PROVIDENCE – To broaden the impact of private sponsorship, the Rhode Island International Film Festival is joining forces with two other film festivals in New England to create the New England Film Festival Alliance.
“The impart of the recession made for a frail economy in our region that has been slow to recover,” said George T. Marshall, RIIFF executive director. “To secure sponsorship needed to underwrite such nonprofit arts events [as film festivals], it made sense that collaboration was the best approach and going regional made even more sense for ultimate effectiveness.”
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Based in Providence, RIIFF has joined forces for sponsorship purposes with two Massachusetts organizations: the Woods Hole Film Festival and the Martha’s Vineyard Film Festival, creating the opportunity for sponsors to reach as many as 40,000 filmmakers and movie fans with one donation.
According to Variety magazine, Marshall said, there are between 6,000 and 7,000 film festivals worldwide. “With so many festivals, the question arises why just one should gain valuable sponsorship support over another.”
Earlier this year, RIIFF initiated creation of the alliance because “both [Massachusetts] festivals share our mission of discovering new talent and both contribute to the vitality of the arts scene in their respective communities,” Marshall said.
“For the first time in film history, a corporate sponsor can economize their sponsorship dollar and expand their reach within the region of New England,” said Judy Laster, executive director of the Woods Hole festival. “[The alliance] has put together a sponsorship package that provides significant visibility among attendees and media through the partnership.”
“We attract the beauties, the hunks, the comics, the legends, the most cutting edge of talent,” said Richard Paradise, executive director of the Martha’s Vineyard festival. He noted that the Vineyard is an internationally renowned vacation destination that has attracted American presidents, world dignitaries and intellectuals of all types.
News of the alliance comes as RIIFF begins its 14th season. Ranked as one of the top 12 film festivals in the nation, organizers say, RIIFF will see the screening of 175 films produced in 62 countries during the six-day event that begins Aug. 10 in various venues around the state, but mostly in Providence. More than 4,200 films were submitted for consideration this year.
