Film Review: Max
After Marine Kyle Wincott is killed during combat in Afghanistan, a series of events finds his family, and more importantly his younger brother, taking care of his combat service dog, Max. Max now suffers from PTSD and reacts unpredictably and violently toward most people except Kyle’s brother Justin, who at first wants nothing to do with the responsibility. Things take a turn for the worse when Kyle’s friend and unit member Tyler comes back to town and may not be as good a friend as the Wincotts think. Relationships are strained and preconceived notions are challenged, as everyone is led into a tense, action-packed finale.
What started as a seemingly predictable plot peppered with one-dimensional characters grows into an interesting story which is still, unfortunately, filled with one-dimensional characters. Max is a well- directed and well-acted film that suffers from the characters not being fleshed out in the writing stages. However, the story moves at a brisk pace and hits all the right emotional beats before heading into suspense territory. Overall, I found it more entertaining than I expected to and was very pleased to find that it wasn’t solely a “pro-military” film, but rather deals more with the aftermath of war and its toll on those who survive it. Also the canine actor, Carlos, who portrayed Max, is especially impressive in his training. He can show a range of reactions and actions, which are usually split up between a team of dogs in films like this.
This film may not be for everyone, but is certainly recommended for those looking for a well-made and entertaining drama and will be enjoyable for families with older children. A word of warning: While the film isn’t graphic, there is some violence involving animals.
Max (2015); Director: Boaz Yakin; Starring: Josh Wiggins, Thomas Haden Church, and Lauren Graham Film Review: Results
The film Results introduces us to Danny, a man who recently found himself divorced and then unexpectedly wealthy. Danny doesn’t seem to know what he wants to do with himself and a mixture of loneliness and boredom makes him impulsive and unpredictable. He finds his way into Trevor’s gym looking to hire a personal trainer so he will feel confident “taking a punch” without falling down and soon Danny is falling for his assigned personal trainer Kat. Kat’s initial mixed signals confuse the situation and quickly all of those involved find their lives upended to some degree with Kat quitting the gym, Danny eventually becoming friends and business partners with Trevor, and then their business plans crashing when Danny finds out that Trevor also loves Kat.
Results is definitely a solid representative for the “quirky, indie, romantic comedy” that we have become used to, but what starts to become predictable and cliché in the second act is quickly subverted in the third act when characters begin to make some interesting and unpredictable decisions. Writer/Director Andrew Bujalski does a wonderful job subverting the expectations of the genre and sets up a parallel between the male leads that shows how much more alike they are than they would think. While the cast all do a great job defining their characters, it is especially thrilling to see Kevin Corrigan in a lead role as he has proved himself a great character actor from the ’90s on.
Overall Results gives us a fun and funny film, and it is worth taking the time to find it on VOD now.
Results (2015); Director: Andrew Bujalski; Starring: Kevin Corrigan, Guy Pearce, and Cobie Smulders Film Review: Let Us Prey
In a small coastal Scottish town, police officer Rachel Heggie arrests a young man for hitting another man with his car. The only problem is that there is no body. Upon arriving at the police station with Caesar, the driver, we learn that he is a known troublemaker in town. Things get stranger when the man Caesar hit with his car is brought to the station. The stranger barely speaks, his fingerprints are that of a long dead man and he seems to bring out the absolute worst in everyone who comes in contact with him. Once the stranger is held for observation while they try to find out who he is, what began as a quiet night becomes anything but with one crazy and gory twist after another.
Let Us Prey is brought to us by first time feature filmmaker Brian O’Malley, who shows a wealth of potential and brings us a solid and entertaining film. The cinematography and score steal the show with Piers McGrail filming and Steve Lynch composing one of the best throwback synth scores in recent memory. The acting is good all around with Pollyanna McIntosh (The Woman) standing out, and Liam Cunningham’s (“Game Of Thrones”) personification of the mysterious stranger works very well.
What we get with Let Us Prey is an extremely good-looking and well-acted film that falters a little in the writing. I only fault the writing because I knew exactly what was happening a step before the movie told us and figured out the basic plot quite quickly. Even though the story is familiar, Let Us Prey makes the most of its story, small cast and limited locations and presents the best version of this premise I’ve seen. Check it out on all VOD platforms.
