About the River Bend Film Festival

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. The festival moved to Goshen in 2016 and is now a four-day-long event. 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 more than 20 years.

The festival accepts all genres: narrative, documentary, experimental, music video, animation, student, features, and shorts. River Bend prioritizes highlighting the work of local and regional filmmakers, and many of the films come from across the country and worldwide.

This year’s festival features over 80 films from 15 different countries. The historic Goshen Theater is the beautiful host for the festival, with events happening in an additional seven venues around downtown Goshen.

Previous special guests include Academy Award®-winning writer and actress Rachel Shenton (The Silent Child), Academy Award®-winning director Chris Overton (The Silent Child), actress Beth Grant (The Artist, No Country for Old Men, Donnie Darko), screenwriter Wes Jones (Billions, The Brink), writer/director Jim Strouse (The Incredible Jessica James, People Places Things), producer/director Leila Djansi (Like Cotton Twines), and many more.

The River Bend Film Festival is organized under the not-for-profit Goshen Arts and Events and is a 501(c)3 nonprofit. The festival is funded through grants, corporate sponsorships, and individual sponsors. Eyedart Creative Studio oversees the direction and organization of the festival. This year’s festival director is Adrienne Nesbitt.