THE INSTITUTE
The RIFF Arts Institute (RAI) was born as a result of the Richmond International Film Festival’s (RIFF) annual programming and a need to further develop year-round educational programming, artist development, and workforce development initiatives. Formed in 2018, RAI is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The institute develops projects and artists in film and music and coordinates production opportunities for industry professionals in the U.S. with a special emphasis in Virginia.
RAI’s programs include exhibition opportunities, promoting and mobilizing artists, and refining the artistic voice. RAI also presents quarterly labs, community engagement programs, networking events, business development, fellowships, and artist in residency programs. Each year, RAI co-presents the FLOW Collective Conference and the annual Outreach Day at the Richmond International Film Festival.
For more info on the 14th annual Richmond International Film Festival, visit their website at www.rvafilmfestival.com.
UPCOMING EVENTS: APRIL 2025
April 24, AI+Community Event
Admission is free, however, RSVP required here
LATEST NEWS & PROGRAMS
The 2025 Spring Fellowship Program applications are now closed. The Institute is on a waitlist for Fellowships until the Fall. If you would like to be considered, the applications are on a rolling basis. Visit the Fellowship page to learn how to apply.
The RIFF + RAI Winter and Spring Writing & Film Lab Series begins December 13, 2024 with our AI, Ideation and Best Practices Panel in collaboration with Belltower Pictures. Special guest panelists: Andy Edmunds (Virginia Film Office Director), Justin Laughter (Threshold Attorneys at Law), Will Willis, Ginna Lambert, Craig Martin (Belltower; RAI; The Good Road); and Heather Waters (RIFF; RAI). Location: In Your Ear Studios
Part II of the Series: April 2025 in partnership with Belltower Pictures, CultureWorks and the Richmond International Film Festival. RSVP at the link above.
RIFF Development Studio: Introducing, the new RIFF Development Studio, a creative development incubator for writers, filmmakers, and musicians. This group meets starting February 2025 once per month to develop projects in a group setting, peer to peer. Guided by a RAI representative, it is offered complimentary on an application approval basis. If interested in applying for this complimentary program, email your cover letter, resume and a sample of your work to staff@riffartsinstitute.org.
FISCAL SPONSORSHIP
The RIFF Arts Institute (RAI) provides fiscal sponsor services to projects on an approved rolling application process. To be eligible, the projects must fall within the RAI mission of arts or media related areas and be independent projects. As a fiscal sponsor, the 501(c)(3) serves as the umbrella organization for your project to receive tax deductible donations and grants aimed at those limited to non-profit organiztions. If approved by RAI, as the fiscal sponsor it takes a 7% fee for its administration in processing the funding and oversight for any funding that is received through RAI. The Sponsee can then utilize RAI as its Fiscal Sponsor on applicable grant applications. The project retains all rights and ownership of its content.
How it works:
The project owner applies to RAI for fiscal sponsorship (see application below). Once approved, foundations, grants and individual donors give directly to RAI with your project name specified. The institute then processes the donations and paperwork and distributes remaining funds to the project after the administration fee is collected. Through the process, because RAI is a non-profit organization, the giver is able to receive the tax write off for their donations. The funds given in your project’s name will be designated to a fund with your project’s name and the project will receive a 1099 from the Institute at the end of the year.
To apply, visit HERE.
If you or someone you know may be interested in taking part of RAI’s year-round programming events as a Sponsor or Community Partner, we would love to speak with you. Please contact us at staff@riffartsinstitute.org. Interested in donating to the RIFF Arts Institute Fellowships or General Programming? Make Donations to the Institute Here
YEAR-ROUND PROGRAMS
FELLOWSHIPS
Customized film, music, screenwriting, and producing fellowships are offered twice per year in 6-12 month programs as a complimentary program provided by RAI with the support of our partners.
The Fellowship program is a hands on development program that includes artist & project development, business leadership, career branding, industry networking, and audience engagement. Fellowships are custom fit for each Fellow. Visit the Fellowship page to apply.
ARTIST DEVELOPMENT
RAI has year-round artist development programs for film, music, screenwriting, and producing through one on one mentorship, fellowships, panels, and labs. These programs are less intensive than RAI’s Fellowship Program, but offered several times through the year.
FILM & MUSIC FUNDS
Select Film and Music funds may be offered to Fellowship and Lab Candidates who complete the program and excel in their respective field. These will be available in late 2025 along with RAI’s new Fiscal Sponsorship program for film and music. To apply, visit the application section.
