PROVIDENCE, RI (Spring 2010): FLICKERS:Rhode Island International Film Festival (RIIFF) is proud to present its fifth annual Roving
Eye Film Festival™. The popular and acclaimed festival celebrating global cinema and artists, is pleased to announce its 2010 schedule. The slogan this year is “You KNow You Want to Look.” During the Festival, which runs April 22-25th, more than 30 films will be showcased. All screenings, unless otherwise noted, will be free of charge and open to the public and screened on the campus of Roger Williams University in Bristol, RI. Additionally, a special community screening will take place at the Barrington Public Library.
The Roving Eye Film Festival’s slogan of for 2010 is “You Know You Want to Look.” The Festival will cover themes ripped from the headlines: politics in Iran; the politics of the Israel and Palestine, human rights, the efficacy of the death penalty; global sustainability; and escaping the web of poverty in the inner city. Additionally, there will be a special animation focus, a first for the Festival, a demonstration by the Society for Creative Anachronism, as well as Roving Eye’s first ever horror film night.
The Festival is also partnering with WQRI Roger Williams University student run radio station for the presentation of a major concert on campus. The show will be held Saturday, April 24th from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. and will feature Four Year Strong, Dan Mills and The Life I Lead. For more information, go to this URL: http://wqri.rwu.edu/
The 2010Roving Eye Film Festival will cover themes ripped from the headlines: politics in Iran; human rights, the efficacy of the death penalty; sustainability; and escaping the web of poverty in the inner city. Additionally, there will be a special animation focus, a first for the Festival.
Many of the film's directors will be in attendance. Panel/roundtable discussions include "The Making of a Documentary Film: Behind the Hedgerow " with filmmakers David Bettencourt and G. Wayne Miller; "Creativity Unplugged: Animation On the Edge" with Producer, Ron Tippe; “Creating Awareness: The Power of the Global Media,” with members of Save the Bay; and "The Creative Artist and the Law in a Digital Age" led by Michael Drywa, Esq.
The Roving Eve Film Festival will donate all proceeds earned through donations and purchases at the Festival to Camp Rising Sun in Connecticut. Camp Rising Sun is a camp especially for children with cancer. It holds sessions twice a year; a week in the summer and a weekend in March.
In addition, the Festival will be collaborating with the Roger Williams Eco-Reps to celebrate the first day of the event, Earth Day. The Eco-Reps consist of a group of residential students who strive to make Roger Williams University a more eco-friendly place by recycling, and promoting sustainable ideas across campus, such as the new shuttle that runs on recycled cooking oil rather than diesel fuel, saving hundreds of gallons of gasoline a year.
This year’s Roving Eye Festival has been developed through interdepartmental participation by students and faculty at Roger Williams University; all under the guidance of FLICKERS: Rhode Island International Film Festival and University leadership. The students in “Curation and Film Festival Production ” taught by George T. Marshall, have spent the semester creating, curating and marketing the event. Roberta E. Adams, Ph.D. Assistant Dean of Humanities and Performing Arts is the Festival Chair, linking faculty adjudicators with students, RIIFF and the RWU administration in a unique collaboration.
Reviewers at the University include: Roberta E. Adams, Robert Cole, Kamille Gentles-Peart, Alejandro Leguizamo, J. Scott Oberacker, Roy J. Nirschel, Anne Tait, Jeffrey Martin, Min Zhou, Ted Delaney, Alan Leveillee, Earnest Greco, and Don Mays.
“The idea behind this Festival came out of a desire
to provide another platform to showcase the work of
independent filmmakers. Each year, RIIFF receives over
4,000 entries and while the Festival does screen more
films than any other Festival in New England during
its six day run—235 in 2009—many excellent
films are not screened due to time and scheduling constraints. This was something we wanted to correct, ” stated Demetria J. Carr, Managing Director of FLICKERS: Rhode Island International Film Festival.
“Additionally, the quality of the documentaries
submitted to our festival and the interest of the public
in seeing these films has grown by leaps every year,”
said George T. Marshall, Executive Director of FLICKERS
“Roving Eye is an opportunity to screen these
great films and we are very excited to be putting this
festival together again with Roger Williams University in 2010.”
“We’ve received films from Iran, a series from the United Nations, from Poland; actually from all over the world, and they address many different subjects. Films have been submitted by Academy Award nominees, recent screenings from the Sundance Film Festival, from distribution companies across the globe, and colleges and universities. Our goal is make sure everyone in our community has a chance to enjoy the documentary film experience, from families to senior citizens to young adults. There is really is going to be something for everyone,” commented Ms. Carr.
