THE REEL WORLD Film fest's latest attracts plaudits BY BILL RODRIGUEZ

The energy at the Seventh Annual Rhode Island International Film Festival (RIIFF) had settled down somewhat by the closing night party, but only somewhat. In the ornate board of aldermen’s chamber at Providence City Hall, the mayor said nice things about the festival’s contribution to the city, but the real buzz about where RIIFF is at was among the chatting filmmakers.

"It’s nice to walk into a place and feel at home,’’ said New York director Brad Aldous, who was here with a short. "There’s not a lot of stress. It’s not a place where you’re worrying about who’s there and what’s doing. You’re just meeting people and talking about film. That’s really what it’s all about."

Filmmaker Terry Ray’s Gaydar has been to 48 festivals, and he’s accompanied it to major ones, such as Seattle and Austin, and to some at the end of cow paths, such as the festival in Oskogee, Oklahoma. At RIIFF, the hospitality has been a high point. "The volunteers are awesome here," Ray says, noting how this was unexpected. "This is the first time I got to stay in somebody’s home. That’s been kind of cool, because I’ve gotten this private tour guide of Providence. That helps me feel good about the city, because I get to see parts I wouldn’t have on my own, because I would be just walking to the theater and my EconoLodge."

He was impressed professionally as well as personally. "Another thing I’d commend this festival about is the level of films. You go to film festivals sometimes and go, ‘Hmmm. I’m not that honored to be in this festival,’ when you see the stuff they’re showing. But here I’ve seen a lot of good films."

RIIFF executive director George Marshall, taking a break from greeting his guests — 213 filmmakers attended this year — spoke about the festival’s growth. "We knew that this was going to be a critical year for us, in not only establishing our identity but also pretty much branding what the festival was about. We took risks this year," he says. "We did stuff that pushed us."

One gulp-and-do-it decision was to screen one-and-a-half hours of shorts, not usually seat-fillers, as the opening night splash. That made sense, though, and went well because of RIIFF’s distinction as one of only four-dozen festivals whose short films become eligible for Oscar consideration.

Other decisions extend past the festival’s August 10 wrap, such as starting a renovation campaign for the beautiful Columbus Theatre, where RIIFF is headquartered. Marshall also has filmmakers excited, he says, about making the Columbus a venue for new shorts, to be screened before its weekly mainstream features.

"They do trailers up the yin-yang up at Hoyts, 15, 20 minutes. Why not put a short in?" he asks. "For us the issue isn’t the money — it’s the filmmakers getting the respect they deserve for all of the work they put into their films."