The Carrboro Film Festival Schedule Preview

Monday, January 12th

7:00pm |  Pre-festival Kickoff: Rising Above Helene 

Chelsea Theater, 1129 Weaver Dairy Road, Chapel Hill

To get our community in the spirit of the festival, we will kick things off early at the Chelsea Theater in Chapel Hill. Rising Above Helene is a documentary about the strength of people and community. This film is a tribute to the spirit of Western North Carolina, a region where the rivers may rise but the people rise higher.

Editor's note 1/12: This screening is sold out but it will air on PBS NC in February. For more details, visit risingabovehelene.org

All other events take place at the Drakeford Library Complex, 203 South Greensboro Street.

Friday, January 23rd

7:00pm | Opening Film: Leads

Opening the festival is a family drama centered on acting. An acting professor’s quiet life in a small college town is disrupted when her charming but volatile younger brother shows up. When he joins her acting class, a battle of wills ensues, forcing the siblings to confront their shared past. 

9:00pm | Opening Night Reception 

Following the opening film will be a reception upstairs with light bites and drinks in the Drakeford Library. 

Saturday, January 24th

11:00am | Panel: Funding Your Film With PBS NC and Southern Documentary Fund 

Documentary filmmakers and representatives from PBS NC and Southern Documentary Fund will discuss ways to fund your film project. A must attend for filmmakers trying to navigate the complex funding landscape for films. 

12:30pm | Keystone Species (short films) 

This documentary block, composed of short films, explores people who are “breaking the mold” in different ways—Black women cowboys, a male doula, and an artist whose life and work unfold on screen. The title Keystone Species reflects the idea that these individuals are not only essential in the spaces they inhabit, but also bring life and possibility to the people around them.

3:00pm | Mile Markers (short films)

This shorts block features films that feel like they deserve a next chapter. The stories may be a chapter, a Mile Marker, in a larger question. The lineup includes a documentary about a Tennessee town built during World War II, a film on a Durham community preparing for Día de los Muertos, a couple of rom-coms, and one oddball comedy. This block is a mix of documentaries and narratives that covers a wide range of topics and tones. 

5:30pm | Discoveries (student short films)

This block features seven narrative and documentary films created by students. It’s the first time the Carrboro Film Festival has introduced a student-only section, selected entirely by a new “student committee.”  

8:30pm | Embrace the Echo (short films)

Embrace the Echo is the most varied block of the festival. Over 90 minutes, it brings together 10 shorts that cover a wide range of tones and subjects—a teenage comedy, a film about grief, a few scares, and plenty in between. Grab your popcorn; it’s essentially the full moviegoing experience in one block. 

Sunday, January 25th

12:00pm | The True Cost of Power (short films)

This event features two short films, followed by an extended discussion. The True Cost of Power examines Duke Energy’s marketing tactics, public messaging, and potential dishonesty. The block opens with Hell and Climate Haven, a documentary about Hurricane Helene, framing the block as a look at cause and effect—what happens when environmental problems are ignored. NC WARN, a North Carolina organization focused on climate accountability, will lead the post-screening conversation with the filmmakers. 

1:30pm | Keep Holding (short films)

These films explore relationships in many ways—immigrant experiences, recovery after Hurricane Helene, and approaches to disciplining children. The block confronts difficult conversations and asks how we, as a society, can talk about and work through them. 

4:00pm | Closing Film: Minnie Evans: Draw or Die

This film tells the story of Wilmington artist Minnie Evans (1892–1987), a self-taught African American artist who, driven by a voice that told her to “draw or die,” created intricate, dreamlike drawings. Art that was a hobby eventually turned into national recognition. Using archival interviews, family recollections, and Evans’s own voice, the documentary traces her fascinating journey from obscurity to national recognition, offering an intimate portrait of a visionary artist. 

For more information and tickets, visit carrborofilm.org

Editor's note: The Carrborean is proud to be a main sponsor of The Carrboro Film Festival. We'll have coverage before, during, and after the events. Upcoming interviews on WCOM 103.5: January 12, 1-2pm: Bryan Reklis talks about organizing this year's festival and Chris Baucom and Brielle Barozzini from 100 Strong Productions will talk about their film "Rising Above Helene." On Wednesday, January 14, we'll talk to filmmakers about "The True Cost of Power" from 1 -2 pm. And on The Carrborean Radio Hour 1/19, 4 - 5pm: Darryl Jones, festival organizer, talks about bringing the event together and his own film, along with other filmmakers.