Expanded international film festival returns to South Charleston

  • 2014-09-15
This year’s West Virginia International Film Festival, which started on September 12, has gone against the mantra of "if it isn't broken, don't fix it" by adding some tweaks to an already successful formula.

For one thing, it is now recognizing gastronomy in its title, with a name change to the West Virginia International Food and Film Festival. It is also in a new venue, at the LaBelle Theater in South Charleston.

The combined food and film festival is featuring movies from around the world, discounts at some of South Charleston’s international festival, and vendors serving food outside of the theater this Saturday

For the organizers of the festival, combining food and film was a logical choice. Emmett Pepper, the president of the festival, told the Charleston Gazette that:

"The food and film idea was something that just caught on with the board. The more we thought of it, the more we started thinking about synergy. On so many levels, food and film intersect."

The organizers of the festival can use poster printing to highlight the change in venue, too. The LaBelle Theater has recently undergone renovations and now features a new HD projector, as well as new seats, lighting, and carpets.

The festival runs until September 21. Tickets are $8 per film and a six-ticket package is $30.