sister, Victoria still carries the weight of her passing. But when she discovers a way to make things right, Victoria takes unconventional measures that could change the course of her future.
Massud, a senior film production major, brings an international perspective to the program as a student from São Paulo, Brazil.
“I See Color” — Ryan Carrillo
After her mother’s death, Violet struggles with grief as her world begins to change color.
Carrillo, a senior film production major from Goshen, brings a distinctly local connection to the program.
“A Thousand Suns” — Matija Margetic
After moving to the United States and leaving behind his ill mother, a withdrawn teenager named Luka bonds with his estranged uncle Dino over their shared grief for loved ones.
Margetic, a senior film production major from Zagreb, Croatia, explores family, distance and grief through the story of two people brought together by loss.
“Qui Est Là?” — Jonam Sapkots
A college student goes to the gym late at night and discovers a strange mask in the locker room. After putting it on out of curiosity, the quiet gym begins to feel unsettling—and nothing around him seems quite the same.
Sapkots, a senior film production major from Kathmandu, Nepal, brings an atmospheric, suspenseful story to the River Bend screen.
“The Empty Chair” — Lindsey Daniels
When a college student comes home to find her grieving parents locked in a silent battle over a place setting left for their dead daughter, she must force them to see each other—and her—before the family fractures completely.
Daniels, a senior film production major from Goshen, brings a deeply personal story of grief, family and connection to the program.
From Goshen College to the World
The diversity represented in Goshen College & Beyond is a fitting reflection of the college itself—and of River Bend’s increasingly international reach. Filmmakers represented in this single program have connections spanning Goshen, Brazil, Croatia, India, Germany, Mexico, and Nepal, demonstrating how a local college can become a meeting place for stories and storytellers from around the world.
Hufford said that the opportunity to connect students with the broader filmmaking community is central to the program.
“There is tremendous value in putting student filmmakers in a room with audiences, other filmmakers and people who simply love movies,” Hufford said. “They get to see how people respond to their work, they get to talk about the choices they made, and they get to understand that their voices have value beyond the college campus.”
That philosophy fits naturally with River Bend’s mission. The festival’s 2026 program brings more than 100 independent films to Downtown Goshen, along with filmmaker Q&As, panels, networking opportunities, special events and screenings designed to create meaningful connections between audiences and the artists behind the work.
And while River Bend will welcome filmmakers from across the country and around the world, Goshen College & Beyond ensures that local emerging filmmakers have a prominent place in that conversation. Thursday also gives festivalgoers an early taste of everything River Bend has to offer, beginning with free community screenings at Greencroft Goshen Community Center from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., followed by Goshen College & Beyond at Goshen Theater from 6 to 8:30 p.m. It’s the perfect opening to a weekend that continues Friday and Saturday with more than 100 films, filmmaker Q&As, special events, Crystal Cross, The Shape of Water with Doug Jones, and much more
River Bend Film Festival Returns Sept. 3–5
The Goshen College & Beyond program is just one part of a packed 2026 River Bend Film Festival, taking place Sept. 3–5 in Downtown Goshen.
This year’s festival will feature acclaimed actor and Indianapolis native Doug Jones as a special guest, with live Q&As, meet-and-greet opportunities and a special screening of The Shape of Water, in which Jones delivered his acclaimed performance as the Amphibian Man.
The festival will also feature the special screening of Crystal Cross, directed by Richard Fallin, which made its world premiere at the 2025 Austin Film Festival and won the festival’s Audience Award for Comedy Vanguard.
Across three days, audiences will discover more than 100 independent films representing filmmakers from Indiana, throughout the United States and around the world. Programming includes narrative shorts, documentaries, experimental films, student productions, music videos, family programming and more, with many screenings followed by filmmaker Q&As.
River Bend will also expand beyond Goshen Theater with special community screenings at Greencroft, continuing the festival’s commitment to making independent film accessible throughout the community.
Tickets and passes for the 2026 River Bend Film Festival are available now, with options ranging from individual screenings to all-access passes.
Goshen College & Beyond
Thursday, Sept. 3 | 6–8:30 p.m.
Goshen Theater | 216 S. Main St., Goshen
Presented in partnership with the Goshen College Communications Department and the Community Foundation of Elkhart County, this event is free and open to the public.
Come discover the next generation of filmmakers—and see what happens when their stories meet a real audience!