2022 Reel Connections
Sure, bringing some of the best local, national and international films keeps us busy as bees. What else keeps us buzzing? Developing “Reel Connections” from our films to our community! With every film we invite we comb for ways to connect an element or theme from the film to something in our own back yards. In PCFF 2022 we have developed over a dozen Reel Connections to share with you. Here are some to pollinate your mind! Sign up if you are interested. A Zoom link will be sent to you the night before the event.
THE HOUSE OF MEMORY director Sofía Rosales Arreola and R.I. Historical Society’s Film Curator, Becca Bender joined us on February 20th to discuss her beautiful film about someone who is suffering from Alzheimers and the importance of preserving memories made on film. WATCH HERE
THE HOUSE OF MEMORY (La casa de la memoria) – An old man lives with his memories, captured on film and carefully cataloged in a library. But what happens when those films begin to deteriorate? (2020 / 13 mins / Mexico / dir. Sofía Rosales Arreola / no dialogue / part of the Películas y Palomitas! reel)
Lauren Parmelee of the Audubon Society of Rhode Island joined us with Archimedes (Archie to his friends) to discuss fascinating owl facts in comparison to the depiction of owls in SHOOOM’S ODYSSEY. Favorite fun fact is that Archie loves “mouse-icals”. Sorta what you get when you freeze a mouse on a stick! Yuck! WATCH HERE
SHOOM’S ODYSSEY – Shooom, a baby owl hatches just as a storm turns the bayou surrounding her tree upside down, knocking her from her nest. Now she’s determined to find a mother… even if that mom turns out to be an alligator or a raccoon! (2019 / 26 mins / France / dir. Julien Bisaro / a small part is in French w/English subtitles / all ages / part of BE STRONG, BE KIND reel)
Kathleen Cloutier, the Executive Director of Dorcas International Institute of R.I., joined us on February 21st in support of the short documentary SEAHORSE. We talked about the obstacles many refugees face and how Dorcas International assists close to 5,000 immigrants, refugees and established residents in need each year, as they seek to build a successful life here in Rhode Island. WATCH HERE
SEAHORSE – Hanan accompanies her brother to classes in a German public pool. The first swimming badge is called »Seahorse«, their instructor explains, because it doesn’t drown while being underwater. When Hanan fled ISIS to Europe on a treacherous trip in a rubber dinghy, she couldn’t swim. To overcome this memory she is now a swim instructor teaching kids like her little brother how to swim. (2020 / 16 mins / Germany / dir. Nele Dehnenkamp / in German w/English subtitles / part of FAMILIES IN FLIGHT reel)
On February 22 Rhode Island Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea joined us to talk about Rhode Island’s very own moon rock in support of the film Star Bound. Little did we know when she was younger she wanted to be an astronaut too! WATCH HERE
STAR BOUND – Joey Jefferson, a mission operations engineer at NASA, talks with his outer space-obsessed 6-year-old nephew Jerry Morrison. Beneath their discussion of space is the uncle’s excitement for what his nephew will encounter in life as he pursues his passions. (2021 / 3 mins / USA / dir. Richard O’Connor / in English / part of PASSIONATE PURSUITS reel)
MY DAD IS A SAUSAGE – In this charming film for the entire family, introverted Zoë (12), the youngest of three siblings, is struggling to find her own voice at school. At home, she is closest with her father. When Dad suddenly burns out on his bank job and inexplicably decides to become an actor, the rest of the family thinks he’s having a breakdown.
His wife, a type-A executive at her family’s chocolate factory, is most concerned. But Zoë believes her dad is an amazing actor waiting to be discovered and vows to help him however she can. Spiced with innovative animation, this contemporary dramedy about a family that reinvents shows the importance of following your dreams in spite of the doubts of others. (2021 / 80 mins / Belgium / dir. Anouk Fortunier / Dutch w/English subtitles)
Producer Natalia Polo joined us on Wednesday, February 23rd to discuss the inspiration in creating El Intronauta and the techniques used to carry that vision to the making of this amazing animation. WATCH HERE
THE INTRONAUTA – This film is definitely one of the top-ten animations we have in the festival this year. The narrative is open to interpretation but there’s no doubt that Jose Arboleda is one super talented animator. His reinterpretations of daily tasks, common objects and urban landscapes is one of a kind. He too will join us from Colombia during the festival week to virtually discuss his latest work and hear from you! (2020 / 16 min / Colombia / dir. Jose Arboleda / no dialogue).