“Life changing. The fellowship experience reached beyond my professional life to my personal life, radiating a renewed sense of confidence in the person I am and the things I do. After many years of making art, I finally understand what it means to be an artist. That is to say, to be human. I will never forget that.”
“This program is demanding in both time and personal commitment, but I would not have the knowledge, skill, or artistic discipline that I now do without RAI. This organization has taught me the intangibles that make careers that last. I am more knowledgeable, more creative, more focused, and more determined than I have ever been, and I owe it all to the RAI.”
“Working with Heather to develop my screenplays was an amazing experience! Her guidance improved my writing tremendously and has led to interest from other industry professionals in getting the projects made. ”
““Thanks in large part to the program and my Fellowship at RAI, I will be attending Savannah College of Art and Design on scholarship with a major in film & television. Through an intensive apprenticeship at RIFF and a year-long RAI Fellowship, I learned invaluable skills as a script analyst and got first-hand experience in film production. It laid the groundwork I needed as an artist and future industry professional. ”
“When I entered the fellowship I had most of my technical skills for film and writing at or near where I needed them to be, but I was struggling to find my voice. Heather was able to hear my voice between the lines of the techniques I had learned and help me bring that to the forefront in what felt more like a POP than a gradual transition. I would go so far as to call it a revelatory experience.”
2025 FELLOWS
JO-EL DEVAUGHN
Jo-el crafts music that dances on the line between reality and the unconscious. Inspired by prolific musicians like Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson, and literary visionaries like Dante Gabriel Rossetti and T. S. Eliot, Joel blends the art of music and poetry to explore themes of human connection and spirituality.
With poetic lyrics, immersive melodies, and captivating vocals, Joel's music offers a window into the beauty and complexity of everyday life, inviting listeners to reflect, dream, and feel deeply.
ORION REDWOLF
American producer/artist Orion Redwolf is renowned for his emotive, genre-exploring style. His rich and bendy vocals deliver direct songwriting on top of intricate guitar and luscious production. Lyrically, he draws inspiration from human experiences and the natural world to craft evocative compositions. In 2023, Redwolf was awarded the inaugural Virginia Commission for the Arts songwriting fellowship following his 2021 debut record, The Good Stuff. Using the state funding, he has collaborated with a diverse range of instrumentalists and studios across the U.S. to independently release 3 singles.
Orion also produces and writes for artists across the U.S. His signature production can be heard on the works of Eloise Granville, Kat Hammock, Isabel March, Asher Friedman, Breaker Novogratz, J-Renee, Katherine Nies, Kara Leona, Cougar Beatrice, and select releases by Kendall Street Company. His instrumental and engineering contributions also appear on records by Andrew Montana, Nan Macmillian, Lora Kelly, Castle Walls, Isabel Bailey Band, Kendall Street Company, Uga Buga, Who Shot John, and more. Listen to his music here and all streaming platforms. www.orionredwolf.com
JACK LACY
Jack Lacy is a gay mixed-race Filipino American filmmaker from Glen Allen, Virginia. Jack recently graduated from NYU Tisch School of the Arts in Film & TV Production and finished an internship working on the 50th Season of Saturday Night Live in the Film Unit.
As a writer/director, Jack’s work focuses on the nuances of gender and sexuality — as he’s committed to amplifying minority narratives in film. He’s working on a festival and distribution plan for his senior film “BUNTIS?!” and is starting development on his next short. Aside from writing and directing, Jack is also passionate about editing and script supervising.
BRENDAN RILEY is an American film director and screenwriter, known for his dark humor, distinctive cinematic style, and exploration of controversial themes. Each of his films strives to reinvent itself, showcasing his versatility and commitment to pushing creative boundaries.
Born in Richmond, Virginia, Brendan’s formative years were marked by culture-bending family trips abroad, socially challenging school experiences, and a heightened sensitivity to the conflicts around him. These experiences fueled his desire to confront difficult topics directly, seeking to understand these conflicts rather than be controlled by them. This drive is reflected in his writing and visual storytelling, which adeptly capture both internal and external conflicts. Brendan is a RIFF Arts Institute Film & Writing Fellow for the July 2024 - March 2025 Program.
TRINITY WATERS YOU is an emerging singer songwriter who splits her time between Costa Rica and Nashville, TN. With a voice that is both delicate and sweet, Trinity transports listeners to an ethereal scene of shimmering melodies and thoughtful lyrics.
Growing up surfing on the beaches of Costa Rica, she found solace in the natural beauty of the world around her, drawing inspiration from the tides and colorful skies. Her music weaves together delicate guitar lines, lush harmonies, and introspective lyrics that decipher chaos into sense.
