Over its six-day run, the 23rd Annual Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival will screen 317 films including premieres of local films such as Steve Luna’s “To Be Heard,” Bronte Stahl’s “Terril,” Bat-Sheva Guez’s “In This Life,” Nastasya Popov’s “Pickle Man,” Oscar D’Angeac’s “Providence Lost,” Dave Ricci’s “The Craft: Rhode Island,” Ali Migliore’s “Twist,”Natalie Shirinian’s “Interior Motives,” Michael Formanski’s “The Iron Wall,” Rich Allen’s “Home Cookin’ – Over 100 Years in the Making,” Indy Dang’s “Influence,” Salvatore Mancini’s “Divine Providence: The Rebirth of an American City,” and Joseph Lovett’s “Children of the Inquisition”.
This year’s Festival is dedicated to the memories of two important individuals whose support and encouragement helped shape the organization: Ross Feinberg and Diane Drywa.
According to George T. Marshall, Flickers Executive Director, “Ross Feinberg was a champion of our PBS series, ‘doubleFEATURE,” and father of Steven Feinberg, the Executive Director of the RI Film and Television Office. Diane Drywa was the mother of Michael Drywa,Esq. our Board President, and Shawn Drywa, the founder and returning director of our Vortex Festival. Both were educators. Both had a passion for life and learning that touched countless lives during the course of their careers.
“And, while our 2019 Festival will be dedicated to both Ross and Diane, we have established an annual $2,000 scholarship in their name with a focus on those pursuing education. Along with the scholarship in the Film Arts named after Dr. Winifred Brownell and scholarship for studies in Journalism and Creative Writing, named after the late James Seavor, we have committed $5,000 in college scholarship opportunities for 2019,” Marshall added.
The Festival unofficially kicked off this year in July with a unique collaboration with the Art League of Rhode Island. Entitled “Narrative and Illusion,” the Open Juried Exhibition features work in the visual arts that exemplify visual storytelling. The exhibit takes place at The Vets Gallery, One Avenue of the Arts, Providence. The Exhibition runs through September 6, 2019.
FILMS include:
A SON OF MAN
Directed by: Jaimaicanoproblem | 90 min. Ecuador, France, USA, 2018
A grandfather, a son, a grandson and a search for lost Incan treasure… Some quests begin in gold and end in the heart.
AUGGIE
Directed by: Matt Kane | 80 min. United States, 2018
Starring Richard Kind and Susan Blackwell
Forced into early retirement, Felix Greystone falls in love with an augmented reality companion, to the detriment of his relationship with his wife and daughter.
CHILDREN OF THE INQUISITION
Directed by: Joseph Lovett | 120 min. Brazil, Spain, United States, 2018
Children of the Inquisition is a two hour documentary film, immersive website, and educational outreach project that unearths 500 years of hidden history. The project looks at what happened to the families forced to convert to Catholicism or flee during the Spanish and Portuguese Inquisitions through the eyes of their contemporary descendants, many of whom are just discovering their often nuanced Jewish roots. Our storytellers uncover the connections between their families’ journeys and this buried history. The discoveries of these flights to safety allow our characters access to a fuller understanding of how their lives were shaped by a perilous history. After 6 years of shooting in 12 cities spanning 4 continents, Children of the Inquisition is more than just a film. It’s an opportunity to better understand our complex world and identities.
COLD BROOK
Directed by: William Fichtner | 101 min. United States, 2018
Featuring William Fichtner and Kim Coates
COLD BROOK is the story of Ted & Hilde, two ordinary men who share an extraordinary experience, where helping a stranger find home places their own homes and everything they take for granted at risk.
COLEWELL
Directed by: Tom Quinn | 78 min. United States, 2018
Featuring Karen Allen, Hannah Gross and Kevin J. O’Connor
For thirty-five years, Nora Pancowski (Karen Allen) has been the postmaster of Colewell, Pennsylvania. She runs the office out of her home and has become the center of this community, which has no other common space. When Nora receives word that her office will be closed, she must decide whether to relocate and take a new job or face retirement in Colewell.
DAVE GRUSIN: NOT ENOUGH TIME
Directed by: Barbara Bentree | 87 min. United States, 2019
Millions of people all over the world love the music of Dave Grusin. “Dave Grusin: Not Enough Time,” is a full-length documentary about the legendary award-winning music producer, composer and pianist. Grusin’s work during his extensive six-decade career has resulted in some of the most moving and memorable music for iconic films and television shows including “Tootsie,” “The Firm,” “On Golden Pond,” “The Fabulous Baker Boys,” and “Three Days of the Condor” to name just a few. The film is being produced with the full participation from Dave Grusin and his family.
