Schedule:

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

NARRATIVE SHORT FILM BLOCK: [BIMI VENUE](8:15am - 10:15am)

8:15am - 8:20am — NARRATIVE SHORT FILM — “The Mud Hole” — 5 mins. — Drama/Historical — A family man reflects on an important time of his life when he left his gang friends for the summer and visited his Aunt in New Jersey. His Aunt surprises him with a trip to Asbury Park Beach and a hidden historical gem with the powers towards a positive and great future. Written & Directed by Margaret Leone, Produced by A.J. Ciccotelli.

8:20am - 8:36am — NARRATIVE SHORT FILM — “Revelation” — 16 mins. — Drama/Crime — After a major trauma, a detective takes on a case that will test how ready she is to return to work. Starring: Michelle Mazza, Alfred C. Kemp, Catherine Curtin and Peter Gerety. Directed by Libe Barer, Written by Felise Garcia, Produced by Seth Chitwood, Starring Michelle Mazza, Alfred Kempe, Peter Gerety and Catherine Curtin.

8:36am - 8:53am — NARRATIVE SHORT FILM — “Hope Ryder” — 17 minutes — Drama, Thriller — A woman meets a mysterious man who created something that changes her entire reality. Written, Directed & Produced by Matt Gorman, Starring Aurora Grabill, Fiore Leo, Kris Salvi, Sam Zilic and Patrick Baracken.  

8:53am - 9:07am — NARRATIVE SHORT FILM — “Medication” —  15 mins. — Drama, Thriller — Former cross-country champion and current physics PhD candidate, Leah, is visited by the apparition of a young girl who forces her to unlock a mystery. Directed by Missy Bell, Written by Missy Bell and Thomas L. Townsend, Produced by Michael C. Bell, Starring Dax Dupuy, John Burnett Hall, Ruth McLoughlin and Christopher Malcolm.

9:07am - 9:20am — NARRATIVE SHORT FILM — “Bonecrusher” — 13 mins. — Drama/Historical — A true story: In 1923 drunken Mariachi music reels across a smoke-filled Mexican boxing stadium as two aging fighters — one white, one black — meet in the center of the ring. They are Jim “The Fireman” Flynn, who towers over his opponent, Sam “The Bonecrusher” Langford. They battle hard, exchanging lethal blows. When the fight’s over we realize that one of them has an astonishing secret. Directed by Jim Morrison IV, Written by Tate Young & Jim Morrison IV, Produced by alex Jordan and Jim Morrison IV, Starring Marc John Jefferies, Patrick Kerton, Pedro Salvin, Ache Hernandez, Alejandro Ampudia and Andres Romos Salido.

9:20am - 9:42 — NARRATIVE SHORT FILM — “Pickleball is Life: Dill With It!” — 22 mins. — Comedy — The tournament day is here! Three "besties" are compelled to participate in a high-stakes pickleball competition after they find themselves in a pickle. Now, their friendship and tenacity are consequently put to the ultimate test on the court. Directed by carol Ann DeMarco and Ethan de Aguiar, Written by Carol de Marco and Leigh Anne West, Produced by Seth Chitwood, Cinematography by Ethan de Aguiar, Edited by Ethan de Aguiar and Seth Chitwood, Starring Carol Ann DeMarco, Leigh Anne West, Catherine Curtin, Johanna Day, Sharon Lawrence, David Lansbury, Susan Gallagher, Tonya Pinkins, Count Stovall and Maleek Rae.

9:42am - 10:15am — Q&A with filmmakers.

10:15am - 10:45am — BREAK

10:45am - 11:45am — SCREENWRITING FORUM [BIMI VENUE] — 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 Kim Estes.

11:45am - 12:15pm — BREAK

[SPOTLIGHT DOCUMENTARY FILM]

12:15pm - 1:10pm — [SPOTLIGHT DOCUMENTARY FILM] [SPONSORED by the BLOCK ISLAND SENIOR ADVISORY COMMITTEE] [BIMI VENUE] — “Optics of Aging” — 55 mins. —  In Optics of Aging stereotypes of ageism are dissolved and the beauty of aging is revealed through five elders who have shaped the landscape of Rhode Island and beyond. Their voices take flight against the backdrop of archival imagery that captures the vision of an earlier time. Directed and Produced by Michelle LeBrun, Edited by Ryan Bliss, Archive Footage Produced by Becca Bender, and Music Composed by Milana Cepeda.

1:10pm - 1:45pm — Q&A with filmmakers.

1:45pm - 2:15pm — BREAK

NARRATIVE SHORT FILM BLOCK — Sponsored by NAMI-BLOCK ISLAND: [BIMI VENUE](2:15pm - 4:30pm)

2:15pm - 2:31pm — NARRATIVE SHORT FILM — “So You Want To Steal a Kidney” — 16 mins. — Comedy — Peaches has a big problem; she loves to gamble and she loves to spend money. All that fun comes to end when she has to pay a big debt, leading her to attempt the impossible in order to get the money — steal a kidney from an unsuspecting friend to settle the debt. Written & Directed by Kristen Falso-Capaldi, Starring Stacy Kendro, Nancy Vitulli, Chris Raffa, Christopher Mikael, Jay Burns, Ami Muehlberg, Stephen O’Neill Martin, and Brian Vincent.

2:31pm - 2:56pm — NARRATIVE SHORT FILM — “He'll Be Home for Christmas (TV Pilot)" — 25 mins. — Drama — When a the father is granted the chance to come back to life to spend time with his family on Christmas Day, it's undetermined if his return is really a gift. Written & Directed by Seth Chitwood, Produced by Mark Anthony Hardy, Cinematography by Ethan de Aguiar and Dan Goldsmith, Starring David Lansbury, Pamela Jayne Morgan, Kimberlee Connor, Zack Ignoffo, Michael Dubuc, Mandy Mills, Courtney Brooks and Elsa Hancock-Happ.

