The 2005 Newport International Film Festival, the 8th Annual event, will get underway Tuesday, June 7th – 12th, 2005, and run for six days and nights of entertaining films, informative symposiums, and, of course, those glamorous Newport parties. The Festival atmosphere is relaxed, yet filled with all the enchantment, energy, and excitement of Hollywood.

This year the festival will honor writer/director/actor/musician Michael McKean with the annual Claiborne Pell Award for Lifetime Achievement. His longtime friends and colleagues, writer/director/actor/musician, Christopher Guest and actor/writer/producer/musician Harry Shearer (“This Is Spinal Tap,” “Waiting For Guffman,” “A Mighty Wind”) will be on hand to honor him along with Senator & Mrs. Claiborne Pell at the awards brunch on Saturday, June 11th. Later that afternoon the public can sit in on a ‘Conversation’ with our honored guest, culminating in a rare special acoustic performance of MSG (McKean, Shearer & Guest). Retrospective screenings of The Big Picture, Best In Show, and This Is Spinal Tap will play throughout the week.

This year’s Festival will continue to present the programs and events which have become so much a part of the Newport Film Festival experience: Opening & Closing Night Film & Galas; the juried film competitions for Narrative, Documentary and Short films with cash and in-kind prizes; the Annual Claiborne Pell Award for Lifetime Achievement; afternoon panel discussions with the filmmakers; seminars and workshops, including a Master Class with acclaimed cinematographer Ellen Kuras; “Docuclub” (a unique on-site documentary project); Nortek-NIFF Golf Classic; and premieres of over 100 U.S. and International films. To enable the festival to handle this plethora of riches we have added the Newport Art Museum to our list of superb venues.

Incorporating Newport’s long tradition of music with its jazz and folk fests, we will again present the Music on Film program, screening the most interesting material from the marriage of the two genres, and enhanced by live musical performances from some of music’s hottest stars.

Film programs include the Open & Closing, Narrative, Documentary & Shorts in Competitions (with cash prizes of $2,500 in both the narrative and doc programs, and $1,000 in the shorts program), Contemporary World Cinema, Retrospective Screenings, Films For Families and Open Call – Short Films from Rhode Island.

“The Newport International Film Festival has grown and elevated its position as a premiere festival showcasing the best independent film by emerging filmmakers and seasoned professionals,” states Executive Director Laurie Kirby. “The program is designed to stimulate and challenge our audiences through interactive dialogue with filmmakers. Last year, we were honored that five of our film selections went onto become Academy Award nominees. This is an unparalleled opportunity to see the films first that you will be reading about the rest of the year.”

The Festival’s Opening Day traditionally kicks off with the Nortek NIFF Golf Classic, and this year’s no different. Sponsored by Nortek, the 2005 NIFF Classic will be played at one of the most exclusive clubs in the U.S., the Carnegie Abbey Golf Club. That evening the Opening Night Film will be Seamless (USA), Dir. Douglas Keeve. Whoever said beauty is only skin deep never spent anytime behind the scenes discovering what a grueling and painstaking business beauty can be, particularly for young designers hoping to dress the most famous faces and bodies in the world. To finance the next generation of designers, Vogue magazine and the Council of Fashion Designers of America established the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund. In following four up-and-coming designers during the contest's first year, Seamless offers an extraordinary look at what it takes to make it in the fashion world and create a seemingly effortless image. The Closing Night Film is The Beautiful Country (USA), Dir. Hans Petter Moland. The life of children of GIs by Vietnamese women is a difficult one, rife with taunting, abuse and rejection. Binh, one such child, is forced from his village at 17 and sets out to find his mother in Saigon and then to America, in search of a better life and his estranged American father. Featured actor Damien Nguyen will be attending.

