For the first time two films will open the festival in Winston-Salem in North Carolina. At Any Price will close the 15th annual event, set to run from Apr 12-21.

Film-maker and University Of North Carolina School Of The Arts alumnus Jeff Nichols will receive RiverRun’s 2013 Emerging Master Award following a screening of Mud on Apr 21.

Programming includes a Spotlight On Ingmar Bergman featuring a four-film retrospective, while additional sidebars bring From The Archives and Altered States: New Directions In American Cinema.

The film roster includes Narrative Competition entries like Bastian Günther’s Houston and Carlos Reygadas’ Post Tenebras Lux, as well as Documentary Competition films Google And The World Brain from Ben Lewis and Morgan Neville’s Twenty Feet From Stardom.

There are special screenings of Ariel Vromen’s The Iceman alongside Mud and the opening and closing films, plus David Gordon Green’s Prince Avalanche.

“Since its inception, RiverRun has grown into a well-regarded regional film festival with a reputation for showcasing great films and providing amazing hospitality,” said RiverRun executive director Andrew Rodgers.

“This year, we’ve once again curated a strong line-up of films from around the world representing the very best emerging talents and established veterans of the film-making community. As we prepare to kick off the 15th anniversary RiverRun, we once again look forward to sharing the big screen experiences with our audiences.”

All in all the festival will screen 143 films from 35 countries, of which 66 are features. The festival is supported by The Arts Council Of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County.

For details of the full programme visit the official website.