Let Us Prey (2014); Director: Brian O’Malley; Starring: Liam Cunningham, Pollyanna McIntosh, and Douglas Russell Womanimation! Celebrates Women Animators from Around the World
Rhode Islanders are privy to many celebrations of the arts, not the least of which is the film festival. We have a growing number of specialized film festivals and one of the more interesting ones is coming up soon. On Sat, Jun 27, Merging Arts will present the seventh incarnation of their Womanimation! film festival at As220’s Black Box Theater (95 Empire Street, PVD).
The Womanimation! festival, which specializes in short animated films by female filmmakers from around the world, will present eight short films carefully selected from hundreds. The selected shorts present a wide range of topics and animation styles and represent artists from North and South America, Europe and the Middle East. I viewed some clips of the chosen shorts and they were definitely impressive. Khanoom Gol Mikhaki (Lady With The Flower Hair) uses a playful animation style to tell the story of a 40-year-old woman who struggles with being different. Carapace employs a striking painterly style to tell the story of Lili, whose body seems at odds with her heart as she has difficulties with the physical aspect of her relationship. The artwork in this piece is extremely impressive and at times even looks photographic. And Beach Flags uses a classic cartoonish style to relay the story of Vida, an Iranian lifeguard training for an international competition even though social and cultural regulations may limit the events in which she can compete. This small sampling I saw proved to me that the folks at Womanimation! will present a very entertaining show.
I conducted a short interview with Toni Pennacchia, one of the festival’s founders and programmers, to get some more information on the festival.
What is the origin of Womanimation? It started as part of a collaboration with RI women artists for SWAN Day (Support Women Artists Now) in 2008. Actually, that year, we did two programs of “Fearless Femmes in Film” combining both live- action and animated films by women. Some of our favorite films were the animated ones, and we saw a niche in programming that is pretty rare around the world, though Austria has Tricky Women.
Can you give me a little history of the festival? Our first Womanimation! was a mix of feature film (Sita Sings The Blues) and shorts programming. Since then, we’ve focused more on animated shorts to get the most variety in the shortest amount of time. This year will be our seventh year. What are the criteria for the films you choose to screen? We consider a good story to be important, along with production value. Some people will pigeonhole the medium of animation into categories like kids’ films or trippy experimental films, but it’s a diverse medium. We try to capture a little of that diversity in our programs.
How do you go about finding films to screen? Unlike a lot of US festivals, we don’t charge submission fees, so we attract a lot more overseas attention since there’s less risk. Of course the Internet is a wonderful thing — filmmakers and producers find us just as we find them.
What do you hope your audience will get out of seeing these films? We hope they gain a little appreciation for the many voices and talents of women around the world, as well as the possibilities of animation as a storytelling medium. And of course, just have a good time.
Do you plan to expand the festival in the future? We have traveled with the festival throughout New England before, but we love playing in Providence. We might do some more touring in the future. We might want to add more programming as well. This year was particularly hard to narrow down from our hundreds of submissions — there is some really great stuff out there.
Which film from this year’s festival are you most excited for audiences to see? I can’t pick which of my children I love the most! One unusual thing this year is that we have two films from Iran — one dealing specifically with women’s status in the Middle East, and one more poetic and universal. We hope audiences relate to the organically developed theme this year of self-image and acceptance, through perspectives from childhood to the golden years.
Womanimation! will screen their short film program three times on Jun 27 — 4pm, 6pm and 8pm with a reception to follow the third screening — at the 95 Empire Black Box at 95 Empire St, PVD. For more info, check out mergingartsproductions.com.
Film Review: Roar
Hank runs a nature reserve to study large cats in Africa, but the other land owners don’t like having a concentration of large predators so close by. On the same day Hank’s family flies to join him, he has a run-in with a council of neighbors who want the cats removed, and two men are injured by the overzealous animals. A comedy of errors follows Hank as he attempts to meet up with his family who eventually finds their own way to his house. Unfortunately the family arrives while Hank is away, and between the family’s lack of experience with the animals and the animals’ intention to display their place in the hierarchy, Hank’s family are beset upon by a large pack of lions, tigers, cheetahs and panthers.
Roar has been referred to as the most dangerous film ever made, and watching it backs up that claim. The action in this film is all real and the actors are truly grappling with real animals; even the film’s promotion boasts that 70 members of the cast and crew were injured by the animals during the shooting of the film. Credit must be given to the cast and crew and especially to director and star Noel Marshall who somehow convinced people to take part in this project. In many scenes it is obvious that the animals are not trying to attack the actors, but just acting playfully dominant. However, playful or not, these are still animals that weigh hundreds of pounds and have sharp teeth and claws.