2:56pm - 3:10pm — NARRATIVE SHORT FILM — “Trumpet Gumbo” — 14 mins. — Drama — Hot off of a win of the country's largest television cooking show, Chef Buddy Bontemps finds himself under the tutelage of one of the greatest chefs in modern time. Having never been in a perfectionist's kitchen, he gets devoured. Written & Directed by Brad Courtemanche, Produced by Brad Courtemanche, Brit MacFarland, Miguel Antonio and Evan Hennessey, Starring John Fiore, Brandon Scales and Anthony Hoang.

3:10pm - 3:20pm — NARRATIVE SHORT FILM — “The Ghost of Summers Past” — 10 mins. — Drama — A young woman confronts her abuser and finds her soulmate in an evening with friends. A silent film. Directed by A.J. Ciccotelli, Written by Tom Cavanaugh, Produced by A.J. Ciccotelli and Tom Cavanaugh, Cinematography by Joseph Kalet. Starring an ensemble cast.

3:20pm - 3:35pm — NARRATIVE SHORT FILM — “Cascades” — 14 mins. — Drama — A couple walks towards a crossroads on the day of their 30th wedding anniversary. Written & Directed by Brian Russell, Produced by Brian Russell and Lisa DeTullio Russell, Starring Delissa Reynolds, Marc Romeo, Mike Boland and Michele Gramesty.

3:35pm - 3:50pm — NARRATIVE SHORT FILM — Sponsored by NAMI-BLOCK ISLAND — “I Appreciate Your Concern” — 15 mins. — Drama — When a daughter finds her father passed out inside a chicken coop, she makes a desperate attempt to get him to stop drinking. Written & Directed by Jim Morrison, Produced by Stacey Morrison, Starring Lisa Dabrowski, Lily Conellan, Katie Schrader, Arthur Lane, Theresia Hand and Richard Gardini.

3:50pm - 4:30pm — Q&A with filmmakers.

4:30pm - 5:30pm — BREAK

[NIGHT PROGRAMMING AT CHAMPLIN’S MARINA BEGINS]

NARRATIVE FEATURE FILM (CHAMPLIN’S MARINA VENUE)(5:30pm - 7:30pm)

5:30pm - 7pm — NARRATIVE FEATURE FILM — “Crookedfinger” — 1 hr. 30 mins. — Drama, Thriller — After the sudden deaths of her aging parents, Maria Gallucci returns to her childhood home on Cape Cod (Massachusetts). When Maria’s estranged brother Nico and his older girlfriend Sigrid show up to help sort out the estate, tensions rise about how to best sell the decrepit house, leading to unexpected, otherworldly complications. Directed by Julia Halperin & Jason Cortlund, Written by Jason Cortlund, Produced by Julia Helperin and Todd Remis, Starring Paula Jon DeRose, Welker White and Blake DeLong.

7pm - 7:30pm — Q&A with filmmakers.

7:30pm - 8pm — BREAK

NARRATIVE SHORT FILM BLOCK (CHAMPLIN’S MARINA VENUE)(8pm - 9:30pm)

8pm - 8:12pm — NARRATIVE SHORT FILM — “Top Sportsman” — 12 mins. — Comedy — Captain Dick Fisher is not a real captain, but that doesn’t stop him from hiring a cameraman to follow him around and play pretend for a while. Dick has grand aspirations of hosting his own fishing TV show, following in the footsteps of his long-lost dad. Directed by Oliver Sutro, Written by Oliver Sutro and Bennett Hrabovsky, Produced by Dylan Schmitz, Starring Bennett Hrabovsky and Rudy Babiken.

8:12pm - 8:30pm — NARRATIVE SHORT FILM —  “Billy Somethin”— 17 mins. — Comedy, Crime — After a brutal loss shatters his boxing career, Billy ‘Captain Hook’ Benoit takes a shady side job to support his family, only to find himself roped into an underground world of crime, unlikely alliances, and second chances, fighting once again to prove his worth—this time, outside the ring. Directed by Brandon Scales, Written by Brahms Guignard, Starring Brahms Guignard, Jaime Hernandez, Naheem Garcia and Trisha Mondesir.

8:30pm - 8:45pm — NARRATIVE SHORT FILM — “Napoleonic Code” — 15 mins. — Comedy, Drama — When a New Yorker reunites with her estranged brother to settle their father's Louisiana Estate, they're confronted with secrets, old and new. Written & Directed by Michael Cusumano, Produced by Michael, Cusumano, Charity Schubert and Josh Tally, Starring Charity Schubert and Josh Tally.

8:45pm - 8:51pm — NARRATIVE SHORT FILM — Don’t Go Outside” — 6 mins. — Drama, Thriller — Following a startling call from his mother warning him to stay indoors, Jason hears someone calling for help outside in the distance. Now, he must choose between staying safe in his welding workshop or venturing outside to help. Written, Directed and Produced by Michael James Hull, Starring Dixon Prewitt, F. Rex Styrpe and Loree Gold.

8:51pm - 9:30pm — Q&A with filmmakers.

9:30pm - 10pm — BREAK

10pm - 10:30pm — BIFF 2025 AWARD CEREMONY

10:30pm - 1pm — Closing Night “Martini Shot” Wrap Party at Champlin’s Marina & Resort, New Harbor, at the Top Dock Bar.