April 27- May 3, 2020

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

• CLICK HERE -- OR THE IMAGE BELOW -- FOR THE FULL ONLINE PROGRAM •

15th Annual event takes place April 27-May 3rd in collaboration with Roger Williams University. Highlights include major international shorts and features, and documentaries and a celebration of the arts. This is the inaugural Online Presentation of the Festival.

Those Creating the 2020 Festival:

Students in the Curation and Film Production Class include: Elias Bakas, Samuel Bartoes, Owen Bearer, Cameron Bortolussi, Luke Brennan, Sarah Coleman, Benjamin Crawley, Matthew Fernandes, Williams Guido, Jordan Hawkes, Robert Libertini, Chloe Noyes, Gavin Okun, Molly Ortiz, Sara Osborne, Tyler Porter, Mariah Richards, Makenzie Rose, Paul Schnadig, Leia Stone, Jordan Sweenie, Angeli Tillet and Cullen Zurcher.

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Elias Bakas is a junior at Roger Williams University from Lynn, Massachusetts. He will graduate in Spring of 2020 with a degree in Public Relations and a minor in Marketing. In his freshman year, he took an introduction to film course as an elective and instantly fell in love. His previous experience as a cameraman, and later director, at his city’s community-access-television station drew him into the area of study. While he likely won’t pursue a career in the film industry, it will always have a special place in his heart.

Samuel Bartoes is from North Granby, CT, and is currently a Senior at Roger Williams University majoring in Public Relations. Sam has always enjoyed partaking in film classes at RWU, and hopes to land a job in Boston, MA after graduation.

Owen Bearer is a graduating senior at Roger Williams majoring in marketing with a minor in film studies. He has always had a strong affinity for film and is always one of the fields of study that has most interested him. Currently on the job search and open to any opportunities that might arise.

Cameron Bortolussi is a current sophomore at Roger Williams University majoring in public relations. Cameron is taking the Festival Curation in hopes to build up his skill set in how to run a successful program. While he has a background in film production, learning about how festivals are run will be a fine addition.

Luke Brennan is currently a freshman at Roger Williams University and is studying as a Journalism major. He is from Easton, Massachusetts. Luke has been interested in film for a long time and is learning how to operate cameras, lights and other film equipment during his time in the journalism department. His hobbies include reading, watching films and cooking. After Roger Williams University, Luke hopes to eventually become a White House correspondent for a major news network.

Sarah Coleman is a senior at Roger Williams University. She is majoring in marketing with a minor in psychology and concentration in film studies. Sarah has been actively learning how to use programs such as iMove, Adobe Premiere Pro, and Youtube studio, for a few years in hopes to incorporate her film background with her future marketing career. Sarah is an avid movie watcher and enjoys all different types of film genres. After graduating from Roger Williams University she will be attending Bentley University in Waltham Massachusetts to continue her higher education and pursue her Masters in Business Administration.

Ben Crawley is a senior political science major who has a deep interest in news and the media. He is the News Editor for the Hawks’ Herald, the student run newspaper on campus. Growing up, he always loved movies and was even named after the main character in the movie “The Graduate.” Ben was attracted to Roving Eye because after attending it in previous years, he wanted to be involved in such a great festival.

Matt Fernandes is a Junior at Roger Williams University, majoring in Communications Media Studies with a core concentration in Film. Matt has always loved watching films and the use of media in everyday society. He is also part of the E-board for Brain Club at Roger Williams University. Some other activities he enjoys doing are, hiking, bike riding, and traveling to Portugal to visit his grandparents and other close relatives.

Will Guido is a freshman at Roger Williams University, he is a visual arts major and is currently enrolled in many art/film classes. Back in high school, he has taken both film and graphic design courses and hopes to land a career in the business.

Jordan Hawkes is a freshman at Roger Williams University and is currently undecided on a major. He’s always had a deep interest with film since a young age and has created YouTube videos since he was 11. Jordan has gained years of experience with programs like Sony Vegas and Adobe Photoshop. He is proud to be taking part in working with the Roving Eye Film Festival.

