Ah spring. That time of year when the snow (usually) starts to melt, spring is starting to be evident in the air, and Metro Boston goes absolutely film crazy. It’s the perfect time of the year for film buffs, because there are SEVEN full sized film festivals, and a number of film series and special film events, happening in the area.
Every year, Kim and I look forward to this season…for some reason…it’s fun and exciting…also utterly exhausting…and we often don’t have time to see everything we want to. We try, and it’s easier when the festivals, publicists, and filmmakers offer up screeners, but still, it’s utterly exhausting. And you know what? We’ll do it again next year, because we can’t get enough of it.
You have seven distinct genre festivals, each catering to a specific crowd, and yet, they’re all accessible to everyone. You don’t have to be part of each specific crowd to enjoy the films, because…well, film is supposed to be universal. And diverse as well. And this is the time of year when you find that out.
Between March 1 and May 1 every year, Metro Boston plays host to festivals that feature all documentaries, all Irish related films, the lunatic fringe, the LGBT crowd, the middle eastern film goers, films with truly international flair, and that bastion of film festivals everywhere, the independent film.
In 2011, as part of this crazy time of year, eCinemaBoston and Subject:CINEMA launched our annual “Boston Springs A Fethival” coverage – it was the first spinoff of our annual January “Fethival of Film Fethivals” podcast which covered all the big early-year fests – Sundance, Slamdance, Palm Springs and Santa Barbara, and which later grew to also include Victoria, Berlinale, and Big Sky Documentary festivals a few years later. When we started coverage, we had NO IDEA what we were getting ourselves into. But over the years, we’ve not only gotten used to the frenzied activity, but revel in it –and look forward for our annual trip to Salem for the kick off.
Within these pages are our top picks from each of Metro Boston’s premiere festivals, as well as links to each festival, info about each pick, and for the first time, a complete listing of EVERY FEATURE at each festival. Plus, we’re expanding our coverage this year to include two annual spring film series and some odds and ends as well.
Admittedly, we don’t cover shorts here – we know that shorts help make up the festival scene, but here’s the God’s honest truth – if we covered shorts here, we’d NEVER get done, and we’d be so exhausted we’d fall hard and not wake up for weeks. But we’ll rectify that later this year when we launch our Subject:CINEMA Fethival of Shorts show, covering shorts from all the major film festivals throughout the year.
We’d like to say thanks to the various festivals who put up with us – most of them have granted us press accreditation these days, which is why we have a pile of screeners to still get through – so even though you’ll be listening to the podcasts this weekend, we will STILL be reviewing EVEN MORE FILMS from these festivals over the next month or so – we simply didn’t have time to get everything watched yet. We’ll make a special note of those films who can expect to have reviews on Subject:CINEMA in the next month, and may even add links to this extravaganza of a publication at a later date, so be aware that you may have just the first edition of this in your hot little PC or Tablet. These festivals know that we love to cover them, and that we bring them a lot of new people interested in checking them out each year, and I think they appreciate it as well; they sure seem to…heh heh heh…
Also in this years’ PDF/Magazine coverage, we’ll spotlight the various locations where films show, we’ll give you links to as many films as we can – about 90% of this year’s films have official links or Facebook pages – if you don’t see a link for a film, it means we couldn’t find one that was official. We’ll also link you up with ways to find the films so you can enjoy them too. Some of them will be in theaters throughout the rest of the year, others are already available online or through your favorite OnDemand services, and a few others may not yet be available but we’ll tell you where to watch for them.
Filmmakers – if we haven’t reviewed your films and you would like us to, contact me at [email protected] and we’ll have happy to put your film in our “watch” queue – because believe me, we’d LOVE to see it! And we’ll do our best to review it on our review sites on Letterboxd and Criticwire, and feature it on Subject:CINEMA, in the coming weeks and months ahead!
NOW…without further ado – let me present THE FETHIVALS!
Salem Film Fest March 5-12 2015 Salem MA All documentary festival Venues – CinemaSalem, Salem; Peabody Essex Museum, Salem
Irish Film Festival March 19-22 2015 Somerville MA All Irish-oriented films Venue – Somerville Theatre, Somerville
Boston Turkish Film Festival March 19 – April 22 2015 Boston MA All Turkish-interest films Venue – Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Boston Underground Film Festival March 25-29 2015 Cambridge MA All “lunatic fringe” films Venue – Brattle Theatre, Cambridge
Boston LGBT Film Festival April 2-12 2015 Boston and Cambridge MA All LGBT interest films Venues – Brattle Theater, Cambridge; Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston; Bright Family Screening Room @ Arts/Emerson Paramount, Boston; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Boston International Film Festival April 16-21 2015 Boston MA All International films Venues: AMC Boston Common 19, Boston; Bright Family Screening Room @ Arts/Emerson Paramount, Boston; Broadway Pictures Entertainment Studio, Boston
Independent Film Festival Boston April 22-29 2015 Boston, Brookline, Cambridge, Somerville MA All independent films Venues: Somerville Theater, Somerville; Brattle Theatre, Cambridge; Coolidge Corner Theatre, Brookline; UMass Boston, Boston
We’ll talk about each festival, bring you the write-ups from our picks from each festival’s website, and more as we go along. So come along for the ride, find some great new films, and live through us as we show off the 2015 Boston Springs A Fethival season!
TC Kirkham Webmaster, eCinemaOne and eCinemaBoston Co-host/producer, Subject:CINEMA
SALEM FILM FEST March 5-12 2015 Salem MA http://salemfilmfest.com
First up on our trip around the area, the Salem Film Fest in Salem MA. Held every March, Salem is the largest all-documentary festival in the area, and the only one held in the metro Boston area in the first half of the year.
Salem is always lots of fun because a) we spend the days at the festival staying at the always fantastic Salem Waterfront Hotel so we don’t have to bus back and forth each day and b) the general vibe is just FANTASTIC!
This was our first year to actually be able to sponsor at this fest, and although the sponsorship didn’t turn out like we planned, and I’m not sure we’d do it again due to the many issues surrounding it, it hasn’t affected our wonderful feelings for the Fest and for the many many awesome folks who make it work, headed up by CinemaSalem owner Paul Van Ness and his team. CinemaSalem is a wonderful venue for this festival, and joined by the Morse Auditorium at the Peabody Essex Museum across the street, it’s usually a fun week of thoughtful films, lots of fun food and shopping, and just getting to stay in Salem, which admittedly is one of our favorite cities – if we could afford it, we’d live there. And we’ll be back for our fourth year in 2016 too – COUNT ON IT!
TOP PICKS (in alphabetical order; write-ups from the festival website):
CHILDREN OF THE ARCTIC Sponsored by: Finz Seafood & Grill & Cabot Wealth Management Directed by Nick Brandestini CHILDREN OF THE ARCTIC is a year-in-the-life portrait of Native Alaskan teenagers coming of age in Barrow, Alaska – the northern-most community of the United States. For these teenagers, growing up has become a little more complicated than it was for their ancestors who originally named this place Ukpiagvik (“where we hunt snowy owls”). They are the 21st century descendants of a culture that has endured for millennia on this isolated but rapidly changing tundra. The harvest of the agvik (bowhead whale) remains the heart of their culture – in the fall, motor boats and modern methods are used, whereas in the spring, whaling crews use the umiaq (a seal-skin boat made by hand) and ancient traditional methods. Salem Film Fest 2012 attendees will recognize Nick Brandestini from his film DARWIN.
DAVIDS AND GOLIATH Sponsored by: No Place For Hate Committee & Longo & Nadeau Family Directed by Leon Lee When reports first emerged from China in 2006 that state-run hospitals were killing prisoners of conscience to sell their organs, it seemed too horrible to believe. But as researchers around the world – including human rights lawyer David Matas and former Canadian member of parliament David Kilgour – began to uncover the mystery, the true picture became all too clear. Their evidence suggests that tens of thousands of innocent people have been killed on demand to supply an ongoing illegal organ transplant industry. The story of how these investigators pieced together the evidence and continue to fight against this industrial-scale crime against humanity is a riveting tale of both personal triumphs and unimaginable horror.
I AM BIG BIRD: THE CARROLL SPINNEY STORY Sponsored by: Salem Five Charitable Foundation & Dana & Patty Sheehan Directed by Dave LaMattina and Chad Walker I AM BIG BIRD profiles Caroll Spinney, the 80-year-old puppeteer who has been behind Sesame Street’s Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch since the show’s first season. Relying heavily on Caroll’s incredible archive of home videos dating back to the 1950s, I AM BIG BIRD captures how the love radiating from Caroll has created a worldwide cultural icon and answers why he can’t say goodbye to the characters he cherishes. His time inside the Bird has taught him about the world and about himself. I AM BIG BIRD will peel away the instances in Caroll’s life that inspired his creation of characters that influenced generations of children. And as the yellow feathers give way to gray hair, it is the man, not the puppet, who will steal your heart.
MATEO Sponsored by: Finz Seafood & Gril & Howling Wolf Taqueria Directed by Aaron Naar Matthew Stoneman dreamed of pop stardom. Instead, he went to jail, learned Spanish, and emerged as “Mateo,” America’s first white mariachi singer. Mateo is on the brink of completing an album of original songs in Havana, but his estrangement from friends and family, his criminal past, and his love for Cuban women could derail him on his quest for fame.
MUGSHOT Sponsored by: PNR Networks & Zingerplatz Pictures Directed by Dennis Mohr Originally a law enforcement tool, the mug shot has deviated from its fundamental purpose as a source of criminal identification. Today, we’re now guilty of romanticizing mug shots: they fascinate us for very different reasons. Some may take pleasure in the base feeling of laughing at others’ misfortunes, some look upon them as cautionary emblems and reminders of how tenuous freedom can be, while others see them as a vehicle for writing an alternate history of the 20th century. MUGSHOT gathers a motley crew of writers, artists, and collectors whose lives have been transformed by the strange power of the mug shot. Once disregarded as photographic evidence of a crime, these little moments of history are now highly valued by many.
