In a small, quiet ceremony, which began with a lovely little brunch at The Kenmore Inn and then proceeded downhill in an impromptu parade of RIFF staff and guest attendees, led by Seth Casana and Elby Brass, RIFF brought its second annual film festival to a close at The Wallace Library Theater, by announcing the five winners of this year’s RIFFYs.
Here are the winners:
Best in Show … SHADOWS. Audience Choice … ONE TIME ME AND MY FRIENDS ROBBED A STORE. Best Documentary … BEYOND THE CALL. Best Short Film … THE PARADIGM SHIFT. Best Student Film … NUNNA MIA E LA BARCA.
The Fredericksburg Athenaeum and RIFF congratulate all RIFFY winners. Awards came with cash prizes and the fabulous trophy, produced by hand and donated by Bruce Blair.
Nearly 1000 seats were filled by this year’s attendees. The Library theater proved the perfect place for one of Fredericksburg’s most unique events offering community and access. Cheers to the CRRL!
Just a gentle reminder that the deadline for submissions to the 2009 Rappahannock Independent Film Festival is May 27, 2009. Visit the submissions page of our website for more information.
“AWESOME” –The New York Times “EXTRAORDINARY” –Washington Post “MAGNIFICENT” –The Los Angeles Times
The Rappahannock Independent Film Festival is excited to present a special screening of Ron Fricke’s BARAKA on April 17 at 8pm in celebration of Earth Day.
This is a pay-what-you-can event.
The relationship between humans and their environment is the subject of this mesmerizing visual study from Ron Fricke, the cinematographer and editor of Koyaanisqatsi. The images — which Fricke gathered from 24 countries — range from the daily devotions of Tibetan monks and whirling dervishes to a cigarette factory and time-lapse views of the Hong Kong skyline. Diverse world music accompanies the visuals.
“It is a meditation on the planet… The movie has the power of a dream, from which we awaken, instead of a warning, to which we respond.” (Roger Ebert)
The Historic Senator Theatre in Baltimore, Maryland has operated as an independent single-screen theater for the past 70 years. Due to financial hardship, the privately owned theater has been forced to close. The building will be going to auction soon if the local film community in not able to pull it out of debt and convert the space into a non-profit mulitpurpose arts and entertainment facility. Even though this theater is two hours away, its fate affects the independent film community as a whole.
The Senator Community Trust has been established to facilitate incoming dontations and support. Visit their website at http://thesenatorcommunitytrust.org/
Jennifer Venditti’s award-winning documentary is a provocative coming-of-age story—an odyssey into the soul of an American teenager. Following fifteen-year-old Billy as he bicycles through the quiet streets of small town Maine, we watch him traverse the frustrating gap between imagination and reality, grappling with isolation and first-time young love. By turns exhilarating and disturbing, we see the world from the intimate view of an expressive and seemingly fearless outsider.
The government is about to take around a trillion of your dollars and give it to the people who need it (you know… like, bank CEO’s). Anyway, we realize that it might leave you a little strapped for cash, so we’re going to provide you with a little economic stimulus of our own. On February 20 we’ll be hosting a reprise of some of the best films from RIFF’08 and we’re only going to charge what you can afford. This pay-what-you-can event will be at The Wounded Bookshop from 7-10pm. Tickets can be reserved online. Seating is limited to the first 50 registrants so make your move quick!
All Access passes for the 2009 Rappahannock Independent Film Festival will go on sale January 16 at 7:30pm. The passes will be available for purchase at the CRAWFORD screening at a 50% discount. This will be the only opportunity to purchase tickets and these prices. Regular All Access passes will be $37.50 and student All Access passes will be $25.00.
The Rappahannock Independent Film Festival will host a special screening of David Modigliani’s CRAWFORD, a documentary about the impact of President Bush’s relocation to the small town of Crawford, Texas, shortly after announcing his candidacy for president.
When: Friday, January 16, 2009 7:30pm (Doors) 8pm (Screening)
Where: Central Rappahannock Regional Library Theater, 1201 Caroline St, Fredericksburg, VA 22401
Cost: $5 donation, purchased in advance (link below)
Why: To benefit the Fredericksburg Athenaeum and RIFF ’09.
An important decision for the Rappahannock Independent Film Festival was made recently. It was the decision to move forward with a 2009 festival. Despite all of the blood, sweat, and tears we lost during the 2008 festival, we feel like it was all worth it and we’re willing to do it again.
The 2009 festival will take place August 27-30 at a brand new venue! We’ll announce the new location soon, but you can probably find it on your own if you do a little digging… or reading (hint)… reading for free (okay, I’m going to stop there).
Just like last year, we will need the support of the community. Our Call for Entries begins on November 27, 2008, which is… well, tomorrow. So stay tuned for those details. If you are interested in volunteering, shoot an email to, and if you want to help us with sponsorship, you can email
We’re looking forward to this year’s festival and we hope you are too! As always, the website will be the best place to get the latest information.
RIFF presents a special screening of BILLY THE KID on March 27 at 8pm. This is a pay-what-you-can event and 
When: Friday, January 16, 2009 7:30pm (Doors) 8pm (Screening)