River Bend Film Festival is a celebration of independent filmmaking, founded in 2002 by a group of filmmakers and avid film-lovers in South Bend, Indiana. Through screenings, workshops, appearances by industry guests, and special events, the festival has brought filmmakers and their fans together to celebrate the art of film for over 15 years.

For the first seven years, the festival was located on the campus of Indiana University-South Bend and was originally named the IU-South Bend Independent Video & Filmmakers Festival. For its first year, the festival was a one-day event but grew into two days in the second year.

River Bend has screened hundreds of student, regional, and international films, averaging 50-70 per year. It has also offered workshops on lighting, acting, editing, screenwriting, visual effects, crowdfunding, and more.

The festival accepts all genres: narrative, documentary, experimental, music video, animation, student, features, and shorts. River Bend makes it a priority to highlight the work of local and regional filmmakers, and many of the films come from across the country and around the world.