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Event concludes with awards ceremony Sunday night

 

By Emily Williams

news@tryondailybulletin.com

 

TRYON—Over the weekend, downtown Tryon hosted the 10th annual Tryon International Film Festival. 

Roughly seventy-five films were shown throughout the weekend, ranging in length, genre, style, and language. The screenings concluded with an awards ceremony on Sunday night, where Jeff Lieberman’s Bella! won Best Feature Documentary, Are You There? by Kim Noonan earned Best Narrative Feature Film, and Andreas Thelander’s Just Like Me took the top spot with Best Overall Feature.

The festival was kicked off by the Educational Institute at 9 a.m. on Friday with the Production Assistant Academy led by Linda Burns, followed by the AWE Project Student Filmmaking Competition screening. The high school AWE Project winner was McKenzie Foster from the SC Governor’s School, and the college winner was Isabella LaRosa from Western Carolina University. 

When asked what it meant to win, LaRosa shared, “It’s very validating, but being shown in a festival like this has also inspired me to keep growing and progressing.”

The weekend also included educational opportunities in the form of various workshops taught by leaders in the film industry. These workshops were insightful, and the teachers shared their best tips so attendees might learn to thrive in the industry.

 The event also highlighted other art forms besides film, such as local works from Tryon Painters and Sculptors. Members of the organization lined Trade Street on Saturday and involved passersby in creating paintings that were sold in the art auction at the Green Carpet event on Saturday night. 

Many attendees said this festival is something everyone cannot wait to support each fall, as it fosters community connection like no other film festival can. The artists feel heard, supported, and appreciated at this festival in ways they would not at a larger film festival. 

“There’s great energy from bringing these filmmakers together to celebrate art, especially in these times,” said Judge Francesca Calo. 

Filmmaker Angelina Beltrami said the event is special not only to the attendees but to the filmmakers as well. 

“Tryon is full of wonderful people who are very embracing of people of all different levels of filmmaking,” she stated. 

During TRIFF24, downtown Tryon was full of visitors from the surrounding area, various states, and even different countries. Local businesses appreciate this festival because it gives the town international exposure and allows business owners to showcase the friendliness that makes Tryon so special.