FLICKERS’ RHODE ISLAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES WINNER OF NEW SCHOLARSHIP FOR STUDENTS IN FILM AND THE ARTS
AS PART OF ITS YEAR LONG FOCUS CELEBRATING WOMEN IN FILM, AN ANNUAL SCHOLARSHIP TO HONOR RETIRED UNIVERSITYOF RHODE ISLAND DEAN, WINIFRED E. BROWNELL HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED
(PROVIDENCE, R.I. August 22, 2018) – As part of its year-long “Celebration of Women in Film and Arts” that kicks off with this year’s Festival in August 7-12th, the Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival (RIIFF) is proud to announce the winner of the introductory Winifred E. Brownell Scholarship Fund. Named after the recently retired Dean of the URI College of Arts and Sciences, Dr. Winifred E. Brownell, the scholarship pays recognition to her career championing the arts and humanities at the University. The annual award is for $2,000 and is presented without restrictions to students at the University of Rhode Island, allowing the winner to use the money as they see fit.
This year’s winner is Alyssa Botelho, of Fairhaven, MA, who will be entering her sophomore year at the University of Rhode Island and pursuing a double major in Film Media and Entrepreneurial Business Management. Her goal is to establish a career path in film directing.
The award was announced during the Festival’s Annual Awards Ceremony on Sunday, August 12th at the Metcalf Auditorium, RISD Museum, Providence, RI.
In presenting the award, Dr. Brownell stated, “Alyssa Botelho is an excellent choice for this inaugural award. She has an outstanding academic record in the URI Harrington School of Communication and Media, growing professional experience in film, an extensive record of service, and the most impressive essay of all applicants.”
According to George T. Marshall, ’76, Executive Director and Founder of the Flickers Arts Collaborative, the 37-year-old non-profit that produces the Rhode Island International Film Festival, “Our central desire behind creating and awarding this scholarship is to celebrate and perpetuate the 46 year legacy at the University of Dean Brownell. The driver behind this scholarship is to continue the great gift that Winifred Brownell shared in her career and inspire the next generation through her name.
“Dr. Brownell is a groundbreaking educator and Dean Emerita of the Arts and Sciences at the University. Her visionary work propelled the University to become a leading hub for film media studies and nurtured the Rhode Island Film Festival during its infancy, spurring it to become the internationally acclaimed event that it is today.
“Flickers has made a yearly financial commitment to underwrite the scholarship and will be encouraging community and alumni contributions to expand the number of awards given in the future.
Information about the Scholarship Program can be found on the Festival website: www.rifilmfest.org or directly at http://www.film-festival.org/
ABOUT THE FESTIVAL
FLICKERS is a 501(c)(3) non-profit arts organization that supports and promotes the film arts in Rhode Island and throughout New England. Over the past two decades, its production, the Rhode Island International Film Festival, has screened 5,105 independent films and videos out of 61,296 entries, presented 1,229 World/North American premieres, featured over 1,000 entries that were locally produced, and hosted 4,568 filmmakers and crew. Since its inception, over 430,000 film lovers have enjoyed the Rhode Island International Film Festival and its programming, not including those in New England watching its weekly broadcast and cable programming series, “doubleFEATURE.”
THE FLICKERS’ RHODE ISLAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 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 Narrative, Documentary and Animation 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.
MORE ABOUT THE FESTIVAL
RIIFF offers a variety of prestigious awards to some of the most talented artists in (and soon to be in) the business. The festival’s Gilbert Stuart Artistic Vision Lifetime Achievement Award has been bestowed upon Academy Award-winning actors Ernest Borgnine and Patricia Neal, Oscar-nominated actors Seymour Cassel and Cicely Tyson, acclaimed actors of stage and screen, Paul Sorvino and Theo Bikel, director Blake Edwards, special effects icon, Douglas Trumbull, and production designer, Joseph M. Alves. The Festival’s Creative Vision and Crystal Image Awards recognizing outstanding directors, actors, writers, film talent, have been awarded to such talents as Karen Allen, Zach Braff, Blythe Danner, Ioan Gruffudd, Rosa von Praunheim, Michael Showalter, composer Klaus Badelt, and children’s book author Sandra Boynton. More than simply a film festival, RIIFF champions artistic vision in any form and is dedicated to sharing that vision with a diverse and enthusiastic audience that hungers for great storytelling.
The 2018 Festival was dedicated to Winifred Brownell, Former Dean of Arts and Sciences at the University of Rhode Island. For over 46 years Winnie enriched the research and academic programs of URI seeing her many years of work culminating with the founding of the Harrington School of Communication and Media. A member of the RIIFF Advisory Board, Dr. Brownell nurtured and supported the KidsEye Summer Filmmaking Camp that will be celebrating its 21st Anniversary next year.
The Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival returns August 6-11, 2019. For more information, please contact us at 401.861.4445 / rifilmfest.com