BEYOND: The Cary Film Festival will look different for film buffs this year.

The independent film and screenwriting festival typically takes place at the Cary Theater. This year, all screenings and filmmaking workshops can be accessed online for free through beyondthefilmfestival.com. For its third year, BEYOND received a record number of entries, and 30 short films were selected for festival competition. Each film will screen virtually over four days, Sept. 24-27.

“We’re excited to present Cary’s hometown film festival under very unique circumstances this year, as we’ll virtually screen 30 unique short films in three blocks over the weekend,” said Joy Ennis, festival director. “BEYOND is typically an opportunity to share our Southern hospitality with filmmakers and audiences who visit Cary. This year, we’ll bring everybody together online for a great time with our workshops and film screenings.”

The festival schedule also includes three free virtual workshops for filmmakers:

• Lighting for Documentary Interviews with instructor Warren Gentry;
• Music in Picture: A How-to on Film Scoring with instructor Evan Hodges;
• A Screenwriting Masterclass with instructors Joy Goodwin and Ron Thompson.

Goodwin is a former theater critic who has produced Golden Globe, Sundance and Spirit Award-winning films. Thompson has produced many feature films such as: “Rage in Harlem,” “Deep Cover,” “Hoodlum,” “Sister Act 2,” and the award-winning HBO Special “America’s Dream,” starring Danny Glover and Wesley Snipes.

Registration and information on how to access festival content is available online at beyondthefilmfestival.com. While there is no cost to participate, registration is required. Donations are requested to benefit the Food Bank of Central and Eastern N.C. to assist our community with COVID-19 relief.

Voting for films in competition will take place all weekend. Top films will screen Sunday, Sept. 27, in the “Best of BEYOND,” available online as well as broadcast on WRAL 5.2 (COZI) at 7 p.m.