Posts: 6

1. RIIFF to Announce 2007 Season

   08.Jul.07, 23:45 EDT
   
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   WHAT: NEWS CONFERENCE Announcing the 2007 Season for the RHODE ISLAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL WHY: The Rhode Island International Film Festival has secured its place in the global community as the portal for the best in international independent cinema; earning the respect of domestic and foreign filmmakers, filmgoers and trend watchers. This confluence of art and commerce brings together world-class celebrities, award-winning filmmakers, new talent and audience members. RIIFF is a qualifier for the Short Film Academy Awards and ranked as one of the top 12 Festivals in the US. Learn what is new for this year's festival, awards, celebrities and special events that will take place, August 7-12th, 2007 WHO: Hon. David Cicilline, Mayor of Providence Steven Feinberg, Director, RI Film & TV Office George T. Marshall, Executive Director, RIIFF WHEN: Wednesday, July 11th, 2007 from 10:30 a.m. WHERE: Providence Performing Arts Center, 220 Weybosset Street, Providence, RI HOW: The 11th Annual Rhode Island International Film Festival will take place August 7-12, 2007. For more information, write RIIFF, 268 Broadway, Providence, RI 02903 Telephone: 401-861-4445. E-mail: info@film-festival.org. Updates are posted regularly on the Festival's website, www.RIFilmFest.org Tickets are available online or by calling the Festival's office at 401-861-4445. Festival 6-packs are available at Borders Bookstores in Rhode Island and Attleboro, MA RIIFF is a production of the Flickers Arts Collaborative, a Rhode Island-based 501-C3 non-profit arts and educational organization now celebrating it's 25th Anniversary.

2. RIIFF Presents “Adopt-a-Film” Challenge to Fellow Non-Profits

   20.Jun.07, 12:42 EDT
   
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   PROVIDENCE, RI (June 3, 2007) - In an unusual twist to the current sponsorship environment, the non-profit Rhode Island International Film Festival (RIIFF), is not asking for money, but giving it away. For the fifth year RIIFF has created a unique opportunity for other non-profits to raise funds through its annual Festival, August 7-12, 2007. Called the RIIFF “Adopt-a-Film” Challenge, it will allow select non-profits access to festival tickets that they can sell to their own audience. These deserving non-profits can then keep all revenues generated for their critical and underfunded programs. 
“In these mercurial times, which are fraught with ongoing financial difficulty, particularly with increased energy costs and creeping inflation, we feel it’s our obligation to the community we serve and to our peers to open our doors and challenge existing funding schemes by being proactive,” said RIIFF Executive Director, George T. Marshall. “While we certainly welcome any and all financial support to run our event, we know that we also have something which could benefit others--a plethora of film screenings and programming blocks.” 
This year, RIIFF will screen over 275 films in multiple locations in the city of Providence as well as throughout the state of Rhode Island. Large numbers of filmmakers are expected to be in attendance. Last year, over 230 filmmakers registered at the RIIFF office. This year that number is expected to grow even more since over 2,500 film entries from across the globe are anticipated to be entered into the Festival. 
“In order to accommodate the heavy volume of films, we are forced to present many of them at times that may not be ideal for many working filmgoers. While audience attendance has traditionally varied during the weekday, we have seen that certain niche programming will fill a house, regardless of day and time,” reveals Marshall. “It was our thinking that we would make many of these niche time slots available as part of our “Adopt-a-Film” Challenge, thereby ensuring a stronger audience for visiting filmmakers while providing an opportunity for non-profits to work with us and help them raise needed funds.” 
It should be noted that the niche time slots would feature work complimentary to the non-profit’s interests. This could be environmental, health, human service, arts, education, civil rights, hispanic, gay rights, ethnicity, religion, or a whole host of interests. In order to take part in this opportunity, there are ground rules and a time frame. 
“We have limited seating, even with the 800+ seats of the Columbus Theatre, RIIFF’s mainstage. So, we are asking non-profits to state their case and convince us why we should work with them,” explains Marshall. “We obviously cannot accommodate all of the state’s non-profits, so we are taking a page from the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, and asking for an application which will state their need and an explanation as to why this opportunity would be beneficial to them.” 
The “Adopt a Film” Challenge kicks off the week of June 4th. All non-profits interested in accepting the Challenge must submit a letter of intent on company stationary which clearly details their need plus who will benefit from the funds raised. A mission statement and board listing should be included, along with a copy of the IRS 501-C3 designation. All applicants must have letter of intent postmarked by Wednesday, July 25th. Collaborative partners will be announced by the end of that week. 
Entries will be judged on: clarity of purpose, need, and a clearly stated goal of the benefits of collaboration with the Film Festival. Judging will be undertaken by a panel composed of filmmakers, screenwriters and members of the Board of the Flickers Arts Collaborative, the parent company and producer of RIIFF. 
The winners of the “Adopt a Film” Challenge will receive 50 free tickets (a $500 value) to a select film which will complement the service in which they provide. They will be able to sell or raffle the ten-dollar tickets at any price thus raising their potential revenue. If the winning entities sell all their tickets, RIIFF will provide additional tickets as a bonus. In addition, the winners will be acknowledged in a follow-up press release. All proceeds will benefit the winning non-profit agencies, exclusively. 
Non profit “Adopt a Film” Challenge participants should send their applications to: RIIFF’s Adopt a Film” Challenge, PO Box 162, Newport, RI 02840. . For more information about the Rhode Island International Film Festival go to the web site at www.RIFilmFest.org