The technical aspects of Roar come off as a little raw, but any shortcomings are understandable given the shooting conditions. Actors sometimes break character, some shots end abruptly, and some are edited in an uneven pace. This all is most likely due to the unpredictability of the animals co-starring in the movie. Other than these understandable issues, Roar looks amazing — and so it should being shot by Jan de Bont. It is compelling in its simplicity of story; a complicated plot wouldn’t have worked in this situation. I find it hard to comprehend how a film can be cute and endearing while simultaneously being disturbing and dangerous. If you missed Roar in its all-too-brief theatrical run, check it out on VOD as soon as you can.
Roar (1981); Dir: Noel Marshall; Starring: Noel Marshall, Tippi Hedren, Melanie Griffith Film Review: Ex Machina
A mid-’20s computer coder named Caleb wins a mysterious contest to spend a week at a secluded location with Nathan, the reclusive head of the internet search engine company Caleb works for. It seems that all of the secrecy regarding the getaway is that Nathan is in the final stages of perfecting AI and needs an outsider to test his invention. What starts out as an exciting opportunity morphs into something more sinister. As Caleb interacts more with Ava, Nathan’s creation, it becomes less obvious who is in control of the situation.
Ex Machina is a slick-looking and intentionally paced sci-fi thriller for those who don’t mind thinking along with what they are watching. It certainly has its share of stunning special effects that augment the film beautifully, but the movie doesn’t rely on them. Instead, it lets its characters and story carry you. This film was assuredly directed by first-time director Alex Garland, whose writing of films like 28 Days Later and Sunshine certainly aided him with this endeavor. The writing is accessible while discussing high concepts, and core cast are all impressive in their roles.
Shot in Norway, cinematographer Rob Hardy captures some fantastic images in some truly striking locations while a hypnotically soothing score by Ben Salisbury and Geoff Barrow (Portishead) slips into your head without seeming intrusive. This one certainly stays with you afterward.
I would definitely recommend Ex Machina for fans of interesting character studies and cerebral sci-fi. Check it out while it’s still in local theaters.
Ex Machina (2015); Dir: Alex Garland; Starring: Domhnall Gleeson, Oscar Isaac, Alicia Vikander Flickers Honors Anthony Quinn, Adopted Rhode Islander, on 100th Birthday
Nominated for acting Oscars four times and winning twice, Anthony Quinn was one of the most prolific and recognizable actors of the 20th century. He appeared in over 160 films released between 1936 and 2002, many of them considered among the best of all-time or at least definitive in their genre.
Born Antonio Rodolfo Quinn Oaxaca in Mexico in 1915, the actor lived the final years of his life in Bristol. After his death in 2001 at the age of 86, the town granted a request by his widow that he be buried in a private grave on the family estate off Poppasquash Rd.
To commemorate this adopted son of its home state, Flickers: The Rhode Island International Film Festival, is holding a major curated retrospective running through Nov 2015 that will showcase 32 of his films. “We’re screening a large, large collection of his work,” said Shawn Quirk, RIFF programming director. He said that the retrospective was undertaken with the co-operation of Quinn’s widow, Kathy Benvin Quinn.
Quinn’s mixed-heritage Hispanic ancestry – his mother was Irish and Mexican, and his father was of indigenous Nahuatl (Aztec) descent – allowed him to play a wide variety of ethnic roles, ranging from Bedouin Arab (Auda ibu Tayi, Lawrence of Arabia, 1962) to continental Greek (Alexis Zorba, Zorba the Greek, 1964). Some roles depended upon this flexibility, such the lead Johann Moritz in The 25th Hour (1967), a Romanian peasant during World War II who is mistaken for a Jew and sent to a concentration camp, reclassified as Aryan and conscripted into the Waffen SS, and then prosecuted as a war criminal. “The beauty of Anthony Quinn is that he’s played a number of different characters from different cultures, [showing that] we’re all the same. It’s amazing how many different roles he’s played,” Quirk said.
