Sunday night’s Oscar® ceremonies had special local significance this year. Before the parade of glitz and glamour of Hollywood stars, Rhode Island PBS Producer Michelle D. Abbott was honored with the Producer’s Circle Award for her stellar contribution to arts and culture in Rhode Island. The award was announced jointly by Flickers, The Newport Film Society & Arts Collaborative, and the Rhode Island Film & Television Office, and presented to Ms. Abbott at the Rhode Island International Film Festival (RIIFF) 11th annual Red Carpet Experience: Providence. The local event celebrates the artists whose work is showcased by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences®.
The Producer's Circle Award is presented annually to members of the community who have actively worked to support and promote the mission of the Festival and the film arts in Rhode Island. These Friends of the Festival have had a significant impact on the growth, evolution, and quality of what has become an internationally acclaimed celebration of the cinematic arts.
“We are so proud to see Michelle receive this award,” said Rhode Island PBS President David W. Piccerelli. “We acknowledge and appreciate that her individual achievement brings honor and recognition to the station, too, raising our profile and the quality of our productions in the eyes of our audience and the community. We offer Michelle our sincere congratulations and thanks for a job well done.”
“Michelle’s creative talent and attention to detail can be seen each and every week. We have personally seen this positive energy up close and personal with our special collaboration,” said Steven Feinberg, executive director of the Rhode Island Film & Television Office, honorary chair of the local awards event, and co-host of doubleFEATURE.
“We've witnessed Michelle’s inspiring work with the most recent, wonderful documentary, The Newport Bridge: A Rhode Island Icon, as well as the educational High School Quiz Show: Rhode Island®,” said George T. Marshall, executive director of Flickers, and creator and executive director of doubleFEATURE. “Michelle always brings her best to any production she’s involved with, and as a result, she has helped to further Rhode Island's reputation as an excellent source of talent and critical thinking,” Marshall said.
“I’m incredibly honored to receive this award,” Ms. Abbott said. “My daily goal is to find ways to make doubleFEATURE – every project I work on – the best, most creative it can be. To have those everyday efforts recognized in this extraordinary way is just so gratifying.”
Michelle D. Abbott joined Rhode Island PBS in March 2018 after building a 20-year career in New Jersey and New York, including producing broadcast commercials at the award-winning Ogilvy and Mather. A film studies graduate of the University of Rhode Island Harrington School of Communication and Media, Ms. Abbott also holds a degree in art from Essex College, NJ.
In partnership with Flickers' RIIFF and the RI Film & Television Office, Rhode Island PBS produces the weekly doubleFEATURE to showcase the art of the short film and the artists who make them. In addition to presenting a selection of two or more short films each week, co-hosts Steve Feinberg and George Marshall interview filmmakers and industry professionals of local, national, and international renown. The unique doubleFEATURE represents an exceptional opportunity for viewers to see artistic, original, award-winning short films from a collection of animation, foreign language, documentary, and fiction films.
Rhode Island PBS airs doubleFEATURE Thursdays at 8 p.m.
Pictured in the photo from the left: Rhode Island Film & Television Office Executive Director Steven Feinberg, Rhode Island PBS Producer Michelle Abbott, Rhode Island International Film Festival Program Director Shawn Quirk, and RIIFF Executive Director George T. Marshall.
About Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival
The Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival (RIIFF) has secured its place in the global community as the portal for the best in international independent cinema, earning the respect of domestic and foreign filmmakers, filmgoers and trend watchers. This confluence of art and commerce brought together world-class celebrities, award-winning filmmakers, new talent and audience members in record numbers last year. Ranked as one of the top 10 Festivals in the United States, RIIFF is a qualifying festival for the Live Action, Animation and Documentary Short Film Academy Awards through its affiliation with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). Since RIIFF gained this accreditation, 72 films that have been screened at the Festival have received Academy nominations, and ten films have won. This year, five films from RIIFF have been nominated.
About Rhode Island PBS
WSBE Rhode Island PBS is operated by the Rhode Island PBS Foundation, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. WSBE Rhode Island PBS is a viewer-supported member of the PBS network of public broadcasting stations, and uses the power of noncommercial media to educate, engage, enrich, inspire, and entertain viewers of all ages in Rhode Island, southeastern Massachusetts, and eastern Connecticut since 1967. WSBE-DT delivers content on two channels: Rhode Island PBS (digital 36.1), and Learn (digital 36.2). For more information about programs and education services at WSBE, visit www.ripbs.org.
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