Message from the Board of Directors:

The Providence Children’s Film Festival Board of Directors is pleased to announce two new appointments. Eric Bilodeau has been promoted to Artistic Director, and Rachel Colaiace will join the organization as Managing Director on July 1.

Eric joined PCFF as Director of Programming shortly after the festival’s founding, and has curated exceptional programming that has inspired audiences for the past decade. He brings more than 30 years of experience to his new role as artistic director. Eric co-owned and operated the Cable Car Cinema for 18 years, and also served as the Director of Programming for the Newport International Film Festival. In addition to his work as PCFF’s artistic director, Eric is also the children’s film programmer for the Martha’s Vineyard Film Festival and a festival advisor for the International Kids Film Festival of India. In his “free time” he started Cricket Cinema in 2015 which specializes in holding outdoor screenings of PCFF and other top notch film programs.

“Programming films for young minds has been THE most demanding programming I have ever done, but also the most rewarding. I have seen how kids of all ages respond to very challenging narratives in the most positive ways. I am delighted to now become PCFF’s Artistic Director where I will continue the high quality programming for PCFF but also provide media literacy opportunities to help young minds control, rather than just consume, the visual media they are bombarded with daily,” Eric remarked.

Rachel Colaiace comes to PCFF as Managing Director with nearly 20 years of event and fundraising experience. Her work has focused on family and community programming orchestrated to engage a diverse population in communal activities and causes, making her the perfect addition to the PCFF team.

Rachel’s personal interest in movie-making, festival planning and educational programing stems from a life-long belief in cinema’s ability to bring a worldly assortment of experiences and emotions to individuals in an easily accessible way. “Film can be an especially powerful platform for emotional growth among the young and adolescent population, and I am eager to work alongside the PCFF staff and volunteers to engage a growing number of movie enthusiasts in the Providence Children’s Film Festival,” Rachel said.

Message from the Board of Directors

After an exceptional six years as the Executive Director of the Providence Children’s Film Festival, Anisa Raoof will be stepping down in Spring 2019. The Board of Directors applauds Anisa for providing dynamic leadership and deepening PCFF’s engagement with the wider Providence community while maintaining a passionate dedication to the power of film as a shared experience to inspire and delight young lives.

Anisa joined PCFF as a board member in 2012, bringing her entrepreneurial and social media expertise as founder of Kidoinfo. As Executive Director of PCFF, Anisa was committed to broadening access to the festival and established the Film Hub, the Youth Filmmakers Showcase, free screenings at Rhode Island Public Libraries and Public Parks, and film literacy programs for schools, libraries and community groups across the state.

“Film has the power to transform the way we think about the world and our place in it. I am so proud of the work we have done as a team to spotlight and connect compelling visual stories by international filmmakers with young audiences here in Rhode Island. And thankful to our amazing community partners that have been instrumental in informing and amplifying our programming. Together we leveraged our resources to not only enable films to reach more people but to inspire learning and creativity,” Anisa said.

As PCFF celebrates its tenth anniversary, A Decade of Wonder, we are especially grateful for Anisa’s stewardship and vision in reaching this milestone. We look forward to counting her among our fans and champions as we continue to bring our community together to celebrate the world of stories through film.

The PCFF Board of Directors will soon launch a regional search for Raoof’s replacement. A job posting will be made available on the PCFF website in the near future.

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Read more here.

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The Humanities Council is proud to announce that the following four distinguished awards, which will be presented at the 2016 Celebration of the Humanities in October:

Honorary Chairs’ Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Humanities
Tom Roberts, Founding Executive Director of the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities
The Lifetime Achievement Award celebrates an individual whose career achievements demonstrate humanities excellence, reflect the Council’s mission and core values, and enrich public life in Rhode Island. This year, the award celebrates Tom Roberts for over two decades of visionary leadership at the Council (1973-1995), which inspired civic dialogue and creative humanities programming connecting scholarship to key issues in our state, and for his extensive body of diverse cultural work as an educator, writer, performer, producer, and leader.

Tom Roberts Prize for Creative Achievement in the Humanities
Lorén Spears, Executive Director of the Tomaquag Museum
The Tom Roberts Prize celebrates creativity in topics, disciplines, and formats that extend the field of the humanities. This year, the Prize honors Lorén Spears for her extensive work as an advocate of Native American history and cultural heritage in preservation, the arts, and education. As a leader, culture bearer, educator, and artist, Spears amplifies Rhode Island’s collective awareness and understanding of Native history, and inspires pioneering practices in educational and cultural institutions throughout the state.

Innovation in the Humanities Award
Providence Children’s Film Festival
The Innovation Award recognizes the innovative implementation of the humanities by an organization to achieve a specific goal. This year, the Award is presented to the Providence Children’s Film Festival for cultivating critical thinking and media literacy in the next generation. Through partnerships with libraries, the PCFF amplifies its community impact and connects librarians, educators, and families with resources and programming to discover, explore, and inspire storytelling and literacy through film year-round.

Public Humanities Scholar Award
Marta Martínez, Executive Director of Rhode Island Latino Arts
The Scholar Award recognizes outstanding public humanities work in teaching and scholarship that advances the civic and cultural life of Rhode Island. This year, the Award honors Marta Martínez for her work to capture the stories of Rhode Island’s burgeoning Latino community and advance previously untold histories of our state. As an oral historian, cultural programmer, and educator, Martínez promotes collecting history as a way to amplify community pride and spark creative community engagement.

“It is thrilling to celebrate the work of these outstanding leaders enhancing our community,” said Elizabeth Francis, executive director of the Humanities Council. “Their outstanding work exemplifies our 2016 theme, Amplify, which highlights how the humanities heighten awareness of voices and stories that need to be heard, resonate with current issues and future possibilities, and magnify connections between economy, community, and culture.”

The Celebration of the Humanities will be held on Thursday, October 6, 2016 at the Providence Public Library. The occasion will bring together community and business leaders, government officials, scholars, artists, and Rhode Islanders to raise funds to support the public humanities including culture, history, heritage, and civic education in our state. The event will feature hors d’oeuvres, an open wine bar provided by Campus Fine Wines, a silent auction featuring unique humanities experiences, and the award presentation.

Monocular.Man-Video-Still-Smaller-1-MGPCFF was delighted to partner with the Online New England Film Festival again this year.  And thrilled to hear that one of the two films we submitted, “Monocular Man“, WON the Best Animated award as selected by their jury. Congratulations to local filmmaker and storteller Jack Feldstein!

Other children-friendly films from the online festival include “Dear Family” that won Best Comedy and “Rocketship” that won Audience Drama Award. Click here for a full list of award winners (Please note, not all films in the festival are intended for children.)

More about “Monocular Man

An animated short about a teen’s triumphant, touching and often hilarious adjustment after losing his eye in a fireworks accident.

Film Details
Director: Jack Feldstein
Writer: R. Jim Stahl
Year of Release: 2015
Running Time: 17 minutes

New England Connection: R. Jim Stahl (writer and narrator and musical score) lives in Rhode Island and is the editor of Merlyn’s Pen and the New Library of Young Adult Writing, both founded in Rhode Island.

For more information about Jack: www.jackfeldstein.com