Newport International Film Festival
Announces 2008 Lineup
NIFF Offers More Than 100 Films June 3rd – 8th
Newport , R.I. - (April 30, 2008) - Every summer starts off with the promise
of sun and fun. It may be impossible to guarantee the sun, but the Newport
International Film Festival can guarantee the fun.
Beginning on Tuesday June 3rd, the 11th annual Newport International Film Festival
(NIFF) kicks off with the documentary Man on Wire, which explores tightrope
walker Philippe Petit’s daring high-wire routine between New York City’s
World Trade Center’s twin towers in August 1974. What follows for the
next five days is no less inspiring, though a little less death defying, with
a wide range of films sure to satisfy everyone from the “euro-cinephile” to
the skip roping kids at the park.
It is not just the films that are new to this year’s NIFF. This is Louisa
Percudani’s first year as executive director, hot off her successful
run as assistant director of the Sedona Film Festival. Louisa has brought with
her a programmer that is no stranger to R.I.’s film exhibitor’s
world, Eric Bilodeau, who for the past 18 years was film programmer for the
Cable Car Cinema.
NIFF will also be expanding to two new venues in addition to the cinemas that
have anchored the festival since its inception, The Jane Pickens Theater & Event
Center and the Opera House. These new venues are The Tennis Hall of Fame,
in Newport and The Cable Car Cinema, in Providence .
The Tennis Hall of Fame screening room is a welcome addition, that will increase
the number of screenings in Newport and more significantly, allow festival
goers to enjoy films in a context that is quintessentially Newport .
While The Cable Car Cinema will for the first time, bring part of the festival
to the capital city, and give a few of the featured filmmakers who attended
RISD and Brown the opportunity to bring their films back to their educational
roots.
“We are very excited about this year’s unique lineup of films,” said
Louisa Percudani, executive director of NIFF 2008. “Our goal is to put
together a program that we feel will stir the mind and the heart of festival
goers, and I believe we have accomplished that.”
The films this year are almost evenly divided between feature length documentaries
and narratives. There will also be four programs of shorts that are mixed with
both documentary and narrative films.
Under the documentary category, Man on Wire; Traces of The Trade; Arthur Russell:
Wild Combination; Nerakhoon: The Betrayal, and Pray the Devil Back to Hell
all cover historical events of the past as seen through a contemporary lens,
while thematically relating to issues of the current day.
Of special interest is Delta Rising, a new documentary about “ America ’s
classical music,” the blues. The film features a wide range of famous
personalities (Willie Nelson, Morgan Freeman, Bill Lucket, Jimbo Mathus, Scott
Bomar, Chris Cotton, Ruby Wilson, James Super Chikan Johnson) including R.I.’s
own James Montgomery. Needless to say there will be blues musicians in town
to accompany this film’s breakout.
Other documentaries cover people and events of the present that deserve their
story be told. Man Named Pearl, Doubletime, Uncounted, Encounters at The End
of the World, Speed And Angels, Beautiful Losers, and Life Support Music all
tell stories most audiences would otherwise miss if it were not for the passion
of a filmmaker to capture them on film.
Then there are politically inspired documentaries that hope to encourage question
and thought about the current state of nation. Uncounted and Secrecy attempt
this difficult theme, and to a lesser but no less powerful extent, Wade the
Water.
The narrative feature film category covers a wide array of stories that guarantee
to leave an impression. NIFF is proud to have a German film contingent this
year with three young filmmakers attending with their films: Hotel Very Welcome,
Oysters Without A Shell, and Lamento. German filmmakers are on the rise and
these films demonstrate that.
Closer to home, the NIFF is screening premiere films made by Brown alumnae
DJ Paul (B.O.H.I.C.A.) and Jonathan Levine (The Wackness). As well as RISD
alum Jake Mahaffy’s film, Wellness.
NIFF is proud to offer the certified festival winners of 2008. These include
Sundance best dramatic feature Frozen River and best documentary Man on Wire.
The winner of the Golden Bear at the Berlinale 2008, The Elite Squad, and the
aforementioned winner of the best dramatic narrative of the South by South
West festival, Wellness.