ONCE UPON A CRIME: THE BORRELLI – DAVIS CONSPIRACY Sponsored by: The Scarlet Letter Press Directed by Sheldon Wilson Seven years ago, director Sheldon Wilson set out to tell a story involving crooked cops, a Mafia godfather, murder, a public poisoning, Elvis Presley, prison gang leaders, and the cocaine-addicted newspaper editor who printed it all. As it turns out, this was just the beginning. ONCE UPON A CRIME: THE BORRELLI – DAVIS CONSPIRACY follows the extraordinary story of two innocent men whose lives are torn apart solely because of their race. Mike Borrelli, an Italian-American NYPD detective, and his partner Bob Davis, one of the first African-American detectives in New York, are convicted of first-degree murder – but Borrelli and Davis are innocent. Law enforcement agents know it, too, but they are hell-bent to connect the murder to the Mafia. Incredibly, they give the real gunman immunity and place him into witness protection in exchange for his false testimony against the two officers. This incredibly moving story is a testament to their courage and a friendship that has spanned over 50 years.
SEX AND BROADCASTING Sponsored by: The Jewish Journal & Deschamps Printing Co.hing Directed by Tim K. Smith SEX AND BROADCASTING is a hilarious and heartfelt documentary about New Jersey’s WFMU, the strangest and (some say) greatest radio station in the world – and one man’s determination to keep it free and independent. As station manager Ken Freedman sprints to keep up with an ever-changing media landscape, he stares down the barrel of the Great Recession while having to keep his rebellious DJ army united. After three decades at the station, Ken is strapped to this dream. But will his efforts be enough to keep it alive?
35 COWS AND A KALASHNIKOV Sponsored by: All Creatures Veterinary Hospital & Howling Wolf Taqueria Directed by Oswald von Richthofen 35 COWS AND A KALASHNIKOV is a film about African pride. Directed by Oswald von Richthofen and produced by Roland Emmerich, two old film school friends. It is not a classical documentary about Africa. No boy soldiers. No hunger. No safaris. But rather a poetic tribute to the eternal beauty and sublime strength of the continent. An homage to the Surma tribe of Southern Ethiopia, the dandy movement of Brazzaville, and the voodoo wrestlers in Kinshasa. Archaic roots, colonial influence and Western phenomena, all exist in today’s Africa. The filmmakers show three unusual facets of the continent. The result pushes the boundaries of cinematic aesthetics. Bold images and daring editing create a captivating way of storytelling, of poetry. 35 COWS AND A KALASHNIKOV will illuminate your view of the Dark Continent.
WANDER, WONDER, WILDERNESS Sponsored by: Montserrat College of Art & Roost & Co Directed by Paul Turano WANDER, WONDER, WILDERNESS is a multi-platform interactive documentary project that explores relationships between humans, community, and nature – highlighting the potential impact of urban wilds and green spaces as an antidote to our de-natured lives. It tells the story of urban revitalization and renewal in greater Boston through the creative expression of its participants. Companion components will include a mobile app that will allow users to generate their own responses to these urban wilds, with image, text, and sound, and an interactive website, that will showcase participant content. The project’s community engagement is built upon its extensive local and regional partnerships, social media outreach, and the development of location-based learning tools for high school and college students. WANDER, WONDER, WILDERNESS, is an empowering opportunity to crowdsource diverse content and catalyze a collective dialogue around the significance of green spaces in an urban environment. As our progressively technological world pulls us away from the natural environment, it also provides a creative opportunity to consider what is at stake – not just for our communities, but also for our increasingly urbanized global ecology.
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FULL DISCLOSURE – we have not yet had a chance to screen “Children Of The Arctic” as yet; it was also a pick from our Fethival of Film Fethivals (at Big Sky Documentary) earlier this year. We have a number of other films from Salem yet to screen as well, and reviews for those will be coming in the weeks ahead – they include “Alfred and Jakobine”, “Wild Home”, “Top Spin” (also at IFFB), “Seeds of Time”, “On Her Own” and “Who Took Johnny?” (one of two films we co- sponsored this year). Plus there were many other films at the Fest; you can find the complete list and links to most of the films in our back section.
Irish Film Festival March 19-22 2015 Somerville MA http://irishfilmfestival.com
Next up in our trip around Metro Boston’s spring festivals is the one with all the cool Irish accents! The Irish Film Festival moved to the spring festival season several years back, after many years of being in the fall. Their addition to the spring festival season has been a lot of fun – over the years we’ve seen a lot of interesting films at this festival. It’s also the shortest of the big seven, running just four days.
Unfortunately, we were unable to make it to this year’s fest in person due to other commitments, and thus far, we have been unable to secure any screeners from the filmmakers so that we could review them in the weeks ahead of the BSAF podcast specials. However, that doesn’t mean we don’t have a few picks!
TOP PICKS (in alphabetical order; write-ups from the festival website):
A CITY DREAMING 2014/Northern Ireland (65 min) Director: Mark McCauley Written and narrated by Gerry Anderson, this documentary feature film is a beautiful portrait of Derry~Londonderry. It’s a story that weaves its way through half a century of history during a time that saw the city rise from poverty and neglect to hitting the headlines across the world.
THE LEGEND OF LONGWOOD 2014/Ireland (99 min) Director: Lisa Mulcahy Mickey Merill, a single-minded young girl, is dragged from the bustle of New York City to a remote corner of Ireland, where she finds the people swamped by the curse of a Black Knight seeking redemption. It is Mickey’s destiny to free the people from this curse, and in doing so she goes on a thrilling adventure of mysterious happenings and challenging feats, where she must overcome the most ruthless of enemies, as well as her own denial about her past.
IT CAME FROM CONNEMARA!! 2014/Ireland (60 min) Director: Brian Reddin This documentary tells the unique story behind legendary Hollywood B-movie producer Roger Corman’s film studio in Connemara in the mid-1990s. In five years, he produced close to 20 feature films with Irish crew and Hollywood actors. IT CAME FROM CONNEMARA!! lovingly tells this fascinating and often amusing story, using the testimonies of those who were there to make it happen.
ONE MILLION DUBLINERS 2014/Ireland (83 min) Director: Aoife Kelleher Glasnevin Cemetery is the final resting place of 1.5 million souls; it is Ireland's national necropolis. ONE MILLION DUBLINERS reveals the often unspoken stories of ritual, loss, redemption, emotion, history - and the business of death. But this is really a film about life: the Saint Valentine's Day rush in the florists; the American visitors eagerly searching for Irish ancestors; lost and longed for love; discovery and bereavement; earthy gravediggers and musicians in celebration. Above all, it's the story of an immensely engaging Tour Guide shepherding his charges - and us - through the headstones and monuments, through opinions and beliefs.
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We have always loved the Irish Film Festival, although sadly their best features – including the 2011 favorite The Runway – are frequently not picked up for distribution in the US. Although happily that wasn’t the case for 2014’s Best Picture at the festival – the stirring biopic NOBLE is now in theaters across the US and expanding more each week!
Boston Turkish Film Festival March 19 – April 22 2015 Boston http://bostonturkishfilmfestival.org
The Boston Turkish Film Festival is a part of the Boston Turkish Festival every year, celebrating Turkish music, art, and film. Each year, they team up with the Museum Of Fine Arts in Boston to do a great film series over a series of weekends. This year’s lineup had some real gems in it, and although we have yet to see most of these – again, it’s been difficult to hook up with the filmmakers to obtain screeners of the films – we do have some we’re very much looking forward to…
TOP PICKS (in alphabetical order; write-ups from the festival website):
CIRCLE Director ATIL İNAÇ Circle, to a large extent is a tragic-comic story of three people, which revolves around a brand new but unused airport. Circle is a peculiar story of an ordinary man caught between an untimely romance and brave new hostile world in which hopelessness, submission, courage become existential methods. Tragicomic story of three people, Feramus, Betül and Arif who conjure up interesting solutions to the extraordinary situations and obstacles generated by the turn of the social wheel is set in a brand new yet unused airport which is an allegory for a dysfunctional socio-political system.
COME TO MY VOICE Director HÜSEYİN KARABEY In a snowy Kurdish mountain village in eastern Turkey, an old woman, Berfé, and her young granddaughter, Jiyan, are troubled when Temo - Berfé’s son, Jiyan’s father and the only man of the household - is arrested with the other men in the village. The local gendarmerie accuses them of hiding guns and makes it known that none of them will be released until their families hand over the guns. The trouble is, there are no guns, at least not to the knowledge of these two blameless women. Desperate and alone, Berfé and Jiyan set off in search of a gun to rescue their beloved Temo. But how will their innocence and naivety overcome a system that threatens to draw them into the sullied world of an interminable conflict?
I'M NOT HIM Director TAYFUN PİRSELİMOĞLU Middle-aged, unmarried loner Nihat works in a hospital cafeteria. When young colleague Ayşe invites him to her house for dinner, he accepts despite rumors that her husband, Necip, is in jail for a serious offence. When Nihat sees a wedding photograph, he notices that Ayşe’s imprisoned husband looks an awful lot like him. The awkward relationship that ensues changes Nihat’s life more profoundly than he could ever have foreseen.
SIVAS Director KAAN MÜJDECİ A family in Anatolian moorlands: a father, barely able to look after his family, a mother like a ghost and a hopeless brother. Anxious to break the chain of fate, Aslan (11) pushes to be the prince in the school play. But his chances are slim: he is trying to compete with Osman (11), son of the village chief. He is given a part in the end, but as a dwarf. Osman is the prince, and Aslan’s dream girl, Ayşe, Snow White. When Aslan finds Sivas, a fighter Kangal dog one day, the balance begins to shift. At first, Aslan doesn’t want Sivas to fight, but the power is there. He wins fights, gets tougher every day and starts to be like the others, until his brother sells Sivas.
WINTER SLEEP Director NURİ BİLGE CEYLAN Winner, Cannes Film Festival 2014 Palme d’Or Aydın, a former actor, runs a small hotel in central Anatolia with his young wife Nihal with whom he has a stormy relationship and his sister Necla who is suffering from her recent divorce. In winter as the snow begins to fall, the hotel turns into a shelter but also an inescapable place that fuels their animosities... @@@
Boston Turkish is one of two film festivals – the other being the Boston Palestine Film Festival – that gives voice to the concerns of filmmakers from and familiar with issues in the Middle East. Their unique perspective is always something to check out, and I hope we’ll be able to see our top picks at some point throughout the rest of the year…
Boston Underground Film Festival March 25-29 2015 Cambridge MA http://bostonunderground.org
Ah yes…time for the lunatics to run the asylum…MOOHAHAHAHAHAH! BUFF is one of the funniest, craziest, incredibly eclectic festivals throughout the entire year in MetroBoston, and it’s due to the incredible team that runs it each year – they comb through hundreds of films each year trying to find just the right mix of crazy, gory, spooky, and hilarious, and it usually works out perfectly. Equally balanced between features and short programs, with music videos, karaoke parties, and the awesome Saturday Morning Cartoons and Cereal show every year, BUFF is one of our absolute FAVORITES! This year, for the first time, we received press accreditation from them, and we are forever grateful for that! We still have a number of their films to watch, and we didn’t make it in person this year due to previous commitments, but as always, we’ve got their back with our picks – and we can’t wait to check these out as we get a chance!
