The Town of Cary’s film festival received a record number of entries, and 30 films will screen virtually Sept. 24-27, 2020, produced by The Cary Theater. The third annual BEYOND: The Cary Film Festival was rescheduled from its original dates in June due to COVID-19.
CARY, N.C. (September 1, 2020) – BEYOND: The Cary Film Festival will look different for film buffs this year. Produced by the Cary Theater, BEYOND received a record number of entries for its third year and selected 30 short films for festival competition. Each film will screen virtually over four days, Sept. 24-27, 2020. BEYOND is an independent film and screenwriting festival that typically takes place at the Cary Theater. This year, all screenings and filmmaking workshops can be accessed online for FREE through the festival website.
“We’re excited to present Cary’s hometown film festival under very unique circumstances this year as we’ll virtually screen 30 unique short films in three blocks over the weekend,” said Joy Ennis, festival director. “BEYOND is typically an opportunity to share our Southern hospitality with filmmakers and audiences who visit Cary. This year, we’ll bring everybody together online for a great time with our workshops and film screenings.”
The festival schedule also includes three free virtual workshops for filmmakers:
- Lighting for Documentary Interviews with instructor Warren Gentry;
- Music in Picture: A How-to on Film Scoring with instructor Evan Hodges;
- A Screenwriting Masterclass with instructors Joy Goodwin and Ron Thompson.
Goodwin is a former theater critic who has produced Golden Globe, Sundance and Spirit Award-winning films. Thompson has produced many feature films such as: “Rage in Harlem,” “Deep Cover,” “Hoodlum,” “Sister Act 2,” and the award-winning HBO Special “America’s Dream,” starring Danny Glover and Wesley Snipes.
Registration and information on how to access festival content will be available online beginning Sept. 10. There is no cost to participate, though registration is required. Donations are requested to benefit the Food Bank of Central and Eastern N.C. to assist our community with COVID-19 relief.
Voting for films in competition will take place all weekend. Top films will screen Sunday, Sept. 27, in the “Best of BEYOND,” available online as well as broadcast on WRAL 5.2 (COZI) at 7:00 p.m. that night. More details are available here.
The 2020 festival is presented by sponsors: Cary Citizen, Cary Magazine, Digital P Media, Eventide, InkTip, MISNER and WRAL-TV.
About The Cary Theater
Located at 122 E. Chatham St., The Cary Theater lights up downtown with its mission to provide a unique setting for the community to experience art house cinema and live performances that enhance the cultural arts experience in the Town of Cary. Originally constructed in 1946 to serve as the Town’s first indoor movie theater, The Cary was meticulously restored in 2014 to create a vibrant space downtown that offers independent film, live performance comedy and improv, the Six String Presents music series as well as other live events. The theater is owned by the Town of Cary and operated by the Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources.
The Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina:
The Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina is a nonprofit organization that has provided food for people at risk of hunger in 34 counties in central and eastern North Carolina for 40 years. The Food Bank serves a network of more than 900 partner agencies such as soup kitchens, food pantries, shelters, and programs for children and adults through warehouses in Durham, Greenville, New Bern, Raleigh, the Sandhills (Southern Pines), and Wilmington. In fiscal year 2019-2020, the Food Bank distributed nearly 92 million pounds of food (over half of which was perishable) and non-food essentials through these agencies. Sadly, hunger remains a serious problem in central and eastern North Carolina. In these counties, nearly 760,000 people struggle to access nutritious and adequate amounts of food necessary for an active and healthy life.
Media Contacts:
Scott Misner, The Cary Theater Media Relations, (919) 412-3886
Joy Ennis, BEYOND: The Cary Film Festival Producer, (919) 462-2054
William Lewis, Cultural Arts Manager, (919) 462-3861
Our Festival schedule is now available. Festival photos and graphics are available here.
