April 17-23, 2017

This Year's Program Celebrates the Power of Art and Culture in Affecting Positive Change

12th Annual event takes place April 17-23rd in collaboration with Roger Williams University. Highlights include major international shorts and features, and documentaries and a celebration of the arts.

2017 ROVING EYE INTERNATIONAL

FILM FESTIVAL AWARDS

12th Annual Event welcomed world premieres & attending filmmakers

BRISTOL, RI • Awards for the top films screened at the 12th Annual Roving Eye International Film Festival have been announced.

The Festival created by the Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival (RIIFF) in partnership with Roger Williams University kicked off April 17th and ran through the 23rd. This year’s programming featured over 70 films from across the world, numerous World and US Premieres; panel discussions/symposia; visiting filmmakers; workshops; student film and arts showcases on the RWU campus.

The Roving Eye International Film Festival is a portal for discovery for film, arts and culture lovers across the region at this year’s celebration.

Complementing this year’s cinematic offerings, the campus will be alive with a bounty of special presentations. The Festival theme this year is “Connecting Through Storytelling.”

The Roving Eye International Film Festival promises to be a portal for discovery for film, arts and culture lovers across the region at this year’s celebration. Complementing this year’s cinematic offerings, the campus will be alive with a bounty of special presentations from a highly anticipated screening of the new documentary by Steven Feinberg, Executive Director of the RI Film & Television Office, “Pell” that chronicles the creation if the Pell Educational Grants; a Conversation with actor, Robert Capron (“Diary of a Wimpy Kid” series and “Elementary” currently on CBS); “The Creative Process In 90 Minutes” featuring Eric Latek, award-winning writer/director/ cinematographer; Armen Garo, actor (“Gotham,” “The Departed,” The Sopranos,” “The Brotherhood,” “Vinyl,” “American Hustle”) and Michael Grando, actor (“The Tonight Show”); a presentation of the documentary “Check It” and Q&A with director, Dana Flor; screening of the Alfred Hitchcock classic “Vertigo” as part of the University’s Great Film Series; The President’s Distinguished Speakers Series featuring Nicholas Kristof, two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and New York Times Columnist; Earth Day Celebration with “Earth Fest 2017” on the D’Angelo Common ( the RWU Quadrangle); the Theater Department’s production of “SPAMALOT,” Book and Lyrics by Eric Idle; Music by John Du Prez and Eric Idle, Directed by Jeffrey B. Martin, with musical direction by Nancy Rosenberg; and guest panelists, educators and industry leaders such as Mauro Colangelo, Film Composer; Alfred Thomas Catalfo, screenwriter, director and attorney, Duncan Putney, actor and award winning screenwriter; Alice Cross, writer/lecturer; Rev. Nancy Soukup, RWU Multifaith Chaplain; and Shawn Quirk, RIIFF Program Director.

Students at the University, with the guidance of Flickers' Rhode Island International Film Festival, create the Roving Eye International Film Festival through the Film Minor senior-level course, Curation and Film Festival Production. Flickers’ Executive Director and RWU Professor, George T. Marshall teaches the class. This year, 16 students spent the first part of the spring semester reviewing more than 500 films provided by Flickers and from there went on to create the entire Roving Eye Festival. The students developed active marketing and PR strategies, including the planning for events plus staffing throughout the week. Roberta E. Adams, Ph.D., Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, is the Festival Chair, linking faculty adjudicators with students, RIIFF and the RWU administration in a unique collaboration.

Students in the Curation and Film Production Class include: Hadi Alyami, Alison Cellana, Reagan Cronin, Gabriela Dinobile, Gabrielle Dougherty, Taylor Flaherty, Jacob Johnson, Alissa Livingston, Tyler McCoy, Zachary Mobrice, Brett Pollina, Kelsey Rogers, Bradley Ross, Benjamin Scheff, Elliot Sirchio and Nicholas Stanglewicz.

THE 2017 AWARD WINNERS:

BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY:

Grand Prize:

Oh, I Get It | Sara McCaslin & Danny Tayara, Directors |United States

1st Prize:

THE MARGARET LAMBERT FILM | Nina Horowitz, Director | Germany & United States

BEST DOCUMENTARY:

Grand Prize:

VIOLINS OF HOPE - STRINGS OF THE HOLOCAUST | Lance Shultz, Director | United States & Israel

1st Prize:

The IF Project | Kathlyn Horan, Director | United States

BEST NARRATIVE SHORT FILM:

Grand Prize:

Billy the Kid | Sam Johnson, Director | United Kingdom

1st Prize:

The Three Tales of a Coin | Nishok, Director | Singapore

BEST ANIMATION:

Grand Prize:

Taking Flight | Brandon Oldenburg, Director | United States

1st Prize:

Lila | Carlos Lascano, Director | Spain & Argentina

To see a listing of this year's programming and to learn more about the Roving Eye Festival, go to: http://www.film-festival.org/RovingEye.php

ABOUT FLICKERS' RHODE ISLAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL:

The Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival (RIIFF), 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. Ranked as one of the top 10 Festivals in the United States, RIIFF is a qualifying festival for the Live Action, Documentary and Animation Short Academy Awards through its affiliation with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, the Canadian Screen Awards and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). There are only 6 film festivals worldwide that share this distinction and RIIFF is the only festival in New England. The Festival takes place every August.

For more information about the Flickers' Rhode Island International Film Festival, running August 8-13, 2017 at the Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC) and The Vets (formerly Veterans Memorial Auditorium), please visit call 401.861.4445.

Our Collaborative Partners: