newportFILM and the Jamestown Arts Center will host a special screening of “The Bend in the River” on Thursday, Feb. 5, featuring a post-film conversation with director Robb Moss.
The documentary chronicles five close friends over nearly 50 years. Beginning in 1978, Moss documents his friends’ outdoor, rent-free life during a rafting trip through the Grand Canyon. Now, in 2025, he finds them in their 70s reflecting on the choices they’ve made as individuals and as a generation.
Moss, a Harvard University professor and longtime mentor with newportFILM’s Cinematography Lab, has been workshopping the film for five years with fellow filmmakers each October at the Norman Bird Sanctuary.
“The world looks different at each stage of life, and things mean something different at certain points in your life,” Moss said. “What I hope is that ‘The Bend in the River’ speaks to audiences from wherever they are in this timeline — whether they’re looking forward in time or looking back over their lives.”
For nearly five decades, Moss’s films have premiered at Sundance and Telluride and been reviewed by The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times.
“newportFILM is proud to have been part of this film’s journey through Robb’s workshops each October at our Cinematography Lab, and we’re honored to now share it with our audience,” said Cathleen Carr, newportFILM’s executive director. “Honest and moving, this screening event will be a memorable evening for our community.”
The evening begins with a reception at 6 p.m. featuring wine, beer and cheese by Artisan Bites, followed by the screening at 7 p.m. Bill Bartholomew will moderate the post-film conversation.
The film contains nudity.
Tickets are $25 and available at newportfilm.com.
