PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Cinephiles, rejoice — it’s officially Ivy Film Festival season.
From Monday, April 14, to Sunday, April 20, the 25th annual Ivy Film Festival will showcase a dynamic slate of free, open-to-the-public film screenings, live screenplay readings, speaker and discussion events, industry talks and new media exhibitions at locations across Brown University.
This year, the festival is set to welcome creatives behind some of the most hyped projects in Hollywood, from the five-time Oscar-winning film “Anora” to the critically acclaimed animated tragicomedy Netflix series, “BoJack Horseman.”
Held annually on Brown’s campus since 2001, the weeklong festival has become one of the largest student-run film festivals in the world, with 128 students from Brown and the Rhode Island School of Design contributing to this year’s celebration of all things film.
“The spirit of the Ivy Film Festival revolves around student passion and our collective care for the organization,” said Brown senior Maiya Jannah, who has served as one of the festival’s directors for the past three years. “This lineup would not be what it is without the months of work that we as individuals put in, hoping that something amazing would come out of it.”
Screenings at this year’s festival include cutting-edge films by student filmmakers from across the globe and exclusive previews of upcoming feature films.
Opening the festival is a screening of “Outerlands,” a drama tackling an unexpected journey of self-discovery, followed by a Q&A session with the film’s director, Elena Oxman, and lead actor, Asia Kate Dillon. Later that night, the festival will host a screening of the upcoming indie comedy “Friendship,” about a man who stops at nothing to befriend his new neighbor.
On Thursday, April 17, the festival will present a screening of “Secret Mall Apartment,” which chronicles how eight Rhode Islanders built and lived for years in a secret apartment hidden within the depths of the Providence Place Mall. After the screening, a discussion will take place with Michael Townsend, the Providence artist behind the project.
The cornerstone of the festival — the official selections — encompass the stories that student filmmakers find most important to tell. This year, the festival team received 161 submissions from student filmmakers in 31 countries. Twenty-one were named official selections, which are broken down into three categories based on their themes: growing pains, currents and pursuits.
“Our programming team works nonstop throughout the year to watch, select and compile these films,” Jannah said. “What we hope to do is a create a thematic throughline for the work that we’re showcasing. It’s also so inspiring to see the work of students our age and what they’re able to accomplish.”
Beyond screenings, the festival will also feature a series of talks by award-winning creatives, industry professionals, Brown alumni and more.
Acclaimed director Sean Baker, best known for his films “Tangerine,” “The Florida Project” and the Oscar-sweeping “Anora,” will deliver a keynote on Saturday, April 19, offering insights into navigating the world of independent filmmaking.
“His filmmaking philosophy is something that our organization aligns with entirely — that independent film is the future, and it’s where more voices will be heard and more stories will be told and celebrated,” Jannah said.
Among others, speakers include the creator of the award-winning animated series “BoJack Horseman;” a world-renowned cinematographer paving the way for women in film; the screenwriter behind director Luca Guadagnino’s films “Challengers” and “Queer;” and an innovative animator whose most recent work won Best Experimental Animation at the Korea International Short Film Festival.
“We hope people walk away inspired and in awe of the power of deeply caring about something,” Jannah said. “We have this deep spirit for wanting to increase access to the arts and showcase new voices in media, and I think the Ivy Film Festival is really at the forefront of that.”
The Ivy Film Festival runs from Monday, April 14, to Sunday, April 20, at Brown University. Events are free and open to the public, but tickets are required.