RIIFF UNDER THE STARS: EMBRACING NEW PERSPECTIVES - DOCUMENTARY SHORTS

Now in its 26th year, New England's largest and most prestigious festival — Flickers' Rhode Island International Film Festival™ (RIIFF) — will take place August 8-14, 2022 as a hybrid event with Drive-In, outdoor and online screenings. Ranked as a one of the Top 10 Film Festivals in the United States, this world-class event will be held at venues around Providence. It features screenings, filmmaking workshops, meet-and-greet industry events and seminars. Aiming to promote Rhode Island as a filmmaking location and to celebrate the independent filmmaking spirit, FLICKERS also hosts a number of high-profile premieres and provides a showcase for international features, documentaries, and shorts.

Founded in 1997, Flickers' Rhode Island International Film Festival has quickly carved out a name for itself. It accepts films of any type, in any genre and will screen this year 300 international productions. The films were shot and produced in countries across the globe. Rhode Island native Bobby Farrelly was so impressed with the festival's debut that he held the world premiere of his next film - There's Something About Mary - at the 1998 event 

The festival is dedicated to the creation of opportunities for "artistic interaction and exchange among independent filmmakers, directors, producers, distributors, backers and the film-going community". It is a safe haven for all independent filmmakers - a place where they can hide from all the overblown CGI effects and high concept reinterpretations of classic films.

This year, FLICKERS will screen amazing new work selected from over 6,900 film submissions. 100% of the RIIFF schedule is created from these film submissions; and not culled from other festivals. This makes for a truly dynamic event where regional audiences discover new work and new filmmakers whose work often overlooked.

Thursday, August 11th:

8:00 PM - Candidato 34

Bryan Russell is the first person in the world with Down syndrome to ever run for public office. CANDIDATO 34 is a documentary short that follows Bryan and his campaign team during the 2020 congressional election in Peru as he attempts to convince a reluctant public that he is capable of being a congressman, and an important voice for change.

8:34 pm - The Sentence of Michael Thompson

Michael Thompson is the longest serving non-violent offender in the history of Michigan and he is finally up for clemency. In 1994, he was arrested for selling three pounds of marijuana to a close friend turned police informant and was sentenced to 40 to 60 years in prison and has been there ever since. After 25 years, three appeals, and two denied applications for clemency it seems like Michael may finally have a chance at freedom

9:03 pm - Small Hours

Inspired by the photo book format, this short documentary focuses on summer seasonal workers on a small island.

Through first impressions and personal moments the viewer gets a sense of the feeling of summer when it's contained. A time that is at once very concentrated with possibility and excitement is contrasted with the growing pains of first time jobs and what happens when you truly let go of life off the island.

9:09 pm - When We Dance

On February 24, 2022 Vladimir Putin and his Russian army invaded Ukraine, beginning an ongoing conflict that has cost thousands of lives and created ripple effects throughout the world - particularly in the international competitive ballroom dancing community. Composed significantly of Ukrainian and Russian dancers, the world of top elite dancers has been thrown into turmoil from the war. Told through interviews and a narrative dance piece that highlights the shared humanity that connects us all, this film explores the personal, often heartbreaking, stories of the war from a handful of the world's top ranked Ukrainian and Russian ballroom dancers. As the war rages on, it is our duty to share the atrocities of what is happening in Ukraine and, in doing so, help foster a solution to bring this bloody conflict to an end.

*This is a free program courtesy of Providence Innovation District Park