Rhode Island International Film Festival
Encyclopedia
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
and Newport
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
, Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
as well as satellite locations throughout the state. Started in 1997, the Festival is produced by Flickers, the Newport Film/Video Society & Arts Collaborative, a 501(c)(3) non-profit created in 1981. The Festival was created by George T. Marshall, the founder of the Flickers Arts Collaborative. He has been the Executive Director/CEO of the Festival since its creation. Gregg Sofios is the Operations Director. J.Scott Oberacker is the Educational Outreach Director. Michael Drywa, Esq. is the Board President.
RIIFF has been a qualifying festival for the Academy Awards
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
since 2002. In 1998, it hosted the world premiere of the Farrelly brothers
Farrelly brothers
Peter John Farrelly and Robert Leo "Bobby" Farrelly, Jr. , professionally known as the Farrelly Brothers are screenwriters and directors of ten comedy films, including There's Something About Mary; Dumb and Dumber; Kingpin; Hall Pass; Me, Myself & Irene; Shallow Hal; Stuck on You; Osmosis Jones;...
film, There's Something About Mary
There's Something About Mary
There's Something About Mary is a 1998 American comedy film, directed by the Farrelly brothers, Bobby and Peter. It stars Cameron Diaz, Matt Dillon and Ben Stiller, and it is a combination of romantic comedy and gross-out film....
. The Festival draws over 28,000 people along with a strong filmmaker presence to its events each August. In 2010, the Festival screened 205 films; many were world and US premieres. New in 2010, the Festival has been designated as the host for Oscar Night America in Rhode Island.
The festival often attracts major industry talent and celebrities who attend to participate in conversations about varied aspects of filmmaking. Attending filmmakers in the past have included actor Andrew McCarthy
Andrew McCarthy
Andrew Thomas McCarthy is an American actor. He is known for his roles in the 1980s films St. Elmo's Fire, Mannequin, Weekend at Bernie's, Pretty in Pink, and Less Than Zero, and more recently for his role in the television shows Lipstick Jungle, White Collar and Royal Pains.-Career:McCarthy...
, who premiered his directorial debut, News for the Church; Michael Showalter
Michael Showalter
Michael English Showalter is an American comedian, actor, writer, and director. He is a member of the sketch comedy trio Stella. Showalter first came to recognition as a cast member on MTV's The State, which aired from 1993 to 1995...
discussing his feature film The Baxter
The Baxter
The Baxter is a 2005 film written by, directed by and starring American comedian Michael Showalter. A “Baxter”, as defined by the film, is the nice, dull guy in a romantic comedy who is dumped at the end of the story for the protagonist....
, and actors Seymour Cassel
Seymour Cassel
Seymour Joseph Cassel is an American actor.He first came to prominence in the 1960s in the pioneering independent films of writer/directorJohn Cassavetes...
, Kim Chan
Kim Chan
Kim Chan also known as Kim S. Chan, was a Chinese-American actor and producer. He was most notable for his role as The Ancient in Kung Fu: The Legend Continues.-Early life:...
, and Ernest Borgnine
Ernest Borgnine
Ernest Borgnine is an American actor of television and film. His career has spanned more than six decades. He was an unconventional lead in many films of the 1950s, including his Academy Award-winning turn in the 1955 film Marty...
(2009) who received Festival Lifetime Achievement Awards. Director Blake Edwards
Blake Edwards
Blake Edwards was an American film director, screenwriter and producer.Edwards' career began in the 1940s as an actor, but he soon turned to writing radio scripts at Columbia Pictures...
received a Festival Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001, which was accepted by his wife, actress/singer, Julie Andrews
Julie Andrews
Dame Julia Elizabeth Andrews, DBE is an English film and stage actress, singer, and author. She is the recipient of Golden Globe, Emmy, Grammy, BAFTA, People's Choice Award, Theatre World Award, Screen Actors Guild and Academy Award honors...
. Actress Blythe Danner received the Festival's Creative Vision Award in 2008 for "significant contributions to the arts." That same year, actor Richard Jenkins received the George M. Cohan Ambassador Award which honors "unique Americans who have made a timeless contribution to the arts and have inspired future generations of Rhode Islanders." In 2009, film composer Klaus Badelt was awarded the Festival's Crystal Image Award for his contribution to the art of filmmaking. In 2010, the award went to children's author/filmmaker, Sandra Boynton. In 2011, the Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to actors Paul Sorvino and Ken Howard.
Sidebar events for the Festival include the KidsEye International Film Festival, the RI International Horror Film Festival, the Vortex Sci-Fi and Fantasy Film Festival, Cine ¡Ole! (Spanish Film Series), the Golden Jasmine Chinese Film Festival, the Roving Eye International Film Festival, the Annual Flickers' Japanese Film Festival, the Providence Underground Film Festival and the First Look Series. Educational programs include the KidsEye Summer Filmmaking Camp (started in 1998), ScriptBiz, and the Rhode Island Film Forum.
In 2010, the Flickers North Country Film Festival was introduced as a companion event to the annual RIIFF. The location for the Festival is in Coos County, New Hampshire. The principal location for exhibition is at the Balsams Grand Hotel Resort in Dixville Notch, NH. Programming took place in late September through early October. In 2011, the event moved to Brattleboro, VT and was held in collaboration with the Brattleboro Retreat.
In 2010, the Festival introduced three new outreach programs that were designed to reach beyond the Rhode Island border: the Youth Jury Program; the 7DayPSA Competition, and the New England Film Festival Alliance.
The Rhode Island International Film Festival accepts submissions from around the world for its film and screenplay
Screenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
competitions.
The Festival is berthed at The Vets (formerly the VMA Arts & Cultural Center), One Avenue of the Arts in Providence and presents screenings throughout the state of Rhode Island during the year.
External links
- Rhode Island International Film Festival
- Rhode Island International Film Festival at the Fargo Filmmaking Wiki Project