Dean Emerita Brownell to be honored by R.I. International Film Festival

KINGSTON, R.I., July 30, 2018 – The Rhode Island International Film Festival is dedicating its 22nd season to “groundbreaking educator” Winifred “Winnie” E. Brownell, Dean Emerita of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Rhode Island, as the festival opens a yearlong celebration of women in film and the arts.

RIIFF, known as Flickers, is also establishing a $2,000 annual scholarship in Brownell’s name to recognize her career championing the arts and humanities at URI and “as a leading female voice in higher education,” a release from RIIFF says. Brownell, who retired last year after 46 years at the University, served as dean of Arts and Sciences from 1999 to 2017.

“Her visionary work propelled the University to become a leading hub for film media studies,” says George T. Marshall, executive director and founder of the Flickers Arts Collaborative, the non-profit that produces the festival, “and nurtured the Rhode Island International Film Festival during its infancy, spurring it to become the internationally acclaimed event that it is today.”

As dean of Arts and Sciences, Brownell was a leader in the launch of the Film/Media Program and the Harrington School of Communication and Media, which houses the program, in 2008. Today, the school has more than 1,350 students and 62 faculty in 26 programs such as communication studies, digital media, film/media, multimedia journalism, public relations, writing and rhetoric, and library and information studies.

Brownell said, “I am deeply honored by the RIIFF dedication and the launch of the RIIFF/Winifred E. Brownell scholarship. I am delighted to accept both on behalf of the outstanding colleagues, students, staff, alumni and donors who worked with me over the years to develop and launch excellent programs at URI preparing students for exciting professional careers in the arts, humanities, film/media, communication, ecommerce, and related fields. Special thanks go to George Marshall and Steven Feinberg [of the R.I. Film & TV Office] who have done so much to create professional opportunities for our students and graduates.”

In 2014, Brownell was honored by the Rhode Island Film & TV Office with a Dream Maker Award, in an event co-hosted with RIIFF. Brownell, a lifelong patron of the arts, was recognized for her work at URI and support for RIIFF, local filmmakers and a summer film camp for children at URI.

The Winifred E. Brownell Scholarship Fund, underwritten by RIIFF, will be introduced Tuesday, Aug. 7, during the festival’s opening night gala at the Providence Performing Arts Center. Applications are being accepted for the scholarship – geared specifically for URI students – through Tuesday, July 31. For a downloadable scholarship application. The announcement of the scholarship will be made Aug. 12 at the Annual Filmmaker’s Award Ceremony.

“Our central desire behind creating and awarding this scholarship is to celebrate and perpetuate the 46-year legacy at the University of Dean Brownell,” says Marshall. “Over the course of her career, she touched so many young lives and inspired a passion for learning and a pursuit of personal excellence.”

Also, on Aug. 9, Brownell will be interviewed by Feinberg, executive director of the R.I. Film & Television Office, on Flickers’ television series, “doubleFEATURE,” which will air that night at 8 on Rhode Island PBS and WSBE.

RIIFF runs from Aug. 7-12 at sites in Providence, Warwick, Newport, Bristol and Woonsocket, screening nearly 300 films. Ranked among the top 10 film festivals in the country, it is a qualifying festival for the Live Action, Documentary and Animation Short Film Academy Awards through its affiliation with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. RIIFF is also a qualifying event for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts awards and the Canadian Screen Awards. See the festival schedule and ticket prices.