The SENE Scene:Post Covid Camaraderie

Filmmakers from other states and other countries converged on Rhode Island once again for the annual SENE celebration of film, music and art. On a somewhat restricted scale due to the planning uncertainties, this festival took place October 13 – 16, 2021 at the Artists’ Exchange, where screens at 50 and 82 Rolfe Sq. allowed simultaneous screenings.

The spirit of collaboration and love of film was in evidence throughout the festival, with filmmakers and enthusiasts comparing notes between screenings. There were several examples of films created by collaborators who had met at previous SENE events and gone on to work together, and the social atmosphere created by festival founders Phil Capobres and Don Farias made it easy for strangers to talk to each — seeing each other’s films made for instant ice-breakers.

The SENE festival focuses on thematic collections of short films, including animated, sci-fi, horror, comedy, international and drama. It also saw the RI premier of the award-winning horror feature Seeds by long-standing local filmmaker Skip Shea. Among the shorts, one could catch everything from creepy undead teen girls to URI-based alien predators, from the Weinsteinian straight white guys who solve sexism for all of us to haunting raven-girls who solve bullying.

This year’s award winning films are posted here: senefest.com/awards.html

SENE is an annual event, with a few films being rescreened as part of Motif’s ongoing monthly film series and at other events through the year in RI and other parts of the country.