Ninth annual event takes place April 6-13th in collaboration with Roger Williams University. Highlights include major international shorts and features, and documentaries and a celebration of the arts.
Welcome to the official mobile app for The Rhode Island International Film Festival! This app is a joint development of EDGE Media Network and The Rhode Island International Film Festival; it's designed to be a comprehensive guide to the annual festival each year in Providence, RI, including events, photos, film screenings and interactive features.
Roving Eye International Film Festival
• A Celebration of the Arts •
A Collaboration between Roger Williams University and FLICKERS: Rhode Island International Film Festival April 6-13, 2014
• ALL ROVING EYE EVENTS ARE FREE TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC EXCEPT THE
THEATRICAL PRESENTATION OF "Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson " •
SUNday, April 6 th:
1:00 p.m.
INTERNATIONAL STORYTELLING:
FILMS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
Location: Marine and Natural Science Bldg, MSN 2000 (see campus map)
Introduced by Sydney Eason, RWU Media Communications Major
The Breadfruit Tree
Directed by Priyamvada Narayanan, India, 2013
Running Time: 22 min.
It's 1974 Bombay - India is on the threshold of a wave of progress initiated by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. In Bandra, a small Christian suburb of Bombay, 'development' manifests in a land feud between two brothers. Edwin's decades old resentment of his older brother Vincent reaches a crisis point when he discovers that Vincent is about to cut a tree, on ancestral family land. Complex layers of love, loss and meaning unfold in their Bandra home, as Edwin - with a little help from his sister-in-law Mena - does his best to save the tree.
She Comes in Spring
Directed by Antoneta Kastrati, Kosovo, USA, 2013
Running Time: 16 min.
A middle-aged father in a Serbian village is visited by a mysterious young woman who forces him to uncover a dark buried secret about his wartime past.
Mi Ojo Derecho
Directed by Josecho de Linares, Spain, 2012
Running Time: 13 min.
Zurdo maintained a special relationship with his grandmother. Since he went away to study they have lost contact. On the last day of summer Zurdo decides to visit her with the intuition that he might not see her again.
Opening Our Eyes
Directed by Gail Mooney, USA / Argentina, Australia, Nepal, Peru, Poland, Thailand, USA, Uganda, 2011
Running time: 60 min.
How many people does it take to change the world?
Mother/daughter filmmakers, circle the globe on a 99-day journey, seeking people who are making a positive difference in the world. They find ordinary people who are changing the world and making the impossible - possible, through the power of ONE.
3:00 p.m.
VIVE LA FRANCOPHONIE
Location: Marine and Natural Science Bldg, MSN 2000 (see campus map)
Introduced by Amelia Alllwarden, RWU Visual Communications Major
Ma Part de Bonheur (My Piece of Happiness)
Directed by Carole Mathieu Castelli, France, 2011
Running Time: 15 min.
Following his divorce, Antonin Monterno was awarded partial custody of his daughter Mila for two weekends a month and half of school holidays. Very saddened by this ruling, depriving him of time with his child, he decides to spend one more day with her ... What will unfold for this father who will risk anything to spend time with his child? This is a great love story between a father and daughter.
Mort ou Fisc (Death or Taxes)
Directed by Jérôme Blanquet & Jérémy Rochigneux, France, 2013
Running Time: 19 min.
André Boulet is a wealthy businessman suffering from a rare hallucinatory disease. One day, he learns that his business is about to undergo a tax audit; panic-stricken, he decides to eliminate the tax officer in charge of the case.
Communication Moderne
Directed by Franck Isabel, France, 2012
Running Time: 7 min.
One night, Rime comes at home with important news to tell to Jérôme. But he really seems too busy playing with his mobile phone. How will he react when he hears this unexpected news?
Ecoute s'il pleut (Listen to Your Weeping Heart)
Directed by Demangeon Clary, France 2012
Running Time: 30 min.
Ana is 6 years old. His sister Katina, seriously ill is hospitalized. To preserve Ana, her mother sends her to spend a week in the country with her grandparents. It's vacation time, games with his girlfriend Coralie. Ana forget his sister. She wants to forget ...
Son Indochine (His War)
Directed by Bruno Collet, France, 2012
Running Time: 9 min.
With his family gathered to celebrate his birthday, patriarch Emile finds his mind drifting toward memories of his time as a soldier during the Indochina war, a time his family would rather he forget.
No Comment
Directed by Alexandra Naoum, France, 2012
Running Time: 4 min.
A girl makes two different unexpected encounters in the Jardin du Luxembourg in Paris. In a humoristic way No Comment deals with the thoughts of this young woman about mens.
4:30 p.m.
RIIFF DISCOVERY PORTAL: SNEAK PEAK OF THE SUMMER 2014 FESTIVAL
Location: Global Heritage Hall, GH01
Introduced by Jacob Nussbaum, RWU Journalism Major
Hosted by Shawn Quirk, RIIFF Program Director
Each year, RIIFF receives over 5,000 cinematic entries from across the globe. As New England’s only Academy Award® qualifying Festival in both the Narrative/Animation and Documentary Short, one of only 19 worldwide, RIIFF sees some amazing work. Join us as we share a sneak peak at films that have received an early acceptance and will be part of this year’s Festival, August 5-10th. Hailing from Switzerland, England, Germany and the United States, this program is not to be missed.
About our Guest Host:
Shawn Quirk is the program director of the Flickers: Rhode Island International Film Festival. For several years he has worked as an independent filmmaker and foreign language teacher in France and the U.S. During his time abroad, Shawn worked on a number of film productions in both Belgium and France, including assistant camera work for the two-time Palme d’or winning Dardennes Brothers’ film,“The Kid with the Bike.” Over the past year, Shawn has been curating year-round film programs at RIIFF, and helping to further establish the Festival as one of the country’s leading platforms of discovery for global independent cinema.
6:00 p.m.
