Rhode Island International Film Festival Opens
New England’s Largest Movie Event Prepares for Thirteenth Edition
Aug 4, 2009
The annual Rhode Island International Film Festival (RIIFF) opens for its thirteenth edition on August 4, 2009. Established in 1997 in the United States’ smallest state, RIIFF has grown to become New England’s largest film festival and a showcase for international independent filmmakers and their work.
This means that the kind of films screened at the local multiplex are generally absent from the RIIFF programming. Instead, visitors (estimated this year to be as many as 25,000) can expect a week of independent films representing a wide array of genres and lengths. RIIFF’s short film section is particularly strong, resulting in the festival being chosen in 2002 as a qualifying festival for the Short Films category of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, a.k.a. the Oscars.
RIIFF has its base in Providence, Rhode Island’s capital and home of the famous Ivy League institution Brown University. A number of the screenings will take place at the Columbus Theater Arts Center, with other locations including the Providence Performing Arts Center, the Cable Car Cinema and the University of Rhode Island Feinstein Campus Theatre. Satellite screenings will also be held in Kingston, Bristol, Narragansett, Barrington, Cranston and several other towns across the state.
Film Festival Selection
Over 90% of the films screened at RIIFF are chosen from the more than 3,000 films submitted to the festival, rather than being borrowed from other festivals. This adds to RIIFF’s dynamism, according to organizers, as well as offering independent filmmakers a “safe haven” and audiences the opportunity to discover new works, often in (world) premiere.
“It has been a pretty sensational year for us,” says RIIFF Executive Director George T. Marshall. “Entries have been up 24% over last year and have been entered from all over the world. The film work... has been amazing. It's been very challenging for our judges to limit their film selection.” This selection was eventually whittled down to 235 films from 57 countries. Needless to say, shorts feature prominently.
RIIFF Awards
RIIFF is a competitive festival, and hands out awards in several categories, including Best Short, Best Feature, Best Documentary, Best Soundtrack, Best Cinematography and Best Editing. No awards are given for best actor or actress, however awards are presented to individuals who have made major artistic contributions to the film industry. These include the Crystal Vision Award, the RIIFF Lifetime Achievement Award and the Nathanael Greene Humanitarian Awards. Details of these awards and this year’s winners can be found here.
The Rhode Island International Film Festival runs August 4-9, 2009. Full details are available on the official website. Find more film festivals in August here.
 |
 |
