RiverBend Films: Feature Films

Sarah Elizabeth Edwards and Mauri Epstein star in RiverBend Films' critically-acclaimed flagship film. A bildungsroman and romantic comedy from writer Rachel Bernstein and producers Rachel Bernstein, Michael Benonis, and Kyle Ringgenberg, The Receipt chronicles the senior year experiences of two college girls and best-friends, Evie Rosen and Norah Stein, and how their lives and friendships with each other are about to change forever. Shot in beautiful 1080p high definition, featuring an hour of beautiful original music, accompanied by a Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound mix, and seen by thousands of people nationwide, The Receipt is the crowning achievement of RiverBend Films. At the time of its release, it was also the most ambitious and expensive student film ever attempted at the University of Virginia.

What are the odds? And thus beings The Quantum Suicide of Sophie Miller, the fifth feature film from RiverBend Films. Based on the award-winning stage play of the same name written by Matthew Marcus, The Quantum Suicide of Sophie Miller is a science-fiction drama that explores the philosophical implications of quantum physics' infinitely alluring Many Worlds Hypothesis. The film stars award-winning actress Alexia Poe in its title role and co-stars Aimee Snow, Anthony Carchietta, Carl Nubile, Larry Keeling, and T. Kurt Knoerl. Shot over a period of two years, spectacularly photographed in cinemascope widescreen 1080-24p, featuring photorealistic digital animation, and a completely original musical score from award-winning composer Kyle Ringgenberg, The Quantum Suicide of Sophie Miller is far and away the most ambitious and sophisticated film ever produced by RiverBend Films.

From the critically acclaimed creators of The Receipt comes 2009's stunning psychological thriller and action drama The Artist, written by and starring The Receipt's Matthew Marcus, produced by Ashley Kinney, and co-starring Casey Stein, Andrew Todhunter, Russ Hicks, Glenn Aubrey, and Arrietta van der Voort in spectacular screen performances. The Artist is the story of comic-book sketch artist Alex, who is drawn-into a web of secrets and violence as a result of his relationship with classmate Rebecca, the experience causing him to become delusional and invent a fantasy wherein he is the real-life hero from his comic-book story. A modern-day retelling of Don Quixote, the film features over one hour of stunning original score, was released in 1080p true cinemascope widescreen, mixed in full-Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound, and includes a two-minute sequence of photo-realistic digital visual effects.

The creators of Life's a Smoose present Below the Beltway, a satire of life in the northern Virginia suburbs focused on six well-to-do high school and college students applying for the same minimum-wage job at a local cafe, each for their own bizarre and selfish reasons. Their conflicts with one another serve as a microcosm for much broader hypocrisy, contradictory lifestyles, and runaway greed in suburban America. Shot almost entirely on-location in Vienna, Virginia, and the surrounding suburbs, featuring a variety of visual and cinematic styles, and presented in a radically non-linear fashion, Below the Beltway is perhaps RiverBend Films' most unique and avant-garde film.

Samantha Clarkson, Ryan McElveen, Paul Shoemaker, Jessica Begans, Thomas Nash, and Maleika Cole star in the offbeat comedy and unorthodox comedy Life's a Smoose from writer-producer Ryan McElveen. The film tells the story about a group of liberals with odd and eccentric personalities and unusual causes, who band around the estranged and antisocial Leighton in hopes to have their views advocated by a Congressman. Inspired in part by Napoleon Dynamite, the ultra-low budget 2005 student film was also RiverBend Films' first feature-length narrative film.