OPENING NIGHT RECEPTION
Location: Global Heritage Hall, Atrium
Join as we celebrate the 9th Anniversary of the Roving Eye International Film Festival, a unique collaboration between Roger Williams University and Flickers: Rhode Island International Film Festival. All programming for the Festival has been produced by students in the Curation and Film Production Class that includes: Amelia Allwarden, Maia Buckingham, Andrew Burgess, Alex Campbell, Samantha Christopher, Samantha D’Orsi, Sydney Eason, Ben Eberle, Macey Farnsworth, Frances Ferdinand, Taylor Johnson, Adam Mennonna, Jacob Nussbaum, Leah Peters, Meghan Petrell, Mary Rooney, Ronald Scofield, Charles Stanley, Margaret Sullivan, Brandon Lehman and Nicole Vermes.
7:00 p.m.
RWU’S ACAPELLA GROUP “DRASTIC MEASURES” Spring Performance
Location: Field House
“Drastic Measures” is Roger Williams' oldest acapella group and open to all students in the Roger Williams community. Come listen to them sing! “Drastic Measures” and multiple groups from around New England are performing a wonderful night of acapella music Admission is FREE, and a limited number of their iconic Drastic Measures t shirts will be sold for $10!
This is a night you don't want to miss!
MONday, April 7th:
1:00 p.m.
CELEBRATING THE ART OF INTERNATIONAL STORYTELLING
Location: Mary Tefft White Cultural Center, RWU Library
Introduced by Alex Campbell, RWU Marine Biology Major
EAST MEETS WEST: SHORT FILMS FROM JAPAN
Our official partner the Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia, one of the largest Oscar qualifying short film festival in Asia, presents a collection of Japanese short films from their 2013 festival.
Full Swing
Directed by Saito Yu-ki, Japan, 2012
Running Time: 7 min.
Midnight at a batting center. A group of strangers are listlessly wasting time there. Suddenly, a man appears. His all out, single-minded swing draws the interest and lights up the hearts of the people bored up until then. Who is this man…an angel?
EMPTY HOUSE
Directed by Kei Chikaura, Japan, 2012
Running Time: 11 min.
Tatsuya Fuji, an actor who’s carved out his name in the history of Japanese cinema, stars alongside the young Takarazuka born singer Koko Isuzu. Depicting the awkward pains of a father-daughter separation, this gem of a human drama is set in Matsumoto, Nagano prefecture.
SACRIFICE
Directed by Ikuma Hori, Japan, 2012
Running Time: 10 min.
Life after 3.11. What have we sacrificed, what have we learned since that day? Seen through the eyes of a young boy, this is a story about life.
De Rira Subastutaimu
Directed by Shinsaku Hidaka, Japan, 2012
Running Time: 13 min.
I lost my child. They also lost their child. A husband leaves his wife at the hospital and goes back home alone, but guilt does not overwhelm his heart. Rather, he feels uneasy about having other stronger feelings.
Ordinary Life
Directed by Tomoya Nakamura and Shoko Watnabe, Japan, 2012
Running Time: 6 min.
The standard morning routine, part of the family’s normal day. Their unvarying routine continues each and everyday. A spotlight is shone on the environmental issues that are gradually forgotten in day-to-day actions.
Shadow Chalk
Directed by Yanlong Li, Japan, 2012
Running Time: 8 min.
An outstanding student who doesn’t even need to study, “L” creates a mysterious dream world to combat his real-life stresses. In this world, anything that is drawn by magic chalk becomes reality. But what on earth will “L” draw…?
My Dear Hina-chan
Directed by Daisuke Hatanaka, 2012
Running Time: 19 min.
Hiroyuki works for the city, and his job is to wear the costume of the unpopular city mascot, “Hina-chan.” One day the costume is damaged. When he takes it to be repaired, he hears about the strong emotions that the craftsmen have towards their character…
Not Over
Directed by Toru Hayai, Japan, 2012
Running Time: 2 min.
A huge teddybear-like creature walks through the forests, mountains, seas, deserts, and grasslands. He finally arrives at his goal, but the true message is that "the story doesn't end until it ends".
Koyuki's Wandering Football
Directed by Satsuki Okawa, Japan, 2013
Running Time: 17 min.
When it gets washed away by the tsunami, Koyuki decides to re-create her father's soccer ball that was signed by all his friendsi. Her journey takes an unexpected turn when she reconnects with her uncle who is a fanatic football fan.
2:30 p.m.
WORLD SHORT FILM SHOWCASE
Location: Mary Tefft White Cultural Center, RWU Library
Introduced by Leah Peters, RWU Media Communications Major
Chamomile
Directed by Neritan Zinxhiria, Greece, 2012
Running Time: 15 min.
An old woman who lives in a remote rural location in northern Greece is faced with the burial of her husband under extreme winter conditions.
My Mother Will Say
Directed by Andrew Gillingham, Canada, 2013
Running Time: 19 min.
Jimmy, a child-minded young man is confused about his sexual attraction toward men. His mother and best friend Jade are unaware of this. When his mother finds magazine cut outs of half-naked men stuffed in Jimmy's bed her image of him is smashed and broken, as it is not what she expected or wanted.
Tough Guy
Directed by Mike Maguire, USA, 2012
Running Time: 14 min.
Three high school teenagers are terrorized by an older bully during what was supposed to be a night of fun. Hell-bent on making them suffer, there may be more to the bully's motivations than he lets on to.
The Championship Rounds
Directed by Daniel Stine, USA, 2013
Running Time: 28 min.
James Deacon, Jr., the deaf son of a once-promising boxer whose life was wrecked by drugs and alcohol, has struggled for years to escape his father's shameful legacy and find normalcy with a family of his own. Grudgingly leveraging the boxing skills he inherited from his father, he takes on whatever bouts he can find to support his pregnant wife. A tragedy leaves him alone to raise his newborn son. Guilt-ridden, he vows never to fight again and abandons the life that brought him so much pain. When he crosses paths with a trainer and former rival of his father, James faces an agonizing decision to run from his past or step back into the ring and become the champion his father never was.