EVA
Directed by: Ted Green & Mika Brown | 118 min. Germany, Israel, Poland, Romania, USA, United Kingdom, 2018
As a 10-year-old ‘Mengele Twin,’ Eva Kor suffered the worst of the Holocaust: being experimented on by the Auschwitz ‘Angel of Death.’ At 50, she launched the biggest international manhunt in history. Now 84, she urgently circles the globe in failing health to promote the controversial lesson her journey has taught: healing through forgiveness. “Eva” tells the full, unvarnished story of this historic figure for the first time. Narrated by Hollywood icon Ed Asner, it features spectacular new footage from Auschwitz, from the Transylvanian hamlet from which Eva’s family was carted off to slaughter, and on a boat off Israel where she first tasted freedom. Interviews include Holocaust experts, celebrities she’s moved (Elliott Gould, Wolf Blitzer, Ray Allen), fellow survivors she’s enraged, and myriad young people whose lives she’s changed – – in many cases saved. Eva Kor has emerged as a worldwide spokeswoman for peace — a recent Buzzfeed video has 187 million views — and ‘Eva’ will be her legacy.
GENERAL MAGIC
Directed by: Sarah Kerruish and Matt Maude | 92 min. United States, 2018
The side of Silicon Valley you never see, General Magic, the multi-award winning documentary, is a tale of how a great vision, a grave betrayal and an epic failure changed the world. Spun out from Apple in 1990 to create the ‘next big thing’, General Magic shipped the first handheld wireless personal communicator in 1994. From the first smartphones to social media, e-commerce and even emoji, the ideas that now dominate the tech industry and our day-to-day lives were born at General Magic. But this was before the Web, before 3G, before Google, before everyone had a mobile phone in their pocket. The world was not ready in 1994 to hold the world in its hands. And though General Magic died, those concepts and the people who pioneered them went on to change almost everything.
GOING ATTRACTIONS: THE DEFINITIVE STORY OF THE MOVIE PALACES
Directed by: April Wright | 90 min. Australia, United States, 2018
The evolution of the movie business over the past century, from penny arcades and nickelodeons, to the grand movie palaces built by the studios, and what happened over the years as they were challenged by television, decaying downtowns, multiplexes and cell-phone cinema.
HAVANA, FROM ON HIGH
Directed by: Pedro Ruiz | 80 min. Canada / Cuba, 2018
The chronic shortage of housing in Central Havana has pushed the city upwards, where life spills out onto the rooftops. Resilient and remarkable, these rooftop dwellers have a privileged point of view on a society in the process of major transformation.
HOW TO BEE
Directed by: Naomi Mark | 82 min. Canada, 2018
When filmmaker Naomi Mark found her dad needed help with his honeybees after being diagnosed with COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) she asked him to start a project with her, she asked him to teach her about bees. How To Bee follows the journey of a father and daughter over three beekeeping seasons as he passes his knowledge on to her and they come to terms with his changing health.How To Bee is a celebration of life in all stages set against the unique backdrop of Canada’s North.
INTERIOR MOTIVES
Directed by: Natalie Shirinian | 37 min. United States, 2019
Today’s most influential figures in fashion and design as they candidly speak about why fashion and interior design need each other to thrive, why lifestyle design is important, and why people feel the need to curate their lives around tactile and material glamour.
International industry leaders filmed include: Tommy Hilfiger, Rick Owens, Maria Cornejo, Ryan Korban (Alexander Wang), Miles Redd (Oscar De La Renta), T Magazine Editors, Hearst Magazine editors, TV Star/Interior Designer Mary McDonald, Industry darlings Apparatus and many more.
Why are so many more fashion designers launching home collections? Why is it so relevant in today’s society? Donna Karan, Calvin Klein, ACNE, Marni, Gucci, Ralph Lauren, Raf Simmons, Loewe, Rick Owens and so many more all have home collections. The trend is catching fire melding the industries of fashion and design into one core expression. Is this just cross marketing opportunities? Is it another channel for self-expression? Is it merchandising? Is it global domination? Is fashion out and interiors in? Into today’s hyper-brand, collaboration obsessed world: Can one exist without the other?
INTERIOR MOTIVES aims to tap the pulse of today’s fashion and design headlines to bring an insider look at these highly exclusive industries to streaming viewers worldwide.
MY BEAUTIFUL STUTTER
Directed by: Ryan Gielen | 90 min. United States, 2018
Five kids ages 9 to 18, from all over the United States enter experimental, interactive and arts-based programs at SAY, The Stuttering Association for the Young, based in New York City. After a lifetime of bullying and stigmatization, some have found themselves close to suicide, others enter withdrawn and fearful, exhausted and defeated from fluency training and the pressure to not stutter or remain silent. Over the course of a year of SAY events, workshops and camp, we witness firsthand the incredible transformation that happens when these young people of wildly different backgrounds experience for the first time the revolutionary idea at the heart of SAY: it’s okay to stutter.