Robert Libertini is a Graphic Design major. He has a core concentration in film. He loves movies of all kinds, Throughout his life he has expanded his horizons looking into movies that aren't just mainstream this brought him to be a part of Roving Eye.

Chloe Noyes is currently a Freshman at Roger Williams University and is studying as a Communications and Media Studies Major. Chloe found her love for film through a program called the Young Filmmaker’s Workshop at the New Hampshire Film Festival. Her step-father is heavily involved in the film industry and has aided in her love for films and filmmaking. She loves to shoot and edit videos and hopes to continue this passion in the future, through college and post-grad. Outside of film, Chloe is on the Equestrian team at Roger Williams and hopes to continue with the sport through all four years of college and after college as well. Chloe also loves photography and she likes to read in her free time.

Gavin Okun : I am a senior Political Science major at Roger Williams, with a minor in Film Studies. I’ve always enjoyed films for their ability to transport the viewer into a new universe and make them feel for the characters in a short amount of time. My top 3 favorite films are BladeRunner 2049, Sean of the Dead and A Simple Favor. Gavin is proud to be able to work on the Roving Eye Film Festival.

Molly Ortiz is a junior at RWU. She is majoring in Sociology and Anthropology, with two minors: one in Criminal Justice, one in Ancient Greek (who said it’s a dead language), with a core concentration in film. She is the current president of the Slam Poetry Club and is not known to be one to mince her words. She found her love for film when, in the end credit scenes of Iron Man, Samuel L. Jackson said “Mr. Stark, you’ve become part of a much bigger universe. You just don’t know it yet”.

Sara Osborne is from Harwich, MA and is currently a Senior at Roger Williams University majoring in Public Relations with a Film Concentration and a Marketing minor. Sara has always loved watching films and hopes to work in the film industry after graduation. Sara has always been interested in the film industry and believes that there is no problem a good movie can’t solve. She is very excited to help with the production of the festival.

Tyler Porter is a senior at Roger Williams University, majoring in Architecture with a double minor in Film Studies & Visual Arts along with a specialization in visual arts: film, animation, and video. Her goal is to become a humanitarian architect, creating efficient living-learning communities in underdeveloped areas, fulfilling her passions in providing international relationships that will support her efforts in being an inclusive and culturally sensitive architect. As a result, she will be adding to the two percent of African American women license holders, a number that is growing at a fast rate. Her passion for films derived from her adolescence, which shaped her imagination when it comes to crafting an environment. She wanted to create these motion pictures later in her career with her background in architecture, influencing how people see and inhabit space, whether it's digital or physical. Tyler is not only diverse in the communities on and off-campus but hopes to bring her gained knowledge of architecture and her identity as a minoritized woman adding value to her future career endeavors. She hopes to work with individuals like Guillermo del Toro, Tyler Perry, and in firms like Jaklitsch/Gardner Architects and Studio Sumo.

Mariah Richards is a junior at Roger Williams University, she is majoring in Accounting and has a core concentration of film. While in high school, she took a photography class which introduced her passion for film. Mariah has always loved watching films and by taking film courses, her interest in making film her core concentration rose. After she graduates, she plans to become a CPA and use her film concentration to bring out my creative side with whatever she does.

Makenzie Rose is currently a sophomore at Roger Williams University, majoring in Creative Writing with a minor in Marketing and a core concentration in Film Studies. She is from Fall River, Massachusetts. Makenzie has had an interest in film since taking courses in high school that worked with Fall River Educational Television (FREDTv). She has always had a passion for creating new worlds in the genres of mystery and fantasy. After college, she hopes to become an author, and use the skills she learned while studying film to create her own screenplays. Makenzie looks forward to working with RIIFF on the 15th annual Roving Eye Film Festival.

Paul Schnadig is a Sophomore at Roger Williams University. He is studying for a B.S. in marine biology and a film studies minor. He grew up in Concord, Massachusetts. His hobbies include scuba diving, photography, reading, meditation, and watching films. He aspires to work in the film industry sometime after college.

