Ridgefield Independent Film Festival Accepting Submissions

From Ridgefield Independent Film Festival:

The Ridgefield Independent Film Festival has announced plans for its second annual event in 2017. RIFF is set for May 19-21, 2017 at various venues in Ridgefield, Connecticut -- a vibrant town located just 60 miles northeast of New York City. Filmmakers may submit their films to RIFF via FilmFreeway. Submission deadline is Jan. 1, 2017.

RIFF is accepting full-length and short narrative features, documentaries, animated films and student films. RIFF 2016 had great success with a broad range of programming, including a dedicated horror night and its RIFFKids children's selections. RIFF is on the lookout for a similar mix of films to replicate that success for 2016.

RIFF was created and directed by local playwright and theatre director Joanne Hudson. Hudson will serve as an advisor and consultant to RIFF moving forward, with festival co-director responsibilities being handled by Sean M. Murphy and Jill Mango, both of whom worked on RIFF in programming and marketing capacities during the past year.

The Ridgefield Independent Film Festival is a site-specific film festival that aims to make the world a more compassionate place through the sharing of stories from around the globe through cinema. In its inaugural year in 2016, RIFF brought more than 70 films from 23 countries to Ridgefield for thoughtful screenings in curated venues including the Ridgefield Playhouse, Ridgefield Library, Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, Keeler Tavern Museum, the Prospector Theater and Ballard Park. RIFF 2016 earned Top 100 Best Reviewed Festival status from FilmFreeway.

Additionally, RIFF offers master classes in different aspects of film and filmmaking. In 2016, RIFF hosted classes and discussions led by Academy-Award winning animator Chris Wedge (co-founder of Blue Sky Studios), writer/director/producer Brian DeCubellis (Manhattan Night) joined by actor Campbell Scott (Manhattan Night), documentary filmmaker Jennifer McShane (Mothers of Bedford), writer/director/producer Billy Shebar (Dark Matter), Emily Keating (director of education at the Jacob Burns Film Center), The Spurlock Sisters (Livin' the Dreamweb series) and others.

Ridgefield, Conn. and the surrounding area are home to many artists who have achieved great success in their fields. RIFF's panels, workshops and networking events reflect that community and seek to empower the independent filmmaker with knowledge and encourage the sharing of craft and connections. All submitted films will be screened by the local community and judged on a point system for craft, originality and storytelling. The jurors for RIFF in 2016 were an esteemed group of film and arts professionals that included Steve Martino (director of The Peanuts Movie), actor/writer/director Michael Ian Black, director/editor/screenwriter Dan Schecter, writer/director/producer Billy Shebar and arts writer/editor Shawn Marie Garrett.

RIFF is non-profit and is made possible by grants, sponsorships and donations. Fractured Atlas is the fiscal sponsor for RIFF.

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