Iron Pearls Returns to Tryon Theatre for Encore Screening with Elizabeth Brim and E. Vincent Martinez
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Some films demand a second look. Iron Pearls, filmmaker E. Vincent Martinez’s documentary portrait of internationally renowned blacksmith and artist Elizabeth Brim, is returning to the big screen in Tryon for a special encore presentation on Saturday, September 26 at 2:30 PM at the historic Tryon Theatre.
The return comes almost one year after Iron Pearls made its Tryon debut as the closing film of the Tryon International Film Festival (TRIFF), where it played to a sold-out house. With the 12th annual Tryon International Film Festival set for October 8–12, the encore screening offers audiences another opportunity to experience the documentary on the big screen before this year’s festival gets underway. (TICKETS)
And there is a reason the film is coming back.
Following its festival premiere, audiences continued asking for another screening. Some viewers want to see Iron Pearls again; others missed the sold-out premiere altogether. For now, this September 26 presentation is expected to be a rare local opportunity to see the film in a theater, with no additional Tryon screening currently planned in the near future.
Elizabeth Brim Returns to the Tryon Theatre
Brim will be in attendance for the screening, giving audiences the opportunity to see the artist at the center of Iron Pearls and hear directly from her about her extraordinary career.
A groundbreaking figure in contemporary blacksmithing, Brim has spent decades challenging expectations about what forged steel can be—and what a blacksmith can be. Her signature works transform traditionally feminine forms including dresses, hats, pillows, flowers and even high-heeled shoes into expressive steel sculptures.
The result is work that is simultaneously tough and delicate, humorous and provocative, traditional and completely unexpected.
That contradiction is at the heart of Iron Pearls.
Martinez’s documentary explores Brim’s artistic evolution, her irreverent sense of humor, her influence on contemporary craft and her place within a field historically dominated by men. It also captures the personal connection between two artists whose paths first crossed decades ago at Penland School of Craft in Western North Carolina.
Live Q&A with Elizabeth Brim and E. Vincent Martinez
Following the screening, TRIFF board member John Oliver will moderate a live conversation with Elizabeth Brim and E. Vincent Martinez.
The Q&A will explore the making of Iron Pearls, Brim’s groundbreaking career and the creative relationship between subject and filmmaker. For audiences interested in documentary filmmaking, contemporary craft, blacksmithing or the creative history of Western North Carolina, the conversation offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at the film and the artist who inspired it.
From Tryon to the Film Festival Circuit
Since its Tryon premiere, Iron Pearls has continued to build momentum on the film festival circuit.
The documentary was selected for Filmland, the annual film festival presented by the Arkansas Cinema Society, further expanding the film's reach beyond Western North Carolina and connecting Brim’s story to audiences in Little Rock and beyond.
The film has also received attention from MovieMaker Magazine, which described Iron Pearls as “a fascinating, hypnotic watch” and “a kind of declaration of intent,” noting that Brim and Martinez “refuse to be pigeonholed.”
That refusal to fit neatly into a category is precisely what makes Iron Pearls compelling.
This is not simply a film about blacksmithing. It is a portrait of an artist who has spent a career bending the rules of her medium—and a filmmaker whose own creative journey is deeply connected to the subject he documents.
An Encore with a Little Afterparty
The September 26 event is co-presented by the Tryon International Film Festival and Mirrorball Gallery + Lounge, with an official afterparty immediately following the screening and Q&A at Mirrorball Gallery + Lounge in downtown Tryon.
The afterparty will give guests an opportunity to continue the conversation, meet Elizabeth Brim and connect with Martinez in a more intimate setting following the screening. Several selected iron works from Elizabeth will be on exhibit.
With TRIFF’s 12th annual festival arriving October 8–12, the Iron Pearls encore provides a fitting return to the place where the film first made its mark with a packed house at the historic Tryon Theatre.
EVENT DETAILS
What: Iron Pearls Encore Screening + Live Q&A
When: Saturday, September 26, 2026 at 2:30 PM
Where: Historic Tryon Theatre, Tryon, North Carolina
Featuring: Elizabeth Brim and filmmaker E. Vincent Martinez
Q&A Moderator: John Oliver, TRIFF Board Member
Afterparty: Mirrorball Gallery + Lounge
Presented by: Tryon International Film Festival + Mirrorball Gallery + Lounge
12th Annual Tryon International Film Festival: October 8–12, 2026
For screening information and additional details about Iron Pearls, visit evmfilms.com.
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