Real to Reel Film Festival

07/17/2026

Our next trailer for Real to Reel is for the narrative short, CHECK PLEASE. Come watch it next Friday at the Joy Performance Center!

CHECK PLEASE
Directed by Shane Chung
Two headstrong Koreans can’t agree on who’s treating who to dinner, causing their casual restaurant outing to spiral into a martial arts deathmatch.

07/16/2026

We have some slight changes to our schedule. Here's the full schedule for the Real to Reel International Film Festival! We're almost a week away from the first night of screenings! Join us July 24th-25th at the Joy Performance Center in Kings Mountain, NC, and check out the list of films and programming here!

Buy tickets online at: https://ccartscouncil.org/products/real-to-reel-tickets

07/13/2026

Our next trailer for Real to Reel Film Festival is Tree of Fire!

Tree of Fire is a heartfelt story of loss, survival, and spiritual connection. After a devastating fire, a once-thriving oak – blessed by Avatar Meher Baba – rises from the ashes to offer love and solace. Baba’s Tree survival becomes a living symbol of resilience and Divine love. Through personal testimonies and breathtaking imagery, the film invites viewers to rediscover their own capacity for healing, transformation, and spiritual awakening.

Tree of Fire marks Margaret Magnus’ debut as a feature documentary director. With a professional background in journalism and magazine publishing, she brings a strong foundation in non-fiction storytelling to her filmmaking. As Communications Director and an on-site volunteer at Meher Mount
during the time of the 2017 Thomas Fire, Magnus was an eyewitness to the dramatic events that unfolded. She played a key role in documenting the tree’s journey – gathering stories, images, and reflections in real time. Her deep connection to the place and the people shaped this intimate and heartfelt film.

Ben Hoffman is a very curious person. He’s also a filmmaker,
photographer, and visual storyteller with a passion for bold, meaningful imagery. From Olympians and A-list icons to gritty urban scenes and wild landscapes, his work spans countless subjects. As a director of photography, Hoffman has led visual work on feature films, documentaries, and narrative shorts. He’s produced and edited hundreds of music videos, commercials, branded campaigns, and educational content. He is the CEO of Square Productions.
Originally from Los Angeles, he now splits time between Southern
California and Kolomyia, Ukraine, a country he’s deeply connected to. He donates his time to Animal Rescue Kharkiv and uses his platform to raise awareness about the war. A longtime naturalist, guitarist, and writer, Hoffman lives by a simple motto: know your craft, stay curious.

Visit https://www.mehermount.org/tree-of-fire-trailer for more information!

07/08/2026

UNSPOKEN
The documentary depicts Mateusz, a young man with a stutter whose dream is to become a Polish champion in acrobatics. We get to see his journey through the film as he faces obstacles with determination and overcomes his fears and the expectation of those around him.

Director Biography - Maciej Adamek
Director and scriptwriter. Recognized documentary director. Graduated from the Polish philology at University in Gdańsk and directing at the Łódź Film School. His films were screened at a few hundred film festivals where they received about 90 awards (at San Francisco FF, Palm Springs FF, AFI Doc in Washington, Shanghai FF , Munich, Toronto, Moscow ,Montreal FF etc.).

This is one of the many films that can be watched at the Real to Reel International Film Festival, taking place July 24th-25th at The Joy Performance Center in Kings Mountain, NC. Be sure to check it out!

07/07/2026

Here's the full schedule for the Real to Reel International Film Festival! We're less than three weeks away from the first night of screenings! Join us July 24th-25th at the Joy Performance Center in Kings Mountain, NC, and check out the list of films and programming here!

Buy tickets online at: https://ccartscouncil.org/products/real-to-reel-tickets

01/14/2026

Our friends from the North Carolina Thespians are presenting the NC Filmworks Festival on Saturday, January 24 at 12:30pm at Triangle Cinemas in Raleigh! Visit https://www.ncthespians.org/ncfilmworks.html to learn more

12/31/2025

The regular deadline to submit your film to the Real to Reel Film Festival is Feb. 2. The Real to Reel Film Festival is scheduled to take place July 22-25 in Kings Mountain, NC.

🎬 More Info: https://bit.ly/49hXwWu

12/08/2025

This is a wonderful piece on Real to Reel alumnus and award-winner Michael Flores! His film "Dogs on the Sendero" was our Best Narrative Feature in 2024, and you can watch it now on video-on-demand. It was a privilege to host Michael at Real to Reel and we're always on the lookout for what he's doing next!

That’s the true secret to success. Surround yourself with people you trust and love, and who also have the same passion as you do to work…

12/01/2025

Congrats to Real to Reel Film Festival alumni and North Carolina products Matt and Ross Duffer on their latest "Stranger Things" installment, now streaming on Netflix! Yes, you read that right -- The Duffer Brothers' short film "Mad Cell" was an award-winner at the 2001 Real to Reel International Film Festival! We're proud to support independent filmmakers in their artistic journeys and thank the Duffer Brothers for playing a part in Real to Reel's rich history.

11/21/2025

Here's an opportunity to watch a 2025 Real to Reel award-winner!

Discover the story behind O. Max and Fay Webb Gardner and how their impact continues to shape Gardner-Webb University and the state of North Carolina. “Shaping the Old North State,” a documentary created by GWU students and winner of the Founder’s Choice Award at the Real to Reel International Film Festival, will air locally on Spectrum Cable C19 TV from Nov. 23 to Nov. 29.

The film highlights the Gardners influence on politics, education, and their lasting devotion to their hometown and to Gardner-Webb.

Read the full article to learn more about their legacy and the student-produced documentary that brings it to life. https://gardner-webb.edu/news/students-documentary-to-air-on-c19-tv/