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Building community in the Upper Valley of NH and VT through the media arts.
Weekly Highlights // February 5, 2025
| WRIF is now a program of JAM – Junction Arts & Media | |
One week till WRIF! Feb 13-16
| Come in from the cold for bold new global indie films, thought-provoking documentaries, exciting new works by local filmmakers and Emerging Filmmaker winners, immersive media exhibits, Q&A's with filmmakers, workshops, comedy and parties (of course) at WRIF 2025, returning to the Upper Valley for our 20th year February 13 - 16. Hosted by JAM at the Briggs Opera House in downtown White River Junction, VT and co-presented by the Leslie Center at Dartmouth and Bio X Cell, this year’s festival promises to ignite hearts and minds as intertwined forces for change and connection. Find the full line-up and ticket info below, and don't miss Feb. 8 pre-festival special screening with Hop Film and Feb. 12 WRIF Comedy Benefit Show at the Briggs ! | | |
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Filmmaker talks
WRIF Rewind & Playback
As we celebrate WRIF's 20th festival bringing important, daring, and timely new global and local cinema to the Upper Valley, look back at past years' filmmaker talk-backs and panels where history was made on our WRIF YouTube Playlist, including WRIF's maverick "secret screening" of "The People's Joker" in 2023 with Vera Drew.
A film not to miss this year: No Other Land, Best Documentary at Berlinale and Academy Award nominee, with panel discussion to follow moderated by Asst. Prof. of History at Dartmouth College, Aseel Najib. Although NPR critic Justin Chang calls this film "the most powerful nonfiction film I saw in 2024," it has been unable to secure a distributor. Yet you can see it at WRIF Saturday 2/15 at 2pm!
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Civic Engagement@JAM
Federal funding freeze impacts
This week's civic highlight: US Senator of VT Peter Welch held a timely virtual meeting on Jan. 31 for Vermonters and service providers impacted by the illegal federal funding freeze imposed by President Trump's administration and the confusion it has engendered. Tune into this and your town's government and school board meetings live or pre-recorded @ UVJAM.ORG/WATCH
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Local & global history
The Family Historian
After her father’s death, Dena Rueb Romero discovered a box of letters at her parents’ home dating to 1938, illuminating her parents' lives surviving Nazi Germany and settling in Hanover. Her research led to her powerful debut memoir All For You. Richard Neugass's father, Herman Neugass, the ‘Human Bullet’—an American Jewish sprinter famously chose to boycott the 1936 Olympic trials in protest against Nazi antisemitism. They shared their work keeping their families' archives alive with a JAM live audience on 1/16. Produced by Cedar O'Dowd for JAM.
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Local "marathon"
Going the distance
They strapped on their lil' sneakers, grabbed a refreshing hot dog, and hit the course for White River Junction's own fiercely competitive 1/26th Marathon. It's just like any of the big city marathons you hear about, just 1/26th the length. Your favorite racers battled adversity for one whole mile! Live sports coverage provide by JAM Senior Producer Chico Eastridge and lots of other people, who were undoubtedly paid, and did we mention our sponsor McNamara Chocolate Milk, the beverage of champions?
Produced on 1.26.25 (quite obviously)
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@ The Hop at Dartmouth College, JAM & Briggs Opera House
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Pre-festival screening
Feb 8 2PM @HOP Film
The year is 1960, the Voice of America Jazz Hour broadcasts the likes of Louis Armstrong and Dizzy Gillespie behind the Iron Curtain, while a wave of decolonization movements tear through the African continent and the struggle for civil rights marches on stateside. An engrossing essay-film that examines how jazz and geopolitics collide in a nefarious chapter of Cold War history: the murder of Patrice Lumumba. Soundtrack to a Coup d'État was an official selection at Sundance and MoMA Doc Fortnight.
Co-presented by HOP Film at Dartmouth College with WRIF. WRIF Passholders will receive promo code for free tickets.
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Pre-festival Comedy Benefit Show
Wednesday Feb 12 7:30PM @BOH
Ticketed event for 18+
LAUGH for WRIF and JAM! Kick off WRIF 2025 with laughs as headliner Paul Ollinger (NYC Comedy Festival) joins Ian Levy, Rufat Agayev, and Shaunak Godkhindi for a night of comedy supporting WRIF and JAM's community programs. Tickets $25 or $15 with your WRIF pass! Friends and lovers get 2 tickets for $40!
Sponsored by Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College.
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MAIN FESTIVAL
Thursday - Sunday
Feb 13 - 16 @JAM & BOH
Browse the full schedule of this year's festival feature film offerings, as well as Valentine's Day Party with Route 5 Jive, Yoga wellness break from Upper Valley Yoga, PitchFest, shorts by WRIF Emerging Filmmaker Winners, media arts exhibits, a Norwich Bookstore pop-up in the Briggs, and more! Discounts available with all-access passes.
Presented by Leslie Center for the Humanities at Dartmouth College and BioXCell.
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Filmmaker Workshops
Friday, Feb 14 @JAM
Workshops run 9AM-4:15PM
Join film and media professionals for a series of hands-on master class-style workshops in Cinema Lighting & Color, Film Scoring & Sound Design, Production Management, and Cartooning & Storyboarding for Pre-visualization, with a brown bag lunch panel of VT & NH filmmakers sharing creative solutions to getting their ideas to the screen. Join one workshop or get a pass for the day!
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How does my gift help JAM?
When you make a gift to JAM – Junction Arts & Media, your donation enables JAM to empower all Upper Valley residents to have a creative voice, actively participate in local democracy, and find joy and belonging in the Upper Valley community. JAM is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Your gift may be tax-deductible.
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