Schedule :

November 17, 2023

7:30 PM - 9:30 PM : A Thousand Pines: Opening Night Film - The ArtsCenter

Carrboro Film Fest is proud to present A Thousand Pines, an intimate documentary about a hidden world of guest workers regrowing America’s forests. Directed by Noam Osband and Sebastian Diaz, the film follows Raymundo Morales as he leads a crew of workers who make the challenging decision to leave their families in rural Mexico to plant commercial pine forests in the United States. We invite you to join us for a special Q&A with director Noam Osband after the screening.

Opening the screening is “Finding Home,” a heartwarming documentary short which follows the journey of a young Burmese immigrant, Cing Khek, and her family as they search for opportunities to build a new and better life in the conservative stronghold of West Virginia. At its core, the film empowers a diverse cast of Appalachian citizens to reclaim their own narrative in a region that is often dominated by stereotypes.

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November 18, 2023

11:15 AM - 1:00 PM : Searching For Self: Shorts - The ArtsCenter

We know the path to finding yourself is not always straightforward, and sometimes finding your place in the world is difficult. That’s why this collection of eight short films seeks to honor the journey to authentic selfhood, in all its messiness, through the stories of diverse characters as they negotiate and renegotiate what defines them. From a teen contemplating his sexuality at church camp, to a man struggling to put on a ‘happy face’ for work each day, to a group of skating enthusiasts learning to share their passion with their community — all these individuals are carving out their space in the world, and we are loving every moment of the process.

Films in this block:

This is Not a Sport Film (13:00)

Late to the Party (14:55)

Black Butterfly (12:00)

A Thief (5:10)

Church Camp (13:42)

Some Big Thing (3:00)

When You Left Me on That Boulevard (13:08)

Putting on For Durham (13:47)

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1:15 PM - 3:00 PM : Stories of Healing: Shorts - The ArtsCenter

We know living in the South isn’t all biscuits and gravy — it can be challenging, painful, even scary.  In this collection of seven short films we join Southerners who know how to meet those challenges with grit, hope, and a good sense of humor. In a post-apocalyptic landscape, a former baseball pitcher must decide if she can truly survive without relying on others. In Mississippi, a child’s experience with corporal punishment in schools makes a mother renegotiate her role as a disciplinarian and a protector. In an alternate reality, an act of violence leaves a woman with the ability to communicate with ghosts who just want peace, and a little whisky, and maybe something more . . . . You will leave this block with a renewed respect for the way we Southerners know how to laugh, cry, and ultimately, persevere through all our hardships.

Films in this block:

Funny Face (15:00)

Lungs (11:17)

The Bicycle Thief (1:34)

Rear (20:22)

Half Sisters (13:36)

Work (13:00)

Lily’s Mirror (17:14)

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3:15 PM - 5:00 PM : I Gotta Do Me: Shorts - The ArtsCenter

As Southerners, we know staying true to yourself in the face of adversity is its own art form. This bold collection of eight short films is dedicated to celebrating characters who unapologetically march to the beat of their own drum — and we can’t help but follow. Come along for a ride in the trophy-adorned Cadillac of a rural Alabama artist, dive into uncharted waters with an undocumented Guatemalan teen who dreams of joining the country club swim team, and sit down at a table at Durham restaurant Yamazushi for authentic Japanese cuisine and a side of art, healing, and cultural liberation. We hope you leave this block more inspired and empowered to create, challenge boundaries, and authentically express your own Southern identity.

Films in this block:

Chasin’ Butterflies (19:03)

Born Again (12:16)

Yard Sale Artist (3:54)

Mother  (8:00)

Many Hands (13:58)

Making Waves: The Cocoa Cinnamon Story (7:34)

Gabriela (16:00)

Becoming Yamazushi (14:00)

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5:15 PM - 7:00 PM : Labors of Love: Shorts - The ArtsCenter

This contemplative block of five short films is about honoring the kinds of work, bravery, and sacrifice that often go overlooked and unseen. In these films, a nonprofit organization works tirelessly to locate, exhume, and identify the remains of undocumented immigrants who have died crossing the border; a Mexican immigrant nanny struggles to say goodbye to the child she has helped raise and find a new job; and an aging Durham artist continues to advocate for and uplift his community through dance. Through these stories you will gain an intimate insight into the lives and labors of some of our most selfless Southerners as they work to enrich and improve the people and spaces around them.

