The RI International Film Festival (RIIFF) will hold its 43rd annual “Flickers” with screenings at six venues in Providence and one at the Misquamicut Drive-In, beginning with their traditional gala opening night at the Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC) on Aug 5. Information is available from film-festival. org and the detailed schedule (searchable by dates, categories, and venues). The general public is encouraged to get tickets in advance, including to the PPAC gala, from the web site. Each festival event runs about 75 – 120 minutes, some concentrating on one long feature and others collecting a number of shorts. Especially known for its Academy Award-qualifying shorts competition, last year’s festival screened over 320 films from 150 countries, seen by 11,000 attendees. The festival reports screening films resulting in 84 Oscar nominations, of which 14 won over the years.
“We’re really excited about the Rhode Island International Film Festival and the opening night at PPAC. I think it’s going to be a great year. The Film Festival team has worked really hard. They lost their executive director, George Marshall, on November 1. 2022, so now Shawn Quirk and Ericka Atwell and Tara Williams have worked really hard to get back on their feet and work together,” Steven Feinberg, executive director of the RI Film and TV Office, said, praising the new team for recovering after the death of their leader. “We’re working closely with them. There are more venues being shown. I think they’re even much more organized than they’ve ever been.” After the Tuesday opening night, screenings Wednesday through Sunday begin at 12:30pm and continue into the early evening, most at the Showcase Cinema at Providence Place, but also at the Donald J. Farish Auditorium of the Providence Public Library, the Vets and Vets Cinematheque, the Avon Cinema on Thayer Street, and once (Thursday, 8:00pm) outdoors at the Misquamicut Drive-In Theatre. Categories include narrative, documentary, and animation. Genres include drama, comedy, romance, musical, horror, and fantasy, with special interests including LGBTQ+ and Jewish films. •