The juried Narrative Competition films include Cronicas (Mexico/Ecuador), Dir. Sebastián Cordero, starring John Leguizamo. This moving feature articulates a profound commentary on American foreign policy and the malignant excesses of the media's rapacious hunger for "the story." From its spectacular opening sequence of mob violence to its dramatic, painful conclusion, Crónicas plays out with all the tension of a thriller; The Forest for the Trees (Germany), Dir. Maren Ade Melanie leaves her life in the country and becomes a science teacher in a big-city high school. Her overwhelming need to fit in and be loved leads to one faux pas after another; each effort to connect only further isolates her. This bold and occasionally hilarious character study delves into the unsettling yet sometimes too familiar terrain of loneliness, shame, and dysfunction; Four-Eyed Monsters (USA), Dir. Susan Buice & Arin Crumley (who are both attending). You see them everywhere: those four glittering eyes of smug satisfaction, two pink mouths pressed together in suffocation, eight limbs that squeeze itself in adoration, taking two seats on the subway. This film offers an original take on the story of two lonely people who threaten to become such a monster when they meet online and begin dating in the big dirty city; Innocence (France), Dir. Lucile Hadzihalilovic. Young girls of different ages are mysteriously taken to a kind of boarding school in the middle of a forest. The only adults are old servants and two authoritarian teachers. Lucile Hadzihalilovic reinvents the “coming of age” theme in daring ways as her dazzling images invoke the most frightening of children’s stories; Le Grand Voyage (France/Morocco), Dir. Ismael Ferroukhi
In this road film for the new millennium, Mustapha, a Moroccan-Frenchman, wishes to visit Mecca before he dies. Choosing to drive rather than fly, he enlists his son Réda to serve as the driver on the arduous trek through seven countries. Father and son quickly realize that if the trek doesn’t test them, their many differences will; Me and You and Everyone We Know (USA), Dir. Miranda July (who just won the Camera d’Or at the 2005 Cannes Festival for Best First Feature). Acclaimed multimedia artist Miranda July presents a poetic and penetrating observation of how people struggle to connect with one another in an isolating and contemporary world. Everyday characters act upon secret desires and speak their innermost thoughts, leading to sometimes transcendent, sometimes hilarious, and often profoundly human moments; Mutual Appreciation (USA), Dir. Andrew Bujalski (who will be in Newport). Bujalski (recipient of the IFP “Someone to Watch” award) tells the freewheeling story of Alan, a musician who leaves his old band for a new musical voyage and New York City. He tries to stay focused and fends off all manner of distractions, including the attraction to his best friend’s girl friend; On the Outs (USA), Dir. Michael Skolnick & Lori Silverbush (who will both be attending along with star Paola Mendoza). The lives of three street-smart New Jersey girls from the same Latino neighborhood intersect briefly in prison, giving us a powerful cross-section of their unique slice of America. Each one makes choices that lead into dark places. Finding out who manages to emerge from the shadows makes for the film’s greatest suspense.

Narrative Jury members include: Producer (“Seamless,” “A History of Violence”), Josh Braun; Filmmaker/Producer/Writer (“Paris, Texas”; “Bottle Rocket”) L.M. Kit Carson;