Films in this block:

Comadre (18:24)

Heartbreak Country (25:30)

What We Don’t Talk About (10:55)

Fireflies Save the Night (9:20)

Dance Became My Voice (26:29)

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7:30 PM - 9:15 PM : Southern Gothic: Shorts - The ArtsCenter

As Southerners, we don’t shy away from the mysterious, the grotesque, or the uncanny; in fact, we know some of the most important truths about our world are hidden there. With this block of six short films, we have curated a view of the South which is both otherworldly and familiar, transformative and grounding. What can a monster in the woods teach us about religious traditions or healing and mental illness? How might a Carolina Reaper Pepper begin a chain reaction of karmic justice? And what insights about growing up might we gain from a dark fairytale about a misunderstood boy and a cursed box? With this block, we hope to give you a peek behind the veil and allow you to see the South with new eyes.

Join us for the screening and a special Q&A with the filmmakers, including UNC professor of screenwriting, Michael Acosta.

Sponsored by the Writing for the Screen and Stage program at UNC.

Films in this block:

Listen Close (12:30)

The Spirit Became Flesh (17:29)

Reaper (7:08)

I Could Just Die and that Would Be Alright (19:58)

Hope You Don’t Dream (3:49)

Blackest Darkness(34:00)

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November 19, 2023

12:15 PM - 2:00 PM : HOLLER! Raise up Your Southern Voice: Shorts - The ArtsCenter

This invigorating collection of seven documentary shorts showcases the efforts and accomplishments of Southerners who are using their voice to speak up, shout out, and sing their own praise. In Alabama, a young poet becomes involved in protesting decades of police brutality; in Texas, a woman uses her passion for quilting to teach Black History; and in Tennessee, a group of young men demonstrate a new form of swimming art and self-expression called slicing. We hope you leave this block inspired to use your Southern voice to express yourself, uplift others, and incite change.

Films in this block:

Missing Magic (10:04)

Breaking Silence (18:00)

Slice (16:30)

Grey Horse (11:10)

Quilted Education (9:50)

Jacob’s First Mandolin (5:00)

An Army Rising Up (23:00)

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2:15 PM - 4:00 PM : Tall Tales: Shorts - The ArtsCenter

In the South we know the best stories are sometimes the most unbelievable, which is why we’ve curated a special block of our wackiest, wildest tales. In this collection of nine narrative shorts two women get real during an outlandish role-playing experience; an apathetic gas station employee reclaims her agency during an encounter with mind-controlling bugs; and a mother and daughter find stability in each other as they are towed away inside their mobile home. With this block we are asking you to suspend your disbelief and come along for the ride — we promise it’s a fun one.

Films in this block:

Call Me Mommy (13:09)

Would You Still Love Me (4:00)

In Tow (20:49)

Chemistry (10:45)

The Voice in Isabelle Fleiss’s Office (6:24)

CONTENT: The Lo Fi Man (14:50)

Lovestruck (8:12)

First Memory (1:00)

Dead Enders (12:08)

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4:15 PM - 6:00 PM : The River Runs On: Closing Night Film - The ArtsCenter

Carrboro Film Fest is proud to present The River Runs On, a meditative documentary that explores our relationship with nature and what managing land means for the future of our planet and ourselves. Directed by Garrett Martin, the film follows conservationists throughout southern Appalachia as they struggle to manage two of the most important national forests in America — the Pisgah and Nantahala. The River Runs On revolves around a potential national forest plan that  will dictate how these two forests are managed for the next twenty years. We invite you to join us for the feature presentation and a special Q&A with producer Chad Heartwood after the screening.

Opening the screening are the documentary shorts “Fallout” and “I Like Toads.” Directed by Madison Hill, “Fallout” follows three Appalachian individuals experiencing illnesses after exposure to environmental contamination from a nearby United States Army Ammunition Plant. “I Like to Look at Toads,” directed by Rob Tiffin, is a short meditation on a man’s relationship with toads.

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Date : November 17, 2023 - November 19, 2023

Location :

The ArtsCenter

400 Roberson St

Carrboro, NC 27510

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