The Rome International Film Festival will return to downtown Rome Nov. 5-8 for its 23rd year.
The festival will feature a line-up of films from Georgia and beyond, including “Once Upon a Time in Macon,” directed by Adam Minarovich; “Frogtown,” directed by Costa Karalis; and “Slay,” directed by Kyra Elise Gardner and starring and co-written by Jimmi Simpson.
Georgia filmmakers will take the stage on Nov. 8, with a shorts block called “The Red Clay Rumble” starting at 2:30 p.m. You can find the full schedule of films here.
“Every year is different, and you feel like sometimes you can never top the year before, but somehow we always manage to do it,” said RIFF Director Seth Ingram in a press release. “We are a rising festival, but we are still a boutique festival. We sort of fancy ourselves as a Telluride of the South. Rome is a great destination and a great backdrop for a film festival.
Danny McBride, known for his work in projects like “Vice Principals” and “The Righteous Gemstones,” will receive the festival’s 2026 Flannery O’Connor Award for Storytelling on Nov. 7. Previous winners of the award include Billy Bob Thornton, Ethan and Maya Hawke, Tim Blake Nelson, and Jerusha Hess. The award recognizes artists whose work “reflects the originality, distinctive voice, humor, complexity and Southern storytelling spirit associated with Georgia literary icon Flannery O’Connor,” according to the release.
McBride will participate in a festival Q&A, and the festival will present a special selection of McBride’s work throughout the weekend.
Filmmakers Jared and Jerusha Hess will also be at the festival to present a screening of their 2015 comedy “Don Verdean,” starring Sam Rockwell, Jermaine Clement, and featuring a performance from McBride. Jerusha Hess will also play her new short film, “Your Daughter Clytnyann.”
“Receiving the Flannery O’Connor Award was truly an honor, and it is especially meaningful to return to Rome as Danny McBride receives it this year,” previous recipient Jerusha Hess said in the release. “RIFF has created something rare. It is a festival that celebrates filmmakers and storytelling while still feeling intimate, welcoming and deeply connected to its community.”
The festival’s opening night will feature a special presentation of the Georgia-made short film “The Accountant,” written and directed by Ray McKinnon, and starring McKinnon and Walton Goggins. McKinnon is set to participate in a Q&A following the film.
