RIFF, short for Richmond International Film Festival, is a festival that happens annually. It is an event dedicated to offering a diverse range of perspectives from around the world through film and music.
RIFF offers over 160 films to watch, industry panels, filmmaker and music question panel, and music performances. Every year they have special guests; in the past they have had Mahershala Ali, Jon Heder, Chandler Riggs, Danny Glover, and many more.
Lovers of film, music, or art should not miss out on this golden opportunity. The movie screenings are at Bowtie Cinemas and The Byrd Theater in Richmond.
This year the festival was held from Sept. 23-28, 2025.
I attended a short block screening at The Byrd Theater on the 27th. By watching five short films, I experienced a diverse range of films. Some made me devastated, while others made me laugh out loud.
The film that stuck with me the most was a nine minute short called “Patina”, which follows 12-year-old Jackson attending his grandfather’s 84th birthday party. Jackson meets Patina, a larger-than-life woman with a mysterious past. It follows a deep “you die twice” message while involving a fun, unique aspect of time travel throughout the film. The director of this film, Jake Hull, was at the festival and the audience had a chance to ask him questions. It was inspiring to hear what his process of making the film was.
Another experience they offer are panels at the Révéler, a club on Carystreet in Richmond. I attended a panel about sound and music in film, where you could immerse yourself into music by local artists and listen to local filmmakers. The filmmakers started by talking about their challenges and experience with sound and music. After finishing the panel, I got to hear live music from various local artists. It was a lively musical experience you cannot miss.
I highly recommend checking out RIFF, it’s underappreciated and underrated. From Sept. 22-27, 2026 community members are able to come and support local art, or even enter personal work into the festival.
