The Friendliest Town in The South

Tryon rolls out the red carpet each year for the folks who attend the Tryon International Film Festival. Great restaurants, quaint bed-and-breakfast inns, and people enjoying the picturesque Blue Ridge Mountains. Those who come often come back—and stay!

In addition to showcasing an extensive collection of promising world-class cinema, Tryon International Film Festival will host its first-ever film-industry trade show scheduled for Friday-Sunday, Oct. 8-10, 2021, in the pastoral North Carolina mountains.

“This is going to be something new not only for Tryon International Film Festival, but for the entire business of movie making,” Festival Co-Founder Beau Menetre said. “This is something we’ve been wanting to do for several years. I’ve just felt and seen there was a need for cinema insiders to have an event where they could network and find new business opportunities. We hope to attract tech people and businesses, such as sound and lighting professionals; creative professionals, such as actors, screenwriters, and producers; distributing companies; and even other film festivals. Film festivals are where all these people come together to see finished products. We want to give these people the opportunity to get together on the ground floor of new ideas and enterprises.”

2021 marks the seventh straight year that Tryon -- known as the “Friendliest Town in the South” -- has hosted a film festival that draws patrons and filmmakers from around the world for three days in October, when the Blue Ridge Mountains are the most colorful for fall. Normally, the Festival attracts hundreds of people to the quaint mountain town that is renowned for its subtle sophistication, creative spirit, and welcoming attitude. However, 2020 forced the Festival to go virtual because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“In some ways, this pandemic has made us think outside of the box,” Menetre said. “It required us -- and most other film festivals around the world -- to step up our technology to offer the films virtually. It was a challenge, but we did it and ended up having the most viewings in the history of the Festival. At this time, we are planning to have a face-to-face Festival and in addition continue to offer online film viewings. You can come to enjoy the small town life, great food, scenery, and southern hospitality, and see the films in person at our venues. You can also register to see any of the films at your leisure virtually. It will be the best of both worlds.”

Being optimistic, the Festival has formally announced that it will happen in 2021, as a live event, virtual event, or combination of the two. “One way or the other, the seventh annual Tryon International Film Festival will happen this fall,” Menetre said. The final decision as the exact format will be announced by the last day of July 2021.

Businesses, film school, and other film festivals that would like to be represented at the Tryon festival’s trade show can book their space now online with a $100 refundable deposit. The total cost to have a 10 x 10-foot canopy with a six-foot table is $300. There will be two exhibition time slots: Saturday, Oct. 9, 1-8 p.m., which includes a vendors’ reception, and Sunday, Oct. 10, noon to 5 p.m. The vendors’ canopies will be set up outdoors near “The Depot,” a small entertainment and meeting building. In the event of rain, indoor accommodations will be provided.

If, by the last day of July, the Festival’s management decides to host only a virtual festival, all deposits will be returned. Any film showing at the Festival will be given a 25% discount on being a vendor.

“This first year, we are hoping to attract between 25 and 50 vendors,” Menetre said.

"This is an especially good opportunity for other film festivals and for filmmakers who are trying to raise awareness of their latest works," TRIFF Co-Founder Kirk Gollwitzer said. "So many times in the past we've seen people make wonderful connections at our festival. Networking is extremely important when you are trying to find the right people for a project. And what better way to spread the word about a film festival than to promote it at another film festival? Film festival lovers want to know more about festivals they've never been to. Sometimes, it is all about networking and meeting the right people."

For more information about Tryon International Film Festival or to register for the trade show, please visit online: TryonInternationalFilmFestival.com.

To Register…

Click on the form below and you will link to the TRIFF Expo 2021 webpage where you complete the form, print it, and mail it.

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Steve Wong
TRYON INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
285 N. TRADE ST.
TRYON, North Carolina 28782

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