Author Jorge Santos (Graphic Memories of the Civil Rights Movement: Reframing History in Comics) and Professor at the College of the Holy Cross joined us along with a surprise visit from the director, Alphonso McAuley, on February 23rd to discuss the importance of having BIPOC characters and authors in the world of comics. WATCH HERE
COMIC ESCAPE – A young boy finds a comic book that changes the way he views the world. Why hasn’t there been room for people who look like him in the comic universe? (2021 / 15 mins / USA / dir. Alphonso McAuley / in English / part of THE WORLD AROUND US reel)
Director of HELLO WORLD, Kenneth Elvebakk and Andy Taubman (Dir of Youth Services of Youth Pride RI) joined us on February 24th to discuss the challenges young people face when they feel that their gender, sexual orientation or public presentation are different than what people have assumed them to be.
HELLO WORLD (Hei Verden) is a coming-of-age story told by four gay kids, becoming teenagers in Norway. What do teenagers experience the first years after they have revealed their secret? When you are the first one to be open, who are you going to kiss? How do you start to fall in love but don’t know anyone who is gay like you? Through three years, this documentary follows the lives of four teenagers who are the first ones to be openly gay in their schools. They are 12 and 13 years old when their stories begin. Do things change for the better? WATCH HERE
Director Thomas Verrette joined us for a great conversation on February 25th that included elementary school teacher Madison Marcotte, who helped manage Rhode Island’s team in the last MIT SPHERE’S competition.
ZERO GRAVITY follows a diverse group of middle-school students from San Jose, CA, who compete in a nationwide tournament to code satellites aboard the International Space Station. Does Rhode Island have a middle school that participates? Darn tootin! WATCH HERE
Julio Berroa, House of Codec founder and director, and GEM (George E. Marley), Haus of Codec director of development, joined us for a conversation on February 25th to discuss what they offer to young LGBTQIA+ adults that find themselves homeless in Rhode Island in support of the film OUT OF THE DARK: AKeem. Haus of Codec provides safe shelter space for people between the ages of 18 and 24 as they seek permanent housing. WATCH HERE
OUT OF THE DARK: Akeem – How do you fight an enemy you cannot see? This is the story of Akeem Rollins, known for his viral slam poetry piece “Suicide Note,” and how he faced the greatest challenge of his life and found strength he never knew he had. (2021 / 4 mins / USA / dirs. Sarah Klein, Tom Mason / in English / part of SOLVING & EVOLVING reel)
Director Garrett Zevgetis and EveryBlackGirl founder Vivian Anderson joined us for a live Q&A on February 27th. Providence Student Union rep Eugenie Rose Belony attended and provided information on the latest event here in Providence involving a Mount Pleasant High School Student. WATCH HERE
ON THESE GROUNDS: An explosive video goes viral, showing a white school resource officer in South Carolina pull a Black teenager from her school desk and throw her across the floor. An outraged nation divides over who is at fault and what role race played in the incident. Healer-Activist Vivian Anderson uproots her life in NYC and moves to South Carolina to help the girl and dismantle the system behind the “Assault at Spring Valley,” including facing the police officer.
EveryBlackGirl Inc. organizes and provides programming to address the conditions leading to BlackGirls being pushed out of schools and becoming at risk for arrest, confinement and incarceration. Specifically, EveryBlackGirl Inc. is interested in creating change to prevent: disciplinary referrals, suspensions, and expulsions of BlackGirls: state and interpersonal violence; and anti-Blackness and invisibilization of BlackGirls. Sign up here!