"One of the Best International Film Festivals and top 10 Short Film Festivals in the United States. The RIIFF provides the kind of intimate festival experience that will change your life. Don't miss it. "
Chris Gore, The Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide
Now in its 27th year, the FLICKERS' RHODE ISLAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL celebrates the independent spirit in film and has become a haven for independent filmmakers from throughout the world. In 2022, the festival presented 383 films representing works that were shot and produced in 106 countries. There were 92 World Premieres and US/North American Premieres. Moving the Festival back to a post-COVID normal was the goal of the 2022 event, which mixed in-person/indoor screenings with expanded outdoor screening options and an online portal for on-demand and geoblocked screenings.
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 6,139 independent films and videos out of 81,805 entries, presented 1,497 World/North American premieres, featured over 1,245 entries that were locally produced, and hosted 4,318 filmmakers and crew. Since its inception, over 576,000 film lovers, in-person and online, 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.
HIGHLIGHTS: In 2002, RIIFF was selected as a qualifying festival for Best Short Subject through the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
In December 2003, RIIFF was cited as "One of The Top 10 Short Film Festivals in the United States."
In 2006, RIIFF was cited as one of the Top 12 United States Film Festivals by TravelSmart Magazine.
In 2010, RIIFF launched the Flickers North Country Film Festival at The Balsams in Dixville Notch, NH as part of its outreach in cultural tourism.
In 2010, RIIFF became a host for the annual Oscar® Night America for the state of Rhode Island.
In 2011, RIIFF continued expanding its outreach across the state of Rhode island, hosting exhibitions, symposia, special events and outdoor screenings. RIIFF is also a member of the New England Film Festival Alliance, which it helped found with the Woods Hole Film Festival and the Martha's Vineyard International Film Festival. The focus has now become international in scope.
In 2012, RIIFF solidified new programming models such as the Rhode Island Film Forum, ScriptBiz, the Future Filmmaking Symposium, and the Discover RI: Walking Tour, all free to attending filmmakers who have been accepted into the Festival. Programs continue to expand yearly including Acting for Camera Classes, Symposia and morning industry conversations.
On April 25, 2013, the Festival was notified by the Bureau of International Information Programs at the U.S. Department of State that the Rhode Island International Film Festival would be featured as one of the nation’s top summer festivals for an upcoming social media campaign promoting international tourism to the United States.
Eurochannel: a multi national, cable channel based in Paris, Sao Paulo and Miami agreed to become an official partner with RIIFF. The channel provided TV spots ten times a day during the month of August 2013 and had the RIIFF logo displayed on Eurochannel’s partner page. With IPads and smart phone devices the target platforms, Eurochannel provided both international and domestic visibility in niche cinema markets. Eurochannel is now an annual sponsor of the Festival.