Last weekend, The Riverbend Film Festival made its return to the historic Goshen Theater. This marked the 22nd year that the festival took place. Additionally, this was the second year that Goshen College student projects were shown, with an evening dedicated to eight short films created by students from GC and the surrounding area.
The Riverbend Film Festival is unique to Goshen,but its reach is much broader, gathering directors, producers and enthusiasts from around the country. David Kendall, director of career networks and member of the festival board, recognized what a “rare thing” it is to have such a big attraction in a small town. Kendall said, “filmmakers love coming to this festival. It’s not as big as some other[s], but it’s growing.”
In a vibrant area like Goshen, this event integrates the gifts of community members as well as visiting artists. There was a poster making competition for the Festival’s graphic and the awards presented each evening were made by local potter Nora Ruth Amstutz ’19. The weekend also included a “coffee talk” artist panel held at Goshen Brewing Company.
Although this was only the second year to feature GC filmmakers, the college has been highly involved in the festival for many years, with both Kyle Hufford, associate professor of communications and manager of FiveCore Media, and Kendall as members on the board. FiveCore Media has been involved for several years — filming during the festival to create the promotional video for each upcoming year.
To further emphasize the festival’s ability to create community, the overall theme for this year was Threads of Connection. This theme was seen through many of the pieces, including the featured film, “Cora Dale: A Rediscovered Harmony,” a documentary by GC film production majors Silas Immanuel and Isabel Massud.
The film began as a Maple Scholars project in 2024 and tells the local story of Cora Dale, namesake of the Cora Dale House in Goshen, which is part of the Clubhouse International organization. Branches of this organization are known as “Clubhouses,” and serve as places of belonging and support for people with mental illness.
Cora Dale was a talented musician, composer and socialite who grew up in Goshen in the early 1900’s in her family home, which would eventually become the Cora Dale House. After her mother died, Dale experienced extreme mental health issues and was misunderstood by her family, who sent her away without her consent to a mental health institution, where she spent the rest of her life.
Isabel Massud, co-director, reflected on the importance of revitalizing this story: “We wanted to do a documentary about mental health in general because it’s very important to [both of us]. We were trying to find a local angle and bring it to the community. How can we do better so people don’t have to suffer how she suffered?”
Film is often a gateway for social commentary, which was prevalent in some of the other pieces as well. Matija Margetic, a senior film production major, had a short piece in the Festival titled “Garden of Eden.” Margetic referenced global warming as an inspiration for the film, which used contrasting color to depict a dystopian world.
Margetic said of the event, “It’s a festival that attracts a lot of good people. It means a lot to us, that [audiences] get to sit in the crowd and watch our movies — that means everything to us.” Going forward, The Riverbend Film Festival can impact creators and viewers alike, and will continue to enhance the lively community of Goshen through story telling.