TOP PICKS (in alphabetical order; write-ups from the festival website):
DER SAMURAI Director: Till Kleinert Germany, 79 min, 2014 In the Brandenburg countryside of East Germany, a skulking wolf menaces the villagers and silences the lambs. Jakob, a young, by-the-book cop, seeks a humane way to deal with the canine harasser, leaving fresh meat deep in the forest with the aim of luring the creature away from the sleepy hamlet. Out in the darkness, he senses something more sinister prowling their perimeter; before the night is through, wolves will be the least of their worries. A nameless, katana-wielding stranger — wiry, wild, and fluid of gender — is closing in on the village with a thirst for blood. When he spies the good natured police officer in the forest for the first time, an exhilarating predator-prey tango unfolds, forcing Jakob to confront the inner demons, escapist proclivities, and deep-rooted repressions that have haunted him all his life in this provincial town.
THE EDITOR Director: Adam Brooks, Matthew Kennedy Canada, 95 min, 2014 Rey Cisco is a film editor whose once promising career began to wane after he accidentally sliced off his own fingers in a fit of rage. Now, working on a low budget horror movie, he struggles to maintain his sanity as several of his fellow crew members end up murdered around him. Meanwhile a detective investigates and various characters seek to take advantage of the deadly situation.
GOODNIGHT MOMMY Director: Severin Fiala, Veronika Franz Austria, 99 min, 2014 Twin boys Lukas and Elias reside in the idyllic, isolated countryside with their mother, who is recovering from cosmetic surgery. Requiring absolute tranquility during her recuperation, a silent tension begins to grow between mother and sons as her increasing restrictiveness is met with suspicious resistance. Face puffy and disfigured, something seemingly inhuman begins to emerge from beneath the mask of bandages with each passing day.
I AM A KNIFE WITH LEGS Director: Bennett Jones USA, 83 min, 2014 International rock superstar Bené (PoMo Renaissance whiz Bennett Jones) faces unique problems: His girlfriend’s been killed by a suicide bomber, a fatwa has been issued against him, and his delicious-looking eclair looks weird. Holed up in a Los Angeles apartment, he awaits an oncoming group of assassins while his manager, Beefy, keeps him company. As his fate looms ever-nearer, songs are written, disguises are devised, and cats are played with; will this be the end of Bené?
MAGNETIC Director: Sophia Cacciola & Michael J. Epstein USA, 80 min, 2015 Alice (Allix Mortis), a Lisbeth Salander-ish heroine, flees New York City for a frozen rural homestead where the sheep are plenty. She has a terribly shitty job where she calls the town’s parents to let them know their child is dead and from which morgue they can retrieve the bodies. She is also the only person who still has the power to dream.
WE ARE STILL HERE Director: Ted Geoghegan USA, 83 min, 2015 In an effort to start over after their only son’s accidental death, Paul (Andrew Sensenig, Upstream Color) and Anne (Barbara Crampton, Re-Animator) Sacchetti move to a cold New England town where the people are even colder. Their cellar also seems to be occupied by the former owner who requires the sacrificial bloodletting of a family every 30 years. There is also some indication that nothing good can possibly happen after drinking J&B.
THE WORLD OF KANAKO Director: Tetsuya Nakashima Japan, 118 min, 2014 Estranged from his family, Akikazu Fujishima is not the model man he wishes himself to be. After a long career hitting the streets as a gritty detective, he hits the bottle hard, and his wife’s lover harder, leaving in his destructive wake broken glass, teeth, hearts, and dreams — mostly his own. Prone to violent outbursts, years of navigating the criminal underworld have left their indelible mark on his psyche. Absorbed in his own failings and clinging to false memories of an idyllic, long-gone past, Fujishima sees an opportunity to restore himself as man of the house when his wife calls to tell him their teenage daughter, Kanako, has gone missing.
@@@ Whether it’s freak out attacks, gory fun, or a sublime thrill you’re looking for, Boston Underground is the place to see it. Several of their past films have made it to our various “best of” lists, and their 2013 opener “I Declare War” directly led to two of its young cast members, Alex Cardillo and Gage Munroe, making the 2013 and 2014 PNR/eCinemaOne Rising Stars Honors lists respectively. So you know that no matter what your tastes may be, if you’ve got a little freak flag to fly, you can ALWAYS find something for you at BUFF!
Boston LGBT Film Festival April 2-13 2015 Boston and Cambridge MA http://bostonlgbtfilmfest.org
2014 was our first year attending the LGBT fest in person because the timing was right – we’d always tried to give the festival our best possible coverage, but we finally were able to make it in person last year. The oldest festival of its type in the US, the LGBT festival brings together a diverse group of films, shorts, and special event programming that spotlights the LGBT community, their issues, and their incredible filmmaking. Run by a spectacular team headed up by James Nadeau since 2000, this festival always has quality films spotlighting each particular segment within the larger group – lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender – and brings the entire community together for a celebration of life and film like almost no other in the Metro Boston area. It’s been a joy covering them for the past several years and we look forward to continuing coverage in the years ahead!
TOP PICKS (in alphabetical order; write-ups from the festival website):
DAY OF YOUTH Directed by Jared Vincenti. 84 min. USA.
A halfway-romantic comedy about brain damage and life after college. Local filmmaker Jared Vincenti (ALLSTON XMAS web series) world premieres his feature film DAY OF YOUTH at the Boston LGBT Film Festival. When Rhee wakes from a severe bike accident to discover she doesn’t remember several years of her life it is up to her exes Aran and Nat to see who can win her back. Will she go back to her girlfriend or boyfriend or do something completely different? Like change her life? Jared Vincenti’s smart debut feature film wittily captures the angst and anguish of post-college life in Boston. What do you do when you have forgotten that you did nothing after school and can start over again? Language: English
DROWN Directed by Dean Francis. 93 min. Australia.
Based on the acclaimed play, Drown is a hard-hitting drama set against the iconic backdrop of Sydney’s Beaches. Len is a Surf Lifesaving champion, a legend in the cloistered surf club just like his father. But when the younger, faster, fitter Phil arrives at the club, Len’s legendary status starts to crumble. Then Len discovers that Phil is gay. Over the summer season, Len starts to form unexpected, confusing feelings for Phil. It’s something Len can’t accept and after the annual awards dinner, Len explodes. He finds Phil in the clubhouse locker room and violently attacks him. But to Len’s surprise, Phil remains loyal to the mateship pack and refuses to rat on Len about the beating. Len stays in the Club and is free to compete in the annual Surf Lifesaving completion; a competition Len has won five times but Phil wins and Len’s defeat is final. Arriving back at the beach where Phil claimed his victory the day before, Len sets upon Phil. And in a series of humiliating acts, Len finally comes face to face with a fundamental question, can he accept the truth about his sexuality and identity or will he succumb to complete oblivion? Language: English
EASTERN BOYS Directed by Robin Campillo. 128 min. France.
They come from all over Eastern Europe: Russia, Romania, Ukraine. They are Eastern boys. The oldest appear no more than 25; as for the youngest, there is no way of telling their age. They hang around the Gare du Nord train station in Paris. They might be prostitutes, but there is no way of knowing for certain. Muller, a discreet man in his late fifties has his eye on one of them – Marek. One afternoon, Muller gathers his courage and speaks to him. The young man agrees to come visit Muller the following day, at his place. However the next day, when the doorbell rings, Muller doesn’t have the faintest idea that he has fallen into a trap Language: French/English/Russian
EAT WITH ME Directed by David Au. 95 min. USA. 2014
Feeling invisible in her bland marriage, Emma moves in with her son, Elliot, who lives in a downtown L.A. loft. Elliot, a young chef, is facing foreclosure on his lackluster Chinese restaurant–and he’s gay. Emma’s disapproval has made strangers of mother and son, but the two need each other now more than ever, as Emma explores her newfound freedom–with the encouragement of a saucy new friend–and Elliot confronts his fears of intimacy. Words may fail them, but they find a common language through food.
GUIDANCE Directed by Pat Mills. 81 min. Canada.
David Gore, 36, a pathologically immature former child actor, has never been able to get over high school. Today, he was just diagnosed with skin cancer and got fired from the last acting gig he could get. Desperate for money and with nothing else to lose, he fakes his resume, and gets a job as a high school guidance counselor. The students of Grusin High love him – it might be because he drinks and smokes with them. But this is just the beginning of his downward spiral. When he meets Jabrielle, a teenaged outcast who’s just as screwed up as he is, he might learn that in the company of teenagers, sometimes you can go too far, especially when it comes to committing a ridiculous crime. Language: English
HIDE AND SEEK Directed by Joanna Coates. 80 min. UK. 2014
In an English country house, four young people from London move in together, seeking to challenge social conventions and their own tolerances by engaging in scheduled partner-swapping. The durability of their new living arrangements is tested by the arrival of an outsider who fails to get in tune with the foursome’s radical spirit. An inventive and engaging film that uses an elegant, delicate style to gently probe both the protagonists’ ideals and our own convictions about love and sex. Language: English
OUT TO WIN Directed by Malcolm Ingram. 99 min. USA/Canada.
From the director of Small Town Gay Bar and Continental, Out to Win is a documentary film that serves as an overview and examination of the lives and careers of aspiring and professional gay and lesbian athletes from all over the world. Chronicling the present, framed within the historical context of those that came before, this film highlights the experiences of athletes who have fought and struggled, both in and out of the closet, to represent the LGBT community and their true selves. Featuring interviews with trailblazers including Martina Navratilova, Billie Jean King, Jason Collins, Brittney Griner, Billy Bean and more. Language: English
ROYAL ROAD Directed by Jenni Olson. 65 min. USA.
