By Emma Stanton, Staff Writer
The White River Indie Festival (WRIF) will return on March 1 to White River Junction with another run of film premieres, featuring both local and international filmmakers. Along with its film lineup this year, the festival will be expanding across mediums to include dance showcases, live musical performances, puppet theater, circus arts, and comedy.
“Our goal this year is to showcase the best independent art that our community has to offer in addition to a slate of incredible feature films from all over the world,” WRIF festival director, Jordyn Fitch told the Standard. The festival will take place March 1-8, with a variety of events scattered throughout the week at various times and locations in White River Junction, including feature films to be shown at the Briggs Opera House and the Hop’s Loew Auditorium. Most of the feature films will be screened during the weekend.
Fitch has been with the White River Indie Film Festival for several years, serving first on the film-selection committee and finally ascending to the role of festival director. “I work at Jam Junction Arts and Media as the production manager, which runs and operates the film festival under our media umbrella,” Fitch explained.
“My first exposure to WRIF happened in 2022, when one of my films was shown. After that, I served on the selection committee, which operates differently than other festivals. We are not a submission-based festival where people can submit films which are chosen as winners. Instead, the WRIF film line-up is curated by a group of community members that we bring together to serve as a ‘screening committee.’ Their sole job is to watch movies and find the best indie films that have come out in the past year. The lineup is meticulously curated by people who feel these films will engage and enrich our local audience.”
This year, WRIF is slated to show an array of films — from Kristen Stewart’s unflinching directorial debut, “The Chronology of Water,” to the Grand Prix-winning supernatural dramedy “A Useful Ghost” directed by Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke. The slate will also feature Oscar-nominated films such as “If I Had Legs, I’d Kick You,” directed by Mary Bronstein and starring Rose Byrne, Conan O’Brien, and A$AP Rocky, and “It Was Just an Accident” directed by Jafar Panahi.
Left: The upcoming White River Indie Festival preview premier of “The History of Sound,” starring Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor, follows two 20th-century music students as they travel across New England. The film will be shown at the Hopkins Center Loew Auditorium on Saturday, Feb. 14, at 2 p.m.
Right: At the Wandering Paint Brushes Paint and Sip Valentine’s Day event Friday night, attendees will create their versions of this painting of a pair of swans. Materials will be provided, and all who attend are encouraged to bring their own drinks to sip on. Photos Provided
Along with the selection of features, WRIF will spotlight the hyper-local, 30-minute documentary “Meze on Main Street — A Love Story” (directed by Jim Zien & Samantha Davidson Green) about the White River Junction restaurant, Tuckerbox, and its owners Jackie and Vural Oktay.
WRIF will screen a total of eight short films, primarily made by local directors, before each feature film screening.
“I think the DNA of WRIF is to showcase both global and local cinema,” Fitch explained. “We try to showcase films that maybe wouldn’t otherwise have an audience or that have not been widely distributed. But we are also thinking about what films will be good and engaging, asking the question: ‘What would we like to see on a movie theater screen?’ Ten of us screen dozens, if not hundreds of films, through the lens of trying to find things our local audience would like to see. We want to offer something for everyone. This festival is not founded on pretentious film ideals or any kind of inaccessibility — its ethos is the opposite. We want everyone in the Upper Valley to experience the beauty and power of film, but also of indie art across a variety of mediums.”
Fitch explained that the film lineup will truly offer something for everyone, from cerebral and challenging works that require intense intellectual engagement to feel-good films that bring a smile to the face of anyone viewing them.
“I want folks to leave the theater saying, ‘Ah, movies — aren’t they magical?’” said Fitch. “I’m trying to rekindle in people the power of film that you can only experience in a theater, surrounded by other people. Going to the cinema is a dying era in the wake of streaming services, and I want people to fall in love with the process again. Attendees can leave a WRIF screening and chat about the film with those they are walking out with, or head down the street and share a meal and unpack what they just saw. The JAM space will be open throughout the festival for anyone looking for a comfortable space to sit and gab between screenings.”
The festival will also be featuring guided discussions and talk-backs after screenings, offering audience members the chance to participate in an active dialogue with each other and with the creatives behind the films. “We will also feature a few films that are directorial debuts by female directors, which was very important for us, given that the film space is notoriously a ‘boys club.’ Being able to show female-led work and having a festival that will uplift female directors is essential. WRIF offers a creatively diverse slate, and I guarantee all who attend will walk away feeling changed or challenged by what they see,” Fitch added.
In years past, WRIF used to be known as the White River Indie Film Festival, but Fitch and their crew decided to drop the ‘film’ and keep the ‘festival’— choosing instead to celebrate and incorporate an array of different kinds of indie art.
“The decision felt really organic,” Fitch told the Standard. “Just by virtue of who we are at JAM — an arts and media organization constantly serving as a platform for different independent artists. We host comedy shows, live music, independent films, and we wanted all of that to be represented in the festival we created.”
Attendees will be able to experience a puppet theater experience titled “Theater of the Absurd” on March 7, complete with a lineup of top-tier puppeteers from the area. On March 8, singer-songwriter and WRIF theme artist Jes Raymond will bring everyone together with a “community sing,” leading participants in new arrangements of folk songs and debuting original works for the audience choir.
And of course, the festival will bring back its “Emerging Filmmakers” contest and #Pitchfest, where aspiring directors can pitch ideas to get their dream film funded. WRIF 2026 will also offer workshops on film scoring, intimacy coordination, puppet mask-making, acting for the camera with Richard Waterhouse, and stop-motion animation with Emmy award-winning artist Hayley Morris. “There truly will be something for everyone!” Fitch exclaimed.
“Something that has surprised me the most in moving here is that there is an incredibly vibrant independent artist, ‘Do It Yourself’ community here, comprised of a genuine and authentic culture of people making art and collaborating with each other to create things for the sake of creating,” said Fitch. “Folks here aren’t driven by money or fame or success, but a genuine desire to create something magical. I want a festival that aligns with the environment I’ve lived in for the past four years.”
Because of this, Fitch said their team at WRIF wanted to ensure that this festival was accessible to everyone. “We offer ‘Access the Arts’ passes to students and folks facing financial hardship, which allows us to sell a pass to our festival for $60. This incredible offer is made possible by those who can afford to purchase WRIF Supporter Passes, essentially buying a ticket for themselves and for someone less fortunate. We would not be here without our wonderful group of community sponsors, and our small but mighty team who work tirelessly to build a festival that everyone across the Upper Valley can enjoy. Here’s to our best year yet!” Fitch concluded.
The White River Indie Festival will take place from March 1-8, with a schedule of art, film, and discussion throughout the week. Tickets and more information can be found at uvjam.org, with the full festival schedule to be released soon.