The 29th RiverRun International Film Festival runs April 16-24, 2027, in Winston-Salem and Greensboro and online. Dates, passes, venues and parking.

Last checked Oct. 12, 2026. Dates and details come from RiverRun International Film Festival, its 2027 announcement and its FAQ. RiverRun office: 336-724-1502. This page is updated for each year’s festival at the same address.

The 29th RiverRun International Film Festival runs Friday, April 16, through Saturday, April 24, 2027, in Winston-Salem and Greensboro and online, according to RiverRun. The film lineup has not been announced; RiverRun tells filmmakers whether they are in during the week of Feb. 15, 2027.

Know before you go

  • Dates: Friday, April 16, to Saturday, April 24, 2027
  • Where: venues in Winston-Salem and Greensboro, plus online screenings
  • Passes: VIP All-Access Pass $375 on the passes page; all sales final
  • Sold out? Arrive an hour early for the waitlist
  • Organizer: RiverRun International Film Festival, 301 N. Main St., Suite 2606; 336-724-1502

What RiverRun is

RiverRun is a nonprofit that describes itself as a competitive festival, founded in 1998, that “annually showcases new films from both established and emerging filmmakers around the world.” Each spring it screens new narrative, documentary, short, student and animated films, with audience and jury prizes.

The 2026 festival ran April 17-25 and showed 178 films from 47 countries, in person and online. RiverRun says three films from its 2025 lineup went on to Oscar nominations, and MovieMaker magazine put it on its 2026 list of 50 film festivals worth the entry fee.

What is new for 2027

RiverRun announced on Aug. 11, 2026, that films for the 2027 festival will be chosen in three new ways:

  • Curatorial Filmmaker Fellowship: six working filmmakers help pick films and lead workshops and talks during the festival.
  • Community programming: a panel of regional arts leaders and local filmmakers.
  • Youth SELECT: students and young local filmmakers, ages 18 to 26, help program a section of the festival.

Tickets and passes

The festival’s passes page lists:

Pass Price What it covers
VIP All-Access Badge $375 Walk-up or rush tickets to all festival films, as seats allow; invitations for two to the Opening Night, Spotlight, Centerpiece, Filmmaker and Closing Night parties

The pass is for one person, and RiverRun says some parties have limited space and need an RSVP. All sales are final. RiverRun also sells ticket samplers; a sampler has to be paid for in full before you use it to book films. Single-film prices for 2027 had not been posted as of Oct. 12.

Online screenings, where offered, are sold through RiverRun’s ticketing partner, Elevent. The FAQ says each online ticket plays on one device, some films are limited to U.S. or North Carolina viewers, and each film has a set viewing window, such as 72 hours.

Where films are shown

RiverRun had not published its 2027 venues as of Oct. 12. The venues on its FAQ from recent festivals include:

  • Hanesbrands Theatre, Reynolds Place Theatre and the Mountcastle Room, 209 and 251 N. Spruce St., downtown, on one campus at the Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts. Parking is in the paid lot across from the Milton Rhodes Center, payable by phone, and on nearby streets.
  • UNCSA ACE Theatre Complex, 1533 S. Main St. RiverRun guests may park in campus spaces marked for visitors.
  • Marketplace Cinemas, 2095 Peters Creek Parkway, with a parking lot in front of and beside the theater.
  • RED Cinemas, 1305 Battleground Ave., Greensboro, with parking outside the building.

The 2026 festival’s Closing Night Party was held at the Milton Rhodes Center, 251 N. Spruce St.

What to know

  • Sold-out shows: many screenings sell out before the festival. RiverRun says you can arrive at the venue an hour before a sold-out screening to join a first-come, first-served waitlist.
  • Ratings: most festival films have no MPAA rating. RiverRun labels each program MT (mature), TN (teen and up) or FM (family friendly, suitable for children as young as 8 to 12).
  • Year-round films: RiverRun runs screenings and events outside festival week, including its new fall series Scene and Heard with UNCSA and a/perture cinema.

More to do

For other big dates on the Winston-Salem calendar, see things to do in Winston-Salem this month and things to do this weekend.

Frequently asked questions

When is RiverRun International Film Festival 2027?

The 29th RiverRun International Film Festival runs Friday, April 16, through Saturday, April 24, 2027, in Winston-Salem and Greensboro and online, according to RiverRun.

How much is a RiverRun festival pass?

RiverRun’s passes page lists a VIP All-Access Pass at $375, good for walk-up tickets to all festival films as available plus invitations for two to five festival parties. Single-film prices for 2027 are not out yet.

Where are RiverRun films shown?

RiverRun has used the Hanesbrands Theatre and Reynolds Place Theatre at the Milton Rhodes Center on North Spruce Street, the UNCSA ACE Theatre Complex, Marketplace Cinemas and RED Cinemas in Greensboro. The 2027 venue list has not been published.

What if a RiverRun screening is sold out?

RiverRun says you can arrive at the venue an hour before the screening to join a first-come, first-served waitlist.

How big is RiverRun?

The 2026 festival, April 17-25, showed 178 films from 47 countries in person and online. RiverRun was founded in 1998.