The Roma International Film Festival's aim is to unite enthusiasm for films and filmmaking among young filmmakers with the realities of film production and distribution.
RIFF is a seven-day celebration of new European and international independent films. As well as offering the chance for young filmmakers to present their work to the general public at film screenings, RIFF offers a series of special events designed to stimulate enthusiasm and create discussion: retrospectives, seminars and workshops on various aspects of cinema, as well as exhibitions, collaborations with theatre, dance, fashion, and music concerts.
In order to encourage and assist filmmakers in their endeavours, the festival concludes with an awards ceremony, The RIFF Awards, which awards prizes of either monetary value or money in-kind. The winning films, in a number of categories, are chosen by an international jury of experts from various fields within the film industry.
The categories of the festivals are:
Feature Films - New Frontiers - Documentary Films - Short Films - International Student Films - Animation - Screenplays & Subject
The Festival, sees many British participants this year, under several categories:
Documentary Films:
The Land of Many Palaces by Adam Smith, Song Ting (UK/China, 2014)
International Short Films:
Girl Power by Benjamin Bee (UK, 2014)
Sub Rosa by Thora Hilmarsdottir (UK/Iceland, 2014)
Student Films:
Hard To Lose by Manfredi Mancuso (UK, 2014)
Heart of Lead by Slava Doytcheva (Bulgaria/UK/Italy, 2014)
How I Didn't Become A Piano Player byTommaso Pitta (UK, 2014)
Animation:
The Bigger Picture by Daisy Jacobs (UK, 2014)
For the full list of films in competition, and for more information about the festival, have a look at the RIFF website (below)