FLICKERS’ VORTEX SCI-FI, FANTASY, AND HORROR FILM FESTIVAL
LAUNCHES ITS 19TH GENRE-FILLED YEAR
61
Films, 16 Countries, 8 Running Days, 9 World/North American Premieres, 15
Statewide Locations, Free High School and Library Screenings, Sci-Fi, Fantasy
and Animation Programming, doubleFEATURE showcase on RI PBS, Expanded College
Connection Screenings, and the Popular H.P. Lovecraft Walking Tour Times Three
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — A phantasmagoric symphony of international films blasts its way
across the big screen as the Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival
launches its 19th Annual Flickers’
Vortex Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror Film Festival (VORTEX), October 20-27th. In addition
to its traditional spooky film fare, Vortex will showcase a wide-array of
Sci-Fi and Fantasy cinema. This year's Festival includes a return of its
popular H.P. Lovecraft Walking Tour over
a three-day period presented in collaboration with the RI Historical Society
and the Brown University Film Forum (BUFF), free in-school programs, an
expanded Campus Connections program
that brings free Festival programming to area Colleges and Universities, four
free Forums that look behind-the-scenes at creating genre films in the Ocean
State, special programming in the RI PBS series, “doubleFEATURE,” and a closing
night “Dead Celebrities” Halloween party on the Rooftop of the Providence G. All
screenings are free except those at the RISD Museum Metcalf Auditorium, on
Saturday, October 27th.
The 2018 festival
will include screenings in Providence at the RISD Museum Metcalf Auditorium, Providence
College, Johnson and Wales University, Brown University, Roger Williams
University in Bristol, RI, the Rhode Island Historical Society, the Museum of
Work and Culture, the Tiverton Public Library, the North Kingstown Free Public
Library, the Warwick Public Library Special and the Rooftop of the Providence G.
A special episode of the Flickers’ series “doubleFEATURE” will air on RI PBS.
Special screenings,
not open to the general public, will take place at the Beacon Charter School in
Woonsocket, Westerly High School, and the Jacqueline M. Walsh
School for the Performing Arts in Pawtucket.
This year’s
programming has been curated by Shawn
Drywa, who created the Vortex Festival 19 years ago while a student at
Rhode Island College and a Flickers’ intern. He has partnered with Shawn Quirk, RIIFF’s Program Director
for the main Festival in August in creating this year’s event.
"We have a wonderfully diverse list of entries and
events for this year's festival. Everything from traditional horror and horror
comedy to thought provoking science fiction and animation. Plus, we have some
great panelists and a very fun closing night party. We truly have something for
everyone," noted Shawn Drywa, Vortex Program Director.
The Flickers’ Vortex Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and
Horror Film Festival celebrates and showcases imagination and creativity in
filmmaking and will include a bevy of World and U.S. Premieres. In all, 61 films
have been selected from over 3,000 genre submissions. They represent 16
countries including the United Kingdom, Australia, Ireland, Canada, Germany, China, Spain, France, Chile, Norway, Switzerland,
Singapore, Georgia, and the United States. Many of the filmmakers will be in
attendance, so audience members will have a chance to meet, ask questions, and
even network with the next generation of genre filmmakers.
All events are free
to the general public except the HP Lovecraft Walking Tour and screenings, and
the programming on Saturday at the RISD Museum Metcalf Auditorium. General
Admission for each of the three screenings at the Museum is $10.00 per person
Group Discounts can
be arranged in advance by calling the Festival office at 401.861.4445.
VORTEX SPECIAL PROGRAMMING HIGHLIGHTS:
Saturday,
October 20, 2018; Sunday, October 21, 2018; and Saturday, October 27, 2018
H.P.
Lovecraft Literary Walking Tour
For
the past 11 years, Providence native and cult horror writer H.P. Lovecraft has been the subject of
a popular annual walking tour and film series conducted by the RI Historical
Society presented as part of the Flickers’
Vortex Sci-Fi, Fantasy Horror Film Festival (Vortex).
The
life and work of Providence's best-known fantasy and horror author, Howard Phillips Lovecraft, will provide
the backdrop for the tour, which will be led by the Rhode Island Historical Society. Lovecraft's
"Providence stories" (written between 1924 and 1935) are the
inspiration behind the walk. Lovecraft wrote eloquently, and in great
detail, about such landmarks as Prospect Terrace, the First Baptist Church, and
Benefit Street houses. Participants
will see the site of his former home, as well as locales mentioned
in The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, The Haunter of the Dark, The Shunned House,
and The Call of Cthulhu.
Following the tour, which lasts for
approximately 90 minutes, participants will be treated to a ticket to see
premiere films inspired by Lovecraft.
Time: 12:00 p.m.
Location: John Brown House, 52 Power Street, Providence,
RI 02906
Screening Location: Friedman Hall, Brown
University in partnership with the Brown University Film Forum.
Admission: Tickets for the walking tour are $19 per
person, can be purchased online at http://www.film-festival.org/HPLovecraft18.php, and includes
a ticket to the film screenings. The Walking Tour can also be purchased in
advance by calling the RIIFF offices at 401.861.4445 or the RI Historical
Society at 401.331.8575.
Tuesday,
October 23, 2018
VORTEX LECTURE SERIES - 1
BEHIND THE CAMERA LENS: A CONVERSATION WITH…
DUNCAN PUTNEY, actor/writer/director
Duncan Putney is an
accomplished actor, as well as an award winning screenwriter and producer. A
graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst where he studied both
business and theatre, Duncan works as a professional actor in film, television,
stage, and television commercials and can be seen in such films as "The
Judge," “Mystic River,” “R.I.P.D.,” “The Town,” and “Brilliant Mistakes,”
as well as TV commercials for Papa Gino's, Budweiser, and others.
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Location: Roger Williams University, One Old Ferry
Road, Bristol, RI
Global Heritage Hall,
Room 01
THIS IS A FREE EVENT
VORTEX LECTURE SERIES - 2
BEHIND THE CAMERA LENS: A CONVERSATION WITH…
ROBERT CAPRON, actor
Robert Capron began his
acting career when he was eight years old by enrolling in an after school drama
program sponsored by Trinity Repertory Company in Providence, RI. Later that
year he landed a role as Turkey Boy in Trinity's production of “A Christmas
Carol.” Since that time Robert has performed a variety of roles on stage and
film. Robert's first principal role was in “Bride Wars.” Robert's role as
Rowley in Fox's three-movie franchise “Diary of A Wimpy Kid” (2010, 2011) helped
solidify his career. In 2015, Robert played Jake alongside Bailey Madison in
the Indie feature “Annabelle Hooper and The Ghosts of Nantucket.” In 2016,
Robert landed the role of Jack Black's son Dave in the feature film “The Polka
King.” In addition to theater, and film, Robert currently is a returning guest
star on CBS's “Elementary,” where he plays the role of one of Sherlock's
"irregulars" known as Mason. He has also appeared on television as a
guest star on ABC's “The Middle,” and as the lead on two episodes of The Hub
Network's “The Haunting Hour.”
Time: 3:30 p.m.
Location: Roger Williams University, One Old Ferry
Road, Bristol, RI
Global Heritage Hall,
Room 01
THIS IS A FREE EVENT
Thursday,
October 25, 2018
doubleFEATURE (weekly TV anthology
series)
This week on doubleFEATURE, celebrate world of the
fantastical and the macabre as told through three short films that include “The
Body” directed by Paul Davis from the United Kingdom; “ON/Off” by French
director, Thierry Lorenzi; and from Austria and Chile, Dominik Hartl's, “Vienna
Waits For You,” a cautionary tale that reminds you there is no such thing as a
free lunch, unless, of course, you are the lunch.
doubleFEATURE on WSBE - RI PBS,
Broadcast: Channel 36
• Cox 08 / 1008HD
• Verizon FiOS (RI) 08 / 508HD / (MA) 18 / 518 HD
• Full Channel 08 Comcast in Southern MA *Various / 819 HD,
• DirecTV 36 | DISH Network 36
Each week, “doubleFEATURE,”
the 60-minutes series on RI PBS, presents award-winning short films that have
premiered at the Flickers' Rhode Island International Film Festival (RIIFF) over
the past 20 years along with topical industry interviews.
Ranked as one of the top 10
Festivals in the United States, RIIFF is also a qualifying festival for the
Live Action, Documentary and Animation Short Film Academy Awards through its
affiliation with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. It is also
a BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) and Canadian Screen
Awards (Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television)-qualifying Festival. There
are only 10 film festivals worldwide that share this distinction.
Executive Produced by
Flickers, the program is co-produced with the Rhode Island Film and Television
Office and RI PBS. George T. Marshall, Executive Director of Flickers is the
host of the program. Steven Feinberg, Executive Director of the Film Office,
and an accomplished writer/director, interviews filmmakers who work in front of
and behind the camera lens.
