Flickers' Rhode Island International Film Festival Honors 'the Smallest State With the

      The Flickers Rhode Island International Film Festival kicked off on Tuesday, highlighting how the smallest state excels in the realm of filmmaking. The festival, now in its 44th year, began with a selection of short films that tackled grand themes and intense emotions within brief time spans.

      Celebrations for the opening night commenced with a montage from the Rhode Island Film & Television Office, showcasing prominent filmmakers who have worked in the state, such as Steven Spielberg, Wes Anderson, and local favorites Peter and Bobby Farrelly. However, the festival swiftly shifted its focus to the future, presenting a series of captivating and expertly crafted shorts that tackled significant concepts.

      The very first film was the expansive and whimsical “Cartoon Physics,” created by Oscar-nominated married duo Ru Kuwahata and Max Porter. It examines the concepts of life and death through the straightforward lens of a 4-year-old girl, inspired by their own daughter.

      “Cartoon Physics” embodies many aspects of Flickers: Porter teaches at the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design, the film features dialogue in Japanese and briefly in French. The festival’s backers include the Japan Foundation, New York, reflecting Flickers’ longstanding support for Japanese cinema, and the Canadian province of Quebec, due to the sizeable French-Canadian community in Providence. This film is a collaboration among French, Dutch, and Swiss creators, highlighting the festival’s international flavor.

      Flickers’ executive director Shawn Quirk mentioned that this year’s event showcases submissions from 45 countries, with the festival narrowing down 7,000 entries to just under 300 films.

      “Everything you’re doing is going to help continue to shape the world around us,” he told filmmakers during his opening address at the impressive Providence Performing Arts Center. “It’s a new reality every day, and the films we view help bring that reality to life.”

      Flickers’ Rhode Island Film Festival and the Promotion of Rhode Island Film and TV

      Attendees walked the red carpet on opening night of the Flickers Rhode Island International Film Festival at the Providence Performing Arts Center. Moviemaker

      The festival’s unique name stems from its beginnings: it is organized by the Flickers Arts Collaborative, which was initially the Newport Film/Video Society & Arts Collaborative. The term “flickers” is an old-fashioned reference to movies dating back to when light flickered through projectors.

      This vintage term also reflects Rhode Island’s appreciation of its history and playful spirit: Steven Feinberg, executive director of the Rhode Island Film and Television Office, remarked that the state’s beautiful beaches and well-preserved sites have helped generate nearly a billion dollars in film and TV productions. Providence, the festival's location, frequently appears on lists of the Best Places to Live and Work for filmmakers.

      Feinberg shared the film office’s slogan — “the smallest state with the greatest backlot” — while highlighting recent productions like HBO’s The Gilded Age and the indie film Rubber Hut, which tells the true story of a woman who established a drive-thru condom shop in her Italian Catholic town during the early ‘90s.

      Ericka Atwell-Cardona, Flickers’ director of Development and Community Outreach, emphasized that the state is “rich in history, creativity, and culture.” She encouraged filmmakers to “draw inspiration from our communities, our coastline, and the warmth that makes Rhode Island unique.”

      The festival presented its first award for best screenplay to New York-based Grace Eitrheim for her winning script, Lucky Charm, which follows two sisters navigating a chaotic road trip across America while their mother travels from one casino to another.

      The film block commenced with a recorded message from married collaborators Rachel Shenton and Chris Overton, who qualified for the Oscars nearly a decade ago by winning at Flickers, later earning an Academy Award for Live Action Short Film.

      With the accomplishments of Kuwahata and Porter — who were nominated for an Oscar for their 2017 animated short “Negative Space” — it’s easy to envision “Cartoon Physics” contending for an Oscar as well.

      To discover more about the Flickers Rhode Island Film Festival, click here, and explore additional festival coverage here.

      Main image: (L-R): Steven Feinberg, executive director of the Rhode Island Film and Television Office; Ericka Atwell-Cardona, Flickers’ director of development and community outreach; Flickers executive director Shawn Quirk; Flickers’ best screenwriter winner Grace Eitrheim.