Don’t Miss: RI International Film Festival, August 6

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

GoLocalProv Lifestyle Team

 

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Flickers' prestigious Rhode Island International Film Festival kicks off on Tuesday, August 6th.

On Aug. 6, 2013, Flickers will kick off its 17th annual Rhode Island International Film Festival (RIIFF) in Providence, RI. In addition to film screenings, this year's festival will feature the return of the RI Film Forum in collaboration with the RI Film & Television Office and the URI Harrington School of Communication and Media. The Forum will be a region-wide educational workshop geared toward bringing film production to the Ocean State. The Festival will also include award ceremonies, a film location walking tour with the RI Historical Society, masterclasses on directing and cinematography, a program on Transmedia and media literacy, filmmaker symposium, the annual ScriptBiz Screenwriting Workshop, nightly filmmaker networking events and related world premiere events.
 
More than 200 feature lengths, documentaries, and short films—from 65 countries, and 36 states across the U.S.—will be screened during the six-day Festival at locations throughout the state of Rhode Island. Films have been selected from a record entry base of more than 5,100 submissions.
 
RIIFF is a magnet for those who have made short films because it is a qualifying event for the short film category of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In 2012, three films that premiered at RIIFF went on to receive Academy Award nominations: “Asad,” directed by Bryan Buckley and produced by Mino Jarjoura (Hungry Man), “Buzkashi Boys,” directed by Sam French and produced by Ariel Nasr (Afghan Film Project), and “Henry,” directed by Yan England (Yan England).
 
Since its creation in 1981, Flickers has become a powerful and leading force promoting independent cinema. Founded as the Newport Film Society, Flickers’ mission is to discover the work of exceptional emerging talent while nurturing and enabling relationships among film directors, artists, producers, distributors, backers, and audiences. The Flickers: Rhode Island International Film Festival (RIIFF) is now the largest and only Oscar-qualifying festival in New England through its partnership with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. Out of more than 7,000 film festivals worldwide, only 75 share this distinction. RIIFF can boast 29 Academy Award nominations and six wins, making an entry into the Festival an important credential to achieve.
 
One of Flickers' major goals is to recognize artistry and innovation in filmmaking, which it achieves through the Film Festival, an event internationally recognized as an important, credentialed, industry-friendly launch pad. In 2012, the Festival welcomed 226 filmmakers and their guests and had 54 World, North American, and United States premieres selected out of 4,717 film submissions. That year, audiences surged to over 31,000 at all Flickers events. The record turnout led to the Bureau of International Information Programs at the U.S. Department of State to select RIIFF as one of the “Top 10 Festivals in the United States” the following year, as part of the department’s promotional efforts to spur international tourism.
 

Festival highlights

  • Showcase of Japanese, Francophonie and French films celebrating our Festival partnerships with ShortShorts Film Festival Asia (Japan), the Government of Québec, and Montreal’s Videozones and Unifrance. To be shown free during the summer at libraries across Rhode Island and special showcases during Festival week;
  • The RI Film Forum, scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 8, in collaboration with the RI Film & Television Office and the Harrington School of Communication and Media at URI;
  • New programming focus for the annual ScriptBiz™, a screenwriting workshop, with a spotlight on this year's Grand Prize Screenplay Competition winner, “Betrayed,” by Alfred Thomas Catalfo of New Hampshire. This year’s seminar directed by Professor William Torgenson from St. John’s University, New York, previous Grand Prize winner for “Love on the Big Screen”;
  • Expanded KidsEye™ International Film Festival programming with three mornings of kid-friendly screenings;
  • Special programming and panel discussion focused on veterans’ affairs and post-conflict recovery at The Vets in Providence;
  • Special guest speaker Heather Abbott, Boston Marathon bombing victim from RI;
  • Showcase of films and cultural activities from the Province of Québec and the newly created Flickers: Québec Film Festival celebrating the 20-year partnership with the Délègation du Québec, Boston and Tourism Québec;
  • Films from over 60 countries across the globe, including: Norway, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, China, India, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Ireland, Lithuania, and the United Kingdom;
  • Showcase of new international student graduate thesis films from the INSAS (Institut National Supérieur des Arts du Spectacle et des Techniques de diffusion), the Graduate School of Arts of the French Community of Belgium, one of Europe's premier film institutes http://www.insas.be/;
  • RI Film Forum to feature panel with programmers from three Oscar-qualifying festivals: RIIFF, Tribeca Film Festival, and Festival du Nouveau Cinéma;
  • Providence Film Location Walking Tour with the RI Historical Society;
  • Expanded Youth Film Jury Screenings and new partnership with RI Foundation Equity Action to expand LGBTQ youth participation;
  • Screenings at: The Vets; RISD Museum; Paff Auditorium; Bell Street Chapel; Providence Public Library; Brown/RISD Hillel; Jewish Alliance; Museum of Work and Culture; Sandywoods Center for the Arts; and Jamestown Arts Center.
 
For a complete festival guide, visit www.RIFilmFest.org.
 

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