NIFF Documentary Competition films include Abel Raises Cain (USA), Dir. Jenny Abel & Jeff Hockett (who are attending along with Alan Abel). Some people are intrigued by Alan Abel, some don’t get him, and others just hate his guts. Filmmaker Jenny Abel offers an extremely entertaining portrait of the life and career of her father, known to many as "the world's greatest hoaxer"; After Innocence (USA), Dir. Jessica Sanders (who will be attending, along with RI Police Officer Scott Hornoff who was imprisioned for a crime he did not commit). Improved forensic science and DNA evidence have reversed numerous convictions in this grievously flawed criminal justice system. But what does life hold for the recently exonerated? Jessica Sanders explores this key question in her enthralling debut documentary; The Boys of Baraka (USA), Dir. Heidi Ewing & Rachel Grady (who will be joining). Twenty “at risk” 12-year-old boys from the roughest neighborhoods of inner-city Baltimore are selected to attend an experimental boarding school in the hinterlands of Kenya. The film follows four of the boys on their exhilarating journey of transformation, as well as their return to the difficult and painful realities of the city; The Devil’s Miner (Germany/USA), Dir. Kief Davidson & Richard Ladkani (Filmmaker Kief Davidson will be in attendance). This unflinching and heartrending documentary exposes the scandalous child-employment practices in the silver mines of Bolivia. The story is told through the eyes of 14-year-old Basilio Vargas who, with his brother, descends into the dangerous depths of the mine, far from the bright future he longs for; La Sierra (Colombia), Dir. Scott Dalton & Margarita Martinez (who will both be in attendance). A small neighborhood in Medellin, Colombia, is ruled by a gang of young men, mostly teenagers, affiliated with Colombia's illegal paramilitary armies. This riveting documentary follows the lives of three young people, illuminating their experiences of war, death and love; The Real Dirt on Farmer John (USA), Dir. Taggart Siegel (who will be joining the festival along with Farmer John). Maverick Midwestern farmer, Farmer John, transformed his family farm with a revolutionary agriculture, only to be castigated as a pariah in his community. Even so, this man resurrects his farm amidst a failing economy, vicious rumors, and arson, creating a bastion of free expression in the process. This inspiring documentary of revolution and agriculture set in rural America challenges all our assumptions about red states and blue states; Stolen (USA), Dir. Rebecca Dreyfus (who will be joining along with Producer Susannah Ludwig). In March 1990, two thieves dressed as Boston police officers gained entrance to the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum successfully executed the largest art heist in modern history. Spanning the centuries from the 17th century Dutch masters to the 19th century art collector Isabella Stewart Gardner to present day investigators, felons, and con men Stolen merges the aesthetic power of art and the intrigue of crime; Same Sex America (USA), Dir. Henry Corra (who will be attending along with co-filmmaker Charlene Rule as well as many of the film’s subjects). This heartfelt documentary weaves the stories of seven gay and lesbian couples on their emotional journey to the altar with the dramatic showdown at Massachusetts’ constitutional convention. The result is a subtle, richly layered film that inspires and entertains while taking the viewer on an unforgettable journey to the heart of the new American family. Playing with Goodnight Bill, Dir. John Mitchell; Unknown White Male (UK), Dir. Rupert Murray. One day Doug Bruce woke up in Coney Island with absolutely no memory of his identity or past. Director Rupert Murray, who knew Bruce before the amnesia, documents Bruce’s journey as he traveled back to Europe to meet family and friends for the first time. This astounding film explores what it is to have a second chance at life, and how memory makes us who we are.
Documentary Jury members include: Producer (“Fahrenheit 9/11”), Tia Lessin; Producer (“Left of the Dial”), Patrick Farrelly; Filmmaker (“Parallel Lines”), Nina Davenport.

