• See the Promotional Video for Groundwerx Dance Theatre, click here
Flickers, now in its third decade, presents and creates
film, educational programs and outreach, live performances
and cultural events. Flickers produces video, audio
and film about the arts for television, festivals and
other non-profit organizations. Flickers creates and
produces educational programs that teach about the media
arts. From an acclaimed international film festival
held throughout the state each August to a Japanese
film festival held in conjunction with the Black Ships
Festival in Newport, to Flickers' award-winning arts
and cultural television series, "Between Takes," to
the Creative Impulse Awards, to radio programming with
"DoubleFeature," to the Jamestown Chamber Music
Series, to ScriptBiz and the KidsEye Summer Filmmaking Camp, Flickers has brought live performances, great
films, interviews with leading artists, and innovative educational programs to appreciative audiences for 35 years.
The Rhode Island International Film Festival,
one of Flickers' most successful and largest events, sprang from the
annual week-long Jubilé Franco-Américain which was held in historic
Woonsocket, Rhode Island (1994-2001). A celebration of French Canadian
culture, art and cuisine, the Jubilé attracted thousands
from as far away as Canada and the west coast. The event became so
successful that it won Flickers the Governor's Tourism
Award in 1996. The Jubilé was also nominated repeatedly
by the Rhode Island Department of Tourism to be included
in the American Bus Association's Top 100 Events in
North America!
How Flickers Works
Flickers believes that working collaboratively maximizes
the impact of limited dollars. Flickers creates an inclusive,
interactive working environment, one that excites the
participation of other artists and the community at
large. Flickers refrains from imposing its artistic
preconceptions on collaborators, but instead works with
the community to access needs, gather input and raise
support. The results are greater participation and more
ownership of events by the community. For example, the
five-day Jubilé Franco-Américain was crafted with the
participation of 55 committee members representing the
community, fraternal and cultural groups in the region.
Roots In Film
Flickers began life in 1981 as The Newport Film Society.
In fact, Flickers held the state’s first International
Film Festival in Newport in 1983. During its first five years
exhibiting film, Flickers screened more than 475 titles,
of which many were state and regional premieres. Some
examples that demonstrate the breadth of films exhibited
include “Amadeus,” "Flight of the Eagle,” “The Man from
Snowy River,” “Parting Glances,” Truffaut's “Confidentially
Yours,” Bergman's “Fanny & Alexander,” Fassbinder's
“Querelle,” Franco Zeffirelli's lush “La Traviata,”
Bertolucci’s uncut “1900,” the premiere of the independent
film “Coaster,” the restored print of Gloria Swanson's
epic “Queen Kelly,” Fellini’s “And the Ship Sails On,”
and “My Beautiful Laundrette.”
The society sponsored specialized film series, lectures
and forums including one at the screening of “Man of
Iron,” which featured Cheslaw Kyanka, founder of the
Polish Solidarity Union. The Society also presented
lectures for colleges and organizations on topics from
Italian Neo-Realism to film programming. It even organized
travel programs to study world media centers in New
York, San Francisco, London, Paris, and Athens.
Today, programming efforts cover a broad range of areas.
From arts to humanities and social services, multiple
linkages and collaborations have been established. Flickers evolved with the changes, needs and demands of the community it serves. It has never lost sight of its mission, and continues its quest to create even more inventive and cutting-edge programming.
Click here for a
more complete list of Flickers' collaborations and projects.
Flickers, now in its third decade, presents and creates
film, educational programs and outreach, live performances
and cultural events. Flickers produces video, audio
and film about the arts for television, festivals and
other non-profit organizations. Flickers creates and
produces educational programs that teach about the media
arts. From an acclaimed international film festival
held throughout the state each August to a Japanese
film festival held in conjunction with the Black Ships
Festival in Newport, to Flickers' award-winning arts
and cultural television series, "Between Takes," to
the Creative Impulse Awards, to radio programming with
"DoubleFeature," to the Jamestown Chamber Music
Series, to ScriptBiz and the KidsEye Summer Filmmaking Camp, Flickers has brought live performances, great
films, interviews with leading artists, and innovative educational programs to appreciative audiences for 35 years. 
Flickers believes that working collaboratively maximizes
the impact of limited dollars. Flickers creates an inclusive,
interactive working environment, one that excites the
participation of other artists and the community at
large. Flickers refrains from imposing its artistic
preconceptions on collaborators, but instead works with
the community to access needs, gather input and raise
support. The results are greater participation and more
ownership of events by the community. For example, the
five-day Jubilé Franco-Américain was crafted with the
participation of 55 committee members representing the
community, fraternal and cultural groups in the region.