3. 2007 marks the 25th Anniversary of the Flickers Arts Collaborative. Join us as we celebrate with a year-long salute!

   02.May.07, 18:31 EDT
   
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   • Learn about past Flickers news stories • See photos from 1982- present • Learn about Programming & Productions • Discover 25 Years of Serving the Arts Community • See episodes of "Between Takes" • Listen to audio of radio commercials, "glassWORKS" & "DoubleFeature" • Read a 25th Anniversary retrospective by the Producing Director Learn more about Flickers, which began life in 1982 as The Newport Film Society. Find out about past and future programming. Access archival materials from the last 25 years and discover what has given this award-winning arts organization its amazing longevity. Click here

4. RIIFF 2007 Call for Entries

   02.May.07, 18:24 EDT
   
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   The Rhode Island International Film Festival is a founding partner of The International Film Festival Submission System (BrigitFest) – on the Web at Withoutabox.com and prefers paperless entries. Withoutabox provides cost-saving, online entry to major film festivals throughout the U.S. and in Europe with one master entry form, allowing you and us to enter your film more quickly and with greater accuracy. This method is free and easy. Withoutabox users enjoy the advantages of Extended Deadlines and Online Press Kit submissions and filmmakers with an upgraded project on Withoutabox receive $5.00 off their Entry Fees. The 2007 deadline date for submissions is fast approaching: May 15th. Our Late Deadline: June 1st RIIFF 2007 Downloadable Application Form Photo One: Celebrating RIIFF"s Third Annual "First Look" Premiere and Birthday Bash are (from left), Demetria Carr, RIIFF Event Manager; Lawrence Andrade, Flickers/RIIFF Board Member; Adam Short, RIIFF Producing Directir; Antonio Cortez, RIIFF Designer (kneeling); Jon Berberian and Betty Jane Berberian, owners of the Columbus Theatre Arts Center in Providence, RI. (Photo by Paul Ruggeri) Photo Two: For the 6th year, RIIFF attended the annual Gay & Lesbian Expo at the Jacob Javitts Center in NYC. Our dedicated staff stands in front of our booth. More than 10,000 people attended the Expo on the first day alone. At the booth are Erin Short, her brother, Adam (our Producing Director) and Larry Andrade of the Flickers/RIIFF Board.