The Documentaries Out Of Competition include The 10th District Court: Moments of Trials (France), Dir. Raymond Depardon. In France, cameras are seldom allowed in the courtroom and footage from proceedings may not be shown for 20 years afterwards. But filmmaker Raymond Depardon takes us inside for a thrillingly rare look into the trials (and tribulations) at 10th District Courthouse in Paris; The Beauty Academy of Kabul (USA/UK), Dir. Liz Mermin (who will be attending). After the Taliban's fall, six American women traveled to Afghanistan to open a beauty college in order to help women learn a trade and heal themselves and others with haircuts, perms and make-up. The students reveal the complexities of life under the Taliban as they also express hesitant hopes for the future of their society; The Education of Shelby Knox (USA), Dir. Marion Lipschutz and Rose Rosenblatt (who will both be attending). A self-described "good Southern Baptist girl," who has pledged abstinence until marriage, 15-year-old Shelby Knox plunges headfirst into the culture wars as an unlikely advocate for comprehensive sex education when she learns that Lubbock, Texas, which teaches an “abstinence only” sex education, has the highest rate of STDs and teen pregnancy in the state; Reel Paradise (USA), Dir. Steve James. This utterly engaging documentary follows American independent cinema producer John Pierson (who will be attending), and his wife, Janet, and their two kids to a remote movie theater in Taveuni, Fiji, where they plan to show American, British and Hindi films for free. While humorous and heartbreaking clashes of culture, religion, and work ethics inevitably ensue, the film never forgets pleasure of going to the movies; Troop 1500: Girl Scouts Beyond Bars (USA), Dir. Ellen Spiro & Karen Bernstein (who will both be attending). Their mothers may be convicted thieves, murderers and drug dealers, but the girls of Troop 1500 want to be doctors, social workers and marine biologists. With monthly meetings at Hilltop Prison, this controversial Girl Scout program brings daughters together with their inmate mothers, offering them a chance to rebuild their broken relationships; Twist of Faith (USA), Dir. Kirby Dick. When firefighter Tony Comes learns that the priest who sexually abused him as a boy lives just a few houses away, he is forced to confront his powerful emotions, and decides to go public with this disturbing past. [Academy Award Nominee, Twist of Faith is the first documentary to delve into the wrenching psychological journey of one victim who determines to take on the church and set things right, even as this decision threatens to shatter all Comes has known; Writer of O (France/USA), Dir. Pola Rapaport (who will be attending). In 1954, the elegant S&M fantasy and seemingly autobiographical account of Pauline Réage, The Story of O scandalized the literary world and became an inevitable best seller. Fifty years later, Dominique Aury, a mild-mannered editor with the prestigious Parisian publisher, Gallimard, came forward as its creator. Pola Rapaport interviews the 89-year-old author and dramatizes sequences from the infamous novel in order to explore the relationships between sexuality and power and literature and real-life inspiration; Shake Hands with the Devil (Canada), Dir. Peter Raymont. Lt. General Roméo Daillaire, the commander of a small UN peacekeeping force in Rwanda, witnessed the failure of humanity on two counts: the genocide that took the lives of 800,000 people and the world that turned its back on this crime. This powerful film documents Dallaire’s emotional return to ten years later, still haunted by the profound catastrophe he was unable to stop; Murderball (USA), Dir. Henry Alex Rubin & Dana Adam Shapiro
A raunchy and raucous contribution to the documentary genre, Murderball –the original name for quadriplegic rugby—follows the members of the USA Paralympic team on their way to the Olympic Arena in Athens. The game is a vivid and visceral spectacle, played in specially built, Mad Max style custom wheelchairs and without the usual padding and protection. All the drama of a sports film with none of the schmaltz. Winner of the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. Paralympic athlete, focus of the film – and Providence native – Joe Soares will be on hand as will Producer Jeff Mandel.

The Music On Film program includes Be Here to Love Me (USA), Dir. Margaret Brown (who will be attending). Margaret Brown presents an evocative and tender portrait of the late Townes Van Zandt, whose songs have been recorded by artists as diverse as Emmylou Harris, Willie Nelson and The Meat Puppets. He was an outsider, an itinerant, and above all, a songwriter’s songwriter. His story is a must for any music fan; Bound to Lose (USA), Dir. Paul Lovelace & Sam Wainwright Douglas (who will be attending along with members of the Holy Modal Rounders who will performing). During the early 1960s folk explosion, fiddler Peter Stampfel and guitarist Steve Weber joined forces to become the Holy Modal Rounders. They quickly became standards on the folk circuit with their bizarre original compositions and absurdly irreverent versions of traditional folk songs; Press On (USA), Dir. Gillian Grisman (who will be attending along with legends of the “scared steel” musicians Calvin Cooke and Ted Beard who will be performing). This inspiring documentary introduces us to the 25-year-old pedal steel phenomenon, Robert Randolph, as he ventures to take “sacred steel” music—a unique style hidden for over 60 years from the secular world—out of the church and into the mainstream. A fascinating exploration of the interaction of African American gospel tradition and the future of rock-and-roll. Playing with Matisyahu, Dir. David Baugnon; Pucker Up: The Fine Art of Whistling (USA), Dir. Kate Davis & David Heilbroner (who will both be whistling in Newport). “There are two types of people in this world—those who whistle and those who have tried.” Focusing on the first group, this jovial documentary offers an inside look at the astonishing world of competitive whistling; Favela Rising, Dir. Matt Mochary and Jeff Zimbalist (who will be in attendance). A man emerges from the slums of Rio to lead the nonviolent cultural movement known as Afro-reggae; You’re Gonna Miss Me, Dir. Kevin McAlestar. The story of Texas music legend Roky Erickson, who was singer and songwriter for the 13th Floor Elevators and released many recordings during a long solo career. Yet mental illness and a dysfunctional family drew his promising career to an untimely close.

