RIIFF Features Local & Global Filmmakers

Now in its 18th year, the Rhode Island International Film Festival (Aug 5-8) is a well-established cornerstone of the growing film scene in the Ocean State. But as its name implies, the breadth — and importance — of the festival reaches far beyond Little Rhody’s boundaries. Although Flickers (the organization responsible for RIIFF) founder and RIIFF director George Marshall estimates that RIIFF attracts upwards of 15,000 viewers over the course of the annual festival, what many of those attendees might not realize is that, in addition to being a highly competitive platform for filmmakers to showcase their work to audience members both inside and outside their industry, RIIFF is a qualifying event for the Academy Awards.

“We’ve had that designation since 2002,” George explains, “meaning we can nominate films for Oscar consideration in the short film and documentary short categories. We’re the only festival in New England [that serves as a qualifying event].”

While the quality of the films that the festival has featured has always been high, George says that this designation has been crucial in helping the festival to ramp things up. “We’re no longer a juvenile organization. We’re maturing,” he says, adding that of the films that RIIFF presented for the Academy’s consideration, there have been 33 nominations and seven wins.

This is not surprising, conside ing the rigorous vetting process that takes place every year. At the time of this writing, George and company have just closed the call for entries, receiving a record 5,400+ submissions, all told, for no more than 210 spots, haling from as close as Providence and as far as Europe. “The submissions we receive range form student work all the way up to pro,” says George. “We’ve had folks who started out showing with us who are now in the industry. It’s been amazing to see their journey from the time they left undergrad or grad school. Our festival has been a stepping stone. This is part of our mission: we’re about discovery.”

Keeping a finger on the pulse of fresh talent is at the center of what the festival is all about. In fact, it has extended its reach to help facilitate and encourage the filmmakers of tomorrow, too. Although it doesn’t take place during the festival, the RIIFF has for 16 years held the KidsEye Summer Filmmaking Camp, a weeklong intensive program for children ages eight to 17. George says that advances in technology, which have ultimately made the field of filmmaking in general more democratic and less reliant on major studios, have trickled down to the future Spielbergs and Lucases among us. “We’ve got kids that at eight years old coming in with not only knowledge of how to operate cameras, but bringing in demo reels,” says George.

Although the demo reels are far from the polished fruits of the filmmakers’ labor on view at the film festival (George says that in many cases, these are edited takes of footage taken from a Go Pro camera while skiing or skateboarding), they share a recognizably similar DNA. “These kids are proficient in the language of filmmakiing, and I can tell you it wasn’t that way when we started the program. Now, I don’t advertise it, and we have a waiting list,” he says.

It’s that infectious excitement, and the growing accessibility of DIY tools and alternative funding resources, that have no doubt helped independent film gain traction with widespread audiences. “When we first started independent films, it was like you were speaking a foreign language. Years ago the people who attended independent films were a very elite group of educated folks. But now the demographics have changed. More people are now open to discovery,” says George. “People enjoy coming and finding something they can’t see anywhere else.”

Visitors to this year’s festival won’t be disappointed. The films on view are playing throughout the state at various locations, and run the gamut of topics and genres. Although some of the topics are for more mature audiences, there is abundant family-friendly fare, too. First time directors with as-yet-unknown actors are screened alongside movies like the world premiere of Caserta Palace Dream by V for Vendetta director James McTeigue, a 20-minute feature starring Richard Dreyfus. In addition to the something-for-everybody smorgasbord offered throughout the festival’s run, specialty programming and panels will be available for those who are interested. Lectures and forums, including the Rhode Island Film Forum featuring state film office director Steven Feinberg, round out the festival’s programming and present valuable networking and educational opportunities.

It boggles the mind to think about how much the festival manages to pack into a week. My advice is to get prepared and make a list of what you’d like to see by visiting the festival’s website, bringing with you an open mind and a healthy appetite for popcorn, of course.