Drawing on a range of musical influences, from indie folk to acoustic pop, her music explores themes of love, loss, and her journey with Jesus in a world that can often feel overwhelming and uncertain. As she continues to evolve as an artist, Trinity remains dedicated to creating music that speaks to the heart and soul of her listeners. With each new song, she invites us to slow down, to connect with God, and to experience the beauty and complexity of human emotion. Trinity is a RIFF Arts Institute Music & Songwriting Fellow for the Feb 2023 - February 2025 Program.
ALUMNI FELLOWS
MARY LUCIA THAO DARST, 2023-2024 Fellow is a doctoral candidate in music at Oxford University. She holds an MA in History and Literature from Columbia University and will receive her PhD this summer.
Mary Lucia has produced several films for the Oxford University Filmmaking Foundation. Her own films explore the relationships between individuals and their environments touching on the complexities of interpersonal relationships.
She trained in film, first as an intern then fellow with the Moving Picture Institute, then at the London Film School’s Directors’ Workshop.
Mary Lucia is also a classically trained violist and avid linguist. She was a RIFF Arts Institute Film & Business Fellow for the January 2023 - January 2024 Program.
ROBERT CATALUSCI, 2023 Fellow is an acclaimed artist, writer, director and producer. He trained as a sculptor before studying Fine Art and Film History in London, France, Italy and Greece. He holds a BFA in Performance Art and Video from San Francisco Art Institute, returning the following semester as visiting artist faculty (SFAI).
His residencies include; Capp Street Project, Southern Exposures Gallery, San Francisco CA, San Francisco Municipal Railways, SF Bureau of Architecture, The 5th Chengdu Up-On International Live Art Festival, Chengdu China with the Sichuan University Art Museum, China, The Sichuan Conservatory of Music Chengdu, China, JZFZ Art Space Museum, China, Five Points Contemporary Art Museum Victoria, Texas and the Station Contemporary Art Museum, Houston Texas. Roberts creates mind-bending original stories designed to transport audiences into a different reality-the twilight of human destruction. Robert is featured in Details Magazine, Art Week, Art Papers, Los Angeles Times, SF Weekly, Vault CCA and Art and Architectural Magazine. He is based in Richmond VA & Los Angeles, CA. Robert was a RIFF Arts Institute Film & Screenwriting Fellow for the Spring/Summer 2023 Program.
ELLA FLOYD, 2022-2024 Fellow is an interdisciplinary artist based in Richmond, VA and Southwest Virginia. Using photography as a primary medium, her work serves as an autobiographical response to an unique upbringing in rural Appalachia. Through her work, she explores the complexities of human experience and behavior, as well as the effects their physical and social environments impress upon them. With images often featuring mundane, rural backgrounds, the viewer becomes isolated with the subject, further developing the unique environment of small town America. Using soft focus and dreamlike coloring, her work touches on feelings of nostalgia, loss, and unease.
Ella just completed her BFA in Photography + Film at Virginia Commonwealth University. She serves on the Core Team Committee at the Richmond International Film Festival and in 2022, Ella received the RIFF Volunteer of the Year Award. She was a RIFF Arts Institute Photography, Film & Business Fellow for the November 2022 - October 2024 Program.
SHALEMAR COLOMA, 2020-2021 FELLOW. Shalemar is a filmmaker based in Richmond, VA and New York. She is inspired by the Filipino melodramas, rom-coms, and B-movies in her youth. As she watched, her mother would occasionally translate the dialogue as Shalemar couldn’t understand Tagalog. Because of this language barrier, it was the bold aesthetics and exaggerated performances that commanded her attention when language was inaccessible. Her experience with these films reflected how she navigated the world. They would influence her to indulge in mood, gestures, and aesthetics over a traditional plot structure. She hopes to use her time in the Fellowship Program to create work that inspires others to indulge in these things too.
Shalemar Coloma holds a BFA in Film and Television from Tisch School of the Arts at NYU. Her work has been featured on NoBudge, NOWNESS, and Adolescent Content. She has screened at MoMA PS1, Rhode Island Film Festival, Virginia Film Festival, and Fusion Film Festival.
FELLOWSHIP OUTCOME: Shalemar excelled in the program. She wrote and completed her feature length screenplay via the RAI Fellowship, and is currently back in NYC raising financing.
