Moving up to directing after 15 years experience working on the production side of countless films and television series, Rhode Islander (and occasional Motif contributor) Jonathon Schermerhorn released his first feature, The Manor, on May 15. Distributed by Lionsgate, the film is available (under its original working title, Anders Manor) from Amazon and other major vendors via […]
Fattitude is a film from creators Lindsey Averill and Viridiana Lieberman that examines how popular culture promotes fat hatred and fat-shaming, resulting in a very real cultural bias and a civil rights issue for people who are living in fat bodies. The film came together organically, with both filmmakers coming from academic backgrounds and interviewing […]
Mike Messier is the founder of the Avalonia Festival, a short-film festival that recently started in Providence. After a successful first event last December, they’re following up with a second festival on April 20 at Rhodywood Studios, AKA The Brooklyn Coffee and Tea House. I had a chance to talk with Messier about the upcoming festival […]
For the 10th consecutive year, Southeast New England (SENE) Film, Music and Arts Festival will entertain Rhode Islanders with its assortment of creative productions. SENE will start April 24 and run through the 28th, taking place across the state in various venues. The five venues for this year’s festival are Columbus Theatre and Rhodywood Studios in […]
An annual event since 1998, the Providence French Film Festival takes place Saturday, February 24, through Saturday, March 3, with all screenings at the Cable Car Cinema. Although the event is presented by Brown University, the films are not academically oriented and are open to the public. Richard Blakely, director of the festival, said he is […]
The 13th annual Salve Regina French Film Festival take place from Sunday, Febrary 25, through Thursday, March 8. There are a total of six films, said French professor Dean de la Motte, the festival coordinator, all open to the public. “We’re always trying to involve both the [broader] community and the university community and encourage different groups […]
“Unveiling is the story of life. A man’s quest for identity, for realism, for truth. This is by far the most unique film I have ever worked on. The depth and dimension interspersed with the story, reality and imagery will leave viewers speechless.” — Rocco Michaluk Rocco Michaluk is the executive producer on Unveiling, a […]
The ninth annual Providence Children’s Film Festival (PCFF) will take place February 16 through 25 in downtown PVD. The goal of the fest is to introduce people to film as a serious artform at an early age and to focus on the benefits of self-expression, artistry and connections that film can provide. I spoke with […]
I signed 15 different non-disclosures to screen Star Wars: The Last Jedi. But I knew that this movie needed to be reviewed. How else would people know to go see it? The lights went down. The excitement was overwhelming. The trumpets trumpeted. The scroll scrolled. But as the story began to unfold, it felt … familiar. Not […]
There’s a case to be made that ‘90s punk legends Jawbreaker have a big influence on underground music these days. So many bands now similarly walk the line between heart-on-the-sleeve emo and rambunctious punk, the way guitarist and vocalist Blake Schwarzenbach, bass guitarist Chris Bauermeister and drummer Adam Pfahler did in their heyday. The band’s […]