In one week, on November 4, the 3 Rivers Film Festival will kick off its annual event. Over the course of eleven days, 28 feature films and 120+ short films from around the world will screen at various theaters in the Pittsburgh area. Check out some Beyond the Cinerama Dome picks from the festival, and I’ll see you at the movies!
Sinner Supper Club
Courtesy of Film Pittsburgh
It’s always exciting to see a filmmaker ready and willing to mess around with the expectations of moviemaking. Lots of people think that in order to be a successful film, they have to have expensive, out-of-reach technology. Sinner Supper Club proves that’s not the case. The film had its world premiere at the 2026 SXSW Film & TV Festival and, unlike most films you’ll see in a theater, this one was shot with technology we all carry around in our pockets every day.
Shot on an iPhone over the course of six days, Sinner Supper Club is a ghost story by way of the mumblecore genre that was the heart of the independent film scene in the early 2000s. A group of friends has come together to bid farewell to Genevieve, who has been priced out of being able to afford to live in New York City. A heatwave traps the friends together and secrets begin to come to light.
If I Go Will They Miss Me
Courtesy of Film Pittsburgh
Move over, Christopher Nolan. Walter Thompson-Hernández’s If I Go Will They Miss Me is 2026’s best adaptation of The Odyssey. The film premiered earlier this year at Sundance, then played at SXSW and the Toronto International Film Festival. While not on the epic scale of Nolan’s version, If I Go Will They Miss Me innately understands the emotional arc of the ancient poem.
Lil Ant idolizes his father, Big Ant, who has spent much of Lil Ant’s life behind bars. When Big Ant is finally at home for an extended period of time, Lil Ant sees it as his chance to deeply connect with his father. Unfortunately, all of his attempts are rebutted by Big Ant. Weaving mythology, generational trauma, and community together, If I Go Will They Miss Me is a masterpiece of the human condition.
Clarissa
Courtesy of NEON
In high school, one of my favorite assigned readings was Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway. The book is a stream-of-consciousness story about a well-to-do woman as she goes about her day planning for a party. It’s one of those stories where someone could complain that nothing happens, but life is unfolding before their eyes, whether they realize it or not. It’s a profoundly special magic trick to make the mundane feel as grand as it is.
Co-directors Chuko and Arie Esiri’s Clarissa is a Nigerian-set retelling of Woolf’s classic novel. Clarissa is a well-off woman preparing to host a party that night at her home in Lagos. While at the party, Clarissa’s past will come hurtling into her present with the arrival of people she hasn’t seen in decades. It’s the kind of premise that’s instantly engrossing. How do these people know each other? What has been said between them? What hasn’t been said? Does any of that matter any more?
Don’t overlook the short film program! After the feature films wrap up, the Three Rivers Film Festival shifts into a short-film-focused program.
Achiever
Courtesy of Madhouse
Madhouse is quickly becoming an exciting production house to keep an eye on. They had a hand in the feature films Forbidden Fruits, Barbara Forever, and Manhood, all of which played to sold-out festival crowds. Madhouse, co-founded by Katherine Romans and Charlie Traisman, also has its finger on the pulse of short films.
Sometimes the co-founding duo takes a more hands-on approach, like that in Achiever. Directed by Traisman and starring Romans, Achiever was written by Claire McFadden. It’s about a young woman, Alexa, who finds herself unable to orgasm after starting a new antidepressant. As an overachiever, Alexa jumps into problem-solving mode, going down a myriad of pathways to orgasm again.
Balloon Animals
Courtesy of KONCEPT 92
A few years ago, Anna Baumgarten made the fantastic film Disfluency. It followed a young woman who flunked out of her final year of college and found herself overwhelmed for a variety of reasons. Namely, something happened at school that she hasn’t yet been able to vocalize.
Now, Baumgarten returns to the festival circuit with the short film Balloon Animals. Two grocery store employees who are working the late shift are enjoying themselves, goofing off in the near-empty store. The vibe of the night changes, though, when a late-night customer appears.
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