Schedule:

8:15am - 8:30am — MORNING COFFEE — Hosted at the Block Island Maritime Institute by Kristin Carey, Kim Estes and Henry LeBlanc who discuss the day’s programming and introduce the first film block.

NARRATIVE SHORT FILM BLOCK: [BIMI VENUE](8:30am - 10:45am)

8:30am - 8:41am — NARRATIVE SHORT FILM — “Gillyfish” — 11 mins. — Queer, Romance, Drama — When Gillian takes on her partner’s identity to confront their father, she finds a connection she didn't expect in the strange exchange she has with him. A short about healing by proxy, and stepping into new identities. Written & Directed by Sarah Sellman, Produced by Maya Korn, Starring Aoife Commons and Cat Coyle.

8:41am - 8:51am — NARRATIVE SHORT FILM — “The Loop” — 10 mins. — Comedy —  A comedy set in a New England park, where two equally hot-headed men battle over a park bench, setting off a series of chaotic events. Written & Directed by Mo Faisal, Produced by Tracy DiMascio-Faisal and Christopher Mikel, Starring Christopher Mikel, Ajay Jain, Laura Corda, Arvid von Taub, Josh Faisal and Tracy DiMascio-Faisal.

8:51am - 9:06am — NARRATIVE SHORT FILM — “Artold Bernice's Cheek” — 15 mins. — Drama — After being tracked down by an art major doing a dissertation on him, an artist that disappeared from the public eye must make a reckoning with his past as the art major beings his future. Written & Directed by A.J. Ciccotelli, Produced by A.J. Ciccotelli and Margaret Leone, Cinematography by Joseph Kalet, Starring Ron Liguori, Johnny Beirne, Eric Stalowski, Ari Scarano, Dennis DaPrile, Margaret Leone and Leslie Hochman.  

9:06am - 9:16am — NARRATIVE SHORT FILM — “The Bench” — 10 mins. — Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi —  The Bench is a Sci-Fi, Dramedy, Twilight Zone-inspired short film about humanity, mortality, and how we spend the time we have left on earth. Written & Directed by Christopher Bowden.

9:16am - 9:31am — NARRATIVE SHORT FILM — “Not The Same Clarence” — 15 mins. — Drama — A man must come to terms with his fathers Alzheimer's disease. Written & Directed by Brian Russell & Samuel B. Russell, Produced by Brian Russell, Samuel B. Russell and Lisa DeTullio Russell, Starring James Naughton, Greg Naughton, Delissa Reynolds, Sam Duncan and David A. Gregory.

9:31 - 9:51am — NARRATIVE SHORT FILM — “NDE: Near Death Experience” — 20 mins. — Dramedy/Spiritual — When a comic's standup routine is interrupted by a mob hit, he has a spiritual experience that could change his life forever. Written, Directed & Produced by Dawn Natalia, Starring Ed Regine, Reagan Crichlow and Lawrence Natalia.

9:51am - 10:05am — NARRATIVE SHORT FILM — “The Painter” — 14 mins. — Drama — An artist confronts his complicated past as he paints a portrait of the beachside house he grew up in. Written & Directed by Jimmy Martin, Produced by Carly Byers and Ted Omo, Starring Paul Wybieracki, Mike Gross, Chance Schlauder, Robert Blauner and Heather Huntington Stewart.

10:05am - 10:45am — Q&A with filmmakers.

10:45am - 11:30am — BREAK

11:30am - 12:30pm — SCREENWRITING FORUM [Champlin’s Marina Café on the pier] — The 2025 Screenwriting Forum features the finalists in the BIFF screenwriting competition who discuss their scripts and their writing process. This is an educational forum that encourages public participation. Hosted by Henry LeBlanc and Kristin Carey.

12:30pm - 1pm — LUNCH BREAK

1pm - 3pm — NARRATIVE FEATURE FILM [BIMI VENUE] — “No Small Sacrifice” — 2 hours — Drama — No Small Sacrifice is a moving piece about two brothers and the difficult choices they must make about the family ranch. Written & Directed by James Douglas Burch, Produced by Zachary Burch and Sherry Willis Burch, Starring Travis Quentin Young and Mark Fite.

3pm - 3:30pm —  Q&A with filmmakers.

3:30pm - 4pm — BREAK

DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM BLOCK: [BIMI VENUE](4pm - 6:15pm)

4pm - 4:20pm — DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM — “Raised on Dirt: The Brock Pinkerous Story” — 20 mins. — 13-year-old Brock “Bam Bam” Pinkerous is a real-life racecar driver. He competes against men twice his size, racing 18-foot-long cars with 450 horsepower engines. Directed by Eric D Levesque and Francis Kelleher, Produced by Francis Kelleher, Starring Brock Pinkerous and Paul Pinkerous.

4:20pm - 4:35pm — DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM — “Interception: Jayne Kennedy — American Sportscaster” — 15 mins. — When a bronze-skin bombshell rocks the world of Sunday Morning Football, millions tune in. But few know the tumultuous story of Jayne Kennedy, the first Black woman to boldly tackle the racial lines of American sportscasting. Written & Directed by Safiya Songhai, Produced by Jayne Kennedy Overton, Safiya Songhai, Latena Hazard, Garland McLaurin and Michael L. Brown, Starring Jayne Kennedy Overton.

