The Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival returns August 4 – 9, bringing over 300 films across the globe to nine venues in Rhode Island. Recognized as one of the top film festivals in the US, RIIFF received more than 7,000 submissions for its 2026 festival, celebrating the event’s 30th year.
The festival has built a global reputation as a networking event for international filmmakers. Flickers’ attracted work from over 100 countries this year and provides an environment for directors, artists, distributors, producers, and audiences to connect. The festival goes beyond showcasing films, allowing those involved to share works in development, connect with industry professionals and engage directly with audiences. In 2025, Flickers had four films nominated for Academy Awards, adding to the festival’s total of screening 98 Oscar-nominated films (and 15 winners) throughout its history.
Opening night will be hosted at the Providence Performing Arts Center on Aug 4 at 7pm. The night will feature 8 films representing six different countries. Opening night tickets as well as individual day passes and cinephile passes are now available for purchase. film-festival.org/buy-tickets/
Before the festival begins, RIIFF will be showcasing the work of award-winning filmmaker Manya Glassman on Aug 3. The showing will be followed by a discussion between her and Flickers’ executive director Shawn Quirk. Hosted by the Hotel Viking in Newport, the event is free to the public. Doors will open at 5pm with the screening beginning at 5:30.
In addition to screenings, the festival extends its program to the youth with their KidsEye Summer Filmmaking Camp, now in its 28th year. The five-day camp introduces children to the world of filmmaking through workshops on screenwriting, camera work, acting, directing and more. The week concludes in a Red Carpet Premiere Screening at the Festival, where participants are able to debut work they wrote, directed and starred in themselves.
Through their programs, RIIFF brings the world of filmmaking to communities across Rhode Island, creating opportunities for audiences to engage with diverse cinema and storytelling. The festival continues to encourage creativity, inspire cultural change and support the next generation of filmmakers. During the week, films will embrace multiple local venues, focusing around the Vets Auditorium, but including the Avon, the Donald J Farish Auditorium (at the Providence Public Library), PPAC, and the Misquamicut Drive-In. Events include talk-backs, a Rhode Island Film Forum focused on making films in RI, and a day-long Scriptbiz workshop for screenwriters, established and aspiring. Check out the full schedule and all the action at film-festival.org
Editor’s Note: Shortly after publication, Motif learned that RIIFF is not currently an official qualifying festival for the Academy Awards, as it was from 2002 – 2024, however, members of the Academy attend the festival, and the award-winners are screened separately for the Academy at a special screening in LA, where they are all eligible for consideration. The story above has been slightly edited to reflect that.