Festival Data:

• Established: 1998
• Genre: General
• Attendance: 10000
• Total Screenings: 70

• Competitive
• Has Panels

Festival Website:

Festival Description:

The Newport International Film Festival (NIFF) was founded in 1998 by Christine Schomer, Nancy Donahoe and Pami Shamir.

In its 10 years, NIFF has grown dramatically into one of America's leading regional film festivals. The Festival has a reputation for stellar programming and has cemented its status as one of the most exciting and exclusive festivals of its kind. Annually attracting over 10,000 filmmakers, celebrities, journalists, and film enthusiasts of all kinds together in a less frenzied, less commercial, and more intimate environment, the Festival has distinguished itself as one where art ranks before commerce.

In addition to our daily panel discussions with well-known industry professionals, NIFF schedules over 100 screenings of feature length narrative films, documentaries and shorts, as well as both international and U.S. film premieres.

NIFF programming offers unique opportunities for the community to interact with filmmakers and artists in a celebration of the art of film and storytelling. NIFF secures the attendance of about 80% of all featured filmmakers who conduct Q&A sessions with the audience following their film's screening.

Whether it is a look at new works by emerging artists, or a retrospective of contemporary world cinema; whether it is a program of music on film, or Rhode Island spotlight, the Newport International Film Festival provides a context that stresses the art of filmmaking and media's influence on today's society. Festival films represent a broad range of cultures and locales, genres and aesthetics, and our daily panels engender lively discussion among diverse audiences.

Believing firmly in the development of young people through the creative process and hands-on learning, NIFF has partnered with local organizations to offer a range of programs to teenagers. These aim to give students exciting educational experiences beyond the parameters of television and video games by presenting films whose strong narratives engage the imagination, rather than the violence prevalent in action films marketed to adolescents today.