Real to Reel Film Festival returns for 25th year

The Real to Reel Film Festival, which showcases documentaries, feature films, animations and shorts, is back for its 25th year at the Joy Performance Center in Kings Mountain.

The Cleveland County Arts Council is back at the Joy Performance Center to offer fantastic cinema to film festival goers.

“It’s a privilege to celebrate 25 years of Real to Reel,” said Festival Director Thomas Manning. “We owe many thanks to festival co-founders Will Eskridge and Noel Manning for creating this platform for independent filmmakers from around the world to showcase their talents to our community.”

The screenings will take place in the Joy Performance Center at 202 S. Railroad Ave. in Kings Mountain Wednesday through Saturday. Showings will begin at 7 p.m. nightly, plus the 1 p.m. Saturday matinee.

Advance tickets are $10 per session or a festival pass for $45 and are available at realtoreelfest.com or by calling the Cleveland County Arts Council at 704-484-2787.

Ticket prices at the door are $15 per session or a festival pass for $50. Children 12 and under are admitted free. A VIP Pass ($55) includes special seating in the balcony with comfy chairs and tables, food and drink service, one complimentary drink per night and free popcorn throughout the festival.

In an interview series called “Reel Conversations,” discussions with several filmmakers of official Real to Reel selections will be available online in the weeks leading up to the festival. These interviews provide an opportunity for the filmmakers to discuss their craft and passion for the art form, as well as the importance of film festivals for independent artists. Episodes of “Reel Conversations” can be found on our YouTube channel at youtube.com/@clevelandcountyartscouncil513.

The selection committee screened nearly 125 film submissions from amateur and professional filmmakers, including live-action short films, documentaries, animated shorts and feature-length pictures. International countries of origin for submissions include Turkey, Australia, Germany, Switzerland, Morocco, Jordan, Estonia, and Italy, among others. The festival will screen 33 films based on the selections made by the committee. Awards categories will be classified by their student/amateur or professional submission status.

Real to Reel is a competitive film festival with monetary awards presented to the winners in both the professional and amateur categories.

For more information about this year’s festival, contact Thomas Manning at the Cleveland County Arts Council by email thomas@ccartscouncil.org or phone 704-484-2787.

The mission of the Real to Reel International Film Festival is to offer a forum for independent film, video and multimedia artists from around the world to showcase their talents and expose the works of these artists to our region.