3:30 p.m.
THE CREATIVE PROCESS IN 90 MINUTES:
Working in the Film Industry and Living in New England
Location: Global Heritage Hall, 01
Introduced by Samantha Christopher, RWU Media Communications Major
ROVNG EYE GUEST SPEAKER PROGRAM
Why would anyone want to become a filmmaker? Does it make for a sustainable career? In a freeform discussion, learn from two filmmakers who will share their journey and inspiration and have made New England, and specifically, Rhode Island, their base.
About our Panelists:
Michael F. Drywa, Jr., Esq. (moderator) RIIFF Advisory Board President, is a highly accomplished attorney with more than ten years experience in all phases of civil litigation and corporate law supplemented by a successful ten year career in corporate management and strategic business planning. He has been licensed to practice in Rhode Island since 1998 and Massachusetts since 1999. He is also licensed in the United States District Courts for Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
He is currently a Senior Attorney at SIMS & SIMS LLP, where he is responsible for all aspects of complex and standard civil litigation with a concentration in commercial disputes and employment/labor law for corporations and individuals.
He has served as the RIIFF Advisory Board President since 2002 and provides general legal counsel to the non-profit arts organization specializing in the development of independent filmmakers and screenwriters, including areas of intellectual property, copyright, non-disclosure, non-compete, general liability, contract issues, leases, sponsorships, advertising, and e-commerce. He also participates and assists in the annual festival organization, acting as master of ceremonies.
Michael's position with RIIFF requires the ability to communicate legal decisions which guide the executive staff’s strategic business decisions thus minimizing legal exposure while allowing the organization to thrive.
Michael received his Juris Doctor from the Roger Williams University School of Law where he was the Senior Staff Member/Notes Editor for the Roger Williams University Law Review.
Outside of his legal experience, he was acknowledged in 1982 as the top foreign language student in New England by the Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages for excellence in German language study, and elected as top German language student in New England by the Goethe Institute, Boston.
Reshad Kulenovic is a writer/director based in Rhode Island and New York. He has worked in the production department of numerous films and TV shows, including THE EDUCATION OF CHARLIE BANKS and in the camera department for the Newport Jazz Festival. He has been awarded the Antonio Cirino Memorial Art Fellowship and the University of Rhode Island gave him the first ever President's Award for Excellence in Film. For his short film SNOVI he became one of the first artists to be funded by the Heinrich Boll Foundation. Another producer of SNOVI was the Centre Andre Malraux Sarajevo, which also produced Jean-Luc Godard’s NOTRE MUSIQUE. SNOVI has played 20 international film festivals and was awarded a Grand Jury Prize at the 2011 Rhode Island International Film Festival. SNOVI is nominated for a 2011 Student Academy Award. For more information go to: www.snovifilm.com
Daniel Sousa uses animation and themes commonly found in mythology and fairy tales to examine archetypes of human nature, and the inner struggles between our intellects and our unconscious drives. Rather than following conventional narratives, he approaches filmmaking from a painter’s perspective. He focuses on states of mind, evoking the fragility of fleeting moments, memories and perceptions. Daniel was born in Cape Verde and grew up in Portugal. A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, Sousa has worked as a director and animator with Cartoon Network, Olive Jar Studios, Global Mechanic, and Duck. Sousa has taught at several colleges in the New England area, including Harvard University, The Museum School, and The Art Institute of Boston. Since 2001 he has been teaching at the Rhode Island School of Design. He is a Creative Capital grantee for the production of his new film, "Feral" which was recently nominated for Best Animated Short by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
5:00 p.m.
BREAKING BARRIERS: MEDIA LITERACY IN A GLOBAL SETTING
Location: Global Heritage Hall, 01
PERSONAL JOURNEYS:
WALKING EL CAMINO, A STORY ABOUT DISCOVERY & DETERMINATION
Guest Speakers: Esteban & Gail Zeiba will share their personal experiences making the famous pilgrimage across northern Spain.
Hosted by Alice Cross, Adjunct Professor, Communications/Film
Directed by Sameer Farooq, Belgium, Canada, China, Netherlands, 2012
Running Time: 53 min.
On the distant northwest edge of China lies Xinjiang, a vast region of mountains, deserts and gritty market cities. Here, along the ancient Silk Road, music is the hottest commodity: it's vibrant, infectious and omnipresent. Yet, around the music lies a troubling reality. Engaged in an identity tug-of-war, the region's main population - the Uyghur Muslims - are watching their numbers dwindle as they are engulfed by a predominant Han Chinese settlement. One of the very few documentaries to come out of Xinjiang, 'The Silk Road of Pop' captures the challenges of a minority group in China and the explosive music scene which results. This documentary tells the story of Ay, a young music fan. Apprehensive about her own life choices as a Uyghur woman in China and curious about the outside world, she turns to music for answers and is drawn to musicians who mirror her struggles in their songs. The film follows the trails left by Ay's interest in music, documenting and portraying her musical idols. A breathtaking journey unfolds, leading to traditional musicians uncovering the age-old roots of Uyghur music, metal bands rocking wild performances, and hip-hop crews honing their skills in smoky basements of communist block towers. Featuring an entrancing compilation of songs and video-clips, 'The Silk Road of Pop' taps into the rhythmical zeitgeist of what it means to be young and Uyghur in China, showing how music becomes a liberating element for a minority trying to assert its identity within a repressive environment.
(plus a sneak peak at a new film slated to premiere at RIIFF 2014)
TUESday, April 8th:
1:00 p.m.
IS THERE TRUE JUSTICE: Human Rights, Personal Freedom & Society in a the Age of Technology
Location: Mary Tefft White Cultural Center, RWU Library
Introduced by Brandon Lehman, RWU Art & Architectural History Major
The Worst of the Worst
Directed by Leslie Couvillion, USA, 2012
Running Time: 32 min.
