Rome International Film Festival brings independent cinema, Southern storytelling to downtown

Independent films, Hollywood storytellers and the music of Dolly Parton will take center stage in downtown Rome this November as a Northwest Georgia film festival celebrates its 23rd year. The Rome International Film Festival will return Nov. 5-8, bringing filmmakers, actors, students and moviegoers to historic theaters and pop-up venues for four days of screenings, filmmaker conversations, networking events and live entertainment. Actor and filmmaker Danny McBride, will receive the Flannery O’Connor Award for Storytelling. The festival will feature an opening-night screening of an Academy Award-winning Georgia-made short film and a closing-night tribute to Parton. But organizers say the festival is about more than recognizable names. It also aims to give independent filmmakers, including emerging artists and students, a place to share their work and connect with audiences and industry professionals. “We focus on our filmmakers a whole lot, so we like to create that home