MAX CURRY, 2018-2019 FELLOW. Every artist’s journey has stages, and at the beginning of mine I was inexperienced, but I was willing and eager learn. The RIFF Arts Institute (RAI) provided me an invaluable opportunity to grow my artistry and learn critical elements in various aspects of the film industry. It gave me the critical structure I needed to develop as an artist. This program is demanding in both time and personal commitment, but I would not have the knowledge, skill, or artistic discipline that I now do without RAI. This organization has taught me the intangibles that make careers that last. I am more knowledgeable, more creative, more focused, and more determined than I have ever been, and I owe it all to the RAI.
FELLOWSHIP OUTCOME: Directly following his Fellowship, Max was hired on at Higher Ground Productions, the Obama’s production company as an Assistant to the Vice President of the company. Max has gone on to produce his first two projects with the latest premiering at the Richmond International Film Festival, Austin Film Festival, and more.
SEVYN MICHAELA-ROSE, 2018-2019 FELLOW. “Thanks in large part to the program and my Fellowship at RAI, I will be attending Savannah College of Art and Design on scholarship in the fall of 2019 with a major in film & television. Through an intensive apprenticeship at RIFF and a year-long RAI Fellowship, I learned invaluable skills as a script analyst and got first-hand experience in production. It laid the groundwork I needed as an artist and future industry professional.
Through the process, I discovered a fierce passion for all things creative. The program taught me discipline and challenged me in every way. The complexities of the film industry are what I think make it so electrifying and impactful and all the tiny details amount to such a beautiful end result. While rigorous and challenging, this internship/fellowship taught me all of these things and pushed me to learn and pull more out of myself than any other program I have ever experienced. Everything I learned further inspired me, and I am so incredibly grateful.”
FELLOWSHIP OUTCOME: Directly following her Fellowship, Sevyn was accepted into SCAD’s film and screenwriting program on scholarship. She completed her undergrad with honors and has now been accepted to Grad School at Edinburgh University in Scotland. She continues to attend RAI and RIFF programs often.
PAST LABS
Crafting the Perfect Brand: Combining the Art and Science of Branding Your Next Creative Project
To sign up, email staff@riffartsinstitute.org and cc staff@rvafilmfestival.com then submit your $40 payment including name, address, and email in the memo line.
Guest Speakers: J. Dontrese Brown, 2024 RVA Community Maker Honoree, CEO + Co-Founder, Hidden In Plain Site (HiPS™) & BROWNBAYLOR™, Hezekiyah Baylor, Creative Director & Thought Leader & Co-Founder, BROWNBAYLOR™, and André Johnson, Creative Lead | Brand Builder | Artist.
JOIN US MAY 6 FOR THE SPRING WRITING & PRODUCTION LAB SERIES.
SPRING & SUMMER WRITING & PRODUCTION LABS.
BUILD WITH US
Artists in Residency
The next Artist in Residency Program begins summer 2025.
CREATE WITH US
THE YOUTH ROUNDTABLE PROJECT
Creating the next generation of leaders through the development of the arts, critical thinking, and community engagement. Reach out to us and learn more about the project.
PAST NEWS
Community Foundation Artist Grants: In response to COVID-19, RAI distributed 27 grants to help artists struggling financially as a result of the pandemic. These grants helped the artists keep creative projects afloat. Funding has been dispersed, however, if more is added to the program, we can consider new applications in the winter. More information below.
Online Educational Program Series: The RIFF Arts Institute (RAI) launches an online educational and discussion series in 2020-2022. The educational program continues intermittently through the year providing online panels, performance labs, and educational talks for adults, artists, students, and the greater community. If you or someone you know may be interested in learning more, contact us at staff@riffartsinstitute.org.
RAI co-produced the, COVID-19 Fundraiser, “Artists Supporting Artists in India” with music performances by Holy River and The Prabir Trio. This special initiative was in collaboration with The Good Road and other Richmond community leaders in a fundraising effort to help support artists in India who were impacted by the pandemic. This community endeavor included live music, food, and fun activities for the community held at Hardywood Brewery. If you would like to donate to the Richmond or the India COVID artist relief fund, visit our donation page and put Richmond or India COVID relief in the memo area. The donation proceeds went directly to talented artists struggling to make ends meet.
HOLY RIVER, RAI & THE GOOD ROAD INDIA COVID FUNDRAISTER
PRABIR, RAI & THE GOOD ROAD INDIA COVID FUNDRAISTER
Thank you to our generous donors:
The Virginia Film Office, Swedish Match, Davenport & Company, the Margaret Crowder Fund, Little Spoon Big Spoon Pictures, FreshStart Resources, and also our individual donors and community partners.