Northern is a “supermax” – a high-tech super maximum security prison and the only one in Connecticut. The prison is designed to incarcerate the so-called “worst of the worst” problem inmates. They spend 23 hours a day in their cells, frequently in solitary confinement, with one hour of recreation in an enclosed outdoor pen. The Worst of the Worst follows the story of three characters whose lives have been shaped by Northern: Misael, a former inmate, Pete, a Northern correctional officer, and Ros, a mother determined to support her incarcerated son. Produced by filmmakers at Yale Law School’s Visual Law Project, the film includes analysis from legal scholars and calls into question the role of supermax prisons and solitary confinement in the U.S. criminal justice system.
A2-B-C
Directed by Ian Thomas Ash, Japan, 2013
Running Time: 71 min.
Eighteen months after the nuclear meltdown, some children in Fukushima are suffering from severe nose bleeds and are developing skin rashes and thyroid cysts. Citing a lack of transparency in the official medical testing of their children and the ineffectiveness of the decontamination of their homes and schools, the children’s mothers take radiation monitoring into their own hands.
3:00 p.m.
An Afternoon of Awareness:
RWU CELEBRATES LGBTQ PRIDE WEEK
Location: Mary Tefft White Cultural Center, RWU Library
Introduced by Margaret Sullivan, RWU Media Communications Major
Lillian
Directed by Amanda Pennington, USA, 2013
Running Time: 12 min.
Lillian is the living breathing vision of the work of 19th Century Pulitzer Prize winning poet, activist, feminist Edna St. Vincent Millay. The film opens in 1940 with Lillian Manning (Tony Nominee, Kathleen Chalfant) engaged in bittersweet reflection of a love lost...not to death but to unyielding norms confining Lillian to marriage and motherhood. The reverie begins in 1918 as an innocent encounter between a younger Lillian (Amanda Pennington) and Frances Duthu (Toni Robison-May) unfolds into a sweet same-sex romance bound by emotion rather than duty. But the relationship soon crumbles under the ever present requirement that a woman of Lillian's social standing remain a proper wife and mother.
Spong’s second feature length documentary, “All The Way Through Evening” is an engaging and poignant film that chronicles social activist and pianist Mimi Sterne Wolfe, who since 1990 has produced directed and performed the annual Benson World AIDS Day Concert, named in memory of her late friend, tenor Eric Benson. The concerts present music written by composers killed by HIV/AIDS related illnesses. Spong takes us into Mimi’s cluttered, claustrophobic cave of an apartment as she and her colleagues plan and rehearse the 2010 concert. As the works of each of the composers is introduced, the documentarian cuts to interviews with their partners, friends and family who share an insight into the person to compliment the creative work presented. ALL THE WAY THROUGH EVENING is simple film making that strikes a major chord. Engaging, empathetic, educational and uplifting, it’s a diamond gem
Last Time We Checked
Directed by Anson Mount, USA 2012
Running Time: 14 min.
Stan, a mild-mannered gay man, has been called into the Department of Immigration to account for his marriage to a Canadian drag queen. It's not going well. Having recently won the right to marry his boyfriend, Stan now finds himself caught in the bureaucratic rotors of American government. Convinced of a conspiracy, Stan launches into a bout of hysteria driven by the fear of being separated from his love.
Win or Lose
'Directed by Daniel Koehier, USA, 2013
Running Time: 16 min.
Raleigh-based photographer Curtis Brown has never been political – until now. When a proposed constitutional amendment threatens the legitimacy of many North Carolina families, Brown takes up his camera to make a stand. He and a handful of friends set up photo shoots across the state to capture a portrait of unity in this inspiring story from the struggle for marriage equality. As he encourages change, Brown battles politicians, ignorance, and his own doubt. The day of the vote approaches, and Brown cannot help but fear he has not done enough to convince North Carolina to vote against Amendment One. Yet, win or lose, Brown takes comfort in the knowledge that, through his project, thousands have banded together in love and support.
5:00 p.m.
NON-FICTION FILMS: Politics Across America
Location: Global Heritage Hall, 01
Introduced by Adam Mennona, RWU Economics Major
Hosted by Alice Cross, Adjunct Professor, Communications
Rosita Lopez for President
Directed by Rachel Goldberg, USA, 2012
Running Time: 9 min.
This short film was created through Film Independent's signature diversity program -- Project Involve. Each fellow was given a theme -- democracy and California -- and was asked to create a short film. Sponsored by Panavision, NBC/Universal, Wildfire Post-Production Sound and Color Space Finishing, each team was given a package and a limited amount of time to create a short film. Starring Daniela Bobadilla (Awake, Anger Management) and Charles Robinson (Antwone Fisher, Night Court), Rosita Lopez for President is about a 14-year-old girl who is running for President of the United States of America. As she tries to garner votes, she renews more than just a faith in democracy in the people she meets.
Running Time: 84 min.
A journey across America's Route 66 finds a country united in disappointment with the status quo in Washington. Citizens from all walks of life discuss money in politics, divisive campaign tactics, broken promises and the helpless feeling that as the election nears they must choose between the lesser of two evils. Of By For features in-depth analysis and candid conversations with some of the country's most notable politicians, campaign consultants and psychologists. Uncovering the powerful interests that corrode our political system and divide the people, Of By For finds that hope for real change still exists - we've just been looking in all the wrong places.
WEdnesday, April 9th:
1:00 p.m.
POINTS OF LOVE: The Connections We Make
Location: Mary Tefft White Cultural Center, RWU Library
Introduced by Alex Campbell, RWU Marine Biology Major
Parked
Directed by Myles Milne, Canada, 2013
Running Time: 16 min.