Contemporary World Cinema features include The Beat that My Heart Skipped (France), Dir. Jacques Audiard. When he’s not planting rats in apartments or ripping up floorboards to forcibly evict immigrant squatters, the 28-year-old Tom trains to become a classical concert pianist. Jacques Audiard’s adaptation of James Toback’s 1978 cult classic, Fingers, is a compelling drama of obsession and identity; Only Human (Spain/UK), Dir. Dominic Harari and Teresa De Pelegrí. When a Jewish daughter brings her fiancé home to meet her loveable, dysfunctional family for the first time, everything goes smoothly until the boyfriend reveals he is Palestinian. The evening soon spirals out of control through a series of hilarious mishaps and misunderstandings and the couple's relationship is pushed to the breaking point. Playing with: West Bank Story, Dir. Ari Sandel; Pulse (Japan), Dir. Kiyoshi Kurosawa. A website, which at first appears to be merely a scary hoax with an irresistible marketing ploy, turns out to be run by a sinister and deadly force. This spine-tingling scary film, which was released at the same time as the more sensational Ringu (remade as The Ring) has been locked away in Miramax’s vaults until now; Somersault (Australia), Dir. Cate Shortland. A teenage girl makes a reckless, and certainly ill-advised, pass at her mother's boyfriend and caught in the act, she runs away to the Snowy Mountains, where she takes a job and a room, and embarks upon a series of encounters, sexual and otherwise, that usher her into the adult world. This coming-of-age story delivers an entrancing meditation on gender politics and youth culture. Playing with Twitch, Dir. Leah Meyerhoff; The World (China/Japan/France), Dir. Jia Zhang-ke. The World Park in Beijing reproduces the world’s greatest landmarks in miniature. It is against this fantastic and kitschy backdrop that the park’s employees go about their day-to-day lives, including a young dancer and a security guard who embark on a tentative romance. The film offers a spectacular and touching meditation on the struggle to remain human and retain one’s identity in the age of globalization.

The Rhode Island Spotlight film is Trudell (USA), Dir. Heather Rae. A film nearly twelve years in the making, Trudell is a musically driven, politically potent and engagingly lyrical documentary about John Trudell, a Native America poet-prophet activist who changed history. This stunning and inventive documentary opens eyes and challenges belief systems. Producer Elyse Katz will be on hand).

Open Call screenings for Local Filmmakers
Sunday, June 12th at 7:30 PM, Jane Pickens Theatre
An Open Screening of work by Rhode Island based artists working in film and video informally presented to an audience of peers and the general public in an atmosphere of collegiality and camaraderie.

This year’s Films For Families includes Bluebird (Netherlands), Dir. Mijke de Jonj. One day thirteen-year-old Merel finds herself being bullied by her classmates for no apparent reason. This tender and sensitive tale follows her emotional journey as she tries to navigate her way between childhood and maturity; The Color of Milk (Norway), Dir. Torun Lian. Love is a disaster best avoided for the 12-year old Selma. Determined not to develop any interest in boys, Selma dedicates herself to science and the goal of a Nobel Prize. But when Andy comes along her mission undergoes its greatest challenge. (Recommended for ages 10 and up. Note: this film contains sexual themes); Little Girl Blue (Norway/Sweden), Dir. Anna Luif. Sandra, the new girl in town, is quiet and shy and unsure of where she fits in. Her life changes when she meets Mike, the boy from across the street who does whatever he wants, whenever he wants. A funny and moving tale of young love and self-discovery. (Recommended for ages 14 and up. Note: this film contains adult language, underage drinking and casual discussion of sex); March of the Penguins (France), Dir. Luc Jacquet. This is the story of one year in the life of an emperor penguin flock--and one couple in particular--as they trek across the Antarctic on an annual journey that invokes just about every major life experience, from birth to death, from dating to mating, from comedy to tragedy, and from love to fighting for survival. (Recommended for all ages).

