Film

What's Black and White and Seen All Over? The Providence Children's Film Festival's Night Out At the Cable Car

The nonprofit festival hosts its first fundraiser at the art house cinema

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This past Friday, the intimate setting of Cable Car Cinema became a bustling haven for laughter, celebration and charity. The Providence Children's Film Festival hosted "Black and White Night Out" for its sponsors and supporters, which concluded with an early showing of a feature film and sneak previews of submissions to be inducted into the grand event in February of 2014.

The evening was also the first official fundraiser for PCFF. The contributions made by generous attendees directly benefit funding for the festival in the form of equipment, educational programming and film licensing fees. 

PCFF also utilizes a jury of children who are empowered by the organization to select which films and shorts are shown at the Film Festival. Eric Bilodeau, Director of Programming, explains: "There are stories to tell that show how we treat each other and no longer are we leaving these films outside the realm of what interests children." Eric believes in the child jury’s capacity to understand the appeal of foreign film and the benefits of offering children this experience. "I'm proud of the fact that our community supports foreign-made film as something our children will grow to learn from in the future."

The night continued with humbled gratitude from Anisa Raoof, the newly appointed Executive Director of PCFF, as she explained the organization's mission: "We've worked with the community, family members and partners to create a film festival dedicated to children and families. More than just watching movies, our mission encourages a shared viewing experience to facilitate conversations, and provide educational opportunities around the craft of filmmaking. We try to bring the world to our children through important films from all over the globe, and post film conversations to deepen our understanding and increase our capacity for empathy."

PCFF will also be hosting another event this month at Providence Children's Museum for an afternoon of hands-on activities for parents and children to explore film, continuing the sentiment voiced by Anisa on Friday evening: "We believe in the power of the moving image for children of all ages."

The next Providence Children's Film Festival runs February 13-23, 2014.

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