5. RIIFF 2007 News & Events

   02.May.07, 18:23 EDT
   
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   • For Filmmakers: A new blog has been created by our Programming Director to assist filmmakers with questions regarding fee waivers and our judging and selection process. Click here to read Don’s blog or you may access filmmaker frequently asked questions by clicking here. • The 2007 KidsEye™ Summer Camp is now online. For more information about the Camp click here, or to download the application form click here. Please note that we are almost at our quota, so please apply early. • The Courthouse Center for the Arts in Kingston, RI continues with its monthly "Best of the 2006 Fest" program. All proceeds will benefit the Courthouse and its community outreach efforts. Details... • Listen to Filmmaking Magic in Rhode Island that was held recently at Borders in Cranston, RI. Speakers were filmmaker Jon Rabin; Steven Feinberg, Director of the RI Film & TV Office; filmmaker Michael Corrente; and, RIIFF's Executive Director, George Marshall. Click here (Special Thanks to Toni Marie Pennacchia of MergingArts Productions, Spoiler Alert Radio) • Get the latest daily news from Hollywood and the film/television industry from HollywoodWiretap.com-- click here • Get the most up-to-date Film Festival reports from Indiewire.com - click here • RIIFF recently went to an auction at A.T. Cross in Lincoln, RI. Held by Thomas Industries, it was a fascinating event. We were able to bid and purchase some much needed office equipment and even found ourselves with a real conference table. The new display case we purchased is rather amazing, but the most interesting item was an old wooden phone booth that we will retrofit to be a kid's screening booth during the festival. How cool is that! See more photos.... In-depth... • Upcoming RIIFF 2007 Events. Save the dates as details are posted as they become available: April 18 - May 12th: 2nd Annual Roving Eye Documentary Film Festival - This month-long sidebar festival celebrates international documentary filmmaking and kicks off in Providence on April 18th at the Westerly Public Library with screenings of three documentary shorts: “Calvin’s World” directed by Lauren Kinsler & Judi Stroh, USA; “Dave Holland: A Short Documentary” directed Ulli Gruber, USA; and “Sustainable Table” directed by Mischa Hedges, USA. Additional screenings are planned at various locations throughout the state, including: University of Rhode Island Feinstein, Providence; the Columbus Theater, Providence; Roger Williams University, Bristol; The Met School, Providence; and the Courthouse Center for the Arts, West Kingston. A selection of short and feature documentaries will be shown and all screenings, unless otherwise noted, will be free of charge and open to the public. For more information, click here. Monthly until the end of June: "You Be The Judge" Nights on the second and last Tuesday of the month. Held at the Brooklyn Coffee & Tea House, 209 Douglas Avenue, Providence, RI, 401-575-2284. Preview and help select films for this year's RIIFF. Free and open to the general public. June 7th: "You Be the Judge" Night at the Barrington Public Library. Free and open to the general public. End of June: Annual Producer Circle Awards - read about last year's programming July 9-13th: KidsEye™ Summer Filmmaking Camp - applications now available! Mid-July: Annual Japanese Film Festival July-August: Return of Stars Under the Stars Outdoor Screenings August 6th: ScriptBiz™ Returns with a new collaborative partner and a certificate Week of August 6th: The RI Film Forum (TBA) August 7-12th: RIIFF 2007 featuring the following sidebars: KidsEye International Film Festival, the New England Student Film Festival, the Providence Film Festival, the Providence Jewish Film Festival & the Providence LGBT Film Festival. • Special Note: 2008 is the 400th Anniversary of the French settlement in North America in the Province of Québec. We will be presenting creating a special showcase and have a special edition of the award-winning Jubilé Franco-Américain. • KidsEye™ News of Note. • Radio Interview with the KidsEye™ Director's, Keith Brown and Christina Mealey • Hasbro link with free downloads of KidsEye™ programming produced in 2006 • KidsEye™ Announces partnership with Hasbro. Read the details here.. • RIIFF named as one of the "Top 12 US Film Festivals" by TravelSmart, the nation's oldest consumer travel newsletter on January 16th - learn more

6. Michael Corrente's latest film, "Brooklyn Rules" Opens May 11th at the Columbus Theatre Arts Center.

   02.May.07, 18:21 EDT
   
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   Written by three-time Emmy winner Terence Winter (The Sopranos), 'Brooklyn Rules' is a powerful story of loyalty, friendship, and sacrifice. Set in Brooklyn circa 1985 against the backdrop of John Gotti's rise to power, the film revolves around three lifelong friends whose different ambitions threaten to shake their enduring bond. Michael (Freddie Prinze Jr.), the narrator, is a lovable charmer with the soul of a con man who successfully scams his way into the pre-law program at Columbia University. In contrast to Michael's desire to leave the Brooklyn streets behind, his close friend Carmine (Scott Caan), a handsome lady-killer enamored of the Mafia lifestyle, wants nothing more than to stay there. Rounding out the trio is Bobby (Entourage's Jerry Ferrara), an endearing cheapskate who longs for a simple life of working at the Post Office and settling down with his fiancée. While at Columbia, Michael falls for a beautiful young student named Ellen (Mena Suvari), a society girl whom he initially wins over with his preppy schoolboy cover. As their relationship blossoms, leaving the streets behind seems increasingly possible, but when Carmine catches the eye of Caesar (Alec Baldwin), a feared mobster who controls their Brooklyn neighborhood, Michael and Bobby are drawn into that world despite their reluctance to get involved. For more information and to book tickets, go to the film's website by clicking here; or to the Columbus Theatre Arts Center, by clicking here.