Among upcoming events, Vincente Minnelli’s Lust For Life (1956), will be screened on June 15 at the East Providence Public Library, about the tortured and violent relationship between best friends and legendary painters Vincent van Gogh (Kirk Douglas) and Paul Gaugin (Quinn), for which Douglas was nominated for the Best Actor Oscar and Quinn won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar. George Cukor’s Heller in Pink Tights (1960) will be screened at 6pm on Jun 18 at the Rochambeau Library in PVD, about a vaudeville troupe led by Quinn and Sophia Loren in the American West of the 1880s. The Guns of Navarone (1960), one of Quinn’s best-known films, will be screened at the main annual RIFF event Aug 4 – 9.
Elia Kazan’s Viva Zapata (1952), about the revolutionary Emiliano Zapata (Marlon Brando) in the 1910-1920 Mexican Civil War and for which Quinn won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar as his brother Eufemio Zapata, will be screened in collaboration with the Providence Latin-American Film Festival at the URI Providence campus in September. In real life, Quinn’s father fought with Pancho Villa, another leading figure in the conflict and an important character in the film. Brando was nominated for the Best Actor Oscar and acclaimed novelist John Steinbeck was nominated for the Best Original Screenplay Oscar.
The selection process tried to draw from as broad a representation of Quinn’s body of work as possible, Quirk said, while including every Oscar-nominated film. “These are really his best films,” Quirk said.
One of the most infamous of Quinn’s roles, however, will not be part of the retrospective: Mohammed, Messenger of God. Intended as a biography of the Prophet Mohammed, in keeping with Islamic tradition neither the images nor voices of the Prophet and his immediate family were depicted, resulting in the principal role being that of his Uncle Hamza, played by Quinn. During the film’s original run in 1977, a group of 12 Hanafi Muslims (who obviously had not seen the film) staged coordinated terrorist attacks against a number of sites in Washington, DC, taking 150 hostages and demanding the film be withdrawn. At the headquarters of Jewish organization B’nai B’rith, captives were beaten and stabbed. Two people were killed and others severely wounded. Director Moustapha Al Akkad and his daughter were killed in a 2005 terrorist attack in Jordan generally blamed on al-Qaeda. “I thought about that for a while and decided not to show it. It’s a long film and there were other films that showcased that aspect of his career somewhat better, including one by the same director [Lion of the Desert, also not being shown],” Quirk said. “In the end we decided not to.”
RIFF has conducted retrospectives of cinematic artists including Ernest Borgnine and Julie Andrews. One of the more unusual, according to Quirk, was for the work of Joseph Procopio, who is now only 21 years old but whose first premiere was at RIFF when he was age 9. “We have a long history of focusing on well-respected artists,” Quirk said.
Flickers: Rhode Island International Film Festival web site: event overview http://film-festival.org/AnthonyQuinnCentenary.php and schedule http://film-festival.org/AnthonyQuinnCentenary_FILMS.php
The Providence International Arts Festival Shoots for the Stars
In what will likely be the biggest cultural event of the year in Rhode Island, the city of Providence is teaming up with FirstWorks to present the Providence International Arts Festival (PIAF). If you’re a fan of, well, pretty much anything, you’re going to want to check this out. Providence is known for putting on high-quality festivals; you’ve probably enjoyed things like FooFest, Waterfire, First Night and Sound Session. But PAIF has been in the making for years, and it’s shooting for the stars. The Festival will connect Rhode Island audiences with home-grown talent as well as artists and performers from across the globe. And the game changer? The main events are FREE to the public! If you can’t go for some reason, it’s being called the “first annual,” so you’ll probably have more chances in the coming years.
For those who have never heard of FirstWorks, it’s a non-profit that has been bringing world-class performances and festivals to Little Rhody since its inception in 2004. But FirstWorks is about more than just throwing epic parties and showcasing talented performers. For six years, they brought the arts to children with their KidsWorks Program. Currently, they are working with Jazz at Lincoln Center musicians to make connections between jazz and math.
And something this large-scale has been in the making for a while; in 2011, FirstWorks and the city of Providence were given an Our Town Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) for $200,000, part of which allowed the city to throw the FirstWorks Festival on the Plaza in 2012. The ongoing Our Town project “supports creative placemaking projects that help to transform communities into lively, beautiful and resilient places with the arts at their core.”
Interestingly, the connection between Rhode Island and the NEA goes back to the organization’s inception; the bill calling for the NEA’s creation was first introduced into the U.S. Senate by RI Senator Claiborne Pell in 1965.