If you’ve ever found yourself on the outside looking in, then you are probably familiar with the coping strategy of acquiring the identity of a movie character in order to gain legibility within the situation. The central character of Jenni Olson’s mesmerizing essay film is a gender dysphoric, Midwestern tomboy who is drawn to borrowing masculine personas from Hollywood characters as a mode of understanding how to deal with being drawn to unavailable women. A fascinating and unlikely reinvention story, The Royal Road simultaneously explores cinematic spiritual channeling, the conquest and colonization of Mexico and the American Southwest, fading historical Californian urban landscapes, and the passions found in butch identity to achieve an achingly beautiful and poetic defense of remembering. Probing roads from El Camino Real, to the Boulevard of Broken Dreams, to the road right outside the front door, Olson crafts a deeply intelligent and transcending observation of the human condition that reaches for redemption in the embrace of history, nostalgia, mindfulness, and sheer beauty. If you give yourself over to it, it will crack you wide open. Language: English
SUMMER OF SANGAILE Directed by Alanté Kavaïté. 90 min. Lithuania/France/ The Netherlands. 2015
Seventeen-year-old Sangaile is fascinated by stunt planes. Afraid of heights, she has never dared to even enter one of the cockpits. At a summer aeronautical show near her parents’ lakeside villa, she meets Auste—a local girl who, unlike Sangaile, lives her life to the fullest with creativity and bravery. As the two girls grow closer, Sangaile allows Auste to discover her most intimate secret, and finds in her teenage love the only person who truly encourages her to fly.
TAB HUNTER CONFIDENTIAL Directed by Jeffrey Schwarz. 90 min. USA.
In the 1950s, Tab Hunter is number one at the box office and number one on the music charts. He is Hollywood’s most sought-after star and American’s boy next door. Natalie Wood, Debbie Reynolds and Sophia Loren are just a few of the actresses he is romantically linked to. Nothing, it seems, can damage Tab Hunter’s career. Nothing, that is, except for the fact that Tab Hunter is secretly gay. Now, Tab Hunter’s secret is out. In TAB HUNTER CONFIDENTIAL we will meet, for the first time, the real Tab Hunter as he shares with us the whole story of a happy, healthy survivor of Hollywood’s roller coaster. Language: English
WASP Directed by Philippe Audi-Dor. 74 min. UK.
Having left England for a romantic escapade in the south of France, Olivier and James invite Caroline along at the very last minute. She was just left by her long- time boyfriend and is in need of a change of scenery. The trio arrives in a little Provencal village, somewhat cut off from the world. Though everything seems calm between the pool, sunshine and a village visit, Olivier finds himself more and more intrigued by Caroline. A tension of sexual jealousy and possessiveness will escalade between the three. The next day, all is silence. The three leave the house. Not one word is exchanged. The house stands still, quiet, empty. Language: English
WE CAME TO SWEAT: THE LEGEND OF STARLITE Directed by Kate Kunath, Sasha Wortzel. 70 min. USA.
When Brooklyn’s oldest black gay bar, the Starlite Lounge, is faced with eviction, the community decides to fight back. Will they be able to save this pre-Stonewall safe haven? Or is gentrification unstoppable? Kate Kunath and Sasha Wortzel’s timely portrait of a community banding together to preserve their culture and history is a stirring must-see. Language: English
WINNING DAD Directed by Arthur Allen. 78 min. USA.
Colby’s dad knows his son is gay, but he doesn’t like talking about it. He respects it, but ignores everything about that aspect of his son’s life–he doesn’t even know about Colby’s long-term boyfriend, Rusty. Increasingly committed to Rusty, Colby hatches a plan to trick his father into camping with Rusty under the pretense that Rusty is Colby’s straight friend and future business partner. Colby is convinced that, given the chance, his father and his boyfriend will get along great… Language: English
XENIA Directed by Panos Koutras. 134 min. Greece/France/Belgium.
Strangers in their own birthplace, 16-year-old Danny and 18-year-old Odysseus cross the entire country in search of their Greek father, after their Albanian mother passes away. Determined to force him to acknowledge paternity, little do they know that the road to the much-coveted Greek citizenship is paved with ghosts from the past, adult savagery and a dream that needs to come true, no matter what. Reaching the end of this initiatory journey they eventually come of age even if Greece refuses to follow. Language: Greek/Albanian/Italian
YOU AND I Directed by Nils Boekamp. 85 min. Germany.
Summer in Berlin. Jonas is planning a trip through the little known area of the Uckermark in preparation for a photography project. He invites his best friend, Phillip, to come along. They haven’t met since the time they spent together in London. So they pack up their Mercedes camper and take off across uncharted territory, stopping whenever they see something they like, taking pictures and generally enjoying a laid-back road trip. The fact that Phillip is gay has never been an issue for either of them. When they pick up a hitchhiker named Boris, however, who shows Jonas some interesting spots and starts to make moves on Phillip, the friendship of the two starts to fray. Maybe three’s a crowd after all? By the end of the summer, things between Jonas and Phillip won’t ever be the same again. Language: English/German/Polish
@@@ We are still working our way through a collection of screeners for the films we were unable to catch in person and will be reviewing several more films from the LGBT festival in upcoming weeks on Subject:CINEMA! Thanks for a great fest as usual, everyone – once again, truly top notch entertainment all the way around!
Boston International Film Festival April 9-19 2015 Boston MA http://bifilmfestival.com
Of all the local festivals, BIFF has been an anomaly – despite repeated overtures and offers of coverage over the past five years, the festival has never acknowledged our efforts nor answered any attempts to contact them. Not quite sure what the issue is; whether it’s miscommunication or just not wanting us to be involved, it led to us making the extremely difficult decision to not cover the festival AT ALL on eCinemaBoston this year, and give it only minimal coverage on our Boston Springs A Fethival podcast; it is very difficult to cover a festival where we have no access to filmmakers or screeners and for this particular festival, it’s been nearly impossible. I have been to this fest once, for one film in 2012 or 2013, and I have to say that while I often felt somewhat out of place, they DO know how to run a festival – they had excellent hosts, well documented info on their films, a great Q&A with filmmakers and more. The festival is set up in sessions that usually pair several shorts with a feature film. They also have the festival throughout the day on weekdays, which also makes getting to some of the shows very difficult for us.
I don’t know why they don’t seem to want eCinemaBoston and Subject:CINEMA’s coverage efforts, but we will give them some airtime with our picks nonetheless; they had a LOT of good choices this year and we want to make sure the films get noticed and highlighted. And hopefully in future years, they will be more forthcoming and work with us to make sure they get the coverage they should have as one of the big seven Spring Fests…and thanks for the much-improved website this year as well…and filmmakers who appeared here – feel free to get in touch directly so that we may see and review your films in the near future…
TOP PICKS (in alphabetical order; write-ups from the festival website):
A SMALL GOOD THING DIRECTOR: Pamela Tanner Bell
For the longest time, we’ve been living as though the more we have — the more money, the more goods, the more territory — the happier we’ll be. Following six people in one community over a year, A SMALL GOOD THING looks at the small truths that are creating the New American Dream.
FRANK VS GOD DIRECTOR: Stewart Schill
After his house is destroyed by a tornado (what his insurance company deems an “act of God”), former hotshot lawyer David Frank is determined that someone must pay. He decides to serve God…with a lawsuit.
HOW I DUMPED MY EX-BOYFRIENDS BODY Director: Dennis Nadeau
After Maxine accidentally kills her boyfriend she recruits her best friend Shae to help her clean up the mess. What they both don’t realize is that disposing of a human corpse is a lot harder than expected, or at least it is for them.
M CREAM Directors: Agneya Singh, Aban Raza
A motley crew of university students set out on a journey in pursuit of a mythical form of hash, confronting a series of encounters that begin to unravel the myriad realities of rebellion.
OVUM Director: Matt Ott
A quirky Brooklyn actress tries The Method to approach an Off Broadway role and is drawn into the shady world of egg donation clinics and the characters who populate them.
SAMBA AND JAZZ Director: Jefferson Mello
'Samba & Jazz’ documentary is a feature film that draws a parallel between these two rhythms and cultures, in a versatile and unpretentious approach, looking for the synergy between the two cities in which they are most present: Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) and New Orleans (United States). Directed by Jefferson Mello, author of the book ‘The Ways of Jazz’, the film portrays, through unusual situations, the authentic artistic expression of these people, that although separated by geographic boundaries, share a common feeling: a passion for music and for the popular manifestations that evolves the universes of Samba and Jazz.
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Here’s hoping we can give Boston International more coverage next year; we don’t want worthy films to fall through the cracks…
Independent Film Festival Boston April 22-29 2015 Boston/Somerville/Cambridge/Brookline MA http://iffboston.org
Winding down the annual spring festival season each year, IFFB is THE place to be for fantastic indie films, great guests and feature panels, and more. Run by Brian Tamm, Nancy Campbell, Judy Wong and an incredible (and HUGE!) staff of volunteers throughout the year, IFFB is the closing Crown Jewel in the spring season. And they also operate year-round, bringing festival members a lineup of great monthly screenings, special sneaks, and more.
Their focus is right in the title of the fest – independent films. Every year I send a quick note to Brian and company with the picks from the January circuit that we hope to see at this years’ IFFB, and darned if most of them don’t show up (although no Stanford Prison Experiment or Turbo Kid this year, drat!), and while I’d like to pretend that I actually have influence within the IFFB, truth is I have none (drat again!) – they just have crack programmers – Brian and Nancy really know their stuff – and their loyal audience – and strive to try and give everyone a treat, no matter what they’re looking for! Every year, the film offerings get bigger and better, and this year was NO exception as they offered up an artery-clogging glutton diet of indie films that a pair of filmies like us ate up with abandon!
TOP PICKS (in alphabetical order; write-ups from the festival website):
BEING EVEL DIRECTOR: Daniel Junge
The real story behind the myth of American icon Robert “Evel” Knievel.
BEST OF ENEMIES DIRECTORS: Robert Gordon & Morgan Neville
Chronicles the 1968 televised debates between liberal Gore Vidal and conservative William F. Buckley Jr. Screening Supported by The DocYard
BOUNCE: HOW THE BALL TAUGHT THE WORLD TO PLAY DIRECTOR: Jerome Thelia
A journey across continents and centuries to explore our universal obsession with the ball. Screening Supported by The Boston Book Festival
CITY OF GOLD DIRECTOR: Laura Gabbert
Pulitzer Prize-winning critic Jonathan Gold’s culinary odyssey of his hometown Los Angeles.
DAY RELEASE DIRECTOR: Geoffrey Cowper
During the first weekend of his parole, Mark Rodriguez witnesses the armed robbery of a security van. He decides to follow it, setting in motion a chain of bloody events. screening Supported by The Boston Latino Film Festival
DO I SOUND GAY? DIRECTOR: David Thorpe
A personal exploration of the stereotype of the “gay voice” and its impact.
