FLICKERS RECEIVES $24,000 GRANT FROM CHAMPLIN FOUNDATION

Flickers, the producers of the annual Rhode Island International Film Festival, is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a $24,000 grant from the Champlin Foundation to help enhance and expand their technology in an ever-changing and growing industry. The money will be used to complete its transition to primarily exhibiting films digitally and permanently retiring obsolete hard media formats (such as Blu Ray, DVD, HDCAM, film, etc.) through the further investment and proliferation of infrastructural assets such as a DIGITAL FILE PROJECTION (DFP) HARDWARE PLATFORM. Additionally, Flickers will work to enhance ADA compliance at each of our exhibition venues by providing Assisted Listening Devices that will complement the viewing experience for those who are hearing impaired.

This award will allow Flickers to continue its tradition as a national leader in the exhibition of under represented voices in the cinematic arts in 2019 and beyond. In addition to providing a more seamless presentation for screening audiences, the transition to digital file exhibition will be a cost effective, simple, and secure alternative for filmmakers who increasingly are expecting such a solution in place as the default anyway. This simplified process will allow the work of filmmakers to be screened at multiple venues with ease and consistency.

“On behalf of Flickers I want to thank the Champlin Foundation for their generous gift. This grant ensures that the Rhode Island International Film Festival and its ongoing year-round programs will continue to be one of the leading film events on the East Coast,” said George T. Marshall, executive director of the Flickers Arts Collaborative, in a statement. “Through supporting Flickers, the Champlin Foundation helps to ensure a dynamic international film community continues to flourish here in Rhode Island.  Grant support is critical to our ability to share the works of contemporary filmmakers from across the globe with students and residents of our Rhode Island communities.”

This marks the fourth grant from the Champlin Foundation, which involved Flickers; the first being $60,000 for the purchase and installation of a state-of-the-art Ultra High Definition Christie Projector System at Veterans Memorial Auditorium (The Vets). Flickers researched and wrote the grant in a partnership with The Vets Foundation in 2013. The grant was designed to provide a reasonable to no-cost utilization of The Vets for non-profit organizations as well as the Rhode Island Business community, enabling use of this flexible venue for meetings and conferences requiring digital projection capability.

The second grant being $22,000 for the purchase of post-production equipment for the creation of Flickers’ Digital Discovery Portal, a media lab within the Festival’s office space, where classes on digital film editing, sound design, and special effects for students, interns, and adults can be provided a year-round basis. This grant was received in 2015, and has helped Flickers expand its role as a major resource for film education within the State of Rhode Island. The Portal is now in constant use and each month Flickers provides free editing classes to youngsters in the Rhode Island community.

The third grant was $18,500 for the purchase of a new HD Projector System for the Jamestown Arts Center has allowed the JAC to continue to serve as an affordable and accessible venue for film screenings, multi-media presentations, meetings and conferences for non-profit organizations andlocal filmmakers for the Newport County and South County communities. Flickers researched and wrote this grant in partnership with the JAC in 2016 to replace the projector and audio/visual equipment originally on indefinite loan to the JAC by Flickers when the Center opened.

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. This confluence of art and commerce brought together world-class celebrities, award-winning filmmakers, new talent and audience members in record numbers last year. Ranked as one of the top 10 Festivals in the United States, RIIFF is a qualifying festival for the Live Action, Animation and Documentary Short Film Academy Awards through its affiliation with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) and the Canadian Screen Awards. 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 August 6-11, 2019 at The Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC) and The Vets (formerly Veterans Memorial Auditorium), please visit our website at www.RIFilmFest.org or call 401.861.4445.