NOW OR NEVER: A TONY ROMO STORY
Directed by: Chris Hanna | 95 min. United States, 2019
This is the true story of Tony Romo, a kid from Burlington, WI who became one of the most prolific quarterbacks to play for the Dallas Cowboys. Though he never won a Superbowl, his community describes a man whose passion for the game continues to inspire his fans, community, family and friends.
Through the eyes of people close to Tony Romo, as well as Tony Romo himself, “Now or Never” follows his life through his high school, college and NFL career to tell the story of how Tony Romo became the quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys.
Tony’s community describes the impact Tony has on them by returning each year. His father gives insight into the origins of Tony’s passion for sports. Tony’s grandparents describe their own journey from Mexico, and how their dreams of success transferred to Tony. His coaches and former teammates detail how Tony found his passion for football in high school and went on to receive a scholarship from Eastern Illinois to play as their quarterback.
They explain the ups and downs of his career as a Dallas Cowboy, how the wins, losses, injuries and ultimate retirement affected them and the community. Leaving on a good note, we learn how despite the fact that Tony never won a Superbowl, Tony has still made a wonderful impact on Burlington by proving that if you dream big, you can accomplish anything.
OLYMPIA
Directed by: Harry Charalambos Mavromichalis | 103 min. Canada, Cyprus, Greece, United States, 2018
“Olympia” the film takes us on a poetic journey in search of one’s place in the world. This revealing and unfiltered documentary follows the life and career of Academy Award- winning actress, Olympia Dukakis. Starting on the day she turns eighty and continuing for three years, this film deals with the struggles and pains surrounding identity and the roles placed on us by society. It is a deeply moving narrative that explores not only Olympia’s rich and storied career, but also her struggle to find a sense of belonging due to her ethnic roots and the dichotomy she has always felt between her American values and the values of her immigrant parents.
PAJU — THE INNER DIVISION
Directed by: Susanne Mi-Son Quester | 78 min. Germany / South Korea, 2018
A German-Korean filmmaker travels to the border between North and South Korea, to the town of Paju, where she encounters its residents, and their various attitudes toward the division of their country. In these meetings, an inner division also emerges – between the generations, their experiences and wishes for the future.
PARADISE HOTEL
Directed by: Daniel Rehder Normand | 93 min. Peru, 2019
A coming-of-age story about family, first love and restoring self-esteem. When Guillermo, a pre-adolescent introvert, arrives with his family at the wonderful HOTEL PARAÍSO (Paradise Hotel) for summer vacations, he will not only have days full of activities and colorful entertainers, but he will also run into Andrea, a beautiful and curious girl from his school with whom he regularly fantasizes. Unfortunately for him, Nahel, the popular and heartthrob boy, who often bullies his classmates, is also staying in the hotel and seeks to make Andrea fall in love with him. With the help of unexpected allies and family members, Guillermo will have to confront his insecurities and participate in different hotel activities to win the weekend’s real big prize: Andrea’s heart.
THE CRAFT: RHODE ISLAND
Directed by: Dave Ricci | 65 min. United States, 2019
The Craft documents the booming Rhode Island craft beer scene. Utilizing interviews from both RI’s earlier craft brewers as well as the more recent ones, the story combines entrepreneurship, beer, history, travel, and advocacy all in one
THE DEPORTED
Directed by: Pat McGee | 90 min. Guatemala, United States, 2019
The Deported is a raw unfiltered look at four families facing deportation. The film includes activist Rosario Dawson and access to ICE.
TREASURE TROUBLE
Directed by: Dan Erickson | 78 min. United States, 2019
After finding a gun on the beach, a young woman is caught up in a night of cascading misadventures as she teams up with her rich ex-boyfriend and his fiancée to return the gun to the Russian mob in exchange for her kidnapped dog.
VALERIE
Directed by: Stacey Souther | 36 min. United States, 2019
VALERIE is a documentary about legendary actress Valerie Perrine. From her Academy Award Nominated and Cannes winning role as ‘Honey Bruce’ in the film LENNY, to her iconic role as ‘Eve Teschmacher’ in the original SUPERMAN – Valerie has been an inspiration for women, fellow actors and the public at large. This film sets out to explore Valerie’s amazing career and personal life, and offer an intimate look behind the curtain of one of our generations most respected and epochal actresses.
