The Carrboro Film Festival was started in 2006 by Carrboro Arts Committee members Jackie Helvey and Nic Beery, with support from Board of Aldermen and the Carrboro Recreation and Parks Department. Together with a group of dedicated volunteers, they pulled together the first festival in a matter of months.The idea behind the Carrboro Film Festival is to promote local area shorts films that are twenty minutes or less. The first year, the response was incredible, with nearly 100 entires. From those, a day filled with fabulous films was created, and that tradition has continued over the years. In 2011, as Carrboro celebrates its 100 birthday, the Festival continues to grow and thrive as we expanded, accepting submissions from across the entire state of of North Carolina. Our 2011 Carrboro Film Festival logo was created by local artist Phil Blank. Phil is a painter and also does illustrations for the Carrboro Citizen. Thanks to Richard Ellington for providing Carrboro photographs for our Carrboro Centennial recognition in 2011. 
Carrboro Film Festival Kay Kyser Awards, are individually crafted by Carrboro sculptor Mike Roig. The awards are made entirely from recycled materials, primarily from right here in Carrboro. Every year brings new awards, and each piece is a little different.As a bandleader in the '40s, Kay Kyser starred in seven feature films and led the Kollege of Musical Knowledge. Kyser attended UNC and raised his family in walking distance of where we sat when we presented his awards. His granddaughter, Amanda Bryan, was a member of the Carrboro Art Committee when we were brainstorming for a local film connection to dedicate the awards to, and told us about her grandfather. It clicked with the committee and the Kay Kyser Awards were born.     The 2010 Kay Kyser Awards All current photos and video by Jackie Helvey |