Pittsburgh, PA – The annual Three Rivers Film Festival, Pittsburgh’s largest and oldest film festival, is gearing up for its 44th edition later this year. The festival runs Nov. 12- Nov 23 and will feature a slate of new film premieres.
Film submission deadlines closed July 31, and the lineup will be announced in the coming months. According to the festival’s official website, independent filmmakers and original work are encouraged. The event offers audiences a rare chance to see fresh, innovative films.
Since its founding in 1982, the festival has showcased unique projects with depth and range. Pittsburgh holds a special place in film history, with the world’s first Nickelodeon movie theater opening in the city in 1905.
Theaters including the Fulton (now the Byham), Fiesta, Rex, Playhouse, Beehive, Benedum Center, SouthSide Works, and Waterworks Cinema have collaborated with Film Pittsburgh, the organization behind the festival, to host the iconic festival.
Attendees can participate in Q&As with filmmakers, attend community parties, take red carpet photos, and see the premieres of groundbreaking works from around the world.
Last year’s highlights included Clemente, a documentary on Pittsburgh Pirates legend Roberto Clemente. The film blends Clemente’s passion for baseball, humanity, and family to explore the full depth of a community icon.
This documentary “takes him [Roberto Clemente] out of the realm of legend and makes it feel like you get to know him a little bit,” director David Altrogge told Pittsburgh news. He believes telling the story in this manner made Clemente more relatable and human.
Other notable premieres last year included A Real Pain, Jesse Eisenberg’s film about intergenerational dynamics; On Becoming a Guinea Fowl, a Zambian comedy about growth in conflict with tradition; and Flow, an Oscar Award-winning animated film.