PARKED is a compelling story of two young sisters that are forced to re-connect while facing reality of the death of their mother. The elder sister Marilyn (Maria Asofiei) returns home to stay with her younger sister Emily (Victoria Di Giovanni). Marilyn cannot deal with this calamity, and tries to distract herself from her despair. As Marilyn and Emily refuse to understand each other, time passes which makes them realize why they are together in the first place. They must find a way to set their resentments aside, cause in the end they only have each other to lean on.
Suzanne
Directed by Wilfried Méance, France, 2013
Running Time: 10 min.
Today, Suzanne's life will change forever. No one seems notice it.
Sincerely
Directed by Thomas Zoeschg, USA, 2013
Running Time: 22 min.
Sincerely is a short film evolving around Ms. Daisy Heathrow, who in the eyes of the local postman Herald, has been lonely a bit too long and so he initiates the rescue. When Ms. Heathrow realizes what she was missing during the past years, Herald gets lost. A new, different postman knocks on her door and Ms. Heathrow is challenged to leave her comfort zone in order to save the long lost feeling of company. Sincerely is a short film about loneliness, insecurity, stubbornness and the good in some people.
A Love Lockumentary
Directed by Danny Prussmann, USA, France, 2012
Running Time: 55 min
A Love Lockumentary explores the ideal of finding lasting love, whether or not it exists and how to find it if it does. After hearing the story of his parents' romantic trip across Europe, and ultimately to Paris, where they placed a very special lock on the Pont Des Arts, director Danny Prussmann is compelled to embark on a personal journey to figure out why, at 41 years old, he still hasn't found true love. The concept of lasting love and the ritual of placing 'Love Locks' are explored through both his parent's love story, and the stories of random lovers placing their own locks on the Pont Des Arts (a pedestrian bridge in Paris).
3:00 p.m.
YOU BE THE JUDGE...
Location: Mary Tefft White Cultural Center, RWU Library
Introduced by Charles Stanley, RWU Media Communications Major
What elements make up a great short film? To answer this question and many more, the program director of RIIFF, Shawn Quirk, will host a screening of newly submitted short films that have yet to be accepted into this year’s RIIFF. At the screening, Shawn will discuss the art of the short film, and what festivals look for when accepting them. During the screening audience members will vote for their favorite short film (with English subtitles), and the film that earns the most votes will go on to be accepted for official competition in this year’s RIIFF. Come see brand new cutting edge independent work and you might discover a future Oscar® nominee!
About our Guest Host:
Shawn Quirk is the program director of the Flickers: Rhode Island International Film Festival. For several years he has worked as an independent filmmaker and foreign language teacher in France and the U.S. During his time abroad, Shawn worked on a number of film productions in both Belgium and France, including assistant camera work for the two-time Palme d’or winning Dardennes Brothers’ film,“The Kid with the Bike.” Over the past year, Shawn has been curating year-round film programs at RIIFF, and helping to further establish the Festival as one of the country’s leading platforms of discovery for global independent cinema.
5:00p.m.
A NIGHT OF PASSION
Location: Global Heritage Hall, 01
Introduced by Francis Ferdinand, RWU Music Major
Danielle, True Expressions
Directed by Amelia Allwarden, USA, 2014
Running Time: 2 min.
Danielle Alfredo, a Psychology major at Roger Williams University Class of 2014, is passionate about dance and performance. This piece was produced by Amelia Allwarden, a Visual Communication major at RWU Class of 2014, as a part of her True Expression series of short films. Amelia’s True Expression series features people and their passions. (*description from www.underthebridgerwu.com)
LIV
Directed by Pauline Findlay, Australia, 2012
Running Time: 12 min.
Teenage punk Liv is being brutalized by cyber bullies, and loathed by her mother. A chance for change and discovery comes when she enters an art competition and falls in love with Jasper. Can her passion for art and tattooing overcome the bullies?
Following nearly 40 years of unrelenting war – with every attendant horror – peace and reconstruction are slowly arriving to Angola. Damaged first by the war for independence from Portugal, Angola was then ripped apart by a devastating civil war that orphaned thousands of children. Huambo, Angola’s second largest city, finds 55 of these children in the Okutiuka orphanage under the care of Sonia Ferreira. Sonia’s boyfriend, Wilker Flores, is a death metal guitarist who uses the brutal sounds and rhythms of this hardcore music as a path to healing, or, as Sonia says, “to clear out the debris from all these years of war.” DEATH METAL ANGOLA tracks Wilker and Sonia’s dream – to stage Angola’s first-ever national rock concert, bringing together members from different strands of the Angolan hardcore scene from different provinces – as it unfolds in fits and starts against the bombed out and mined backdrop of the formerly stately Huambo. Rubble and deconstructed spaces provide scenic reminders of why
hardcore music has gained a foothold. What initially looks like a Quixotic undertaking gains momentum, aided by social media and propelled by members of the various branches of the death metal hardcore underground, who join together to stage the event. Raucous and righteous, DMA’s look at a rock show off the grid is fulfilling, haunting, and real.
8:00p.m.
RWU DANCE CLUB PRESENTS “KILL THE LIGHTS”
Location: Field House
Join us for the Spring Semester Dance Club Show showcasing the talent of our RWU students. From jazz to lyrical to hip-hop, there is something for everyone! Doors open at 7:45p.m. Pre-sale tickets can be picked up in the Campus Recreation Center lobby.
Admission: Students $5, Parents/Staff $7
THURSday, April 10th:
NEW VOICES: A CELEBRATION OF RWU STUDENT CREATIVITY & TALENT
Location: Global Heritage Hall, Atrium
11:00 a.m.
Throughout the day there will be student displays of artwork, photography, written work, short films, and animated films displayed in the GHH Artium; also, there will be acoustic performances by the RWU Musicians’ Guild, members include: James Paternostro, Casey Carroll, Tyler Falcoa, Peter Janeiro, Andrew Burgess, and RJ Scofield.