SHORTS FOR TEENS include Flutter Kick, Dir. Gil Kruger; Let's Love Hate, Dir. Shia Labeouf & Lorenzo Edwardo; Nando, Dir. Claudia Tellegen; Passing Hearts, Dir. Johan Brisinger; Post-It, Dir. Michele Rho; The Ten Steps, Dir. Brendan Muldowney; Unexpected Blow: Relieved, Dir. Aliona Van Der Horst.

SHORTS FOR KIDS (ages 8 and up) include One Hundred, Dir. Nick Calori; Binta and the Great Idea, Dir. Javier Fesser; Girl Power, Dir. Per Carleson; Happy to Be Nappy and Other Stories of Me, Dir. Ellen Goosenberg, Diane Kolyer & Anna Geddes; Hole in the Heart, Dir. Vigdis Nielsen; Jump, Dir. David Mcmillan; Strong Hold, Dir. Morten H. Evelid.

KIDS SHORTS FOR ALL AGES include 2CV, Dir. Charlotte & David Lowe; Blue Dog Blues, Dir. Mair Doyle; Bonhommes, Dir. Cecilia Marreiros Marum; Carrot!, Dir. Pärtel Tall; Fantasia Taurina, Dir. Alejandra Perez; Magnetism, Dir. Nye Warburton; Pingu and the Band, Dir. Kevin Walton;
Good Riddance! Snails, Dir. Nick Hilligoss; Tell Me Not to Worry, Dir. Maria Trovatten & Karin Jacobsen; The Man Who Walked Between the Towers, Dir. Michael Sporn; A Ribbon, Dir. Laurie Faggioni; This is the House that Jack Built, Dir. Konstantin Bronzit.

This year’s Retrospective Screenings have been programmed in honor of Claiborne Pell recipient Michael McKean. Best In Show (USA), Dir. Christopher Guest. In the spirit of Christopher Guest's earlier cult favorite, ''Waiting for Guffman,'' this semi-deadpan satire spoofs the world of dog shows. A cross section of American eccentrics, including Michael McKean's memorable performance as Stefan Vanderhoof, gather with their prized pets at a Philadelphia competition; The Big Picture (USA), Dir. Christopher Guest. In his feature debut as director, Christopher Guest lampoons the pomposities and inanities of Hollywood moviemaking, with a winning performance by Kevin Bacon as a struggling artiste who lets success go to his head and a genial Michael McKean as his spurned best friend. Also ingeniously cast are J. T. Walsh as a sleazy, witless studio chief, Jennifer Jason Leigh as a manic avant-garde filmmaker, and Martin Short as Bacon’s fruitcake of an agent; This is Spinal Tap (USA), Dir. Rob Reiner. See the classic and hilarious film that launched the mockumentary genre and inspired later works featuring Michael McKean, such as Best in Show and A Might Wind. An exceptional comedy that stands the test of time, This is Spinal Tap satirizes the music business and the documentary impulse as it follows fictional band Spinal Tap on their comeback tour.

The Short Film Program (All shorts in competition) includes Positively Naked / Family Portrait / What I’m Looking For (USA), Dirs. Arlene Donnelly Nelson / Patricia Riggen / Shelly Silver
This short program gives us special insight into the power of photography. In Positively Naked, 85 HIV-Positive people bare their souls and bodies for photographer Spencer Tunick, in order to share stories, celebrate survival and combat stigma. In Family Portrait, Richard and Diana recount their childhood memories and the challenges they have faced since Gordon Parks photographed their family in 1968 for Life magazine. Shelly Silver completes this exploration of photography’s public and private spaces in What I’m Looking For, where a woman sets out to photograph moments of intimacy in open spaces.

The Short Film Jury includes: Program Manager for DocuClub, David Nugent; Filmmaker (“Fighter”), Amir Bar-Lev; Supervisor of documentaries and features for IFC, Jessica Wolfson.

SHORTS PROGRAMS: PROGRAM #1: Here After, Dir. Paddy Jolley; Dimmer, Dir. Talmage Cooley; Recycle, Dir. Vasco Nunes & Ondi Timoner; The Big Day, Dir. Christine Olsen; Grand Luncheonette, Dir. Peter Sillen; Milk And Honey, Dir. Kate McCabe; Phantom Limb, Dir. Jay Rosenblatt.

