Flickers' 35th Anniversary Opening Night Gala Celebration & Soirée

Tuesday, August 8, 2017 at 7:00 p.m.

• ORDER YOUR TICKETS BELOW:

• ACCESS THIS YEAR'S FESTIVAL GENIUS SCHEDULE

All Opening Night events take place at

The Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC)

220 Weybosset Street, Providence, RI

Join us for our 21st annual Opening Night screening and celebration of the Rhode Island International Film Festival and the 35th Anniversary of its creator/producer, Flickers.

Revel in the talent, artistry, and creative energy that make up the Flickers' Rhode Island International Film Festival.

Thought-provoking, unforgettable and brilliant films from around the world await audiences at the August 8th Opening Night Celebration of FLICKERS -- and indeed throughout the week. The evening’s exhilarating line-up will showcase some of the finest examples of independent and international short films and World Premieres.

We could not be more pleased to be back the the magnificent Providence Performing Arts Center for the Festival’s Opening Night festivities with our good friends Lynn Singleton and Alan Chile, the President and General Manager, respectively, of this city-treasure. The restored Loews movie palace from the 1920s is an elegant 3,300-seat architectural gem, located in the heart of the capital city, 220 Weybosset Street, Providence.

More than 300 feature length, documentary and short films—from 64 countries, and 34 states across the U.S.—will be screened during the six-day Festival at locations throughout the state of Rhode Island. Films have been selected from a record entry base of more than 6,000 submissions, and this year’s Festival will include 107 World and North American premieres. Aside from film screenings, the Flickers team has organized a number of events to encourage filmmakers and festival attendees to widen their knowledge of filmmaking as well as explore the incredible city of Providence that RIIFF is proud to call home.

Ranked as one of the top 10 Festivals in the United States, RIIFF, as noted, is also a qualifying festival for the Live Action, Documentary and Animated Short Film through its affiliation with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. It is also a BAFTA and Canadian Screen-qualifier. There are 6 film festivals worldwide which share this distinction and RIIFF is the only festival in New England. RIIFF is truly a place where the stars align!

The magic of year's Festival begins at 7:00 p.m. with an evening co-hosted by RIIFF Advisory Board President, Board President, Michael Drywa, Esq. and Steven Feinberg, Executive Director of the RI Film & Television Office. The Box Office Opens at 5:30 p.m. with seating starting at 6:30 p.m.

AWARDS OF NOTE:

The RIIFF SCREENPLAY COMPETITION AWARD will be presented to Grand Prize winner, Tannaz Hazemi from Brooklyn, NY whose screenplay is entitled “DEAN THE DRUMMER.”

THE FLICKERS’ PRODUCER’S CIRCLE AWARD recipients include:

• The Champlin Foundation

• Angela Ryding, Actress

• Anthony Ambrosino, Producer/Director

The Producer's Circle Award is annual presented to members of the community who have actively worked to support and promote the mission of the Flickers' Rhode Island International Film Festival.

Then the Festival kicks off in earnest with nine exceptional cinematic gems ~

Coin Operated | Nicholas Arioli 2017

The Eleven O'Clock | Derin Seale 2016

Girl of My Dreams | Johnny Wilson 2016

What the Eye Doesn't See | Frédéric Mermoud 2016

Seeing Him | Chris Jones 2017

Mrs McCutcheon | John Sheedy 2017

Cast Off | Sandrine Brodeur-Desrosiers 2016

Ray & Jenn | Colby Blanchet 2016

The Silent Child | Chris Overton 2017

The Opening Night Program will salute “Flickers' Road to the Oscars®",” a signature theme for the Festival. Some of the best short films that the 2017 festival has to offer will be showcased, plus a treat with a special screening of an Academy-nominated film that hailed from the Festival. All films will be screened in 4K High Definition Digital on PPAC's 50' screen. Timothy Haggerty is the Festival's Technical Director.

Following the film screening, audience members are invited to a Celebration Gala & Soirée in the PPAC lobby. The “Taste of Rhode Island" features mouthwatering desserts from Decadent Designs, Knead Doughnuts, Sans Gluten Artisan Bakery, Scialo Bros., Seven Stars Bakery, Sin Bakery, Sweenor’s Chocolates Inc., and Vienna Bakery plus exquisite food samplers provided by Andreas, CAV Restaurant, Federal Hill Brick Oven Pizza, Geoff’s Superlative Sandwiches, The Greatfull Bread Sandwich Shop, Narragansett Creamery, Open Season Catering, Papi’s Tacos, and Seven Moons and beverages from Hartford Flavor Co., Mendon Wines & More, MS Walker, Narragansett Beer, Newport Storm, Thomas Tew Rum, Newport Vineyards and Winery, Tito’s Vodka, Vineyard Road, Borealis Coffee Roasters, New Harvest Coffee, Granny Squibs Iced Tea and Empire Soda. Special thanks to Ellen Loconto and Just Ellen’s Catering & Event Planning, and Alan Chlle, General Manager of the Providence Performing Arts Center.

Tickets for the screening only are $15. Tickets for the combined Opening Night Screening and
Celebration Gala are $50. Purchase ticket below to avoid long lines. Tickets are also available for purchase at the door for the screening. The Box Office will open at 5:30 p.m. before the show. Doors will open at 6:30 PM.

The post screening Soirée is a celebration of cinematic excellence. We welcome all film patrons and visiting filmmakers to share in the festivities.

Presented by IMCS (Integrated Micro-Chromotography Systems).

Sponsors for the 2017 Festival include: the Rhode Island Film & Television Office, ABC6, Eurochannel, Edge Media, CW28, The Rhode Island Foundation, RISD Museum, Unifrance, Dominion Diagnostics, The Rhode Island Council on the Arts (RISCA); Sony; IMDB.com, Rule Boston Camera, Cox Media, Decadent Catering, Quality Rental, Just Ellen’s Catering and Event Planning, Consulat de France à Boston, Amtrak, Enterprise, The Vets, The Malted Barley, The Rooftop at the ProvidenceG, The Black Sheep, EGO, The Providence Tourism Council, the University of Rhode Island (URI), The Harrington School of Communication and Media at URI; Roger Williams University, Johnson and Wales University, Providence College, Hotel Providence, The Dean Hotel, The Providence Biltmore, The Pell Center at Salve Regina University's Story in the Public Square, newenglandfilm.com, The City of Providence and the Department of Arts, Culture + Tourism, and The Providence Warwick Convention and Visitor’s Bureau.

Thanks to our Festival Sponsors: