Cinemania!

Is Rhode Island the new film fest capital?

by Bill Rodriguez

'FROG & WOMBAT'

The city of the Gilded Age mansions has always been a place apart, as though its jet set and yachting crowd had their own flag and sovereignty. So this year's first annual Newport International Film Festival, an impressively slick and polished affair, was inevitable sooner or later.

But a Rhode Island International Film Festival? Last year it drew more than 2000 moviegoers, although since it was held in Woonsocket exclusively and four of its five films were in French, it seemed more like a Quebeçois Franco-national film fest. International film in this state has customarily meant catering to the specific ethnic audiences here, as with the less ambitious Latin American, Portuguese, Italian and Jewish film festivals held previously this year.

International film aspirations here go way back. The Rhode Island film fest was founded by the Flickers Arts Collaborative, an outgrowth of the Newport Film Society. Under its founder and present executive director George T. Marshall, it also produced that state's first international film festival in Newport in 1983.

Apparently, the 2nd Annual RI International Film Festival used its 1997 offering as a warm-up exercise. Set for August 13-16, this year the event drew from 10 countries, as well as 26 states. Judges screened 207 submissions in bringing the program down to 30 feature films and 60 shorts. Six will be world premieres, and two are American premieres as well. A festival spokesperson estimated that at least 5000 are expected to attend the event, which has a budget of $50,000.

Festival central will once again be the 1200-seat Stadium Theatre (28 Monument Square, Woonsocket). The theater was extensively renovated for the event and has a 38-foot screen and a Dolby sound system. A gala opening reception will be held there tonight (August 13) at 6 p.m.; a free closing night reception will take place on the 16th at 6:30 p.m. Thirteen feature films will be screened at the Stadium.

Also in Woonsocket, "Stage Two: Cutting Edge Works on Video and Film" will consist of hourly video presentations Thursday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The site is the Museum of Work & Culture in River Island Park.

The event has been expanded to Providence, which is significant for the future success of the festival. Nine features and numerous shorts will be screened Friday through Sunday at the Cable Car Cinema (204 South Main Street, Providence), in a series titled "Cinematheque: The New Director's Showcase." In addition, a last-minute "Best of Fest" program has been scheduled for Monday through Thursday following the festival. Award-winners will be screened along with additional audience favorites and selected runners-up. Award categories are feature, documentary, short, director, and audience choice.

Highlights of the features? With first-time directors, it's hard to tell from the storylines, but here are a few descriptions that catch the eye.

At the Stadium Theatre on Friday at 10:30 a.m., Frog & Wombat (family comedy), "a quirky female Tom Sawyer meets Rear Window; at 3:15 p.m., Origin of the Species (drama, Best First Feature winner at 1998 Houston Film Festival), "picture the cast of Friends before its members become household names"; on Saturday at 3:15 p.m., Five Wives, Three Secretaries and Me (documentary), "a portrait of Tommy Blake -- Houston oil man, Hollywood playboy, hotshot lawyer, and serial monogamist"; at 9:15 p.m., Joe's Wedding (romantic comedy), "an edgy [film] featuring the two most star-crossed lovers since Romeo and Juliet stayed out past their curfew"; on Sunday at 1 p.m., La Concierge (drama, nominee Montreal Film Festival Grand Prix d'Ameriques), "a young cop [is] searching for the killers of his partner. The trail leads him to the conciergerie, a mysterious building with 12 occupants"; at 3:15 p.m., Honey and Ashes (drama, Best First Feature winner at 1997 San Francisco Film Festival) "explores the patriarchal strictures of contemporary North African culture through the overlapping stories of three women from different walks of life"; at 7:30 p.m., Les Boys (comedy, Quebec's highest grossing film ever), "the story of a gang of ordinary guys who get their kicks by playing in an amateur hockey league."

Showing at the Cable Car on Friday at 7:30 p.m., Closer than the Boy Next Door: A Twisted Romance (drama/ comedy), "siblings Justin and Janeane search for meaning in their unstable lives"; at 10 p.m., The Slaves of Hollywood (comedy), "absurdist look at group of young college graduates working at their first jobs in corporate Hollywood"; on Saturday at 4 p.m., Niche (comedy), "three college grads try to get through the confusion of growing up, holding down jobs and having relationships"; at 7:30 p.m, Honey and Ashes (see above); on Sunday at 4 p.m., Hyderabad Blues (romantic comedy, Best Film at 1997 Peachtree International Film Festival), "a chronicle of a young man's return to his native India after living in the United States for 12 years"; at 7:30 p.m., Ted (comedy), "a dark, comedic mockumentary about alleged Unabomber Ted Kaczinsky."

General admission is $6, with festival passes $85 for all films. The Providence Film Commission will hold a reception for the filmmakers on Saturday, August 15 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Music Mansion (88 Meeting St., Providence). Admission is by donation.

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