PROGRAM #2: Shock And Awe, Dir. Chase Palmer; Patch, Dir. Christopher Romero; Wake, Dir. Keun-Pyo Park; Tama Tu, Dir. Taika Waititi; Raveling, Dir. Todd Albright; Twitch, Dir. Leah Meyerhoff; Highway 403, Mile 39, Dir. Mitch McCabe; Under The Willow Tree, Dir. Yu Sen-I.

PROGRAM #3 Viola Fondente, Dir. Fabio Simonelli; The Raftman’s Razor, Dir. Keith Bearden;
Dance Mania Fantastic, Dir. Sasie Sealy; Liminality, Dir. Jessica Manafort; Goodbye Antonio, Dir. Michael Zampino; The Passage Of Mrs. Calabash, Dir. Scott Tuft Wrigley.

PROGRAM #4 Who Makes Movies?, Dir. Christopher Luccy; Oh My God!, Dir. John Bryant; The Tozer Show: Bombs And Blue Balls, Dir. Onur Tukel; I’d Rather Be Dead Then Alive In This World, Dir. Andrew Semans; The Tao Of Pong, Dir. Eli Craig; Something For Henry, Dir. Nina Tsai; The Banker, Dir. Hattie Dalton; Wrigley, Dir. Oliver Refson.

PROGRAM #5 (ANIMATION) The Meaning Of Life, Dir. Don Hertzfeldt; The Fan And The Flower, Dir. Bill Plympton; Spiral, Dir. W.P. Murton; Ryan, Dir. Chris Landreth; Never Live Above A Psychic, Dir. Steve Gentile; Handshake, Dir. Patrick Smith; Dentist, Dir. Signe Baumane; Dew Line, Dir. Joanna Priestley; Joyride, Dir. John Cernak; A Buck’s Worth, Dir. Tatia Rosenthal; When It Rains, Dir. Alina Bliumis; Return Will I To Old Brazil, Dir. Alex Budovsky.

SHORTS BEFORE FEATURES: Chicle, Dir. Josh Hyde; Matisyahu, David Baugnon; West Bank Story, Ari Sendel; Goodnight Bill, Dir. John Mitchell.

Panels & Discussion:
Wednesday, June 8, 4PM – 6PM, Newport Blues Cafe:
Music on Film: A film's soundtrack can serve as an integral part of the story itself. Filmmakers, musicians, and composers will discuss the effect that music has in movies, both as an emotional guide, as well as a significant function of the story.

Thursday, June 9, 4PM – 6PM, Newport Blues Cafe:
Spotlight on Documentary Distribution: Find out the issues, challenges, and expectations surrounding documentary distribution from a group of leading experts in the field.

Friday, June 10, 10AM – 12PM, Newport Art Museum:
Master Class with Ellen Kuras: Master classes offer participants a chance to learn from the veterans. Acclaimed cinematographer, Ellen Kuras (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Personal Velocity, Analyze That) will discuss the art & craft of cinematography.

Friday, June 10, 4PM – 6PM, Newport Blues Café:
Screenplay Reading: Attendees are invited to indulge their inner movie critic as professional actors deliver an informal reading of WHITEWASH, a witty romantic comedy by screenwriter Ted Schillinger, cast by legendary casting director, Billy Hopkins.

Saturday, June 11, 4PM – 6PM, Newport Blues Cafe:
MSG: McKean, Shearer & Guest - A Live Performance.
Legendary actors, filmmakers, writers, composers and long-time friends and collaborators, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer and Christopher Guest (This is Spinal Tap, A Mighty Wind), will perform an acoustic set, followed by an on stage conversation with Michael McKean—this year’s recipient of the Claiborne Pell Award in Lifetime Achievement.

Sunday, June 12, 12PM – 2PM, Newport Blues Cafe:
Rhode Island Story: A discussion with local filmmakers, producers, distributors about the ins and outs, pros and cons of shooting big in the smallest State.