Good Day, Good Evening, and Good Morning, Citizens of 20XX,
We are here again on what is *not* the preferred day of the week to talk about happenings within the city of Charlotte, along with other indie-centric treats we think are worth exploring. In particular, as previewed in our last newsletter, the annual Charlotte Film Festival is already in effect over at the Independent Picture House!
From Tuesday, September 22nd, to Sunday, September 27th, Charlotte’s biggest independent theatre will be screening films from around the world, as well as a few from our city, for this year’s showcase. Whether it be shorts or full-length features, animation or documentary, domestic or foreign, there is something for everyone at CFF in East Charlotte.
For this edition of the weekly newsletter, we’ll switch up the the majority of the focus in order to give a spotlight onto some of the films that caught our eye on the schedule, as well as throw in a few shorts by Charlotte creators you should check out.
This Week’s Charlotte Event Highlight
Curating bills for many of our local shows is both hard-fought & daunting work, just ask anyone who has ever done the coordinating in order to line up a set of artists for a night. Do it long enough though, and you might be able to pull in some of your favorite acts for an evening to be dreamed of.
DJ Spider is getting to have one of those occasions, bringing in both Glass Chapel (Jacksonville, FL) and Redder Moon (Kansas City MO) to play at The Milestone Club this coming Saturday. The event will also mark the debut appearance for each band in the Queen City, making the night that much more special.
In Addition, IIOIOIOII‘s Chris Gurney is set to play alongside My Blue Hope‘s Aaron Lawrence, collaborating on a One-Night-Only Placebo song cover to be revealed during IO’s set. It isn’t unheard of for many of Charlotte’s artists to come together for various projects, so when Lawrence heard Gurney’s proposal for the team-up, given half a decade’s history of each band supporting the other, the outcome was assured. When asked what led to Gurney approaching the My Blue Hope frontman, he told RF20XX, “I really like his work, and think he has a really good voice.”
Event: Glass Chapel w/ Redder Moon, DJ Spider & IIOIOIOII
Date: September 26th, 2026
Venue: The Milestone Club – 3400 Tuckaseegee Rd, Charlotte, NC 28208
Time: Doors ~ 7pm | Start ~ 8pm
Entry Fee: $12 in Advance | $15 Day of Show
Charlotte Film Festival 2026 ~ RF20XX’s Picks
1.) TheyDream – 2026 – 1h 31m – English – Documentary/Mixed Media
“TheyDream is a deeply personal autobiographical documentary that traces how art can become
a lifeline in the wake of loss. Drawing on two decades of mixed-media filmmaking, Caballero
revisits his family’s history in Fayetteville, North Carolina – interweaving new 2D and 3D
animations with live-action vérité, archival materials, and raw, deeply human conversations with
his mother.”
Date Of Showing: Saturday, September 26th
Time Slot: 7:05 PM
2.) Dog Of God – 2025 – 1h 32m – Subtitled – Animation / Horror / Mystery
“In the 17th century Livonian village of Zaube, there’s something in the air, something potentially sinister and ripe with nightmarish ramifications. Several of the village’s residents can feel it: from the burly pastor’s scared, young errand boy to the local tavern’s maid. The danger manifests itself loud and clear when the pastor accuses the maid of witchcraft, leading to a trial during which an elder man proclaims himself to be a werewolf — not the traditional Lon Chaney, Jr. kind of werewolf but, rather, one rooted in Latvian folklore and hewing closer to a mad shaman. How all this tension comes to a head will change the village and its surviving inhabitants forever.”
Date Of Showing: Thursday, September 24th
Time Slot: 9:30 PM
3.) Boonerang: Returning to the High Country – 2026 – 1h 01m – English – Documentary
“Boonerang: Returning to the High Country is a one hour long documentary film chronicling the planning and execution of the 2025 Boonerang Music & Arts Festival in Boone, NC. After Boone and the surrounding areas suffered the devastation of Hurricane Helene in September of 2024, many locals are yearning for the community to come together again. This time supporting each other through positive celebration of art, music, and culture. The film features multiple different perspectives from the local leaders, artists, musicians, festival sponsors, festival goers, and organizers that make Boone shine.”
Date Of Showing: Saturday, September 26th
Time Slot: 4:50 PM
4.) This is George and Monty – 2026 – 1h 21m – English – Comedy
“This outrageous “mockumentary” follows the rise and fall of George and Monty, who manage to captivate audiences in all the wrong ways.
An unpredictable internet and commercial sensation, they possess no discernible talent or intelligence, and nothing about them makes any sense. Their disastrous workplace videos, advertising campaigns, dating sites, branding failures, and bizarre connections spiral into chaos as they recklessly wield the power of the camera.
Their story needed to be told – but nobody is sure why.”
Date Of Showing: Friday, September 25th
Time Slot: 7:15 PM
5.) Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty! – 2026 – 2h 02m – Subtitled – Comedy/Romance
“Haru and Luis love competing in Tokyo’s ballroom dance scene, but after tragedy strikes, Haru withdraws into isolation. When friends coax her back to the studio, she develops an infatuation with the new instructor. She must face what comes next as sparks fly.”
Date Of Showing: Sunday, September 27th
Time Slot: 4:15 PM
6.) The Blood Countess – 2026 – 1h 59m – Subtitled – Fantasy/Horror
“After ‘The Blood Countess’ awakens from her long beauty sleep and emerges from the underworld, she and her devoted maid embark on a baroque quest through Vienna to recover the red elixir of life. The book, if found and read by the vampire’s enemies, threatens their vampire realm… Hot on their heels are a vegetarian nephew, his psychotherapist, two vampirologists, a police inspector, and more lively characters in this twisted and humorous vampire tale.”
Date Of Showing: Friday, September 25th
Time Slot: 9:40 PM
While this week is jam-packed full of domestic and international films at the Independent Picture House, it’s always important to support local creators. The two short films below are examples of Charlotte-based teams putting in work to make their visions a reality. Guaranteed, you’ll be hearing more about the people behind each soon. ~
Pizza Force One – 2026 – 10m 40s – Action/Comedy
Director – Mathew Epp | Writers – Devin Walker & Kyle Potts
When the heat is on, and you need that extra punch of energy, who ya gonna call? At Pizza Force One, the staff has just what you need, hot & ready, at any time and in any situation. This is one such story of action, suspense, and cheesy gooeyness.
Where To See: ~ Touring Now, Coming Home Soon ~
Tears Of A Clown – 2026 – 14m 59s – Drama
Director / Writer – Ronald Heed
On the comedy circuit, a solid smile is the best protection a performer could have. What goes on behind it though? Percy Hardluck contends with a number of forces, external and from deep within, on a seemingly precarious night at a comedy open mic.
Where To See: Available Now!
As with the previous week’s installment, we’ll aim to get better with timing and content from here (possible update to come). As always, thank you for reading and checking out happenings in indie-space!
We’ll see you this week in the blogspace! Stay tuned for more, all in the year of 20XX. ~
With love, thanks, & sincerity,
– Jonny G.
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