‘Film is a catalyst for change’: Three Rivers Film Festival spotlights local and global cinema

As lights dimmed and curtains rose in several theaters scattered across Pittsburgh, the Three Rivers Film Festival wove together a tapestry of stories and cultures into a week-long celebration of cinema, starting on Wednesday, Nov. 8, and carrying on to next Wednesday, Nov. 15.

This year, the Three Rivers Film Festival includes in-person screenings of 22 films from around the world. The films are in a variety of languages including English, Haitian Creole, Italian, Albanian, Macedonian, Romani, French, Norwegian and Japanese. 

The festival is now in its 42nd year. In June 2020, Film Pittsburgh acquired the festival and has been ensuring the preservation of the festival’s legacy and prestige. Film Pittsburgh is a non-profit organization that spotlights independent films from all around the globe, as well as providing educational film programs for aspiring filmmakers. Gigi Butkewitsch, a junior English literature and business marketing major at Pitt and intern at Film Pittsburgh, said Film Pittsburgh provides a model for other film festivals. 

“Interning here this semester has been a dream come true. They truly care about indie filmmaking and are earnest in encouraging excitement about an art form that belongs to everyone,” Butkewitsch said. “I think every film festival should be paying attention to Film Pittsburgh’s lead.”

This year’s lineup contains many films from Pittsburgh filmmakers. Several of the films have stories centering on Pittsburgh or were shot in the city. However, the festival’s scope goes far beyond Pittsburgh –– this year’s festival includes more world premieres than any previous year. Kathryn Spitz Cohan, executive director of Film Pittsburgh, said that Film Pittsburgh is excited to debut these films on an international scale.

“We believe that it’s an honor that filmmakers trust us with their global debuts of their films,” Spitz Cohan said.

Many of the filmmakers didn’t think they’d be able to present their film internationally when they conceived it. Silje Holtet Robsahm, screenwriter of the Norwegian coming-of-age film “Dancing Queen,” which premiered for the first time at the festival, said Three Rivers brought her film to a global audience. 

“It’s very humbling. I thought I’d written a film for a Norwegian audience,” Holtet Robsahm said. “I never dreamt of the huge international interest that we have met. I’m grateful, touched … a little dizzy.” 

“Dancing Queen” follows a young girl, Mina, as she joins a dance competition to impress a popular young hip-hop dancer with the support of her enthusiastic grandmother. Holtet Robsahm said the inspiration for the film came from her stepdaughter.

“She was kind of struggling when she was 11, 12 years old. Both with body image issues, and also with friendships,” Holtet Robsahm said. “But when she danced, she was so happy. She just threw herself into it, and danced and danced. Especially at home, with all of her family as audience.”

Maya Sunal, a moviegoer who saw “Dancing Queen,” said the film was not only was not only relatable but also inspiring. 

“Even though I’m much older than Mina, I admire her courage,” Sunal said. “My younger self can relate to her insecurities and struggles, and my … current self can connect with her boldness and determination … overall [Dancing Queen] is a wonderful film.”

Three Rivers Film Festival features many more heartfelt movies like “Dancing Queen,” each of them profound and complex in their own way. Brittany Snow’s film “Parachute” about a young woman’s struggle with her mental health made worse by social media’s ever-present influence made its Pennsylvania debut at the film festival. In “Perfect Days,” Kôji Yakusho’s portrayal of Hirayama, a Tokyo toilet cleaner, brings a poetic reflection on life’s simple beauty and unexpected past revelations. A Latvian animated film, “My Love Affair with Marriage,” depicts Zelma, a young, spirited woman determined to conform to the pressures of the mythological Sirens in order to find love.

Holtet Robsahm said regardless of the language, cast or even plot, films are a medium to convey emotion, and audiences can learn about the world they live in. 

“People all over the world live in small communities, struggle in their teens, love their parents, fall in love and feel sorrow when a loved one dies,” Holtet Robsahm said. “People all over the world [are] very much alike. And so I think movies always have the potential to bridge cultural gaps.”

Spitz Cohan said ultimately, the goal of the Three Rivers Film Festival and Film Pittsburgh is to unite their global audience.

“We believe that film is a catalyst for change and bringing people together. We are more alike than we are different, and the festival aims to spread this message through film.”