DWARVES KINGDOM DIRECTOR: Matthew Salton
The compelling story of a theme park featuring performances by little people (with dwarfism) who live in a fantasy recreation of a magical empire.
FINDERS KEEPERS DIRECTORS: Bryan Carberry & J. Clay Tweel
A true story of fame, addiction and a custody battle over a man’s leg. Screening Supported by The DocYard
GTFO DIRECTOR: Shannon Sun-Higginson
Investigates the prevalent misogyny in video game culture and questions the future of this 20 billion dollar industry.
H. DIRECTORS:Rania Attieh & Daniel Garcia
Two women descend into madness after an alleged meteor strike sets off a series of strange events in their town of Troy, N.Y.
HEAVEN ADORES YOU DIRECTOR: Nickolas Rossi
An intimate, meditative inquiry into the life and music of Elliott Smith.
I'LL SEE YOU IN MY DREAMS DIRECTOR: Brett Haley
After the death of her beloved dog, Carol (Blythe Danner) finds the everyday activities that have given her life structure—her regular bridge game, gardening, a glass of wine or two—have lost their luster. With the support of three loyal girlfriends (June Squibb, Rhea Perlman, and Mary Kay Place), Carol decides to embrace the world, embarking on an unlikely friendship with her pool maintenance man (Martin Starr), pursuing a new love interest (Sam Elliott), and reconnecting with her daughter (Malin Akerman).
I AM WHAT I PLAY DIRECTOR: Roger King
A documentary about the heyday of rock radio DJs, featuring Charles Laquidara, Meg Griffin, Pat O’Day, and David Marsden.
IN TRANSIT DIRECTORS: Albert Maysles, Lynn True, Nelson Walker, Ben Wu & David Usui.
Journey into the hearts and minds of passengers aboard the Empire Builder, America’s busiest long-distance train route.
THE LOOK OF SILENCE DIRECTOR: Joshua Oppenheimer
Joshua Oppenheimer’s powerful companion piece to the Oscar-nominated THE ACT OF KILLING (IFFBoston 2013). Screening Supported by The DocYard
LOST COLONY DIRECTOR: Christopher Holmes
While navigating life with his hyper-protective mother along the enigmatic Outer Banks of North Carolina’s coast—site of the first attempted English settlement in the New World—conflicted teen Loren learns of his expecting girlfriend’s ambivalence toward him. After a near tragic accident, he must learn to reassemble the broken pieces into a stronger, wiser form and approach a more worldly consciousness. A searchlight cast upon the earliest traces of America and the mystery of settlers vanished, Lost Colony scans a once virgin watershed for signs of life.
MADE IN JAPAN DIRECTOR: Josh Bishop
The remarkable story of Tomi Fujiyama, the world’s first Japanese country music superstar, and her dream to play the Grand Ole Opry again. Screening Supported by The Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film
ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL DIRECTOR: Alfonso Gomez-Rejon Winner, 2015 Sundance Film Festival Best Narrative Feature, BOTH Jury AND Audience Awards
Greg Gaines is an awkward, self-deprecating high school student determined to coast through his senior year as anonymously as possible. Avoiding social interactions like the plague, Greg spends most of his time remaking wacky versions of classic movies with his only friend, Earl. Greg’s well-meaning mother intervenes, forcing him to befriend Rachel, a classmate who’s been diagnosed with leukemia. Against his better judgment, Greg concedes. Both Greg and Rachel are surprised—even shocked—to find out that they actually like each other. Tentative at first, this unlikely duo becomes inseparable. But when Rachel gets sicker, Greg’s well-fortified world is changed forever.
SLOW WEST DIRECTOR: John Maclean
At the end of the nineteenth century, 16-year-old Jay Cavendish (Kodi Smit- McPhee) journeys across the American frontier in search of the woman he loves. He is joined by Silas (Michael Fassbender), a mysterious traveler, and hotly pursued by a gang of outlaws.
SUNSHINE SUPERMAN DIRECTOR: Marah Strauch
A heart-racing portrait of Carl Boenish, the father of the BASE jumping movement.
THEY LOOK LIKE PEOPLE DIRECTOR: Perry Blackshear
Suspecting that those around him are actually malevolent shape-shifters, a troubled man questions whether to protect his only friend from an impending war, or from himself. Screening Supported by The Boston Underground Film Festival.
THE TRIBE DIRECTOR: Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy
Set at a Ukrainian boarding school for the deaf, this narrative unfolds purely through sign language without a need for employing subtitles or voiceover, resulting in a unique, never-before-seen cinematic experience that engages the audience on a new level.
WELCOME TO LEITH DIRECTORS: Michael Beach Nichols & Christopher K. Walker
A white supremacist attempts to take over a small town in North Dakota.
WILDLIKE DIRECTOR: Frank Hall Green
Mackenzie, a troubled but daring teenage girl, is sent by her struggling mother to live with her uncle in Juneau, Alaska. Screening Supported by The Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film.
THE WOLFPACK DIRECTOR: Crystal Moselle Winner, 2015 Sundance Film Festival Best Documentary, BOTH Jury AND Audience Awards
Locked away from society in an apartment on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, the Angulo brothers learn about the outside world through the films that they watch. Nicknamed “The Wolfpack,” the brothers spend their childhood re- enacting their favorite films using elaborate homemade props and costumes. With no friends and living on welfare, they feed their curiosity, creativity, and imagination with film, which allows them to escape from their feelings of isolation and loneliness. Everything changes when one of the brothers escapes, and the power dynamics in the house are transformed. The Wolfpack must learn how to integrate into society without disbanding the brotherhood.
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Featuring twice as many docs this year as narratives, which I believe is a first – usually they’re more equally balanced – IFFB brought some of the most critically acclaimed films of the past year to Metro Boston, and every moment was worth it as usual – keep up the GREAT WORK, GUYS AND GALS!!!
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Well, that wraps up the seven big festivals in Metro Boston every spring…but if you think that’s it…YOU’RE WRONG!!!
Every year, in addition to the seven big festivals that fall inside the March 1-May 1 window, there are three other major film events happening – one is a genre festival which is actually the first fest in Metro Boston every year but is too early to fall into our BSAF window, and the other two are ongoing film series offered up by local-based film organizations each spring. We’d be remiss not to mention them to you as well…so HERE WE GO!
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Boston SciFi Film Festival February 8-15 2015 Somerville MA http://bostonscifi.com
Every year around Presidents’ Day, The Boston SciFi Festival kicks into high gear. One of the oldest genre festivals in the U.S., it celebrated its 40th birthday this year, and did so in crazy fashion – several of the screenings had to be postponed a bit due to the insane snowstorms that hit MetroBoston in early February. Always ending with their 24 hour extravaganza known simply as “The ‘Thon”, organizer Garen Daly and his team always come through with some terrific current genre films, classic sci-fi from the past, and an exciting glimpse of what the next year in SciFi will have to offer!
TOP PICKS (in alphabetical order; write-ups from the festival website):
BOY 7 Director: Lourens Blok
Sam regains consciousness in the middle of a crowded subway. He doesn't know how he got there, where he came from nor his own name, but there's an uneasy feeling. Searching frantically for a clue, any clue, he slowly realizes his that feeling is one of great danger. He's right.
I WAS A TEENAGE SUPERHERO SIDEKICK Director: J. Hanna
In a world where superheroes do exist, sidekick Kid Dynamic has some serious issues. What he needs is someone to save him.
MATT MERCURY Director: Bill Hughes
Matt Mercury is given the task of hunting a disgruntled super-genius named Professor Brainwave and recovering the stolen Earth before it becomes enslaved by a race of giant brains. If this isn't enough of a chore, Matt must also chase after an old flame!
MYTHICA: A QUEST FOR HEROES Director: Anne K. Black
A slave girl dreams of being a wizard. Escaping bondage, she embarks on an epic quest with the help of a drunk and a thief. Starring Kevin Sorbo.
THE NOAH Director: Daniel Bourla
A 'lost' gem showing in the ONLY 35mm in existence. Shown for two midnight shows in 1975, this discovery is an eye opener. Set in a post-nuclear world, a sole survivor faces loneliness and other demons. Starring Oscar nominee Robert Strauss with Georffrey Holder & Sally Strickland.
ROBOT OVERLORDS Director: Jon Wright
From the director of the cult hit GRABBERS, Earth has been conquered by robots from another galaxy and the human survivors must stay in their homes, or risk incineration. Starring: Ben Kingsley, Gillian Anderson, and Callan McAuliffe (I Am Number Four, The Great Gatsby).
SUICIDE OR LULU AND ME IN A WORLD MADE FOR TWO Director: Christian Carroll
Set in Paris and New York, an inventor creates a camera capable of shooting different realities. Using it he attempts to capture and preserve a perfect moment , one of happiness between himself and his lover. So why is famous 20s vamp and silent star Louise Brooks mixed up this? And you know what they say about getting what your wish for?
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This year’s fest also included a back to back screening of Peter Cushing’s two DR. WHO films from the early 1960s, both of which are lots of fun (if not exactly canon to the longest running entertainment series in world history) and recommended for all Whovians who haven’t seen them. And we need to give SPECIAL KUDOS for everyone who works with and volunteers for the festival, because this year’s insane weather really cramped things up, but somehow they pulled it all together and got it going, and that in the face of back to back blizzards and over 6 feet of snow in two weeks was NOT an easy thing to do!
Belmont World Film Series March 22- May 11 2015 West Newton MA http://www.belmontworldfilm.org/
Why is the Belmont film series listed as West Newton this year, you may ask? Well, it all came down to technical issues with the series usual home, StudioCinema in Belmont. Because they couldn’t be fixed in time for the film series to run, stalwart indie art-house West Newton Cinema stepped up to the plate and filled in this year.
The Belmont series, coordinated by executive director Ellen Gitelman, is a mix of films, usually from the past year or so, from all over the world. Ellen and her fellow board members and volunteers always work hard to bring together an eclectic sample of films to the series, and often run it with other events tying into the film, such as a dinner or reception, as well as guest speakers. And this year’s films were no exception.
This year’s films (in order of appearance, write ups from the series website):
GHADI DIRECTOR: Amin Dora
A good natured satire about bigotry and redemption that was this year’s Oscar entry from Lebanon for Best Foreign Film. When a teacher in a provincial Lebanese town is forced by his intolerant neighbors to either institutionalize his son with Down Syndrome or leave the neighborhood altogether, the teacher creates a campaign to convince them that his son is an angel who will grant wishes if they become better people. The screening is co-presented by American Friends of SESOBEL which helps improve the quality of life of and supports families of children with mental and physical disabilities in Lebanon.