Welcome By Dean Robert Eisinger, Feinstein College of Arts & Sciences
2:00 p.m.
Post show performance by the RWU Acapella Group “Drastic Measures”
Location: Global Heritage Hall, Atrium
2:30 p.m.
Poetry Slam Demo
Location: Global Heritage Hall, Atrium
3:00 p.m.
SHORT CUTS: Pre-Speaker's Panel Film Screening
Location: Global Heritage Hall, 01
The Sidekick
Directed by Michael J. Weithorn and Rob Benedict
Running Time: 28 min.
An offbeat take on the superhero genre and an allegory about the struggle to find your purpose in life even as you are being…repurposed.
3:30 p.m.
THE CREATIVE PROCESS IN 90 MINUTES:
Film, Media Literacy and Storytelling
Location: Global Heritage Hall, 01
Introduced by RJ Scofield, RWU Media Communications Major
ROVNG EYE GUEST SPEAKER PROGRAM
How does one become a filmmaker? How do you take an idea and transpose it to the screen? What are the steps? In a freeform discussion, learn from two filmmakers who will share their journey and inspiration.
About our Panelists:
Steven Feinberg is the Executive Director of the Rhode Island Film & Television Office. He formerly spent 22 years in Los Angeles and worked with every major Hollywood studio as a writer, director and producer. Since 2004, in his capacity at the Film & TV Office, he shepherded over $300 million of film and television production into the state, creating thousands of jobs for local talent, crew and small businesses.
He received the first Annual Imaginnaire Award from New England’s Imagine Magazine, has been the Honorary Chairman for Rhode Island's official Academy Award Oscar Night in 2009 and 2012, served as the Vice-President on the Board of Directors for “Celebrate Rhode Island” in 2010 to assist families with heating during difficult times, is a member of the Touro Fraternity, was designated the “Rhode Island Hospitality Ambassador of the Year 2010” by the Ocean State’s Convention & Visitor’s Bureau, received the George M. Cohan Ambassador Award from the Rhode Island International Film Festival in 2011 and, most recently in 2012, was nominated by the United States Coast Guard for the Department of Defense Joint Civilian Orientation Conference.
Steven studied cinematography at UCLA and film and television production at the prestigious USC Cinema School. For more information go to: www.film.ri.gov
Alexia Kosmider is a Senior Lecturer in the Liberal Arts department at RISD and my film company, Shifting Visions Education Films Project, is a small nonprofit film company, which consists of a core of dedicated film professionals. Shifting Vision's primary aim is to explore subjects that have been previously misrepresented or overlooked by larger film companies and to create educational documentaries that foster a greater sensitivity to contemporary social and cultural issues. Our previous documentaries include Sappho’s Fire, which premiered at the Boston LGBTQ Film Festival (2011) and Not Your Mama’s Roller Derby premiering at the Rhode Island International Film Festival (2010).
Michele Meek is an award-winning filmmaker, writer and educator who pioneered the development of NewEnglandFilm.com, the renowned magazine and resource for independent filmmaking in the northeast, and led the transition of the 30-year-old film magazine The Independent to the nonprofit organization Independent Media Publications where she remains a board member. She co-edited The Independent's Guide to Film Distribution which will available for purchase in April 2014, and she has written extensively on film in publications including MovieMaker Magazine, The Independent, and Indiewire. She has taught film, literature and writing courses at Boston College, Emerson College, Massachusetts College of Art and University of Rhode Island. She earned her M.F.A. from Emerson College and is currently a Ph.D. candidate at URI. She can be reached through her website at www.michelemeek.com.
Jeff Toste is an artist, musician and independent filmmaker. Jeff will make his directorial debut with Haven Brothers: Legacy of the American Diner "The original food truck." The story of the oldest operating American diner on wheels.
Jeff was second unit director for the Emmy-nominated On The Lake: Life and Love in a Distant Place (premiered 2009; nominated for Best Documentary 2010). He has been making commercial videos for over 6 years. A musician for over 20 years, Jeff also writes and records music for film and therapeutic reasons.
Jeff received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Illustration and Design from The University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth. A lifelong Rhode Islander, Jeff resides in Providence.
5:00 p.m.
RWU Student Short Film Showcase
Location: Global Heritage Hall, 01
Introduced by Andrew Burgess, RWU Journalism Major
Celebrating new film work created by students at Roger Williams University. Featuring films from members of the RWU Film Production Club and new works from the Visual Arts Program (VARTS) in Digital Media taught by Professor Amy Lovera.
7:00 p.m.
RWU Poetry Slam
Location: CAS, 157
Ready to release your inner slam? Join us for the Poetry Slam and watch while the best of the best share their own slam poetry. Free event!
FRIDAY, APRIL 11TH:
Story Day 2014: Moving Images
A RIIFF Partnership and Roving Eye Festival Collaboration
Images have been used to tell stories since long before the written word. Cave artists provide the first evidence of prehistoric storytelling. Today, images continue to inform, inspire, challenge and shape public understanding, whether they are in print, or shown on film, or streamed on the Internet.
Story Day 2014 will examine moving images - animation, feature documentary and television, as well as short documentary and video. In addition to interactive panels with accomplished storytellers, Story Day 2014 will also feature the presentation of the Pell Center Prize for Story in the Public Square to Emmy-winning screenwriter, producer, and actor Danny Strong, whose screenwriting credits include Recount, Game Change, Lee Daniels’ The Butler, and Mockingjay, the two-part Hunger Games finale, set for release later this year and in 2015.
A wild west rock musical that redefines America’s controversial 7th President as an “emo” rock star. The 2010 Broadway hit that’s funny, subversive, and thought provoking.
