FLICKERS’ RHODE ISLAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES ANNUAL SCHOLARSHIP FOR STUDENTS IN FILM AND THE ARTS
AS PART OF ITS YEAR LONG FOCUS CELEBRATING WOMEN IN FILM, AN ANNUAL SCHOLARSHIP WAS LAUNCHED TO HONOR RETIRED UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND DEAN, WINIFRED E. BROWNELL
APPLICATION DEADLINE JUNE 15, 2019
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – As it continues its Year-Long Celebration of Women in Film and the Arts, leading into this year’s Festival, August 6-11th (#WomenInTheArts), the Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival (RIIFF) is pleased to announce the second year of the Winifred E. Brownell Scholarship Fund, a Scholarship that is geared specifically for students at the University of Rhode Island.
Applications are now being accepted and have a Friday, June 15th deadline. This year’s Scholarship will be announced on August 6th at The VETS, One Avenue of the Arts, Providence during the Festival’s Opening Night Gala.
The Scholarship Application can be found on the Festival website: www.rifilmfest.org or directly at http://www.film-festival.org/WinnieBrownell.php
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 will be presented without restrictions, allowing the winner to use the money as they see fit.
In working closely with Dr. Brownell to develop the scholarship, it was determined that it will be awarded to students newly enrolled or attending the University of Rhode Island.
Applicants will be expected to meet requirements that demonstrate artistic talent and an ambition to strive for excellence. Additionally, applicants can matriculate in any arts discipline at the University.
According to George T. Marshall, Executive Director and Founder of the Flickers Arts Collaborative, the 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 – affectionately known as ‘Winnie’ by all who know her. Over the course of her career she touched so many young lives and inspired a passion for learning and a pursuit of personal excellence.
“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 of $2,000 to underwrite the scholarship and will be encouraging community and alumni contributions to expand the number of awards given in the future.
“Our intent is to continue the great gift that Winnie shared in her career and inspire the next generation through her name.”
ELIGIBILITY
- Deadline for the application and all support materials is: June 15, 2019
- The $2,000.00 Winifred E. Brownell Scholarship will be awarded through the Harrington School of Communication to a student who is a senior in high school (any high school or “homeschooled”) who has been enrolled at the University of Rhode Island, or any student at the University of Rhode Island in rising sophomore, junior, or senior standing.
- He/she excels in an area or areas of the Arts including but not limited to: fine arts, visual arts, (illustration, graphic design, multimedia, film), performing arts, the literary arts (creative writing, poetry), music (performance, composing), theatre. Other “sub-genres” may also be considered.
- The Arts applicant must have been accepted to a post-secondary arts program in one of the Arts areas outlined above.
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 23RD ANNUAL FLICKERS’ RHODE ISLAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (RIIFF), a major destination on the Festival circuit and recognized by the Academy as a Qualifying Festival in all short film categories, welcomes stellar filmmaking talents from all over the world to beautiful Providence, Rhode Island—one of America’s oldest and most beloved cities. RIIFF embraces both filmmakers and screenwriters with the sort of warm-hearted spirit that fosters long-lasting friendships, sparks exciting creative projects, and inspires artists to return again and again. It’s little wonder that Chris Gore’s Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide praises RIIFF as “the kind of intimate festival experience that will change your life.”
RIIFF is one of 10 Festivals in the world that is an Academy Award qualifier in the Live Action, Animation and Documentary Short categories and a qualifier with the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). With vanguard programming that seeks to showcase new voices in independent filmmaking from across the globe, RIIFF serves as an exceptional platform from which to launch exciting careers for artists who deserve to be discovered. Ten films that have premiered at RIIFF have won Academy Awards with a total of 66 nominated, and many have gained distribution with the likes of HBO, Showtime, PBS, Netflix and IFC. A wide range of competitive categories—including Comedy, Drama, Horror, Children’s, LGBTQ, Documentary, Webisodes, Music Videos, Science Fiction, and Animated films—RIIFF offers entrants and audience members a veritable buffet of great stories, surprises, and narrative formats. There’s even a screenplay and teleplay competition, designed to give talented screenwriters some well-deserved industry credibility.
More information on the Festival can be found at www.RIFilmFest.org. You can also write to RIIFF, 83 Park Street, Suite 5, Providence, RI 02903; call 401- 861-4445; email: info@film-festival.org.