Other narrative features include The Cake Eaters, The Toe Tactic, The Flyboys,
August Evening, Boy-A, Baghead, Sherman’s Way, and the quasi “mocumentary” Woodpecker
which will be sure to leave theatre goers in laughter and tears.
There will be nothing less than an “eclectic” mix of high quality
short films programmed in a feature length format. The short films program
will offer a sampling of what filmmakers can accomplish in 10 to 15 minutes;
that feature length filmmakers take two hours to do..
In addition to showcasing many new films, NIFF is excited to celebrate the
life of great Italian actress Anna Magnani. Magnani, who would have turned
100 this year, was known for her radiance and sensuality. She worked alongside
many great directors, including Roberto Rossellini (Open City), Federico Fellini
(Roma), Sidney Lumet (The Fugitive Kind), George Cukor (Wild is the Wind),
Jean Renoir (The Golden Coach) and Luchino Visconti (Bellissima).
NIFF will show Magnini’s Academy Award-winning film THE ROSE TATTOO,
which was one of Magnini’s most memorable performances. Co-starring
Burt Lancaster, the film and Magnini’s performance were described at
the time as “Lusty…Rousing…Startling…. Her blood
boiled with desire… and raged with jealous fury!”
Whether it is a look at new works by emerging artists, or a retrospective of
contemporary world cinema; whether it is a program of music on film, or Rhode
Island spotlight, the Newport International Film Festival provides a context
that stresses the art of filmmaking and media's influence on today's society.
For more information, visit the Newport International Film Festival website
at www.newportfilmfestival.com.
Newport International Film Festival
Passes On Sale May 1st
NEWPORT – (April 30, 2008) – Passes to the 2008 Newport International
Film Festival (NIFF) will go on sale Thursday, May 1, 2008. The film festival
is scheduled for June 3rd to June 8th, offering six days of screenings, celebrations,
panels, and more. For a complete lineup of films and events or for tickets,
please visit www.newportfilmfestival.com.
Passes are available online at www.newportfilmfestival.com, or by calling 401.846.9100
. Passes are sold at four levels: Platinum, Gold, Fanatic, and the Six Pack
Flex Pass.
• The Platinum All-Access Pass provides access to any and all films;
priority seating at all screenings; Festival “Green Room” access
throughout the week; Opening Night Film and Party on June 3rd; Wednesday Night
Filmmaker Gathering at Fluke; Thursday Night Filmmaker Party at Clarke Cook
House; Friday Night Party; Closing Night Film & Party on June 7th; and
the Awards Brunch on June 8th. A Platinum Pass is $500.
• The Gold All-Films Pass provides access to any and all films; priority
seating at all screenings; and Opening and Closing Night films. The Gold Pass
is $300.
• The Fanatic Pass provides access to any 12 screenings, excluding
Opening and Closing Night films. The Fanatic Pass is $100.
• The Six-Pack Flex Pass provides access to any six screenings, excluding
Opening and Closing Night films. The Six-Pack Flex Pass is $50.
Highlights of this year’s festival include a screening of “Man
on Wire,” which explores tightrope walker Philippe Petit’s daring
high-wire routine between New York City’s World Trade Center’s
twin towers in August 1974; “Traces of the Trade,” a documentary
tracing the history of slavery in Rhode Island by local filmmaker Katrina Browne; “Wellness” by
RISD student Jake Mahaffey, which recently won the Grand Jury Award at the
South by Southwest Film Festival; and “Delta Rising,” which follows
America’s greatest blues musicians, including Rhode Island legend James
Montgomery
The 2008 Children's Film Festival will feature a Pixar retrospective, the 50th
anniversary of the classic Red Balloon, and many more films for children, teens
and the whole family.
NIFF programming offers unique opportunities for the community to interact
with filmmakers and artists in a celebration of the art of film and storytelling.
Whether it is a look at new works by emerging artists, or a retrospective of contemporary world cinema; whether it is a program of music on film, or Rhode Island spotlight, the NIFF provides a context that stresses the art of filmmaking and media's influence on today's society. Festival films represent a broad range of cultures and locales, genres and aesthetics, and daily panels engender lively discussion among diverse audiences.