It is showtime for the 20th anniversary edition of the Rome International Film Festival, which runs Thursday, November 2nd through Sunday, November 5th.
Opening Night festivities will include a 20th anniversary celebration at which past film festival directors will be on hand, as indicated by Leanne Cook, the current Executive Director. Shay Bentley-Griffin, noted casting director, will be honored for her contributions to RIFF over the years.
Highlights on Friday will include a screening of “Wildcat”, directed by Ethan Hawke. Georgia author Flannery O’Connor is the focus of this biopic, which features Hawke’s daughter Maya.
Ethan Hawke, known for his roles in films such as “Dead Poets Society” and “Reality Bites”, will be present for the local screening of “Wildcat” and will be awarded RIFF’s second-ever Flannery O’Connor Award, asserts Mark Van Leuven, President of the RIFF Board of Directors.
Tim Blake Nelson, known for roles in “O Brother Where Art Thou” and “Old Henry”, will be on hand for a Saturday night screening of his film “Asleep in My Palm”, directed by his son Henry.
RIFF prices range from $10 for a ticket to an individual film all the way up to $200 for patron passes, says Cook, who adds that the goal is to make films as accessible to the public as possible.
For more details and to purchase passes to the 20th anniversary edition of the Rome International Film Festival, visit www.riffga.com. Updates may also be obtained via the festival’s social media.
Leanne Cook, RIFF Executive Director, and Mark Van Leuven, President of the RIFF Board of Directors, were the featured guests on the latest episode of the WLAQ Community Spotlight. The show may be viewed on the WLAQ – Rome Facebook page and the WLAQ Radio YouTube Channel.