by Marla Lewinphoto by Ed KriegerTree is a metaphor for the roots, branches, and leaves of a family. It seems both solid and enduring. TREE by Julie Hebert depicts three generations, divided by race, culture, time, and location.  Leo Price (Chuma Gault) is a divorced chef who is caring for an aging mother with dementia (Sloan Robinson) with the help of his college-age daughter, J.J. (Tessa Thompson). They connect when Didi Marcantel (Jacqueline Wright) a southern white woman barges into h...

The Twelfth Annual Festival Concludes Attracting Extraordinary  Films, Celebrities and Record Crowds PROVIDENCE, RI (August 10, 2008). The 2008 Rhode Island International Film Festival (RIIFF) announced the winners in this year’s film competition at its annual Awards Ceremony held at the Providence Biltmore Hotel's Garden Room in Providence, RI. George T. Marshall, RIIFF's Executive Director welcomed over 175 attending filmmakers at the ceremony. He was joined by Adam Short, Producing Dir...

The Twelfth Annual Festival Concludes Attracting Extraordinary  Films, Celebrities and Record Crowds PROVIDENCE, RI (August 10, 2008). The 2008 Rhode Island International Film Festival (RIIFF) announced the winners in this year’s film competition at its annual Awards Ceremony held at the Providence Biltmore Hotel's Garden Room in Providence, RI. George T. Marshall, RIIFF's Executive Director welcomed over 175 attending filmmakers at the ceremony. He was joined by Adam Short, Producing Dir...

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (July 9, 2008)– Do you have a story idea that you feel would make a great film? Hopeful screenwriters, ScriptBiz™ is coming this August to Providence, RI.  ScriptBiz™ is a two-day workshop created and presented by the Rhode Island International Film Festival. Instructors are professional filmmakers, directors, writers, and other experienced members of the film community who will guide students down the right path to putting their creative ideas onto paper and getting th...

One of the highlights this summer will be the 12th annual Rhode Island International Film Festival, and to help spread the word, organizers reached out for some East Side star power to help. Literally. On Thursday, June 19, RIIFF hosted a reception at the Ladd Observatory on Hope Street to introduce the community to new members of their advisory board and this year's summer interns who hail from across the globe. Organized by Demetria Carr, RIIFF's Associate Producing Director, the event inclu...

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (May 13, 2008)– After extensive deliberation and evaluation, Festival judges have announced the top award winners for the 2008 Roving Eye Documentary Film Festival, a sidebar of the Rhode Island International Film Festival. The categories this year are the Audience Choice Award, The Roving Eye Doc Festival Award, Best Cinematography, Emerging Eye First Time Director, and Honorable Mention. The month-long Festival ran from April 2nd – May 10th at locations throughout the st...

The Rhode Island International Film Festival’s 2007 Audience Choice Award Winner Screens at Prestigious Sun Yat-sen University PROVIDENCE, RI (April 9, 2008) – The Rhode Island International Film Festival (RIIFF)– New England’s largest film festival and its only Academy Award qualifying event – is pleased to announce the screening of “From The 50 Yard Line” at the prestigious Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, China thanks to a special partnership between the two festivals. ...

PROVIDENCE, RI (March 21, 2008) – The Rhode Island International Film Festival (RIIFF)– New England’s largest film festival and only Academy Award qualifying event – will premiere its popular “You Be the Judge” Night at the Clark Memorial Library in Richmond.  The event will take place on April 15th at 7:00 p.m. Last year, over 2,500 films were submitted to RIIFF.  The reputation of the festival continues to grow as filmmakers and audiences from around the world spread the wo...