Five Questions With: Anisa Raoof

ANISA RAOOF is the executive director of the Providence Children’s Film Festival. / COURTESY PROVIDENCE CHILDREN'S FILM FESTIVAL
ANISA RAOOF is the executive director of the Providence Children’s Film Festival. / COURTESY PROVIDENCE CHILDREN'S FILM FESTIVAL

Executive director of the Providence Children’s Film Festival, Anisa Raoof has an unmistakable passion for film, design, community and education. With a degree in psychology, Raoof researched what makes children stress-resilient before co-founding the Providence Craft Show. Blending her experience in design and being a new mom, Raoof created the online parenting resource, Kidoinfo. Through the Providence Children’s Film Festival and her work with Kidoinfo, she has partnered with numerous local organizations such as AS220, Greater Kennedy Plaza, the Partnership for Providence Parks and the Providence Children’s Museum to create and support meaningful local family programming and activities.

PBN: What role does the Providence Children’s Film Festival play in connecting local youth with and educating them about quality, meaningful storytelling on screen?

RAOOF: I believe the Providence Children’s Film Festival is much more than movies for kids. We aim to bring the world to the children in our community through important films made by extraordinary, often unrecognized, filmmakers from across the globe. Our mission encourages an inclusive shared viewing experience to facilitate conversations while providing educational opportunities around the history and craft of filmmaking. Thoughtfully curated films that engage and challenge young viewers [are] paired with film presentations and activities [that] are designed to deepen understanding of the film’s themes and increase our capacity for empathy. We want to present great films that catch us by surprise and inspire people to reflect, discuss and connect in a way that only a great story can make possible.

PBN: The 8th annual Providence Children’s Film Festival will take place from Feb. 17-26. What new experiences should this year’s attendants expect?

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RAOOF: Along with a fabulous lineup [of] 14 feature-length and more than 75 short films – including live action, animation and documentary films – many films will be paired with a Reel Connection presentation where attendees can engage in film topics beyond the screening to spark richer family conversations and build community connections that can enhance and extend a film’s impact. This year’s festival will offer a plethora of activities for kids and families to enjoy, including free Cinema Passports for kids to track their adventures through film, receiving a stamp for every film they see. In addition to the festival’s main venues, all within walking distance of downtown Providence, satellite venues across the state, including libraries, allow us to bring a world of film to even more Rhode Island youth and families. Special presentations include a series of mini-documentary films and a discussion about the power of the documentary film and how documentaries can empower and engage youth. And, in honor of Gene Wilder, we will screen the film classic “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” with a special golden ticket contest for the kids! PCFF also hosts juried Youth Filmmaker Showcases during the festival – on Feb. 23 and 26 – to nurture and promote the work of young filmmakers from around the world. It’s really an amazing aspect of the festival that people should plan to check out.

PBN: Can you describe the organization’s role in the city’s greater nonprofit sector? In what ways do you help build a more informed community?

RAOOF: One of our goals has always been to engage families and enhance and energize the local arts and cultural community. In the last year alone, we reached more than 7,000 children, young adults, parents, educators, and industry and film professionals from far and wide. We also partnered and collaborated with numerous community organizations, including Rhode Island libraries, and greatly expanded the impact of the festival by forming strategic partnerships and creating the FILM HUB – this connects the community with resources to discover, explore and engage in films – which helps to spread the appreciation of the city’s vibrant culture of creativity well beyond the boundaries of Providence.

PBN: What will children who participate in your film workshops during the upcoming festival learn?

RAOOF: PCFF offers children hands-on workshops to learn the craft of filmmaking. Designed for ages 6-14, our innovative February workshops at RISD [Rhode Island School of Design] are taught by a super-talented team of local filmmakers and members of RISD’s Film/Animation/Video Department.

PBN: During this year’s festival, 14 feature-length and 75 short films made by filmmakers from around the world will be shown. What are the criteria you use to select which films are chosen for the festival?

RAOOF: The PCFF film selection committee, comprised of youth and adults, seeks films with content that speaks positively to children, teens and families of diverse ages, backgrounds and ethnicities. The films we consider are entertaining and/or challenging to young minds with serious, true-to-life topics and narratives. Topics can span the entire range of emotions; a film doesn’t need to have a “storybook ending” to find a place in our festival. We welcome foreign films with subtitles, documentaries, animation and even experimental films that might widen the perspectives of those who attend. Through the films we select, we hope to demonstrate the artistry and craft of filmmaking, provoke discussions and make connections with people and cultures near and far.

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