As executive director and CEO of Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival, George T. Marshall is the founder and executive director of Flickers Arts Collaborative, a 37-year-old nonprofit organization that produces programming and creative outlets for filmmakers and visual/performing artists, including the Oscar-qualifying RIIFF.
PBN: In July, Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival announced the launch of a new scholarship for students interested in studying film. The Winifred E. Brownell Scholarship Fund celebrates women in film and the arts. What was the catalyst for this new fund?
MARSHALL: Beginning on Tuesday, Aug. 7, a yearlong Celebration of Women in Film and Arts was launched by the festival. In a recent study by the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University, RIIFF was one of 23 “high-profile” film festivals in the U.S. that was surveyed. What was striking about the study was that women accounted for 29 percent of directors, writers, producers, executive producers, editors and cinematographers working on indie films screened at the examined festivals in the 2017-18 season. At the RIIFF, that number was 41 percent, with films selected by an international team of judges for quality, not a quota.
This year, the festival’s percentage is even higher. Out of nearly 300 films screening at RIIFF, 193 were created by female writers, directors and producers. That number translates to 65 percent of all films at this year’s festival.
To celebrate this achievement, the festival dedicated this year’s event to … Winifred E. Brownell. The festival also established an annual scholarship in her name that pays recognition to her career championing the arts and humanities at the University of Rhode Island and a leading female voice in higher education.
PBN: Who is Winifred E. Brownell and what is her importance to the local arts and film community?
MARSHALL: Our central desire behind creating and awarding this scholarship is to celebrate and perpetuate the 46-year legacy at URI of Brownell. The driver behind this scholarship is to continue the great gift that she shared in her career and inspire the next generation through her name.
Brownell is a groundbreaking educator and dean emerita of the arts and sciences. Her visionary work propelled the university to become a leading hub for film media studies and nurtured the festival during its infancy, spurring it to become the internationally acclaimed event it is today.
Flickers has made a yearly financial commitment to underwrite the scholarship and will be encouraging community and alumni contributions to expand the number of awards given in the future.
PBN: How much is the scholarship for, who can apply, how frequently is it awarded and are there any restrictions on how recipients spend the money?
MARSHALL: The annual award is for $2,000 and is presented without restrictions to students at URI, allowing the winner to use the money as they see fit for their academic needs.
PBN: The inaugural recipient of the scholarship, Alyssa Botelho of Fairhaven, was announced in August. What about her work and career goals spoke to you?
MARSHALL: This year’s winner is Alyssa Botelho, of Fairhaven, Mass., who will be entering her sophomore year at URI pursuing a double major in film media and entrepreneurial business management. Her goal is to establish a career in film directing.
She has an outstanding academic record in the URI Harrington School of Communication and Media, growing professional experience in film, an extensive record of service and the most impressive essay of this year’s applicants.
PBN: Whom do you encourage to apply next year and what is the deadline?
MARSHALL: The scholarship is dedicated exclusively to students at URI per the wishes of Brownell. Applicants are expected to meet requirements that demonstrate artistic talent and an ambition to strive for excellence. Additionally, applicants can matriculate in any arts discipline at the university.
Information about the scholarship program can be found online.
Applications are now being accepted with a … June 1, 2019, deadline. The scholarship finalists will be introduced on Aug. 6 at The Vets during the festival’s Opening Night Gala, with a winner announced … Aug. 11 at the Annual Filmmakers Award Ceremony.
Emily Gowdey-Backus is a staff writer for PBN. You can follow her on Twitter @FlashGowdey or contact her via email, gowdey-backus@pbn.com.
