June 25 – 29, 2014
The Roxbury International Film Festival (RIFF) – New England’s largest film festival celebrating people of color – begins its 16th year on Wednesday, June 25th with the Boston premiere of THE LIFE & CRIMES OF DORIS PAYNE at the Museum of Fine Arts at 7:30 p.m. and runs over the course of four days through Sunday, June 29th.
This year marks the first time that the festival will screen entirely at the Museum of Fine Arts. “The MFA has been a great supporter of the festival and it provides an incredible opportunity for filmmakers to screen their work at a world class cultural institution” said Lisa Simmons, festival director.
THE LIFE & CRIMES OF DORIS PAYNE is based on the real-life story of one of the world’s most notorious jewel thieves who managed to jet-set her way into any Cartier or Tiffany’s from Monte Carlo to Japan, and walk out with small fortunes. Directors Kirk Marcolin and Matthew Pond set out to uncover and tell the story of the now 83 year-old (and imprisoned) Doris Payne, and the nearly $2 million in jewels she’s stolen over a 60-year career.
Produced by The Color of Film Collaborative, RIFF will screen approximately thirty films, shorts and documentaries hailing from China, Japan, the Philippines, Singapore, and the United States. Of the festival’s 16th year, Simmons says that “we are proud to have been one of the few local film festivals that have been on the front lines of supporting homegrown and burgeoning filmmakers of color from around New England, while at the same time striving to showcase some of the undiscovered independent films and filmmakers from around the world.”
Some of the highlights of this year’s fest include these narrative features from Boston filmmakers: THE HALLS from Miranda Craigwell, ESCAPEMENT from Jae Williams, and LIFT (starring Kerry Washington in one of her first film roles), directed by Khari Streeter and DeMane Davis.
In the narrative shorts category are WOMEN IN FRAGMENTS by Quan Zhou and THE WAY YOU LOVE directed by Lydia Darly. Documentaries include TRE NO NAME PAINTING ASSOCIATION by Joe Griffin, THE WORLD’S MOST FASHIONABLE PRISON directed and produced by Chun Kit Mak, and from the United States, AMERICAN PROMISE directed by Michele Stephenson and ANITA: SPEAKING TRUTH TO POWER, directed by Academy Award®-Winning director Freida Mock.
The Roxbury International Film Festival (RIFF) is produced by The Color of Film Collaborative, a non-profit organization that works to support media makers of color and others who have an interest in creating and developing new and diverse images of people of color in film, video and performing arts. The festival collaborates with many arts institutions and organizations whose mission it is to promote and support independent artists and contribute to the creative economy of the Commonwealth.
For more information on the Color of Film Collaborative, visit www.coloroffilm.com. For more information on the festival, please visit www.roxburyinternationalfilmfestival.org. Tickets for the festival are on sale at: http://www.mfa.org/programs/series/ roxbury-international-film-festival
