Roxbury International Film Festival

For years, filmmakers, distributors and film enthusiasts wondered why Boston, one of the largest metropolitan areas on the east coast, lacked a vehicle for supporting independent films by filmmakers of color or that showcased their experiences. This was the primary motivation behind the creation of the Roxbury Film Festival in 1999.

The Roxbury International Film Festival honors the work of emerging and established filmmakers of color and is the largest festival in New England dedicated to this genre. Since its inception, over 25,000 people have attended the festival, and 40-50 films by or about people of color are screened each year.

The Roxbury Film International Festival is produced in collaboration with The Color of Film Collaborative and takes place over four days in late summer, with workshops and film screenings at the Museum of Fine Arts, Massachusetts College of Art, Wentworth Institute of Technology, Hibernian Hall, and other locations throughout Boston. Dates for 2012 are Thursday, July 28, through Sunday, July 31.
 

The 12th Annual Roxbury International Festival Wraps Up

Sunday, August 1, brought to a close the Roxbury International Film Festival, four days of films, workshops and panels at our annual film festival, a partnering of Color of Film Collaborative and Roxbury Center for Arts at Hibernian Hall. This year the name of the event changed from Roxbury Film Festival to Roxbury International Film Festival to acknowledge the global scope of the offerings. The festival, which took place July 29 through August 1 in Hibernian Hall and beyond at Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Northeastern University, Wentworth Institute and Mass College of Art, featured over 50 groundbreaking independent films. The schedule included a mixture of film shorts, animation, documentaries and full length narratives. Additionally, festival organizers were excited to have veteran industry insiders Peter Allen, Topper Carew, Quincy Newell among others as panelists as well as renowned coach Troy Rowland conducting acting workshops.
RIFF is a competitive festival and the program committee was challenged in selecting from a number of strong competitors in determining this year’s list of prize recipients. At the Awards Brunch Terri Brown and Lisa Simmo0ns of Color of Film Collaborative announced the 2010 winners in eight categories:

  • Best of Festival Award: Children of Invention, directed by Tzu Chun;
  • Best Documentary Short: Me & The Devil Blues, produced by Miranda Worthington, directed by Aidan Prewett;
  • Kay Borne Award for Emerging Filmmaker: Soul Sisters, produced and directed by Rahman Oladigbolu;
  • Touch 106.1FM Award for Best Narrative Short: The Cycle, produced by Frantz Cayo, directed by Roy Clovis;
  • Best Youth Produced Film: Mr. President, Directed by Rene Dongo;
  • Kamal Gordon Award (??): Underground, produced by Jenny Lima, directed by Wilbert Bethaud Jr;
  • Best Documentary: Contract, produced and directed by Guenny Pires;
  • Audience Favorite Award: Money Matters, produced and directed by Ryan Richmond
     

Click here for more information on the Roxbury International Film Festival.