VANILLA
Directed by: Will Dennis |87 min. United States, 2018
A freewheeling comedian determined to save her family business invites an uptight entrepreneur on a road trip to sell a van with a complicated history. Romance ignites on their three day trip south, but is tested as they discover each other’s secrets. When the van sale deteriorates, they must decide if their very new connection is worth more than a very old van.
ONCE IN A HUNDRED YEARS: THE LIFE & LEGACY OR MARIAN ANDERSON
Directed by: Bill Nicoletti | 40 min. United States, 2019
“Once in a Hundred Years” shares the story of Marian Anderson, a young girl from South Philadelphia who fought, armed with only a voice, to break down one of the most daunting barriers closed to black Americans in the 1930s—the classical…
WBCN AND THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
Directed by: Bill Lichtenstein | 120 min. United States, 2019
“WBCN and The American Revolution” is a landmark, feature-length documentary that tells the previously untold story of the early days of the radical, underground radio station, WBCN, set against the dazzling and profound social, political, and cultural changes that took place in Boston and nationally during the late-1960s and early-70s.
It’s the incredible, true story of how a radio station, politics and rock and roll changed everything. The film is produced by the Peabody Award-winning independent production company, Lichtenstein Creative Media.
Ty Burr, the Pulitzer-prize nominated film critic for the Boston Sunday Globe wrote: “I watched the movie with awe,” and the film won “Best Documentary” at the 2019 DC Independent Film Festival and was the “Centerpiece: Documentary Spotlight” at the 2019 Independent Film Festival of Boston, where it sold out a 900-seat screening.
These dramatic and compelling stories in “WBCN and The American Revolution” are expertly and powerfully interwoven with the original sights and sounds of the critical events of the era, through the more than 100,000 audio and visual items shared by the public for the film in an unprecedented archives search. The film tells a story that is timely and relevant, especially to young people, who are seeking to use media to create social change.
Director and producer Bill Lichtenstein worked at WBCN starting at age 14 as a volunteer on the station’s Listener Line and later as a newscaster and announcer with his own weekly show. Bill’s last film, “West 47th Street,” won Special Jury Award for Documentary at the Atlanta Film Festival; Audience Award for Best Documentary at the DC Independent Film Festival; and Honorable Mention at the Woodstock Film Festival. It later aired on PBS’s P.O.V. and was called “must see” by Newsweek and “remarkable” by the Washington Post.
On Saturday, August 11th at 12:15, Metcalf Auditorium, RISD Museum, the Festival presents a powerful, thought-provoking and inspiring program entitled: THE POWER OF FILM: Can a Film Change the World? This special showcase centers on films that show how very brave people confront the challenges we all face in just living our lives. Discover how these challenges can push all boundaries. Learn how the power of our shared humanity – the daily struggles and fights we all have – can ultimately lead to a new and more empowering future.
The focal point of the event is a presentation of the documentary film: the feature “How to Bee” and the documentary short, “Pickle Man.”
HOW TO BE
How to Bee is a documentary film that focuses on filmmaker Naomi Mark and her father, who has been diagnosed with COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease). When Naomi found her father needs help with his honeybees after his diagnosis, she asked him to start a project with her, she asked him to teach her about bees.
How to Bee follows the journey of a father and daughter over three beekeeping seasons as he passes his knowledge on to her and they come to terms with his changing health.
How to Bee is a celebration of life in all stages set against the unique backdrop of Canada’s North.
PICKLE MAN
Pickle Man serves as an oddball rumination on life and death and follows photographer turned local legend, Arthur Cohen, a proud Rhode Island native who, when faced with certain death by ALS, decides to leave a legacy of pickles. A story of the human will, although he can no longer walk or talk, Aurther runs the pickling non-profit “PickALS” to raise over a quarter of a million dollars for ALS research and somehow manages to live up to his ambitious motto, “until further notice, celebrate everything.”
AWARDS
THE GEORGE D. GANNETT LGBTQ INSPIRATION AWARD will be presented to the Rev. Nancy H. Soukup, RWU Multifaith Minister. The Award is presented annually in celebration of the LGBTQ community, recognizing excellence in writing, directing, acting, music, dance, design and creativity in the world of film arts. Named in honor of former Flickers’ Board member, George Draper Gannett, who helped steer the organization towards its multi-tiered arts focus and community outreach.
The RIIFF SCREENPLAY COMPETITION AWARD will be presented to Rammy Park from Brooklyn, NY for his screenplay “MONITOR CITY,” a Greek tragedy in a futuristic sci-fi setting.
The 2019 PRODUCER’S CIRCLE AWARDS are presented annually to members of the community who have actively worked to support and promote the mission of the Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival. This year’s recipient: Daniel Schwartz, General Manager, The Vets.