Leia Stone is a Junior at Roger Williams University in the process of earning her Bachelor of Fine Arts. She is a multi interdisciplinary artist with a background in photo, video, and drawing. Her artwork tends to be intense, wild, and colorful with a mix of cute and bizzare subject matters. In hopes of creating grand artistic experiences and memories for people, Leia’s dream is to work for Walt Disney Imagineering. She loves storytelling, character design, and working on grand projects and therefore aspires to be part of Imagineering in order to create and inspire others. She is from Somerset, Massachusetts where she sits in her home studio working on art and tending to her animals.

Jordan Sweenie is a freshman psychology major from Massachusetts, with a film minor. She is infamous among her friends for her perhaps excessive love of Star Wars, and has been extremely passionate about film since she was young. She loves to write movie reviews, even if they just gather dust in her Google Docs. Jordan hopes that working on the Roving Eye Film Festival will not only broaden her knowledge of the industry, but of what makes a good film.

Angeli Tillett is a senior at Roger Williams University from Dartmouth, Massachusetts. She will graduate in the Spring of 2020 with degrees in both Journalism and Political Science. Ever since high school she has enjoyed writing film reviews. Her introduction to film at RWU came when taking a public speaking course with George Marshall and made attending Roving Eye a requirement. Now Angeli hopes to help make Roving Eye a fun and interesting experience for everyone involved. In the future Angeli hopes to work in film or television production.

Cullen Zurcher is currently a senior at Roger Williams University. From, Glastonbury, Connecticut. Studying a major in public relations and a minor in marketing. Additionally, completing a core concentration in film. Has had an interest in film for a long time, excited to be apart of the production of the festival.

Student Consultants for Roving Eye 2020:

Shawn Quirk, MFA

Program Co-Director

Shawn is an independent filmmaker, artist and scholar who has directed a number of short films and short documentaries. After receiving his Bachelors of Science in Film Production from Boston University, he worked for two years as an English assistant in France at the Cité Scolaire Vauban in Givet. During his time abroad he became involved with a number of film productions in both Belgium and France, which included camera work for the two time Palme d'or winning Dardennes Brothers on their most recent film "The Kid with the Bike." Shawn became a part of the Flickers team in the Fall of 2011, and is now the Program Director for Flickers and oversees the Rhode Island International Film Festival and the Vortex, Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror Film Festival. As a filmmaker and noted editor in his own right, Shawn's goal is to help discover the next generation of auteurs, the new voices of independent cinema. Shawn recently completed his MFA at Lesley University. To email Shawn: click here.

Nick Stanglewicz is a freshman at Roger Williams University and is currently majoring in
Graphic Design, and hopes to complete school with a dual degree in Film Studies and a
minor in marketing. Nick has had a passion for creating for as long as he can remember;
whether it was writing poetry for his amazing mother as a nine year old, or launching his
own brand of graphic design work and merchandise, StangGFX, he has been
submerged in the field of art for much of his life. Nick’s hobbies range from creating his
own poetry, music, and films to playing video games, hiking, fishing, and spending time
with his family. Nick has loved Professor George Marshall’s curriculum through his first year
and can’t wait for the rest of his career at RWU.

Angela Ferguson-Martins

Angela Ferguson-Martins, a Rhode Island native, is a freshman at Roger Williams University. She is a Public Relations major with a minor in Film Studies and is a member of the university’s Honors Program. An alumni of the Jacqueline M. Walsh School for the Performing and Visual Arts (JMW) in Pawtucket, RI, Angela’s interest in the arts stems from her over 15 years of competitive dance experience and her conservatory-style training while at JMW. She holds multiple regional dance titles and has been a guest performer at a variety of professional venues, including the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida and on multiple Carnival cruise ships. Currently at RWU, Angela serves as the executive Training Coordinator for the student-run radio station 88.3 FM WQRI, where she is a DJ Host on multiple radio shows. She is also a Writing Tutor in the campus Tutoring Center. Off campus, she is an All Star Teacher and Choreographer at Dance Attitudes in Pawtucket, RI, where she trains dancers of all ages and backgrounds, including competitive dancers. Angela’s interest in film stems from her love for Disney, specifically her fascination with the company’s animated features. She hopes to someday work for the Walt Disney Company’s public relations team in Burbank, CA. For business inquiries, Angela can be contacted at afergusonmartins@gmail.com.

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