— by Matt Golec

White River Junction, VT

2/6/25

Televisions are great these days. They boast huge screens with vibrant colors and scary-sharp picture quality. Even a half-decent sound system can rattle the good china. And the internet is a fire hydrant of movies, ready to be tapped at any time of day or night.

So what draws the Upper Valley out to to the movies, especially in the frigid month of February? Local film enthusiasts might point to the upcoming White River Indie Film Festival.

Film festivals are fun, communal activities where you can put away your phone and experience movies you probably won’t find in your Netflix queue, according to Travis Weedon, WRIF’s program director. And when the lights come up, you can discuss what you’ve just seen with your neighbors.

“For expanding our collective hearts together, I don't know of any art form that can do that so effectively as film,” Weedon said.

The 20th White River Indie Film Festival runs Feb. 13-16 with workshops, a comedy show, and of course, lots of films from creators near and far. Tickets and programming information are available from Junction Arts & Media (http://uvjam.org/wrif), which organizes the event.

WRIF’s theme for this year is “Hand Over Heart” — Romance, Activism, and Global Cinema, which represents a mix of serious and feel-good films. Weedon points to Saturday’s programming, which includes the Oscar-nominated No Other Land about settlements in the West Bank; the absurdist comedy Universal Language from Canada; and the queer romance Young Hearts.

"We definitely have tried over the years to add more comedy and light content into the festival,” said Weedon, who has been programming WRIF since 2022. “That's been a mission over the last few years to make sure we're giving people an emotional reprieve at times, especially in the current political landscape.”

Every year, Weedon and the selection committee sift through unreleased movies from distributors and other festivals, as well as gems that didn’t make it to silver screens in Vermont. They also feature local filmmakers, such as Brian Carroll’s Endlessly an Observer, about Vermont photographer Suzanne Opton.

WRIF’s #PitchFest specifically gives Upper Valley filmmakers an opportunity to pitch their movie idea to a panel of judges. Winners receive a bit of money from JAM, as well as mentoring and crew support, and they have their films shown at the following WRIF.

Julia Anderson of Wilder and Kiersten White of Bellows Falls were two of last year’s #PitchFest winners, and the first episode of their Black Girls Kissing series of short films screens on Thursday. Episodes jump genres and time periods; in the first episode, a 1920s vibe mixes with modern life as as the main character prepares for a date — but there’s a secret.

“It's like queer, black Gloria Swanson and Buster Keaton,” White said.

Julia Anderson (left) and Kiersten White pitch their “Black Girls Kissing” series of short films at WRIF’s 2024 #PitchFest. (All photos by Kate Barber for JAM)

Anderson and White credit their success at #PitchFest to preparation. They’d come with a strong idea, worked out their budget details, distributed handouts, and had a killer presentation.

“As an emerging filmmaker, I spent a lot of time researching pitch decks,” Anderson said. “As a screenwriter, in order to get your piece made, you have to pitch it.”

Anderson has always loved stories, and a few years ago she taught herself screenwriting. She pitched at a previous WRIF and got connected with JAM and its screenwriting group. White had a made a short film (A Differently Curated World) that attracted attention from festivals and The Putney School, which hired her to teach a summer film course.

As indie filmmakers, the pair wear a lot of hats. Anderson is the creator and screenwriter, while White produces and directs. Both act in their series as well.

“People who are making independent films are grinding so hard,” Anderson said.