MEDIA ALERT:
PROVIDENCE CHILDREN’S FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE UPCOMING 11th ANNUAL EVENT: FEBRUARY 14-23, 2020

Providence, Rhode Island, February 4, 2020: The Providence Children’s Film Festival kicks off on Valentines Day, February 14, 2020 where festival attendees can look forward to an opening night feature film with “love” as the theme.

Other 11th Annual Highlights to include:

• Two-Time Grammy Award winning, local artist Bill Harley providing opening night remarks along with a performance. An animated short film adaptation of one of his songs won last year’s Audience Choice Award.
• Nine shorts programs created from over 800 films considered for this year’s festival. Animation of all types are included in every reel but so are documentaries, experimental films and dance.
• Three shorts reels from two other festivals. For nine years the New York International Children’s Film Festival has been invited to show the films they thought were their best. This year they have an animated shorts reel along with a spanish language reel. The Wild & Scenic Film Festival from California will show a compilation of films they created for young minds. WILD CHILD 2020 presents multiple films of kids interacting and learning about nature all with the hope of improving the world.
• Twelve feature films are also a part of the festival. Some of the highlights are:
  • Last year a Norwegian film walked away with the Audience Choice Award. This year it just might be Sweden (SUNE vs. SUNE) or the Netherlands (MY EXTRAORDINARY SUMMER WITH TESS). Both have walked away with many international Audience Choice Awards in the past year.
  • In the vein of “never forget your past” a classic film or two is included. We are bringing a Marx Brothers film to our festival, A NIGHT AT THE OPERA. Along with the Australian film, BABE which turns 25 years old.
  • Documentaries are a key part of every festival and have garnered many Audience Choice Awards in the past. This year both documentaries presented are focused on improving our environment. MICROPLASTIC MADNESS follows a group of 4th & 5th graders trying to take plastics out of their school and lives. MR. TOILET: The World’s #2 Man is as funny as it is serious about tackling the problem of the lack of proper sanitation around the world and how it can affect billions of people.
  • Several feature films this year feature very unique narratives. In ROMY’S SALON it is the granddaughter that first notices her grandmother suffering from early dementia. Also in the “narrative first” department is GOOD GAME: The Beginning. E-sports is the fastest growing spectator sport in the world right now. This high suspense film follows one gamer’s quest to win it all but at what cost?!
  • Feature animation film highlight this year is AWAY from Estonia. Do you think your child can handle a dialog-less film for 65 mins? This high suspense chase film done in an imaginary world is equal parts stunningly beautiful and full of potential dread. The action and film score will keep you on the edge of your seats the whole time.
• Connecting the films shown every year to the community we live in is very important to us. We take a theme or element from a film’s narrative and invite a person/organization to come and speak about how the film connects to our local community after multiple screenings. This year we have confirmed that Save The Bay and the Narragansett Bay Commission will present what they are doing to address the issues brought up in the films MICROPLASTIC MADNESS and MR. TOILET.
• Two film related special presentations are also happening this year. Producer Kim Wright from Sesame Street will speak at Acoustic Java on how to make an effective pitch for your film or film talents on Saturday, February 22nd. Along with a presentation put on with the R.I. Refugee Dream Center and RISD.
• Finally, it wouldn’t be our film festival without the ever popular Youth Filmmaker Shows. These shows present films submitted from as close as Providence to as far away as Uzbekistan. Seeing what young filmmakers are creating gives you amazing insight into what is on their minds for our future.

The annual Festival represents the best of independent and international children’s cinema to inspire, delight, educate, and connect a diverse community of children and families throughout Rhode Island and New England. Animated, live-action, documentary and youth-made films are selected for their compelling stories with a global perspective that challenge young audiences to better understand the world. A complete list of the schedule can be found here: https://providencechildrensfilmfestival.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/PCFF_2020Program_printableLetter_lores.pdf

Tickets can be purchased here: https://app.arts-people.com/index.php?ticketing=pcff

About PCFF

Providence Children’s Film Festival (PCFF) is a 501(c)(3) arts and culture nonprofit organization, founded in 2009. Our mission is to present the best of independent and international cinema to inspire, delight, educate, and connect a diverse community of children and families from Rhode Island and beyond. The PCFF FILM HUB connects the community year-round with a collection of resources—including a film directory of past festival films and film guides with discussion questions and activities activity reel—designed to promote film education and access to the best of independent and international children’s cinema. To get involved in the 2020 Festival, interested businesses and organizations can visit www.ProvidenceChildrensFilmFestival.org/Sponsor or contact Amy Larkin, PCFF Marketing/Sponsorship, at amywarnerlarkin@gmail.com.

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Media note: To access movie stills or quotes, please contact eric@providencechildrensfilmfestival.org

Providence, RI (Jan. 2, 2019)– The Providence Children’s Film Festival announces a sneak peek of highlighted films and filmmakers featured during its 10^thAnnual “A Decade of Wonder” film festival from February 15 to 28 in venues across Rhode Island. More than 140 thoughtfully curated films from 35+ countries will be featured at the Festival, including East Coast premieres Film School Africa(South Africa), Supa Modo(Kenya) and Los Bando(Norway), 30th Anniversary show of Miyazaki’s Kiki’s Delivery Service (Japan) and 2019 Sundance Film Festival KIDS film pick, The Witch Hunter (Serbia). Other highlights include the following local artists and filmmakers:

Two-time Grammy winner, Bill Harley,a resident of Seekonk, Massachusetts, will be in attendance  on February 18 for the Magic Carpet Rideshow  with his short film, “A Walk Around the Block”. This animated adaptation of Harley’s song of the same name tells the story of a boy sent far away – from block to town, to land, to earth, to moon, to outer space – in his father’s quest for a moment of peace. Through his travels, viewers explore the wonders of the world and celebrate the connection between child and parent.

