Print

2018 Roving Eye International Film Festival Celebrates Its 13th Anniversary At Roger Williams University

2018 ROVING EYE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL CELEBRATES ITS 13TH ANNIVERSARY AT ROGER WILLIAMS UNIVERSITY
Programming Features More Than 60 Films From Around the World, Premiere Work, Professional Panels, Visiting Actors and Filmmakers, and Celebrates Arts Programming On the Roger Williams University Bristol Campus
WHAT: The 13th Annual Roving Eye International Film Festival: Heighten Your Perception
 
WHEN: April 16th – 22nd, 2018
WHERE: Roger Williams University, One Old Ferry Road, Bristol R.I.
WHO: Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival (RIIFF); Roger Williams University; Students in the Senior-level Curation & Film Festival Production Class
WHY: To celebrate the next generation of independent cinema from across the globe
HOW MUCH: FREE for film-related events; Modest admission cost for theater and music events
 
BRISTOL, RHODE ISLAND—The 13th Annual Roving Eye International Film Festival created by the Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival (RIIFF) in partnership with Roger Williams University kicks off April 16th and runs through the 22rd. This year’s programming features over 60 films from across the world including Academy Award nominees and winners, numerous World and US Premieres; sneak preview screenings of films slated to premiere at the Rhode Island International Film Festival in August; panel discussions/symposia; visiting filmmakers and student film showcases. The event will conclude with the Spring 2018 Soforenko Foundation Film/Speaker Series On The Jewish Experience.
The Festival theme this year is “Heighten Your Perception.”
The Roving Eye International Film Festival promises to be a portal of discovery for film, arts and culture lovers across the region at this year’s celebration. Complementing this year’s cinematic offerings, the campus will come alive with presentations by Steven Feinberg (Executive Director of the RI Film & Television Office); Robert Capron (actor in “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” series and “Elementary” currently on CBS); Chris Sparling, (Distinguished screenwriter/director and RWU alumni); Sami Steigmann (Holocaust Survivor and Motivational Speaker); Earth Day Celebration with “Earth Fest 2018” on the D’Angelo Commons (the RWU Quadrangle); The Theater Department’s production of “Spring Awakening”; the Trash Fashion Show hosted by the RWU Eco-Reps; Alice Cross, writer/lecturer; Rev. Nancy Soukup, RWU Multifaith Chaplain; and Shawn Quirk, RIIFF Program Director. There will also be a special screening of the distinguished 2018 Oscar-winning film, “The Silent Child,” which had its world premiere at the 2017 RIIFF, as part of Roving Eye’s Oscar nominations package.
The Festival will also collaborate with Roger Williams University’s Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) Chapter and Title IX office to screen student-created Public Service Announcement submissions as part of a competition to raise awareness on sexual assault. This is a donor-funded competition and the team presentations open to the public.
The Festival’s annual Soforenko Foundation Film/Speaker Series On The Jewish Experience explores representations of the Jewish experience in Israel, across the globe and the Holocaust through 12 premiere films. This includes sneak peeks of films that will play the Rhode Island International Film Festival in August. The event takes place April 17, 19 & 22nd. The series is hosted by the Rev. Nancy Hamlin Soukup, University Multifaith Chaplain at RWU and includes a presentation by Holocaust survivor, Sami Steigmann; and aconversation with Chris Sparling filmmaker /screenwriter. All programming will take place at Roger Williams University, Bristol, RI.
Students at the University, with the guidance of Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival, create the Roving Eye International Film Festival through the Film Minor senior-level course, Curation and Film Festival Production. Flickers’ Executive Director and RWU Professor, George T. Marshall teaches the class. This year, 16 students spent the first part of the spring semester reviewing more than 800 films provided by Flickers and from there went on to create the entire Roving Eye Festival. The students developed active marketing and PR strategies, including the planning for events plus staffing throughout the week. Roberta E. Adams, Ph.D., retiring Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, is theFestival Chair, linking faculty adjudicators with students, RIIFF and the RWU administration in a unique collaboration.
Students in the Curation and Film Production Class include: Anas Alfeez, Christopher Aquina, Matthew Burbine, Jake Chipkin, Mark Donovan, Alexandra Ende, Amanda Farrow, Angela Ferguson-Martins, Kelsey Piazza, Rosalie Stevens, Carolyn Terry, Lauren Utecht, Stephanie Ward, Hoss Wheeler, Emily Whitehead and Kenneth Kramer.
The 2018 Roving Eye International Film Festival is sponsored by The RI Film & the Television Office; Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival; WSBE Rhode Island PBS; Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia, Edge Media Network, the Edwin S. Soforenko Foundation; Roger Williams University Office of the Provost; the RWU Department of Communication, Graphic Design and Web Development, Dean Jeffrey L. Meriwether, RWU School of Humanities, Arts and Education, Dr. Roberta Adams, the RWU Film Production Collaborative, the RWU Screenwriter’s Guild, RWU Hillel, and the Spiritual Life Office.
 
To see a listing of this year’s programming and to learn more about the Roving Eye Festival, go to: http://www.film-festival.org/RovingEye.php
 
ABOUT ROGER WILLIAMS UNIVERSITY:
Roger Williams University, located on the coast of Bristol, R.I., is a forward-thinking private university with 45 undergraduate majors spanning the liberal arts and the professions, where students become community-minded citizens through project-based, experiential learning. With small classes, direct access to faculty and boundless opportunity for real-world projects, RWU students develop the ability to think critically while simultaneously building the practical skills that today’s employers demand. In the two years since launching its signature Affordable Excellence initiative, the University has established itself as a leader in American higher education by confronting the most pressing issues facing students and families – increasing costs that limit access to college, rising debt and the job readiness of graduates. In addition to its 4,000 undergraduates, RWU is home to more than a dozen graduate programs, a thriving School of Continuing Studies based in Providence as well as Rhode Island’s only law school. For more information, go to:www.rwu.edu.
ABOUT FLICKERS’ RHODE ISLAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL:
The Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival (RIIFF) has secured its place in the global community as the portal for the best in international independent cinema, earning the respect of domestic and foreign filmmakers, filmgoers and trend watchers. Ranked as one of the top 10 Festivals in the United States, RIIFF is a qualifying festival for the Live Action, Documentary and Animation Short Academy Awards through its affiliation with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). There are only 10 film festivals worldwide that share this distinction and RIIFF is the only festival in New England. The Festival takes place every August.
For more information about the Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival, running Aug. 7-12, 2018 at the Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC) and The Vets (formerly Veterans Memorial Auditorium), please visit www.RIFilmFest.org or call 401.861.4445.