Richmond International Film Festival
Schedule
Tue, 23 Sep, 2025 at 03:30 pm
UTC-04:00Location
The Byrd Theatre | Richmond, VA
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2025 RIFF: • Voted Best of Richmond by the public Style Weekly in 2025 & multiple years
• 165+ film premieres selected all types including narrative features and shorts documentaries music videos and episodic tv series across all genres
• Returning this year is also a virtual edition of the festival with an additional 50+ films
• Over 8000 expected in attendance with more than 300 VIP filmmakers traveling to Richmond from 20 countries
• More than 25 live music acts selected to perform festival week for filmmakers and guests. RIFF has a secondary focus on helping filmmakers and musicians forge new working relationships. Festival week also includes several industry mixers that we host including pitch sessions and panels
2025 Festival Dates:
Six day festival: Tuesday Sep 23 – Sunday Sep 28 (film premieres live music community events mixers creative conference and more)
Tickets: Range from free up to $375 for a VIP All Access Pass
To view the online film guide and a full schedule of events & ticketing options visit https://riff.eventive.org
For further info on special guests and programming visit the festival website at https://www.rvafilmfestival.com
Main Venues: Byrd Theatre Bowtie Cinemas Révéler New York Deli Vagabond Quirk Hotel
About RIFF:
In its 14th year RIFF is now one of the largest international competitive festivals on the east coast and recognized by more than 30 countries. There is something for all ages every year over the six day festival.
RIFF offers a rich collaborative environment with more than 160 local national and international films selected for their Richmond Virginia premiere plus community engagement events industry panels filmmaker and music Q & As more than 25 live music performances the Global Visionary Summit educational workshops mixers and red-carpet awards all of which usher the spirit of Hollywood and hospitality into more than 10 venues across the city. If looking for a weekend get-away or simply want to come out and enjoy great entertainment with friends and colleagues the festival has a range of options to enjoy.
Festival attendees also benefit from the FLOW Collective Creative Conference during festival week which includes panel discussions on topics such as content development cinematography screenwriting branding distribution financing audience engagement pitch sessions and music + film labs.
The festival expanded its annual music showcase ten years ago to include a model similar to SXSW where local national and international bands visit Richmond to perform at various venues around RVA and compete for top awards with the Grand Jury. RIFF invites the musicians filmmakers and artists back to Richmond to encourage production in the state for future projects. On top of providing great entertainment for the public from some of the film and music industry’s top talent RIFF has a unique focus of connecting filmmakers and musicians and creates platforms that assist the artists in forging new working relationships.
2025 RIFF Festival Theme: “Bare Naked”
Capturing the pure essence of human experience which thrives through artistic expression and authentic connection.
Theme:
"No pretense authentic in expression—'Bare Naked' invites artists and audiences to explore the raw essence of the human experience. This year’s theme celebrates authentic vulnerability as a force of connection truth as an act of courage and storytelling as a reflection of our deepest selves. Through immersive film and music experiences thought-provoking discussion panels and powerful artistic expressions we embrace the beauty of being seen heard and understood—just as we are."
For the RIFF music fest each of the music performances panels jam session events etc. will be under a subset "The Bare Naked Music Revival" — a week of raw soul-stirring performances that bring Richmond together in a deep communal way through connection music spoken word live storytelling and visuals.
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Where is it happening?
The Byrd Theatre, 2908 W Cary St, Richmond, VA 23221, United StatesEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
