This year’s event marks another growth stage for an already evolving festival.

The Rhode Island International Film Festival prides itself on bringing innovative ideas to the film festival circuit in New England. However, we are also proud to be a part of a film industry tradition as well. RIIFF is honored to be one of only 47 festivals that are official qualifiers for the Academy Award short film. Last year the Walt Disney/Salvador Dali collaboration DESTINO enjoyed its U.S. premiere at our unique opening night program featuring all short films. Expanding on a theme, this year RIIFF has partnered with The Big Noise, LLC to bring festival participants the opportunity to have their musical scores qualify for the Grammy Awards.

Filmmakers are Special: In 2003, over 200 filmmakers trekked to RIIFF from points across the globe. RIIFF has turned into a must-attend filmmaker event each summer, drawing scores of attendees. We like to believe it's because RIIFF provides such a fertile ground to see new work, as well as providing great networking opportunities. This belief is supported by a review in The Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide, 2nd Edition (December 2003) in which author Chris Gore states: "[RIIFF is] one of the top 10 Short Film Festivals in the United States. The RIIFF provides the kind of intimate festival experience that will change your life. Don’t miss it. "

Awards: RIIFF presented its first Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000 to Academy-Award Award winning actress, Patricia Neal. A Scholarship Fund was also established in Ms. Neal's name. The 2001 recipient was acclaimed director, Blake Edwards. The recipient for 2003 was the venerable Academy Award nominated actor, Seymour Cassel.

The Lifetime Achievement Award is now an annual event at RIIFF, and their 2004 recipeint will be announced in June 2004. On the Festival's Closing Night, Sunday, August 15th, there will be a special prescreening reception in honor of the recipient and a staged tribute of their work, life and industry impact. We call this "A Conversation With..." and it will be open to the public.

In 2000, RIIFF presented its first Artistic Vision Award. The recipient was Elaine Lorillard, founder of the Newport Jazz Festival. This award will now be an annual event and will be presented during RIIFF. The Award Gala is scheduled for Friday, August 13, 2004.

Our other film awards include: Best Feature, Best Director, Best Short, Best Documentary, Best Editing, Best Experimental. Directorial Debut, Best Screenplay (finished film), Best Foreign Film, Best Original Score, Best Composer, Kodak Vision Award for Best Director, RIIFF Positive Lifestyle Award, Viola M. Marshall Audience Choice Awards, Kidseye International Film Fest Awards, RIIFF Final Draft Screenplay Competition Awards, and RI International Horror Film Festival Awards.

10 Anniversary of the Jubilé Franco-Americain
PERSPECTIVES FROM QUÉBEC & THE FRANCOPHONE WORLD
Our Jubilé tradition continues with a full week dedicated to films from Québec, France and Francophone countries. Coupled with the film screenings will be food tie-ins and a marketplace of goods from the Québec Province. We will also be linking with local Franco groups to provide for an exceptional cultural experience for visiting filmmakers and our audiences.

HIP, HOT & SHORT
A number of films have either had their world premiere or were screened at RIIFF and gone on to be nominated and even win the Academy Award. These include DESTINO, from the Disney Studios; GREGOR’S GREATEST INVENTION by Johannes Kiefer, from Germany, 2001; THE PERSONALS by Keiko Ibi, from the USA, 1999; and FAMILY VALUES, by Eva Saks, from the USA, 2001 with a Student AA. RIIFF will present a special sidebar dedicated to the art of the short. For the first time, audience members will have an opportunity to nominate their choice for Oscar selection by a special ballot.

THE PROVIDENCE JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL
With a strong kick off in 2002, we continue to build this special side-bar thanks to our affiliation and support through the National Center for Jewish Film. Sharon Pucker Rivo, Executive Director of the National Center serves as curator of this festival-within-a-festival.

"Given the events in Massachusetts on marriage rights and the recent Supreme Court ruling, this sidebar could not be more timely. The issues we address include human relationships, family, prejudice, the role of religion in a secular state, intolerance and coming of age,’" said Festival Executive Director, George T. Marshall. "We feel that the material presented in this program is relevant to all human experiences and will hopefully entertain as well as open the door to thought and dialogue."

CINEMA RHODE ISLAND
RIIFF 2004, unlike most festivals, takes place throughout the entire state, not one city. This year, our month-long series of programs will take place throughout Rhode Island in August--something we call Cinema Rhode Island (which is conveniently the name of our membership organization). These screenings will feature samples of the best of the films to have played the Festival during its first six years. Additionally, key highlights from the festival will screen in late August at our partnership location, the Courthouse Center for the Arts in Kingston, RI. (For more information about working with these terrific artists, contact: Courthouse Center for the Arts
P.O. Box 186, W. Kingston, RI 02892 401-782-1018.)

The Honorary Chairs for RIIFF 2004 are the Hon. Donald Carcieri, Governor, Rhode Island; Hon. David M. Cicilline, Mayor City of Providence; and US Senator Jack Reed. Michael Drywa, Esq. is the RIIFF Board President.

RIIFF 2004 will continue to introduce filmmakers and audiences to new technologies thanks to partnerships with Sony, Rule Broadcast Systems, and Avid Technologies. In 2002, we introduced High Definition digital projection (courtesy of SONY) and other new technologies to our venues. Look for the introduction of the RIIFF DVD collection in 2004. Our efforts also continue thanks to the support of Clear Channel Communications and NBC10.

Now in its eighth year, the Festival is produced by the Flickers Arts Collaborative, an organization with 22 years of experience presenting major artistic events as well as independent and foreign films to the public. RIIFF will screen over 200 films from an entry base of 1200 during the 6-day event, August 5-10, 2004. A variety of down-city venues in Providence will be used in addition to our core location of the vintage Columbus Theater on Broadway.