Support for such a large undertaking also comes from another corner. Lynne McCormick, the director of arts, culture, and tourism for Providence says, “One of Mayor Elorza’s goals from the beginning of his campaign was to develop a destination arts festival, something along the lines of the New Orleans Jazz Fest, which he’s a big fan of. We thought the combination of the mayor’s full support and the opportunities from the NEA meant the perfect opportunity to put on something large-scale like this festival.”
It isn’t just the mayor and the city government behind the event. The PIAF has some of Rhode Island’s most serious creative and financial muscle behind it, including sources like The Rhode Island Foundation, CVSHealth, Amica, RISD, Alex and Ani and a multitude of others.
PAIF will kick off with the Opening Night Party, a night of food, drinks, art and music held at the Biltmore Hotel’s Apogee Lounge as a fundraiser for the festival. Guests will be treated to a sneak peek of the world-famous Earth Harp.
You may have thought to yourself at some point, “I bet I’ll never have a chance to see the world’s largest stringed instrument.” But that’s all about to change. The Earth Harp, the crazy creation of inventor William Close, basically turns whatever huge landscape its part of into an instrument, in this case attached to the Superman building in downtown Providence. Close plays the harp along with a band known as the Earth Harp Collective, and has stretched the strings from storied locations like the Coliseum and the Seattle Space Needle.
The main event will be a spectacle to behold, with art installations, concerts, spoken word ensembles, marketplaces selling wares of all kinds and more, all happening simultaneously. Kathleen Pletcher, FirstWorks’ executive artistic director says about the festival, “Our mission is to show that engaging with the arts can be about more than just an audience watching something happen on a stage. This event will allow spectators to self-curate their experience and engage with the multitude of things around them.”
Washington Street will become an art corridor that will include “Providence Portraits” by local artist Mary Beth Meehan and murals by street artists Etam Cru and Natalia Rak as well as Providence-based Tape Art. It’ll also be a great time to take advantage of the city’s theater offerings. For example, you could check out the multimedia Freedom Project at the Roger Williams National Memorial or take in the world premiere of Melancholy Play at Trinity Rep.
Music will be well represented here, and the sheer variety of talent likely won’t be matched until next year’s festival. The most notable act is Angelique Kidjo, a Grammy-award winning singer and activist and one of the all-time-greats in world music. RI-Sounding Voices is a statewide chorus that will be unveiling a new piece called “One Voice” that highlights the state’s diversity. Guests will also be treated to Malian superstar Oumou Sangaré, with local master drummer Sidy Maiga. Your hometown favorites like The Low Anthem, Ravi Shavi and GymShorts will be repping the area. And you won’t want to miss a performance from Arc Iris (featuring Jocie Adams formerly of The Low Anthem).
Of course, what’s a cultural celebration in Providence without a full Waterfire lighting? The June 13 Waterfire will celebrate the birth of the stars and stripes with The Gaspee Project, which celebrates the famous burning of the HMS Gaspee. The project includes “From Flash Mob to Freedom,” which will use social media to bring to life the key players and retell the thrilling tale. For a double dose of historical insight, the RI Historical Society is giving walking tours throughout the day.
The coolest thing about the festival will be the scope; it won’t be just a few restaurants giving out samples next to a few record sellers. The city is going all in on this event, and from the looks of it hopes to make it like a mini SxSW. You can swing by the Dean Hotel to watch some skater punks rip it up and shop for some clothes, then grab some lunch at any number of food trucks before you head over to Lupo’s to see Matt and Kim, then end the night at the Sweatshop Dance Party at the Salon.
It can’t be said enough that what has been described here merely scratches the surface, and an article twice the length may not even be able to do the job. For those who would like to have a hand in making this event something thousands will remember, check out first-works.org/support-us-2/volunteer to find out how to volunteer.
If you’ve somehow gotten through this article and haven’t already, make sure to mark your calendar for June 13. If it comes together as planned, people will probably talk about it for the rest of the year; you don’t want to be the poor sap who missed out! And if you can’t find something to love at this event … it’s probably too late for you anyway.
The Providence International Arts Festival will be held from June 11-14. The main attractions will be held on June 13 in downtown Providence with Kennedy Plaza as the central hub. The latest information can be found at first-works.org/events/pvdfest/, and additional entertainment may be added up until the event. Summer Blockbusters: Staying Inside with the Lights Off
Summer is here and event movie season is upon us. There are many types of event films, from the overblown special effects extravaganza to the highly anticipated sequel; we’ll be getting plenty of all types this summer. While I may be known as a critic around these parts I’ll declare this an opinion-free article and just give you a rundown of the summer’s big releases while peppering in a few non- blockbuster mainstream releases that look interesting.
