RIIA shorts was created in 2019 by Brian C O'Malley. It was a way to gather independent animators who live and work in Rhode Island and showcase the work without all the formality and expenses associated with Film Festivals (but, we love film festivals nonetheless). All of the selected filmmakers work in the "short film" format, and this could be anywhere from a micro-short (30-90 seconds) to as long as 11 minutes. In most cases budgets are thin and the bulk of the work is done by a sole animator or a very small team. The audio and sounds connected to the work is very important to the delivery of the moving images, and in most of these films you have carefully constructed music and sounds that punctuate the imagery and give it an "otherworldly" quality. The original line up of films has changed slightly, as almost 15 months have passed since the inaugural February 6, 2020 screening at the Jamestown Arts Center; with the addition of Joel Orloff's, "pilgrim", and an experimental piece related to the Covid-19 pandemic called "forgiveness" from a non-Rhode Islander, Lauren Mantecón, but, who exhibited this piece at the Newport Art Museum in 2021, and is connected to the state. Steven Subotnick has inserted, "anonymous", to replace his previous film called, "strange fish". And I have have also swapped my previous film for the piece I finished in early April called, "unsheltered." Be prepared for new additions as the state begins to open up fully and people feel more comfortable .
If you plan on coming to an event please bring a chair or blanket, and your mask will optional this summer outside. There will be plenty of distance from screen to projector and the first row, but as always be safe. I am planning on having RIIA T-shirts available and a portion of the proceeds will go to the "holy Family Home for women with children"------a shelter for homeless mothers with children in Providence, RI.
hope to see you out there this summer,
Brian C O'Malley