Friday,
October 26, 2018
VORTEX LECTURE SERIES - 3
BEHIND THE CAMERA LENS: A CONVERSATION WITH…
TOM DENUCCI, actor/writer/director
Tom DeNucci, Actor/Writer/Director,
is the recipient of the 2013 Rhode Island International Film Festival Robert
Burgess Aldrich Award, named for the heralded director of the 1967 war
masterpiece “The Dirty Dozen.” Like Mr. Aldrich, DeNucci also hails from
Cranston, Rhode Island, USA. If DeNucci's career thus far is any indication,
the young Director and Actor will be a worthy successor to Mr. Aldrich's legacy
and a prominent voice for his own generation. For DeNucci's “Almost Mercy”(2015),
Scott Hallam of dreadcentral.com proclaims: "DeNucci holds nothing back on
this one. Almost Mercy confronts major social issues and does so in a way
that's delicate, but also quite powerful, and deals them into a
revenge-thriller that's actually empowering for the viewer." DeNucci plays
a member of boxer Vinny Pazienza's entourage in “Bleed for This” (2016), which
stars Miles Teller (Whiplash) as Pazienza and Aaron Eckheart (Erin Brokovich)
as "Paz's" trainer. Directed by Ben Younger and executive produced by
Martin Scorsese. As versatile as he is prolific, DeNucci's resume also includes
forays into family films. As Director, his “Arlo the Burping Pig” (2016) tells
the story of a lonely, young girl and the adorable teacup pig she adopts as a
pet. Tom lends his acting talents to “Christmas All Over Again” (2016) as
Francisco, a wild wedding planner. Ringing in 2017 Tommy directed “The Santa
Files” (2017) telling the story of a group of kids from Norpole, Maine and
their search for Santa Clause. Recently completed in 2018, “Vault,” follows the
story of a famous Providence heist in the 1970's.
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Location: Roger Williams University, One Old Ferry
Road, Bristol, RI
Global Heritage Hall,
Room 01
THIS IS A FREE EVENT
VORTEX LECTURE SERIES - 4
BEHIND THE CAMERA LENS: A CONVERSATION WITH…
MICHELLE ABBOTT, producer/artist
Michelle
Abbott is a Producer an artist at RI PBS.
Time: 3:30 p.m.
Location: Roger Williams University, One Old Ferry
Road, Bristol, RI
Global Heritage Hall,
Room 01
THIS IS A FREE EVENT
Saturday,
October 27, 2018
Vortex Showcase Time Three
Program One:
“Danger, Will Robinson!”
A program of Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Short Films
Time: 2:30 p.m.
Program Two:
“Ascension
Horror has a new
meaning with this feature film package.
Time: 4:45 p.m.
Program Three:
“Killer Unicorn”
Official Closing Night Film: A
killer wearing a unicorn mask is out for revenge and taking down one drag queen
at a time. Members of the cast and crew will be
present.
Mature Themes/Adult content.
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: RISD Museum Metcalf Auditorium, South Main Street, Providence, RI
Admission: $10
official closing night party
Dead Celebrities: Halloween Party
Come dressed as your
favorite dead celebrity for this wild Costume Contest with cash prizes and
celebrate the wrap of the 19th Annual Vortex.
Time: 9:00 p.m. to 12:00 midnight
Location: Rooftop at the Providence G, Providence,
THIS IS A FREE EVENT, 21+,
no cover
This year’s Vortex programming is sponsored by the
Flickers' Rhode Island International Film Festival
Rhode Island Film &
Television Office, The Providence Tourism Council, ACT/Providence, Cox Media,
WLNE ABC6, Eurochannel, RISCA, Brown University Film Forum (BUFF), WSBE RI PBS,
Providence College, Johnson and Wales University, the Rooftop at the Providence
G, the RI Historical Society, the RWU School of Humanities, Arts and Education,
RWU Department of Communication, Graphic Design and Web Development, THE RWU
HAWK'S HERALD, The RWU Inter-Residence Hall Association (IRHA) and the RWU American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA).
ABOUT THE RHODE ISLAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL:
The Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival (RIIFF), 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. This confluence of art and commerce brought together world-class
celebrities, award-winning filmmakers, new talent and audience members in
record numbers last year. Ranked as one of the top 10 Festivals in the United
States, RIIFF is a qualifying festival for the Live Action, Animation and Documentary
Short Film Academy Awards through its affiliation with the Academy of Motion
Picture Arts & Sciences and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts
(BAFTA). 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.
For more information
about the Flickers’ Rhode Island
International Film Festival, running August
6-11 2019 at The Vets (formerly
Veterans Memorial Auditorium), please visit our website at www.RIFilmFest.org or call 401.861.4445.
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