GOSHEN, IND. – Not into film? Come to the River Bend Film Festival, set for May 2-4 in downtown Goshen!
There will be movies at the three-day event, of course – the best from filmmakers at the local, regional, and national level. This year, however, there will be all that and more.
“For the 2019 festival, we’re expanding to include other art forms, including fine art, spoken word, and music,” said Adrienne Nesbitt, director of events for Eyedart Creative Studio, which coordinates the annual showcase.
For example, this year’s festival will include a funk/blues/soul concert by Rudy Love & The Love Family. Showtime is 8:30 p.m. Saturday, May 4, at The Goshen Theater, and tickets cost $20. Tickets are available online or at the Goshen Theater ticket office.
At 2 p.m. that same day, there will be a “listening party” featuring Rudy Love and film producer Shawn Rhodes at downtown venue Ignition Music Garage. The event will be broadcast live by 91.1 The Globe, and hosted by Globe Station Manager Jason Samuel. The listening party will highlight Love’s music, along with the music of artists he’s influenced. Admission is $12 or a festival pass. Tickets are available online, or at the Goshen Theater ticket office.
The concert and listening party will follow a 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 3, screening of the “funkumentary” This Is Love at The Goshen Theater. This Is Love tells the story of a man’s career undercut by shady music business practices. However, it’s also the story of Rudy’s irrepressible love of music through it all. Jay Z, Sly Stone, and George Clinton herald Rudy Love as an unsung hero of soul – and This Is Love has audiences rooting for him, too.
“At the heart of it, This Is Love is about an artist – one who should be a household name – finally getting some of the recognition he deserves,” Nesbitt said. “And if his music doesn’t move you, check your pulse.”
The This Is Love screening Friday will be followed by a Q&A session with Rudy Love and also Rhodes, a former Goshen College student. Admission is $12 or a festival pass.
Special guests will be part of all the feature-length film screenings during the festival. His Girl Friday will be shown at 11 a.m. Friday, May 3, at The Goshen Theater. The movie was directed by Hollywood legend Howard Hawks, a onetime Goshen resident. The screening will be followed by a Q&A session with local historians. Admission is $12 or a festival pass.
Don’t Be Nice, a film about five African-American, Afro-Hispanic, and queer poets, will be shown at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 2, at The Goshen Theater. The movie will be followed by a Q&A session with producer Nikhil Melnechuk on the theater stage. Admission is $12 or a festival pass.
Spare Room, a 2018 drama, will be shown at Art House Saturday, May 4, at 6:30 p.m. The film will be followed by a Q&A session with producer James Portolese, originally from Mishawaka. Admission is $12 or a festival pass.
This year’s festival has a focus on Indiana filmmakers, including writer and director John Hancock (Prancer). Hancock will be at Art House at 4 p.m. Friday, May 3, for an intimate discussion about the art of filmmaking. Admission is by festival pass only.
Other artists will also be in the spotlight at the festival. At 2 p.m. Friday, May 3, Sarah Elizabeth will be at Art House leading a workshop on doing makeup for film. The workshop focus will be on fantasy creature creation. Elizabeth, a Goshen native and Goshen College graduate who lives in Vancouver, Canada, is an award-winning makeup artist for television, theater, and film. She has worked on the TV series iZombie, Travelers, Wu Assassins, and Van Helsing. Admission is by festival pass only.
A conversation with artist Robert Townsend is scheduled for 3 p.m. Saturday, May 4, at Art House downtown. Townsend is the subject of My Indiana Muse, a short film that will be featured in the documentary block of films beginning at 4:30 that day at The Goshen Theater. The Art House event is free of charge and open to the public. Admission to the documentary block at the theater is $12 or a festival pass.
“The River Bend Film Festival has made downtown Goshen a yearly destination for filmmakers and film lovers alike,” Nesbitt said. “The broader scope of events at this year’s festival should appeal to even more people!”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Downtown Goshen, Inc.
234 South Main Street, Suite 4
Goshen, Indiana 46526
Contact: Adrienne Nesbitt
Eyedart Creative Studio
(574) 238 – 5572 • [email protected]