Rhode Island filmmaker Carla Ricci’s documentary about Rhode Island balloon artist Janice Lee Kellywill be featured at the Festival along with a hands-on balloon crafting demonstration with the artist.National recognized, Kelly’s latest series of sculptures demonstrates her love of the medium and balloons.

To commemorate the Festival’s 10th anniversary, PCFF will screen A Decade Of Wonder short film reel featuring audience favorites from the past 10 Festivals. Three of the films made by animators Max Porter and Ru Kawahatainclude 2009 Festival favorites “Electric Car” and “Davy Crockett” plus last year’s Academy Award-nominated short film “Negative Space”. Recently relocated from Baltimore to Rhode Island, Max now teaches animation at RISD. The creative duo will attend the A Decade of Wondershow with some of their puppets on Sunday, February 24.

Locally-produced short film “Jellyfish”is hitting the international children’s film festival circuit. Rhode Island School of Design professor Marcin Gizycki directed the short filmusing RISD’s Nature Lab as the setting. It stars Tom Roberts, a RISD history professor and long-time Rhode Island Council for the Humanities Executive Director, and actors from Rhode Island’s Big Nazo studio.

The heartwarming and heartbreaking documentary Tre Maison Dasan,bylocal director Denali Tiller, isan intimate portrait of three boys growing up, each with a parent in prison. Told from the child’s perspective, the film is an exploration of relationships and separation and the added complexities of coming of age in America when a parent is behind bars. Tiller was named one of 110 “filmmakers to watch” by Variety Magazinein 2015 for her short film, “Sons and Daughters of the Incarcerated”, which inspired Tre Maison Dasan. Tiller will be in attendance for a post-film Q&A during the Festival. Dates and times to be announced.

2019 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL KIDS film selection:

On the heels of its US premiere at Sundance, The Witch Huntersis coming to PCFF in 2019. The film is about a 10-year-old boy named Jovan who was born with partial cerebral palsy. Shy and self-conscious, he often escapes in his imagination to a place where he is a crime-fighting superhero. His world shifts when a new girl arrives in his class. Milica, not intimidated by much, enlists Jovan to help free her father from his girlfriend, whom she believes is a witch who has placed her father under a spell. Between school and physical therapy, the new friends hatch a plan to expose the girlfriend and break the spell, which Milica hopes will help reunite her parents. Preoccupied with helping his friend, Jovan begins to enjoy life and overcome many of his insecurities. The Witch Huntersis a portrayal of struggle and acceptance, and how true friendship can lead to undiscovered inner strength.

Award-winning documentary:

The award-winning documentary Becoming Who Is Wastakes place in the sparsely populated Ladakh region of northern India where an impoverished young boy is discovered to be the reincarnation of a high-ranking Tibetan monk. Filmed over eight years, the directors capture a stirring tale of friendship, devotion and selflessness. This film explores culture, tradition and identity while also capturing universal truths of unconditional love, family and sacrifice. The film has received several awards including: Berlinale 2017- Grand Prix of the Generation Kplus International Jury: Best Feature Film; Seattle International Film Festival 2017 – Winner Best Documentary; Moscow International Documentary Film Festival 2017 – Winner Best Documentary; Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival 2018 – Winner Best Documentary; Phoenix International Film Festival 2018 – Winner Best Documentary (World Cinema).

First Kenyan film to play at Cannes:

Award-winning female Kenyan director Wanuri Kahiu brings us Rafiki. Banned in Kenya for “legitimizing lesbianism,” this sweet, coming-of-age love story—the first Kenyan film to ever play at Cannes—is a revelation and an inspiration for all ages and genders. “Good Kenyan girls become good Kenyan wives,” but Kena and Ziki long for something more. Despite the political rivalry between their families, the girls resist and remain close friends, supporting each other to pursue their dreams in a conservative society. When love blossoms between them, the two girls will be forced to choose between happiness and safety.

The Festival will feature 13 days of film screenings, filmmaking workshops, field trips and activities that help deepen the film-watching experience. The annual Festival represents the best of independent and international children’s cinema to inspire, delight, educate, and connect a diverse community of children and families throughout Rhode Island and New England.Animated, live-action, documentary and youth-made films are selected for their compelling stories with a global perspective that challenge young audiences to better understand the world. Other films to be featured will be announced in January.

About PCFF

Providence Children’s Film Festival (PCFF) is a 501(c)(3) arts and culture nonprofit organization, founded in 2009. Our mission is to present the best of independent and international cinema to inspire, delight, educate, and connect a diverse community of children and families from Rhode Island and beyond. The PCFF FILM HUB connects the community year-round with a collection of resources—including a film directory of past festival films and film guides with discussion questions and activities activity reel—designed to promote film education and access to the best of independent and international children’s cinema. To get involved in the 2019 Festival, interested businesses and organizations can visit www.ProvidenceChildrensFilmFestival.org/Sponsoror contact Alyssa Biolchini, PCFF Operations Manager, at Alyssa@ProvidenceChildrensFilmFestival.org.

Media note: To access movie stills or quotes, please contact Anisa@ProvidenceChildrensFilmFestival.org.