“We are also making the films free to the public, thanks to the partnership with Roger Williams University and the enthusiasm of President Roy J. Nirschel for this event,” added Mr. Marshall. “We have been heartened by the University's support for this project and believe this type of programming is a perfect fit with our non-profit educational mission."
The 2010 Roving Eye Film Festival is sponsored by the Roger Williams University Office of the President; the Office of the Provost; the Office of the Dean of Arts and Sciences; and the RWU Department of Communications.
To see a listing of this year's programming, click here
Through FLICKERS: Rhode Island International Film Festival’s partnership with the Guangzhou International Documentary Film Festival(GZ DOC) – China’s largest documentary festival– the top RIIFF documentaries have an opportunity to screen at the Chinese film festival and vice versa. Additionally, RIIFF docs have been chosen by GZDOC to participate in the Sapphire Moving Image Salon traveling film series and special events for trade, cultural, and educational organizations.
2010 marks the 29th year of the Flickers Arts Collaborative, the creator and producer of the Annual Rhode Island International Film Festival (that will
take place August 10-15, 2010 at locations throughout
the state of Rhode Island.) Through its affiliation
with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences,
RIIFF is a qualifying festival for the Short Film Academy
Award, the only festival in the region with this distinction.
RIIFF provides a venue to encourage new talent and establish
the contacts needed for wider distribution.
ABOUT ROGER WILLIAMS UNIVERSITY:
Roger Williams University is ranked by U.S. News & World Report as eighth among comprehensive colleges in the north. Roger Williams offers undergraduate and graduate programs in the arts and sciences, architecture, business, construction management, education, engineering, historic preservation, justice studies, legal studies, visual arts studies and law.
The Guangzhou International Documentary Festival (GZ DOC) started in 2003 and, after five editions, has secured its status as the top documentary film festival in China, as well as an important part of the international documentary market in Asia. The festival is held annually in December in Guangzhou and includes a Documentary Market, public screenings, a thematic competition, and documentary-making seminars. All sections are open for application to participants internationally and domestically. For more information, please visit us on the web at www.gzdoc.com
ABOUT FLICKERS: RHODE ISLAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL:
FLICKERS:Rhode Island International Film Festival (RIIFF) discovers and empowers filmmakers. Held in Providence, and locations throughout the state of Rhode Island, RIIFF is one of only a handful of festivals worldwide that is a qualifying event for the Academy Awards (i.e. “Oscars”). RIIFF incorporates gala celebrations, premiere screenings, VIP guests, industry seminars, educational programs, and award ceremonies into a weeklong extravaganza. Cited as one of the "Best International and Short Film Festivals in the United States," RIIFF is New England’s largest film festival, screening a record 175 films. Its innovative programming, cultivated industry ties, and loyal audiences have made the Festival a strategic and desirable platform for film premieres, drawing hundreds of independent filmmakers from around the globe. This year’s Festival takes place August 10-15, 2010.
FLICKERS:Rhode Island International Film Festival ™ and its programs such as the Roving Eye Film Festival, have been sponsored in part by grants and underwriting from the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, the Flickers Arts Collaborative, and the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities; event partners include The US-China Institute at Bryant University, the Guangzhou Documentary Film Festival, Roger Williams University, WQRI Radio, the Providence Public Library, the Westerly Public Library, the Clark Memorial Library, and the Warwick Museum of Art; corporate support from WJAR TV 10, CW28, Clear Channel Communicationsand private contributions.
For more information about films, dates, and venues
for the Roving Eye Film Festival™,
please call 401-861-4445, email info@film-festival.org
RWU PARKING INFORMATION:From Providence: Take Routes 136 South or 114 S passing campus on the left. Take a left at the traffic light just before the Mount Hope Bridge, onto Old Ferry Road. Take the first right into the parking lot.
From Newport: Take 114N over the Mount Hope Bridge and take the first right off the bridge onto Old Ferry Road. Take the first right into the parking lot.
Guests should enter through the main entrance at the fountain. they will be able to obtain a guest parking pass. Lot 24a will be blocked off for guests of the festival. Proceed through the main entrance through to the lot 24a on left. Events will take place in the Global Heritage Hall, Law School and MNS (Marine & Natural Sciences Building).
