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By Emily Williams

 

Cinema has the power to bring people together. It does not segregate by genre, country of origin, or language. This art form is one that people of every race and culture can appreciate because, in essence, cinema reflects the human experience. No matter where a person comes from, he or she can be immersed in a film that reaches into the depths of what it means to be alive. 

The organizers of the Tryon International Film Festival (TRIFF) have taken the potential of the cinema to heart and, in turn, to their community. In 2014, the Polk County Film Initiative (PCFI) was born—a program meant to encourage cinematic production in the Foothills. Out of that initiative came the Tryon International Film Festival, an annual event that attracts filmmakers from across the globe. In anticipation of the 10th annual film festival taking place Thursday, October 10th through Sunday, October 13th, the members of the PCFI Board share what makes this festival so special to their little corner of the world. 

Beau Menetre, co-founder of TRIFF, states that the original purpose for creating the festival was two-fold. 

“A lot of it was based on the development of an economic impact because of what tourism brings to a community with restaurants and retailers,” he says. “It was originally an economic project that creatively morphed into a film festival, which brings filmmakers to represent their projects that we’ll screen here.”

The festival that came as a product of the PCFI’s desire to positively impact the community has only grown over the years. The 10th annual event promises to hold even more excitement this year, with four days packed with film screenings, awards, galas, networking opportunities, and educational workshops. This year will be the first year the event will host a special opening night reception and film screening. The Board anticipates having the usual 500 to 800 attendees throughout the course of the multi-day event, but they hope to reach the 1,000-person mark, considering this year is a momentous occasion. 

Over the weekend, the festival will screen 75 films ranging from podcasts to shorts to full-length dramatic features and documentaries. The PCFI Board receives two-thirds of the films they select each year via a program called FilmFreeway, which allows independent filmmakers to submit their projects to various film festivals throughout the world. The rest of the films are ones the Board solicits themselves because they have either been made by a colleague or have been popular within the film festival circuit. 

“For this year, we have filmmakers from Nepal, Sweden, the UK, Canada, Italy, and all four corners of the US—so they come far and wide,” shares Menetre. 

Likewise, the judges for the film entries are also from various states and countries, bringing a wide range of perspectives as they select winners for the awards. 

This year, the judges will decide winning films based on a number of new and returning film categories. TRIFF not only awards typical features and shorts but also has categories for human rights and dignity films, environmental awareness projects, animation, and podcasts. In honor of Tryon being a proud equestrian community, the festival even has an equestrian category and will be screening films with this theme throughout Saturday at Sunnydale.

The festival has also officially selected two award-winning indie films to be the opening features for Thursday and Friday nights. The film for Thursday is A Song for Imogene by Honey Head Films in Wilmington, NC. Menetre states, “[Honey Head Films] have been an integral part of our festival for the past couple of years, so we’re going to screen their first feature.” The opening film for Friday is Just Like Me, a Swedish film that Menetre and his team are thrilled to showcase at Friday night’s gala reception. 

TRIFF also has many films that will be making their debut at this year’s event, one being a thriller called Are You There?, which was filmed at Tryon’s own GreenLife Inn at The Mimosa. “We have a lot of films that have premiered here, which is the start of a film festival circuit for many people,” claims Menetre. “We’ve made some incredible friends over the years, even if they have not come back.”

One of those friends is renowned actor Matthew Modine, who came to Tryon for the premier of his film Foster Boy in 2019. Carri Bass, TRIFF photographer and vice president of PCFI, shares that Modine fell in love with the film festival and is partially responsible for the creation of the environmental awareness film category. Modine even encouraged Menetre and a small team to take the film to Switzerland for a second premiere in 2020. 

Connecting with other people, other countries, and other filmmakers to support the cinematic arts is a passion project that the PCFI has even taken to their own backyard. Debra Torrence, the PCFI director, believes an answer to help aspiring filmmakers in this region is to align the Carolinas in the same mission to support local filmmakers so they can develop films here. Gail Awan, a board member and the president of the Urban League of the Upstate, has the same vision, which is why the League is partnering with TRIFF this year. 

“We want to support existing and aspiring filmmakers,” states Awan. “The best way to do that is for them to see high-quality films that are shown here.”

Supporting aspiring filmmakers in the Foothills and in the Upstate is a top priority for PCFI, which is why education is a major part of the film festival. Ashley Crane, the TRIFF Education Director, has a full lineup of educational opportunities prepared for middle, high school, and college students. Friday’s activities will start off with Media Arts Day, which is a career fair for any students looking to work in the film industry. After that, TRIFF will host a screening and award competition of student short films, and the educational opportunities for the day will be rounded out by a Production Assistant academy course taught by Linda Burns of the Atlanta Film Society. Saturday and Sunday will also boast a variety of workshops on a wide array of topics in the film industry, from screenwriting to directing. All these events are free of charge thanks to the wonderful sponsors of TRIFF, and registration for the activities can be found on the festival’s website.

In the future, Menetre hopes that TRIFF can have a year-round institute to teach students about the cinematic arts. Presently, Ashley Crane is working with the media programs at local schools and universities to provide students with more opportunities. Other Tryon organizations are also partnering with PCFI to provide education of the media arts so they can inspire and encourage future filmmakers. Will Barclift, Director of the Tryon Arts & Crafts School, shares that the school is starting to build a digital media lab, which will open new doors for so many children. “We’re building the next generation of filmmakers,” states Torrence, “and it takes a village to build all those pathways for the kids.”

Ultimately, the Tryon International Film Festival has an undeniable purpose of serving the community in every way it can and making the Foothills feel a little more like home to all who visit. Torrence and Menetre share that a top priority is to work alongside local shops and vendors, supporting those businesses while receiving materials necessary to produce the festival. TRIFF has also indirectly led to the opening of new businesses, such as the Mirrorball Gallery in Tryon. Tom Trobaugh, president of PCFI, shares that the owner of the gallery moved to Tryon because of his positive experience at the film festival a year prior.

Menetre says that many people have had the same experience; even if they do not move to Tryon, they return year after year to enjoy the beauty of the town and revisit connections formed through the festival. 

“For the last ten years, that’s probably been the most rewarding thing—just watching networks grow and people meeting each other,” he says.

There are so many beautiful things to admire about the mission of TRIFF—of how it connects artists from all nations and of all ages by bringing them to one of the most charming towns in the Southeast and providing the opportunity to let their creative lights shine. Without a doubt, this film festival is truly special, and it can only get better from here. 

“We’re really just getting started,” claims Menetre. “The next ten years are going to be the most exciting now that we’ve laid the foundation.”

If you would like to buy tickets for any of the exciting events taking place at the 10th annual Tryon International Film Festival, or if you are interested in sponsoring or donating to the festival, please visit https://www.tryoninternationalfilmfestival.org/.