ABOUT THE RWU THEATRE PROGRAM:
“A Gem Of A University Theater”
Rhode Island is a hotbed of theater. One hidden gem has to be Roger Williams University Theatre in Bristol, in a gorgeous old barn hauled to the university from East Greenwich many years ago. They do shows with heft here, staging productions such as “The Laramie Project Ten Years Later: An Epilogue,” revisiting the horrific story of a gay University of Wyoming student, Matthew Shepard, who was tied to a fence, brutally beaten, and later died. They’re also doing “Avenue Q,” which Dorisa S. Boggs, theater professor and former department chairwoman, calls “an adult-rated Sesame Street musical”; and “God of Carnage,” a French play about parents acting badly. The shows are populated by students, professional actors, and locals. (From “THE BOSTON GLOBE” December 30, 2012).
SATURDAY, APRIL 12th:
4:00 p.m.
WQRI Spring Concert
Performance by: To Be Announced...
Location: Campus Recreation Center Patio
(Rain Location: Field House)
Free to students with a RWU Student ID;
$10 general public
7:00 p.m.
RWU THEATRE PERFORMANCE:
BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON
Music and Lyrics by Michael Friedman
Book by Alex Timbers
(Main Season IV)
A wild west rock musical that redefines America’s controversial 7th President as an “emo” rock star. The 2010 Broadway hit that’s funny, subversive, and thought provoking.
THE SPRING 2014 FILM/SPEAKER SERIES ON THE JEWISH EXPERIENCE IN HONOR OF YOM HASHOAH SPONSORED BY THE EDWIN S. SOFORENKO FOUNDATION
The Sharps' War: Two Americans Who Defied the Nazis
Documentary Screening and Director's Discussion
Location: Global Heritage Hall, 01
Introduced by Macey Farnsworth, RWU Journalism Major
Featuring a discussion with Artemis Joukowsky III, director and grandson of Waitstill and Martha Sharp, and Alexandra and Lydia Joukowsky, their great granddaughters
A screening of the new documentary about two Americans, the Rev. Waitstill Sharp and Martha Sharp, who boldly committed to a life-threatening mission in Europe to help save imperiled Jews and refugees at the onset of World War II. This is a story with Rhode Island ties; Martha Sharp grew up in Providence, attended First Baptist Church as a young girl, and graduated from Pembroke College (of Brown University). For their heroism, the Sharps are two of only three Americans, who have been honored in Jerusalem's Yad Vashem as Right Among the Nations for saving the lives of Jews during the Holocaust.
Directed by the Sharps’ grandson, Artemis Joukowsky III, the film tells their remarkable story of courage, as they bravely fought political and social injustice in Europe, ultimately breaking laws in order to get imperiled adults and children exit visas.. The film features individual interviews with some of the children, now adults, who were rescued by Martha Sharp and brought to America. Their perspectives, in particular, highlight the generational impact of social change, particularly its effect on them personally and their families.
A special note: Ken Burns, legendary filmmaker and documentarian, has announced that he will produce the remarkable American story of Martha and Waitstill Sharp as a WETA/PBS film slated for 2015.
Following the lecture, the Festival will present a program of short films that complement the theme of “Private Lives, Public Actions.”
4:00 p.m.
FILM PROGRAMMING
Location: Global Heritage Hall, 01
Introduced by Meghan Petrell, RWU Spanish Major
Where is My Home?
Directed by Cecilia de Jesus, USA, United Kingdom, 2013
Running Time: 8 min.
Official Best Film Winner of the USC Shoah Foundation's Student Voices Film Competition, “Where is My Home?” is a short animated documentary that tells the story of Vera Gissing and her experience fleeing Czechoslovakia as a young girl during the onset of the Holocaust.
16 Photographs At Ohrdruf
Directed by Matthew Nash, USA, 2013
Running Time: 72 min.
With only a small stack of his grandfather's photos for guidance, filmmaker Matthew Nash tries to understand a family secret that began on April 4, 1945. His search reveals the horror of the first concentration camp found by the Allies and the amazing story of the soldiers who uncovered the Holocaust.
• The Filmmaker will be in attendance
The Lady in Number 6
Directed by: Malcolm Clarke, Canada, USA, United Kingdom, 2013
Running Time: 39 min.
The Lady in Number 6 is one of the most inspirational and uplifting stories of the year. 109-year old, Alice Herz Sommer, the world's oldest pianist and Holocaust survivor shares her story on how to achieve a long and happy life. She discussed the importance of music, laughter, and how to have an optimistic outlook on life.
Sadly, just days before this film won the Academy Award for best short documentary film, Alice died in London.
Closing Reception Follows.
For more information, contact the Spiritual Life Program at Roger Williams University, email nsoukup@rwu.edu. Directions to Roger Williams University can be found at www.rwu.edu
The 2014 Roving Eye International Film Festival is sponsored by The RI Film & the Television Office; Flickers; the Edwin S. Soforenko Foundation; the Helene and Bertram Bernhardt Foundation; Roger Williams University Office of the Provost; the Office of the Dean of Arts and Sciences; the Department of Communications; Hillel; and the Spiritual Life Program.
ABOUT ROGER WILLIAMS UNIVERSITY:
Roger Williams University located in Bristol, R.I. is a leading independent, coeducational university with programs in the liberal arts and the professions, where students become community- and globally-minded citizens. With 42 academic majors, an array of co-curricular activities and study abroad opportunities on six continents, RWU is an opencommunity dedicated to the success of students, commitment to a set of corevalues and providing a world-class education above all else. In the last decade, the University has achieved unprecedented successes including recognition as one of the best colleges in the nation by Forbes, a College of Distinction by Student Horizons, Inc. and as both a best college in the Northeast and one of the nation’s greenest universities by The Princeton Review. For more information, go to: www.rwu.edu.
ABOUT FLICKERS: RHODE ISLAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL:
The mission of FLICKERS: Rhode Island International Film Festival is to discover and empower filmmakers. Held in Providence, and at locations throughout the state, RIIFF is one of only 19 film festivals worldwide that is a qualifying event for the Oscars in the documentary and narrative short categories. It is also New England’s largest film festival. 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. The next Festival will take place August 5-10, 2014. For more information about the festival, please visit www.rifilmfest.org.