If you haven’t started your summer viewing yet, then you probably have some catching up to do with the super hero hit Avengers: Age Of Ultron, the futuristic Disney adventure Tomorrowland, the disaster epic San Andreas, and the long overdue sequel Mad Max: Fury Road.
June will start summer off pretty big with some hyped sequels as well as one of the biggest event films of the year. The world gets an Entourage movie that brings the exploits of Vincent Chase and Co to the big screen while Ted 2 sees its titular character trying to prove that he legally exists for his family’s sake. Inside Out is sure to be another animated hit for Disney / Pixar and gives us a look at the inner workings of a young girl’s mind as she deals with her family moving. June’s biggest picture is certainly going to be the eagerly awaited Jurassic World. This time the park is up and running but on the decline, so a new attraction is concocted, which we can be certain will backfire spectacularly.
July kicks off with three big sequels. Terminator Genisys finds Arnold Schwarzenegger’s good guy terminator returning to help Kyle Reese and Sarah Conner in a new timeline, Magic Mike XXL has Channing Tatum returning for a male stripper road trip, and Minions has your favorite minions returning to assist a new super villain. And that’s all before aliens use weaponized classic video game characters against us in Chris Columbus’ Pixels starring Adam Sandler, while Paul Rudd steps into the Marvel superhero world in Ant Man.
On to August as it will bring us some guaranteed box office toppers and a couple of left field picks that could be bigger hits than expected. The last month of summer starts big with a new Fantastic Four movie, which will presumably reboot the franchise to be worked into the current Marvel universe. We get another reboot with The Man From U.N.C.L.E., a big screen adaptation of the beloved comedic spy television series of the ’60s. Straight Outa Compton may not be on everyone’s must watch list, but I’m certain that this film about the formation and career of 1980s hip-hop super group N.W.A. will be a bigger film than expected along with the horror sequel Sinister 2, which concerns a family who move into a house and may be the target of a supernatural killer.
This summer and this list has barely scratched the surface of all the summer releases coming our way. It’ll be a good season for movie fans! Beyond Blockbusters
Beyond the blockbusters and the movies on the block, there are several independent and international films and festivals worth looking forward to this summer.
For films theatrically, there are lots of alternatives to a vacation, presenting both breathtaking and challenging experiences for all. Let’s dig deeper into that mound of sand for some real buried treasures.
For animation, there is the Japanese anime adaptation of When Marnie Was There and the long-awaited collaboration of chapters from animation directors from around the world on Salma Hayek’s The Prophet. Both films are scheduled to come to The Cable Car Cinema in PVD.
There are several more recommendations from across the globe to keep an eye out for this summer. French director/writer Mia Hansen-Løve takes on the world of a 1990s French House DJ, exploring the French touch style in the acclaimed feature Eden. Birdman’s Alejandro Iñárritu and Black Swan’s Darren Aronofsky are co-presenting another bird film — Swedish filmmaker Roy Andersson’s A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence, a visionary and philosophical masterpiece about being human. Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy’s The Tribe from the Ukraine is made entirely with sign language without subtitles. And Ken Loach’s Jimmy’s Hall will teach us about political activist Jimmy Gralton during the Red Scare of 1930s Ireland.
One of the most anticipated releases this summer is an equally heartbreaking and powerful companion piece to Joshua Oppenheimer’s The Act of Killing. The new film, The Look of Silence, instead of a murder’s reenactment of his crimes, provides a further look at the 1965 Indonesian genocide through the eyes of optometrist Adi Rukun, who directly confronts the men who murdered his brother.
Want a taste of independent and international film festivals both in the city of PVD and on the beach? You can find that, too.
In June, Womanimation! presents sophisticated international animated short stories by women at the Black Box Theatre at AS220 on June 27. You can get out for a day or weekend beach trip for the truly diverse Provincetown Film Festival (June 17-21), and the newportFILM series takes acclaimed new documentaries outdoors throughout Newport in July and August.
You can kick up more sand in Cape Cod to the beat of eight days of screenings, music, workshops, parties and more from July 25 through Aug 1 at the 24th annual Woods Hole Film Festival. Finally, summer is not complete without a visit to the Rhode Island International Film Festival from Aug 4 – 9, which features documentaries and narrative features, as well as shorts of all sorts.