RIIFF PRESENTS “ADOPT-A-FILM” CHALLENGE
TO FELLOW NON-PROFITS
Calling Non-Profit Organizations
PROVIDENCE, RI (Summer 2007) - In an unusual twist to the current sponsorship
environment, the non-profit Rhode Island International
Film Festival (RIIFF), is not asking for money, but
giving it away. For the fifth year RIIFF has created
a unique opportunity for other non-profits to raise
funds through its annual Festival, August 7-12, 2007.
Called the RIIFF “Adopt-a-Film” Challenge,
it will allow select non-profits access to festival
tickets that they can sell to their own audience.
These deserving non-profits
can then keep all revenues generated for their critical
and underfunded programs.
“In these mercurial times, which are fraught with
ongoing financial difficulty, particularly with increased
energy costs and creeping inflation, we feel it’s
our obligation to the community we serve and to our
peers to open our doors and challenge existing funding
schemes by being proactive,” said RIIFF Executive
Director, George T. Marshall. “While we certainly
welcome any and all financial support to run our event,
we know that we also have something which could benefit
others--a plethora of film screenings and programming
blocks.”
This year, RIIFF will screen over 275 films in multiple
locations in the city of Providence as well as throughout
the state of Rhode Island. Large numbers of filmmakers
are expected to be in attendance. Last year, over 230
filmmakers registered at the RIIFF office. This year
that number is expected to grow even more since over
2,500 film entries from across the globe are anticipated to be entered
into the Festival.
“In order to accommodate the heavy volume of films,
we are forced to present many of them at times that
may not be ideal for many working filmgoers. While audience
attendance has traditionally varied during the weekday,
we have seen that certain niche programming will fill
a house, regardless of day and time,” reveals
Marshall. “It was our thinking that we would make
many of these niche time slots available as part of
our “Adopt-a-Film” Challenge, thereby ensuring
a stronger audience for visiting filmmakers while providing
an opportunity for non-profits to work with us and help
them raise needed funds.”
It should be noted that the niche time slots would feature
work complimentary to the non-profit’s interests.
This could be environmental, health, human service,
arts, education, civil rights, hispanic, gay rights, ethnicity,
religion, or a whole host of interests. In order to
take part in this opportunity, there are ground rules
and a time frame.
“We have limited seating, even with the 800+ seats
of the Columbus Theatre, RIIFF’s mainstage. So,
we are asking non-profits to state their case and convince
us why we should work with them,” explains Marshall.
“We obviously cannot accommodate all of the state’s
non-profits, so we are taking a page from the Rhode
Island State Council on the Arts, and asking for an
application which will state their need and an explanation
as to why this opportunity would be beneficial to them.”
The “Adopt a Film” Challenge kicks off the
week of June 4th. All non-profits interested in accepting
the Challenge must submit a letter of intent on company
stationary which clearly details their need plus who
will benefit from the funds raised. A mission statement
and board listing should be included, along with a copy
of the IRS 501-C3 designation. All applicants must have
letter of intent postmarked by Wednesday, July 25th.
Collaborative partners will be announced by the end
of that week.
Entries will be judged on: clarity of purpose, need,
and a clearly stated goal of the benefits of collaboration
with the Film Festival. Judging will be undertaken by
a panel composed of filmmakers, screenwriters and members
of the Board of the Flickers Arts Collaborative, the
parent company and producer of RIIFF.
The winners of the “Adopt a Film” Challenge
will receive 50 free tickets (a $500 value) to a select
film which will complement the service in which they
provide. They will be able to sell or raffle the ten-dollar
tickets at any price thus raising their potential revenue.
If the winning entities sell all their tickets, RIIFF
will provide additional tickets as a bonus. In addition,
the winners will be acknowledged in a follow-up press
release. All proceeds will benefit the winning non-profit
agencies, exclusively.
Non profit “Adopt a Film” Challenge participants
should send their applications to: RIIFF’s Adopt a
Film” Challenge, PO Box 162, Newport, RI 02840.
Questions can be addressed to georget@film-festival.org.
RHODE ISLAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
268 Broadway
Providence, RI 02903
Tel: 401/861-4445; Fax: 401/490-6735
email:
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