The Carrboro Film Fest is coming up this weekend, starting Friday evening and running through Sunday afternoon at the Carrboro Century Center.
Now in its 19th year, the event features exclusively Southern films in an effort to support what it describes as a “renaissance of Southern cinema.” Bryan Reklis, the director of the festival, discussed the event’s distinctly Southern identity.
“Celebrate and interrogate Southern culture, that’s really what I view that we can do,” he said. “I think our job as a festival is to curate some of that great art that’s being made in the South and present it to our community to help start discussions about things.”
Bryan Reklis (right), director of the Carrboro Film Fest, with 97.9 The Hill’s Aaron Keck (left).
Reklis said that the film selection committee received 201 submissions, from which they selected 38.
“It’s not just about picking the best films, it’s about putting together really good blocks of films,” he said. “So we’ve got things that are gonna make you laugh, things that are gonna make you cry, things that will make you move to deep thought. And I think that’s a great way to spend a weekend.”
The festival will be bookended by feature-length films on Friday evening and Sunday afternoon, with four collections of short films throughout Saturday and early Sunday. Saturday will also include a film workshop and a dinner with the filmmakers.
One of the short documentaries to be featured is “Welcome Home?” which examines the issue of homelessness in Orange County. It was made by Donna Campbell and Georgann Eubanks with their Carrboro-based company, Minnow Media.
Campbell highlighted the importance of humanizing people who are affected by homelessness, which remains a persistent issue locally despite Orange County being among the wealthiest communities in the state.
“I think the voices of the people speak for themselves,” she said. “I was proud to do the work and to get to know these folks, and I think we should all stop and pay attention.”
The film “Welcome Home?” addresses the homelessness issue in Orange County. It will be shown as part of a collection of short films at the Carrboro Film Fest. (Photo courtesy of Donna Campbell)
She also mentioned her pride in being able to raise some local awareness, with the film being shown in venues around the area.
“I’m glad that people are using it in churches and community groups to bring awareness. This is one little thing I can do, and that is edit stories together that people can watch,” she said. “So I’m glad to have something out there for them.”
The opening film of the festival will be A Song for Imogene, which was made by Chapel Hill native Erika Arlee. The film stars Arlee’s business partner Kristi Ray, whom she met on the set of her first short film. Arlee said the two have been making films together since they launched their production company, Honey Head Films, in 2016.
“We realized that we have a real shared desire to see more female representation, more Southern representation in front of and behind the lens in mainstream media,” she said.
Arlee also discussed how her North Carolina upbringing inspired A Song for Imogene, which is her first feature film.
“It’s very Southern in its roots. It has a lot of themes from my childhood and my adolescence and my young adulthood, as well as Kristi’s, and she grew up in North Carolina,” Arlee said. “So the film is Southern to its core, and I’m really proud of it, and I’m excited to bring it back to my hometown where this love for the arts began.”
Overall, she highlighted the significance of events like this that support independent filmmakers.
“Independent film is so important now, even more than ever before,” she said. “Things like the Carrboro Film Festival and coming out to support work like A Song for Imogene really makes such a huge difference.”
To see the full schedule of the Carrboro Film Fest and to buy tickets, you can visit carrborofilm.org.
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