For more information about films, dates, and venues
for the Roving Eye International 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. Enter the campus via the front gate passing Campus Security.
From Newport: Take 114N over the Mount Hope Bridge and take the first right off the bridge onto Old Ferry Road. Enter the campus via the front gate passing Campus Security.
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 Marine and Natural Bldg., Global Heritage Hall and the Mary Tefft White Cultural Center.
Look for signage noting "Event Parking."
Our Collaborative Partners:
The 2014 Roving Eye International Film Festival is sponsored by The RI Film & the Television Office; Flickers; the Edwin S. Soforenko Foundation; the Helene and Bertram Bernhardt Foundation; Roger Williams University Office of the Provost; the Office of the Dean of Arts and Sciences; the Department of Communications; Hillel; and the Spiritual Life Program.
Shawn Quirk is the program director of the Flickers: Rhode Island International Film Festival. For several years he has worked as an independent filmmaker and foreign language teacher in France and the U.S. During his time abroad, Shawn worked on a number of film productions in both Belgium and France, including assistant camera work for the two-time Palme d’or winning Dardennes Brothers’ film,“The Kid with the Bike.” Over the past year, Shawn has been curating year-round film programs at RIIFF, and helping to further establish the Festival as one of the country’s leading platforms of discovery for global independent cinema. 
Michael F. Drywa, Jr., Esq. (moderator) RIIFF Advisory Board President, is a highly accomplished attorney with more than ten years experience in all phases of civil litigation and corporate law supplemented by a successful ten year career in corporate management and strategic business planning. He has been licensed to practice in Rhode Island since 1998 and Massachusetts since 1999. He is also licensed in the United States District Courts for Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
He is currently a Senior Attorney at SIMS & SIMS LLP, where he is responsible for all aspects of complex and standard civil litigation with a concentration in commercial disputes and employment/labor law for corporations and individuals.
Reshad Kulenovic is a writer/director based in Rhode Island and New York. He has worked in the production department of numerous films and TV shows, including THE EDUCATION OF CHARLIE BANKS and in the camera department for the Newport Jazz Festival. He has been awarded the Antonio Cirino Memorial Art Fellowship and the University of Rhode Island gave him the first ever President's Award for Excellence in Film. For his short film SNOVI he became one of the first artists to be funded by the Heinrich Boll Foundation. Another producer of SNOVI was the Centre Andre Malraux Sarajevo, which also produced Jean-Luc Godard’s NOTRE MUSIQUE. SNOVI has played 20 international film festivals and was awarded a Grand Jury Prize at the 2011 Rhode Island International Film Festival. SNOVI is nominated for a 2011 Student Academy Award. For more information go to: 
Daniel Sousa uses animation and themes commonly found in mythology and fairy tales to examine archetypes of human nature, and the inner struggles between our intellects and our unconscious drives. Rather than following conventional narratives, he approaches filmmaking from a painter’s perspective. He focuses on states of mind, evoking the fragility of fleeting moments, memories and perceptions. Daniel was born in Cape Verde and grew up in Portugal. A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, Sousa has worked as a director and animator with Cartoon Network, Olive Jar Studios, Global Mechanic, and Duck. Sousa has taught at several colleges in the New England area, including Harvard University, The Museum School, and The Art Institute of Boston. Since 2001 he has been teaching at the Rhode Island School of Design. He is a Creative Capital grantee for the production of his new film, "Feral" which was recently nominated for Best Animated Short by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 
A Love Lockumentary 
Steven Feinberg is the Executive Director of the Rhode Island Film & Television Office. He formerly spent 22 years in Los Angeles and worked with every major Hollywood studio as a writer, director and producer. Since 2004, in his capacity at the Film & TV Office, he shepherded over $300 million of film and television production into the state, creating thousands of jobs for local talent, crew and small businesses.
Alexia Kosmider is a Senior Lecturer in the Liberal Arts department at RISD and my film company, Shifting Visions Education Films Project, is a small nonprofit film company, which consists of a core of dedicated film professionals. Shifting Vision's primary aim is to explore subjects that have been previously misrepresented or overlooked by larger film companies and to create educational documentaries that foster a greater sensitivity to contemporary social and cultural issues. Our previous documentaries include Sappho’s Fire, which premiered at the Boston LGBTQ Film Festival (2011) and Not Your Mama’s Roller Derby premiering at the Rhode Island International Film Festival (2010).
Michele Meek is an award-winning filmmaker, writer and educator who pioneered the development of NewEnglandFilm.com, the renowned magazine and resource for independent filmmaking in the northeast, and led the transition of the 30-year-old film magazine The Independent to the nonprofit organization Independent Media Publications where she remains a board member. She co-edited The Independent's Guide to Film Distribution which will available for purchase in April 2014, and she has written extensively on film in publications including MovieMaker Magazine, The Independent, and Indiewire. She has taught film, literature and writing courses at Boston College, Emerson College, Massachusetts College of Art and University of Rhode Island. She earned her M.F.A. from Emerson College and is currently a Ph.D. candidate at URI. She can be reached through her website at 
Jeff Toste is an artist, musician and independent filmmaker. Jeff will make his directorial debut with Haven Brothers: Legacy of the American Diner "The original food truck." The story of the oldest operating American diner on wheels.
A screening of the new documentary about two Americans, the Rev. Waitstill Sharp and Martha Sharp, who boldly committed to a life-threatening mission in Europe to help save imperiled Jews and refugees at the onset of World War II. This is a story with Rhode Island ties; Martha Sharp grew up in Providence, attended First Baptist Church as a young girl, and graduated from Pembroke College (of Brown University). For their heroism, the Sharps are two of only three Americans, who have been honored in Jerusalem's Yad Vashem as Right Among the Nations for saving the lives of Jews during the Holocaust. 
