Raleigh Film & Art Festival

A three-day independent film and art festival hosted at William Peace University, running Friday through Sunday.

Independent festivals of this size are where you see work that will not get a cinema run anywhere in this state, and the program is typically a mix of features, shorts blocks and filmmaker discussion rather than a single headline screening.

How ticketing usually works at a festival like this:

• Individual screening tickets for one block or feature
• Day passes covering everything on a given day
• Full festival passes, the best value if you intend to attend more than two days
• Some sessions sell out while others walk up freely

Prices vary by screening and pass type, so check the festival's own listing rather than assuming a flat rate.

Our read: shorts blocks are the thing to book if you are new to this. A shorts program gives you eight or ten pieces of work in ninety minutes, and if one does not land there is another along in twelve minutes. Feature-length independent film is a bigger commitment to make blind.

William Peace sits just north of downtown, which puts it within reach of the same parking and food you would use for anything else in downtown that weekend. It also runs against Raleigh Wide Open, so downtown will be busy.