THREE WINDOWS AND A HANGING DIRECTOR: Isa Qosja
In Kosovo's very first submission to the Academy Awards' best foreign film category, a village schoolteacher is driven by her conscience to give an interview to an international journalist, during which she admits that she and three other women from the village were raped by Serbian soldiers. When the village's men find out that she was the one who spoke to the journalist, they start a hate campaign against her and her son. An estimated 20,000 women and girls were raped by Serbian forces during the war in Kosovo in the late 1990s, but most victims have remained silent to avoid attracting shame and blame in a deeply conservative, patriarchal culture.
HENRI HENRI DIRECTOR: Martin Talbot
Inspired by a documentary that featured an interview with a man whose sole job was to replace all the light bulbs in an office tower, this enchanting, lighthearted comedy concerns twenty-something Henri, an orphan raised in a convent where he was in charge of everything having to do with lights. With nowhere to go after developers purchase the convent and evict him, his personal motto, “I like to put light in people’s lives, give his life new direction, helping him to find love and his missing father. The film was produced and filmed entirely in Quebec.
A FEW CUBIC METERS OF LOVE DIRECTOR: Jamshid Mahmoudi
A small factory on the outskirts of Tehran illegally employs Afghan asylum seekers who live with their families in old shipping containers or modest shacks in nearby shanty towns. Romance secretly blooms between a young Iranian working at the factory and the daughter of an illegal Afghan worker. Inspired by a true story and selected as Afghanistan's entry for best foreign language film at this year's Academy Awards.
THE FINISHERS DIRECTOR: Nils Tavernier
The story of Boston Marathon participants Dick Hoyt and his cerebral palsy- stricken son, Rick, were the models for this moving film set in picturesque southern France. A determined teenage boy confined to a wheelchair pesters his unemployed father to enter an Ironman contest. After multiple attempts to reach his non-communicative father, the son finally convinces him to start training, and the two begin the grueling training program that reaps unexpected rewards.
THE CUT DIRECTOR: Fatih Akin
The first film to cover the events of 1915 in the Ottoman Empire that resulted in the forced migration and diaspora of the Armenian minority, and the final film in Turkish-German director Fatih Akin’s (The Edge of Heaven, BWF 2006) trilogy on love, which he co-wrote with Armenian American Mardik Martin. Tahar Fahim (A Prophet) stars as a husband and father who is initially deported by the Turkish authorities from his native village and forced into punishing labor in the desert. After surviving mass murder by luck and through an act of kindness, he loses his family, speech and faith. When he learns that his twin daughters may still be alive, however, he embarks upon an incredible journey from Asia to the US. The film screens two days after the official observance of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.
COURT DIRECTOR: Chaitanya Tamhane
After a sewage worker's dead body is found inside a manhole cover in Mumbai, an aging folk singer is tried for performing an inflammatory song that might have incited the worker to commit suicide. As the trial unfolds, the personal lives of the lawyers and the judge involved in the case are observed while the context of the trial itself serves as a way to explore a number of pressing sociopolitical issues facing Indian society today. Winner, Lion of the Future award and two additional awards at the Venice Film Festival.
TOKYO FIANCEE DIRECTOR: Stefan Liberski
Amélie, who has always felt Japanese having been born and raised in Japan until she was five years old, moves back from Belgium when she turns twenty. Initially she decides to teach French in order to pay for her Japanese lessons and other living expenses. Her first student comes from such a wealthy family, however, that she does not have to take on any others, and together they explore a different, darker side of Tokyo. A mutual fascination with each other's cultures draws them close until a sweet, but odd romance blossoms. Based on the semi- autobiographical novel by Amélie Nothomb.
OS GATOS NAO TEM VERTIGENS DIRECTOR: António-Pedro Vasconcelos
This love letter to Lisbon tells the story of an 18 year-old with a complicated life and a burgeoning criminal career who ends up on the rooftop of a widowed woman's apartment in Lisbon. Against all odds and her family's advice, the woman takes in the troubled boy. An enjoyable film that also examines issues facing two different generations in today's society. Includes a complimentary pasteis de nata, a Portuguese pastry.
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Cheers to Belmont World Film for another great series of international nuggets that will have to hold people over until next year. BWF also has a Family Film Festival in January – check out their website for more details!
The DocYard Film Series January 26- April 20 2015 Cambridge MA http://thedocyard.com
Founded in 2010 (which makes them younger than PNRNetworks, heh heh), The DocYard is an organization based in Cambridge with the goal of bringing discussion to film, and specifically, documentaries. Usually showing at Cambridge’s Brattle Theater, The DocYard team headed by Sara Archembault has an amazing way of finding just the right films for each of their series, which run in the Spring and Fall of each year. This year was no exception, as they, like the Boston SciFi Festival, fought back against Mother Nature several times to bring their screenings to the public.
This spring’s offerings (in originally scheduled order of screening, several were postponed to later dates due to weather issues; info from series newsletter):
HAPPY VALLEY DIRECTOR: Amir Bar-Lev
For over 40 years, Joe Paterno was the celebrated head coach of Penn State's storied football team. Then in November 2011 everything changed when longtime assistant coach Jerry Sandusky was charged with 40 counts of child sex abuse, setting off a firestorm of accusations.
ACTRESS DIRECTOR: Robert Greene
Brandy Burre had a recurring role on HBO's The Wire when she gave up her career to start a family. When she decides to reclaim her life as an actor, the domestic world she's carefully created crumbles around her. Using elements of melodrama and cinema verité, ACTRESS is both a present tense portrait of a dying relationship and an exploration of a complicated woman, performing the role of herself, in a complex-yet-familiar story.
NE ME QUITTE PAS DIRECTORS: Sabine Lubbe Bakker & Niels van Koevorden
Set in a village on the edge of Belgium, Bob (Flemish) and Marcel (Walloon) share their solitude, sense of humor and craving for alcohol. They have agreed that suicide is the best way out if worse comes to worst. In that case, they have chosen the perfect spot to do so: under Bob's tree of life. Ne Me Quitte Pas is a Belgial drama about life on the brink of society in all its beauty, modesty, and irony.
UNDERGROUND DIRECTORS: Mary Lampson, Emile de Antonio & Haskell Wexler
In 1975, filmmakers Mary Lampson, Emile de Antonio and Haskell Wexler gained access to five key members of the Weathermen, a violent activist group that was a part of the Students for a Democratic Society, and which went underground with plans to overthrow the U.S. government. Laura Poitras ("Citizenfour") has called the radical 1976 documentary "one of the most courageous films I know."
UKRAINE IS NOT A BROTHEL DIRECTOR: Kitty Green
Ukraine's topless feminist sensation FEMEN have stirred up a press frenzy across Europe. Outraged by the world's image of Ukrainian women as either brides for sale or commodities of sex tourism, FEMEN bare their breasts in protest to disrupt this perception and agitate against these brutal patriarchal forces. The film offers a glimpse inside the world's most provocative feminist organization.
FOREST OF THE DANCING SPIRITS DIRECTOR: Linda Västrik
Akaya, Kengole, Dibota and their friends and family are hunters-gatherers (and also great story-tellers) who guide us through their world. They explain their origins, myths, and the very spiritual meaning of life. Their religion is playful and highly creative in dealing with deeply serious matters of life and death, and may be the oldest human religion practiced on earth today.
DIVIDE IN CONCORD DIRECTOR: Kris Kaczor
In 1775, Concord patriots fired the infamous 'shot heard round the world' that began a Revolution and defined a nation. Now a local eighty-four year-old woman has waged another seemingly unwinnable battle. For three years Jean Hill has been trying to rid the town of single-serve plastic bottles of water. Complete with strong opposition from local merchants and the bottled water industry, Jean is once again leading the controversial crusade.
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Thanks to Sara and her great team at The DocYard for bringing this excellent series to MetroBoston, and we look forward to the announcement of the fall series later this summer!
THE COMPLETE LISTS
This is where it all pays off! Now YOU can find all of the films at EVERY FESTIVAL right here…well, most of them at least!
The complete list of features appearing at each festival is below, along with an official website or Facebook page in most cases; if there’s no link, it means we could not find an official page for that particular movie, but if we do become aware of one in the future, it will be added to a future revision of this publication. Films are listed by festival or screening series in the order they are featured herein and titles are in alphabetical order.
SO AWAAAAAAYYYY WE GO!