4:35pm - 5:10pm — DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM — “imago artists” — 35 mins. — Through eight artists' stories, this film explores the creative impulse that compels each one to draw, paint, take photos and play in the field of fine art. Directed by Katherine Reaves.

5:10pm - 5:30pm — DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM — “Malassada Day” — 18 mins. — A universal story about the importance of holding on to our culture and rituals, whatever they may be from wherever we came from, in an ever-changing society. This film focuses on the story behind Portuguese fried dough and the team of women who come together to make it. Directed by Dante Bellini, Jr., Produced by Holly Anne Tente.

5:30pm - 6:15pm — Q&A with filmmakers.

6:15pm - 7:15pm — BREAK

[*NIGHT PROGRAMMING AT CHAMPLIN’S MARINA & RESORT BEGINS]

NARRATIVE SHORT FILM BLOCK: [CHAMPLIN’S MARINA VENUE](7:15pm - 10:15pm)

7:15pm - 7:32pm — NARRATIVE SHORT FILM — “South Shore” — 17 mins. — Drama/Thriller —  South Shore captures a pivotal moment in the story arc of a reclusive, live-aboard sailor who comes face to face with the young immigrant man whom he suspects of a terrible crime. The script is adapted from “The Secret Sharer,” by Joseph Conrad, and influenced by real events on the South Shore of Long Island, New York. Written & Directed by Dexter Strong Buell, Produced by Kevin A. Lopez, Executive Producer Justine Lucas, Starring Dexter Strong Buell, Dylan Hernandez, Brandi Satterfield and Hassan Bradley.

7:32pm - 7:47pm — NARRATIVE SHORT FILM — “Cherry Pie” — 15 mins. — Comedy/Thriller — In an otherwise uneventful restaurant, tensions rise between Lana, a no-nonsense manager, and Marty, a laid-back bartender, over small grievances like misplaced guitar cords and stolen cherry pie. When a mysterious man stumbles in, dies, and reanimates as a zombie, their day takes a surreal turn. Written, Directed & Produced by Pat Mulderrig, Starring Linzi Fenix, Eric Michael Cole, Greg Roman, and Chase Armayor.

7:47pm - 8:07pm — NARRATIVE SHORT FILM — “Forgiving the Nightmare” — 20 mins. — Drama — After carrying deep pain for years, Mark faces the challenge to either be held by the nightmare of his past or forgive it. (Based on the book "Forgiving The Nightmare" by Mark Sowersby) Written & Directed by Henrique Franhani, Produced by Henrique Franhani and Michael Babcock, Cinematography by Kyle Loftus, Starring Marc Lucia, Scot Scurlock, Austin Lampe, Ryan Mullin, Kara C. Edmund and Marjha Grady.

8:07pm - 8:27pm — NARRATIVE SHORT FILM — “What It’s Like To Be Okay” — 20 mins. — Drama/Comedy — When struggling actor Terry Moore puts his career before his family, he must find a way to make amends for his mistake and reconnect with his heartbroken daughter. Directed by Noah Bean, Written by Dennis Staroselsky, Produced by Dennis Staroselsky, Noah Bean, Veronica Rutelidge and Jaime Ray Newman, Starring Dennis Staroselsky, Lyndsy Fonseca, Chiara Staroselsky and Ashley Williams.

8:27pm- 8:47pm — NARRATIVE SHORT FILM — “Steps” — 19 mins. — Comedy, Thriller — Tanner Slade, an extremely unlikable bro, is obsessed with counting his steps. On his way to a tropical, solo, drug-filled getaway, he is kidnapped, and wakes up in a room with a shock collar on. A voice over a loudspeaker explains that he can only take 50 steps every 24 hours, or he will be punished. He embarks on a journey where he must adapt his lifestyle, and conserve every step, in order to adhere to his captor’s demands. Written, Directed & Produced by Dan Bricker and Eytan Millstone, Starring Evan Williams and Vincent Cueva.

8:47pm - 9:02pm — NARRATIVE SHORT FILM — “SIlverSizzle” — 14 mins. — Drama — Two recent widowers enlist the aid of a cemetery caretaker to find new love among widows visiting their departed spouses. Directed by Brian Russell, Written by Brian Russell and Ross Popick, Produced by Brian Russell and Lisa DeTullio Russell, Starring James Naughton, Boyd Gaines, Mike Boland, Kathleen McNenny and Sara Sessions.

9:02pm - 9:27pm — NARRATIVE SHORT FILM — “Snowbird” — 25 mins. — Drama/Comedy — A self-taught rocket scientist invites a big city journalist out into the desert to cover a launch that will prove, once and for all, that the Earth is flat. Written & Directed by Patrick Curran, Produced by Patrick Curran, Devin Skrade, Jay Seals and Julia Schott, Cinematography by Shaun Dixon, Edited by Tim Dalton, Starring Lawrence Pressman, Ansuya Nathan, Greg Romero Wilson, and Stephen J. Lattanzi.

9:27pm - 10:15pm — Q&A with filmmakers.

10:15pm - 1pm — Opening Night Cocktail Party/Networking/Mixer at Champlin’s Marina & Resort, New Harbor (The Top Dock Bar on the pier)