Since its modest beginnings in 1982, the Three Rivers Film Festival has grown from a small, homegrown showcase into Pittsburgh’s largest annual celebration of independent cinema.

The event premiered with 13 films at the now-defunct Arcade Theater in South Side and at Pittsburgh Film-Makers Inc., including four works by George Romero, drawing about 3,500 people. By 1990, the festival had expanded to 20 films, some screened at the Benedum Center, and by 2014 the number had tripled to more than 60.

Local nonprofit Film Pittsburgh took the reins from the Pittsburgh Center for Arts & Media (formed from the now defunct Pittsburgh Filmmakers) in 2020 after the COVID-19 pandemic hit. It held the festival virtually, expanding the programming to 30 features and 137 shorts.

This year, the 44th Thr

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