SALEM FILM FEST
A SNAKE GIVES BIRTH TO A SNAKE - http://www.asnaketoasnake.com/ ALFRED AND JAKOBINE - http://www.alfredandjakobine-movie.com/ BACK ON BOARD: GREG LOUGAINIS - http://louganisdoc.com/ BORN TO FLY: ELIZABETH STREB VS GRAVITY - http://www.borntoflymovie.com/ CAIRO DRIVE - http://cairodrivefilm.com/about.html THE CASE OF THE THREE SIDED DREAM - http://www.rahsaanfilm.com CHILDREN OF THE ARCTIC - http://www.childrenofthearctic.com/ EVAPORATING BORDERS - http://www.evaporatingborders.com/ I AM BIG BIRD: THE CARROL SPINNEY STORY - http://www.iambigbird.com/ IN THE SHADOW OF THE COPACABANA – No Listing Found THE IRON MINISTRY - http://www.theironministry.com/ KILLSWITCH - http://killswitchthefilm.com/ LIMITED PARTNERSHIP - http://www.limitedpartnershipmovie.com/ LITTLE PEOPLE BIG DREAMS – No Listing Found MATEO - http://www.mateofilm.com/ MISS HILL: MAKING DANCE BETTER - http://www.misshillfilm.com/ MORPHINE: JOURNEY OF DREAMS - http://morphinemovie.com/ MUGSHOT - http://www.public-pictures.com/ MY BROTHER'S VOWS - http://www.bunburyfilms.com/films/trailer/doc/fvow.html ON HER OWN - http://onherownfilm.com/ ONCE UPON A CRIME: THE BORRELLI-DAVIS CONSPIRACY - http://onceuponacrimedoc.com/ THE OPTIMISTS - http://www.nfi.no/english/norwegianfilms/search/Film?key=113370 SEEDS OF TIME - http://www.seedsoftimemovie.com/ SEX AND BROADCASTING - http://wfmuthemovie.com/ SHIELD AND SPEAR - http://shieldspear.com/ SHOULDER THE LION - http://www.shoulderthelion.com/ SONGS FOR ALEXIS - https://www.facebook.com/songsforalexis STRAY DOG - http://www.straydogthemovie.com/ TEA TIME - http://en.teatimethemovie.com/ 35 COWS AND A KALASHNIKOV - http://www.35cows.com/index.php/en/ TOMORROW WE DISAPPEAR - http://www.twdfilm.com/ TOP SPIN - http://www.topspinmovie.com/ WAITING FOR AUGUST - http://waitingforaugust.be/ WALKING UNDER WATER - http://badjaofilm.com/ WANDER WONDER WILDERNESS - http://www.wanderurbanwilds.com/ WHO TOOK JOHNNY - http://rumur.com/johnny/ WILD HOME - http://wildhomefilm.com
IRISH FILM FESTIVAL
A CITY DREAMING - http://www.markmccauley.macmate.me/www.markmccauley.tv/A_City_Dreaming.html AN BRONNTANAS - https://www.facebook.com/AnBronntanas BLOOD FRUIT - https://www.facebook.com/bloodfruit2014 BROKEN SONG - http://www.zuccafilms.ie/films/broken-song/ DOLORES KEANE: A STORM IN THE HEART - http://www.rte.ie/tv/programmes/doloreskeane.html GOLD - No Listing Found THE GUARANTEE - No Listing Found IT CAME FROM CONNEMARA!! - http://www.ifi.ie/film/it-came-from-connemara/ THE LEGEND OF LONGWOOD - https://www.facebook.com/legendoflongwood MAIRÉAD FARRELL: AN UNFINISHED CONVERSATION - No Listing Found ONE MILLION DUBLINERS - https://m.facebook.com/OneMillionDubliners STANDBY - No Listing Found
BOSTON TURKISH FILM FESTIVAL
A DREAM SCHOOL IN THE STEPPS - No Listing Found ACROSS THE SEA - https://www.facebook.com/denizseviyesifilm BUT MÜZEYYEN, THAT'S THE DEEPEST DESIRE - https://www.facebook.com/fakatmuzeyyenbuderinbirtutku?fref=ts THE BRIDE - No Listing Found CIRCLE - No Listing Found COME TO MY VOICE- No Listing Found CONSEQUENCES - http://www.silsilefilm.com/ FISH - No Listing Found GALLIPOLI - No Listing Found I'M NOT HIM - http://www.benodegilim.com/?page=1&lng=en LET'S SIN - No Listing Found MIX TAPE - https://www.facebook.com/KarisikKasetFilmi SEABURNERS - https://www.facebook.com/seaburners SINGING WOMEN - http://sarkisoyleyenkadinlar.com.tr/ SIVAS - No Listing Found SONG OF MY MOTHER - No Listing Found THE WATER DIVINER - http://thewaterdiviner.com/ WHISPER IF I FORGET - no longer available WHY CAN'T I BE TARKOVSKY - No Listing Found WINTER SLEEP - http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/41B49715-CE35- 4072-906F-65649E467994/year/2014.html
BOSTON UNDERGROUND FILM FESTIVAL
BAG BOY LOVER BOY - http://bagboyloverboy.com/ BLOODY KNUCKLES - https://www.facebook.com/bloodyknucklesfilm DER SAMURAI - https://dersamurai.wordpress.com/ THE EDITOR - http://theeditormovie.com/ EXCESS FLESH - http://www.excessfleshmovie.com/ GONE WITH THE POPE - http://www.gonewiththepope.com/ GOODNIGHT MOMMY – No Listing Found I AM A KNIFE WITH LEGS - http://iamaknifewithlegs.com/ MAGNETIC - http://magneticthemovie.com/ REMEDY - http://www.remedyfilm.com/ 20 YEARS OF MADNESS - http://www.20yearsofmadness.com/ WE ARE STILL HERE - https://www.facebook.com/WeAreStillHereFilm THE WORLD OF KANAKO - http://kawaki.gaga.ne.jp/index_top.html
BOSTON LGBT FILM FESTIVAL
APPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR - http://appropriatebehaviormovie.com/ BACK ON BOARD: GREG LOUGANIS - http://louganisdoc.com/ THE CULT OF JT LEROY - http://www.jtleroydocumentary.com/ DAY OF YOUTH - http://dayofyouth.com/ DROWN - http://www.drownthemovie.com/ EASTERN BOYS - http://www.palacefilms.com.au/easternboys/ EAT WITH ME - http://www.eatwithmemovie.com/Home.html GUIDANCE - http://www.guidancethefilm.com/ HIDE AND SEEK - http://hideandseekthefilm.com/ LIZ IN SEPTEMBER - https://www.wolfevideo.com/products/liz-in-september/ LYLE - http://www.lylemovie.com/ NERDGASM - No Listing Found THE NEW MAN - No Listing Found OLYA'S LOVE - http://www.soleilfilm.at/blog/?portfolio=olyas-riot OUT IN THE NIGHT - http://www.outinthenight.com/ OUT TO WIN - https://mubi.com/films/out-to-win ROYAL ROAD - http://royalroadmovie.weebly.com/ SEED MONEY: THE CHUCK HOLMES STORY - No Listing Found SUMMER OF SANGAILE - http://www.filmsdistribution.com/Film.aspx?ID=4588 TAB HUNTER CONFIDENTIAL - http://www.tabhunterconfidential.com/ TIGER ORANGE - https://tigerorangemovie.wordpress.com/ WASP - http://www.waspfilm.net/ WE CAME TO SWEAT: THE LEGEND OF STARLIGHT - http://thestarliteproject.com/ WELCOME TO THIS HOUSE: A FILM ON ELIZABETH BISHOP - No Listing Found WINNING DAD - http://winningdad.com/ XENIA – No Listing Found THE YEAR WE THOUGHT ABOUT LOVE - http://www.theyearwethoughtaboutlove.com/ YOU AND I - No Listing Found
BOSTON INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
A SMALL GOOD THING - http://asmallgoodthingfilm.com/ A SORT OF HOMECOMING - http://www.asortofhomecoming.com/ THE AMBASSADOR TO BERN - https://www.facebook.com/abernikovet THE CHALLENGER - http://wishingwellpictures.com/movies/the-challenger.php CHASING RAINBOWS - No Listing Found THE FOURTH CHILD (FARZAND E CHAHARO) - No Listing Found FRANK VS GOD - http://frankvsgod.com/ FRIENDS AND ROMANS - http://www.michaelmailerfilms.com/future.html THE GREAT VICTORY (A GRADNE VITORIA) - No Listing Found HOW I DUMPED MY EX BOYFRIENDS BODY - http://www.fatfootfilms.com/howidumpedmyexboyfriendsbody LE BELLE VIE: THE GOOD LIFE – No Listing Found LOVE THY NATURE - http://www.lovethynature.com/ M CREAM - https://www.facebook.com/mcreamfilm MOMENTS OF CLARITY – No Listing Found OVUM - http://www.ovumfilm.com/ SAMBA AND JAZZ - http://www.documentariosambaejazz.com.br/ THE SISTERHOOD OF NIGHT - http://thesisterhoodofnight-movie.com/ SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE - http://www.sitmfilm.com/ UNFREEDOM - http://www.unfreedommovie.com/
INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL BOSTON
A BRILLIANT YOUNG MIND ( aka “X+Y”) - http://www.xplusymovie.com/ THE AMINA PROFILE - http://www.theaminaprofile.com/ ANGKORS CHILDREN – http://www.angkorschildren.com BARGE - http://bargefilm.com/ BEING EVEL – No Listing Found BEST OF ENEMIES - http://www.magpictures.com/bestofenemies/ BLACK PANTHERS: VANGUARD OF THE REVOLUTION - https://www.facebook.com/TheBlackPanthersDoc BOB AND THE TREES - http://www.bobandthetrees.com/ BOUNCE: HOW THE BALL TAUGHT THE WORLD TO PLAY - http://www.bouncethemovie.com/ CALL ME LUCKY - http://www.mpimedia.com/ CARTEL LAND - No Listing Found THE CHINESE MAYOR - No Listing Found CIRCUS WITHOUT BORDERS - No Listing Found CITY OF GOLD - http://www.cityofgolddoc.com/ DAY RELEASE - http://www.breakingpictures.es/tercergrado/ DEATHGASM - http://deathgasmthemovie.com/ DO I SOUND GAY? - http://www.doisoundgay.com/ DWARVES KINGDOM - http://www.dwarveskingdom.com/ EDEN - No Listing Found THE END OF THE TOUR - http://a24films.com/films/the-end-of-the-tour/ FINDERS KEEPERS - https://www.facebook.com/finderskeepersdocumentary FUNNY BUNNY - No Listing Found FUTURE SHOCK! THE STORY OF 2000 AD - No Listing Found GTFO - http://gtfothemovie.com/ THE GREAT ALONE - http://www.lancemackeydocumentary.com/ H. - http://www.hthemovie.com/ HEAVEN ADORES YOU - http://heavenadoresyou.com/ HOT TYPE: 100 YEARS OF THE NATION - No Listing Found I AM WHAT I PLAY - http://www.distractioninc.com/projects/ I'LL SEE YOU IN MY DREAMS - http://www.bleeckerstreetmedia.com/ IN TRANSIT - http://mayslesfilms.com/film_in_production/in-transit/ IRIS - http://www.magpictures.com/iris/ THE KEEPING ROOM - http://gilbertfilms.com/thekeepingroom/ KING GEORGES - http://www.kinggeorgesfilm.com/ LOOK OF SILENCE - http://thelookofsilence.com/ LOST COLONY - https://lostcolonyfilm.squarespace.com/ LOST CONQUEST - No Listing Found LOVE BETWEEN THE COVERS - http://www.lovebetweenthecovers.com/ MADE IN JAPAN - https://www.facebook.com/madeinjapandoc MANGLEHORN - No Listing Found ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL - http://meandearlmovie.com/ MORPHINE: JOURNEY OF DREAMS - http://morphinemovie.com/ THE OVERNIGHT - No Listing Found THE PRIMARY INSTINCT - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tobolowsky/the-primary- instinct-a-stephen-tobolowsky-storytel POSTHUMOUS - https://www.facebook.com/PosthumousMovie RESULTS - http://www.magpictures.com/results/ ROLLING PAPERS - http://www.rollingpapersfilm.com/ 7 CHINESE BROTHERS - https://www.facebook.com/7chinesebrothers 61 BULLETS - No Listing Found SLOW WEST - http://a24films.com/films/slow-west/ STRAY DOG - http://www.straydogthemovie.com/ SUNSHINE SUPERMAN - http://www.magpictures.com/sunshinesuperman/ (T)ERROR - https://www.facebook.com/TERRORDocumentary THEORY OF OBSCURITY: A FILM ABOUT THE RESIDENTS - THEY LOOK LIKE PEOPLE - http://www.theylooklikepeople.com/ TOP SPIN - http://www.topspinmovie.com/ THE TRIBE - http://drafthousefilms.com/film/the-tribe WELCOME TO LEITH - https://www.facebook.com/welcometoleithfilm WESTERN - http://www.rossbros.net/ WILDLIKE - http://www.wildlikefilm.com/ THE WOLFPACK - http://www.magpictures.com/thewolfpack/ THE YEAR WE THOUGHT ABOUT LOVE - http://www.theyearwethoughtaboutlove.com/
BOSTON SCIFI FESTIVAL
ALIEN OUTPOST - No Listing Found BLESSID - http://blessidthemovie.com/ BOY 7 - http://boy7film.nl/ CHRYSALIS - http://www.therestaredead.com/ DARK SUMMER - No Listing Found EL CIRCULO DE RAYNARD - http://www.elcirculoderaynard.com/?page_id=1274 FADE TO WHITE - No Listing Found FANTASTICHEIRE DI UN PASSEGGIATORE SOLITARIO - No Listing Found GENESIS RING - No Listing Found HISTORY OF TIME TRAVEL - https://www.facebook.com/TheHistoryofTimeTravelMovie I WAS A TEENAGE SUPERHERO SIDEKICK - No Listing Found MATT MERCURY - http://www.mattmercury.com/ MYTHICA: A QUEST FOR HEROES - https://www.facebook.com/MythicaSeries THE NOAH - No Listing Found PAINTING THE WAY TO THE MOON - http://www.paintingthewaytothemoon.com/ PARALLEL - No Listing Found ROBOT OVERLORDS - https://www.facebook.com/RobotOverlordsFilm SHADOWS ON THE WALL - http://shadows-movie.com/#front THE SIGHTING - No Listing Found SUICIDE OR LULU AND ME IN A WORLD MADE FOR TWO - http://www.suicideorlulu.com/ UNCANNY - No Listing Found THE WELL (AKA THE LAST SURVIVORS) - https://www.facebook.com/TheLastSurvivorsMovie WYRMWOOD - https://www.facebook.com/wyrmwoodmovie
BELMONT WORLD FILM SERIES
GHADI - http://www.ghadithemovie.com/ THREE WINDOWS AND A HANGING - No Listing Found HENRI HENRI - No Listing Found A FEW CUBIC METERS OF LOVE - https://www.facebook.com/pages/%DA%86%D9%86%D8%AF- %D9%85%D8%AA%D8%B1-%D9%85%DA%A9%D8%B9%D8%A8-%D8%B9%D8%B4%D9%82-a- Few-Cube-Meters-Love/1397100333879323 THE FINISHERS - No Listing Found THE CUT - https://www.facebook.com/TheCutDerFilm COURT - No Listing Found TOKYO FIANCEE - No Listing Found OS GATOS NAO TEM VERTIGENS - No Listing Found
DOCYARD SPRING 2015
HAPPY VALLEY - http://www.musicboxfilms.com/happy-valley-movies-115.php ACTRESS - http://www.actressfilm.com/ NE ME QUITTE PAS - http://www.pvhfilm.nl/nemequittepas UNDERGROUND - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underground_%281976_film%29 UKRAINE IS NOT A BROTHEL - http://www.ukraineisnotabrothel.com/ FOREST OF THE DANCING SPIRITS - http://forestofthedancingspirits.com/ DIVIDE IN CONCORD - http://divideinconcord.com/
GO WATCH IT LINKS
The following films have links on Go Watch It – log into your account (or create one) and click on the link to add it to you GoWatchit queue:
SALEM FILM FEST
ALFRED AND JAKOBINE - http://gowatchit.com/movies/alfred-and-jakobine-269322 BACK ON BOARD: GREG LOUGAINIS - http://gowatchit.com/movies/back-on-board-greg- louganis-269388 BORN TO FLY: ELIZABETH STREB VS GRAVITY - http://gowatchit.com/movies/born-to-fly-269848 THE CASE OF THE THREE SIDED DREAM - http://gowatchit.com/movies/the-case-of-the-three- sided-dream-269264 I AM BIG BIRD - http://gowatchit.com/movies/i-am-big-bird-the-caroll-spinney-story-269331 THE IRON MINISTRY -http://gowatchit.com/movies/the-iron-ministry-270007 MATEO - http://gowatchit.com/movies/mateo-269268 MISS HILL: MAKING DANCE MATTER - http://gowatchit.com/movies/miss-hill-making-dance- matter-283028 SEEDS OF TIME - http://gowatchit.com/movies/seeds-of-time-302209 SHIELD AND SPEAR - http://gowatchit.com/movies/shield-and-spear-300216 STRAY DOG - http://gowatchit.com/movies/stray-dog-269951 TOMORROW WE DISAPPEAR - http://gowatchit.com/movies/tomorrow-we-disappear-268893 WAITING FOR AUGUST http://gowatchit.com/movies/waiting-for-august-269934
IRISH FILM FESTIVAL
STANDBY - http://gowatchit.com/movies/standby-283433
BOSTON TURKISH FILM FESTIVAL
THE WATER DIVINER - http://gowatchit.com/movies/the-water-diviner-269933 WINTER SLEEP - http://gowatchit.com/movies/winter-sleep-269229
BOSTON UNDERGROUND FILM FESTIVAL
DER SAMURAI - http://gowatchit.com/movies/der-samurai-268833 THE EDITOR - http://gowatchit.com/movies/the-editor-269722 EXCESS FLESH - http://gowatchit.com/movies/excess-flesh-298387 GOODNIGHT MOMMY - http://gowatchit.com/movies/goodnight-mommy-270006 I AM A KNIFE WITH LEGS - http://gowatchit.com/movies/i-am-a-knife-with-legs-269856 WE ARE STILL HERE - http://gowatchit.com/movies/we-are-still-here-299451 THE WORLD OF KANAKO - http://gowatchit.com/movies/the-world-of-kanako-269628
BOSTON LGBT FILM FESTIVAL
APPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR - http://gowatchit.com/movies/appropriate-behavior-268462 BACK ON BOARD: GREG LOUGANIS - http://gowatchit.com/movies/back-on-board-greg- louganis-269388 EASTERN BOYS - http://gowatchit.com/movies/eastern-boys-269140 EAT WITH ME - http://gowatchit.com/movies/eat-with-me-301857 OUT TO WIN - http://gowatchit.com/movies/out-to-win-299416 ROYAL ROAD - http://gowatchit.com/movies/the-royal-road-283137 SUMMER OF SANGAILE - http://gowatchit.com/movies/the-summer-of-sangaile-283125 TAB HUNTER CONFIDENTIAL - http://gowatchit.com/movies/tab-hunter-confidential-299441 XENIA - http://gowatchit.com/movies/xenia-269310
BOSTON INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
THE SISTERHOOD OF NIGHT - http://gowatchit.com/movies/the-sisterhood-of-night-299879
INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL BOSTON 7 CHINESE BROTHERS - http://gowatchit.com/movies/7-chinese-brothers-283406 BOB AND THE TREES - http://gowatchit.com/movies/bob-and-the-trees-283159 A BRILLIANT YOUNG MIND (X+Y) - http://gowatchit.com/movies/x-y-269834 DEATHGASM - http://gowatchit.com/movies/deathgasm-298344 EDEN - http://gowatchit.com/movies/eden-269743 THE END OF THE TOUR - http://gowatchit.com/movies/the-end-of-the-tour-283127 FUNNY BUNNY - http://gowatchit.com/movies/funny-bunny-298509 H. - http://gowatchit.com/movies/h-283113 I'LL SEE YOU IN MY DREAMS - http://gowatchit.com/movies/i-ll-see-you-in-my-dreams-283143 THE KEEPING ROOM - http://gowatchit.com/movies/the-keeping-room-269807 MANGLEHORN - http://gowatchit.com/movies/manglehorn-269770 ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL - http://gowatchit.com/movies/me-and-earl-and-the- dying-girl-283185 THE OVERNIGHT - http://gowatchit.com/movies/the-overnight-269217 POSTHUMOUS - http://gowatchit.com/movies/posthumous-269898 RESULTS - http://gowatchit.com/movies/results-283183 SLOW WEST - http://gowatchit.com/movies/slow-west-283173 THE TRIBE - http://gowatchit.com/movies/the-tribe-269378 THE AMINA PROFILE - http://gowatchit.com/movies/the-amina-profile-283141 BARGE - http://gowatchit.com/movies/barge-283417 BEING EVEL - http://gowatchit.com/movies/being-evel-283114 BEST OF ENEMIES - http://gowatchit.com/movies/best-of-enemies-283147 BLACK PANTHERS: VANGUARD OF THE REVOLUTION - http://gowatchit.com/movies/the-black- panthers-vanguard-of-the-revolution-283118 BOUNCE: HOW THE BALL TAUGHT THE WORLD TO PLAY - http://gowatchit.com/movies/bounce-how-the-ball-taught-the-world-to-play-283420 CALL ME LUCKY - http://gowatchit.com/movies/call-me-lucky-283167 CARTEL LAND - http://gowatchit.com/movies/cartel-land-283124 THE CHINESE MAYOR - http://gowatchit.com/movies/the-chinese-mayor-283187 CITY OF GOLD - http://gowatchit.com/movies/city-of-gold-283154 DO I SOUND GAY? - http://gowatchit.com/movies/do-i-sound-gay-301036 DWARVES KINGDOM - http://gowatchit.com/movies/dwarves-kingdom-269633 FINDERS KEEPERS - http://gowatchit.com/movies/finders-keepers-283189 FUTURE SHOCK! THE STORY OF 2000 AD - http://gowatchit.com/movies/future-shock-the- story-of-2000ad-269726 GTFO - http://gowatchit.com/movies/gtfo-get-the-f-out-299377 HEAVEN ADORES YOU - http://gowatchit.com/movies/heaven-adores-you-269107 IN TRANSIT - http://gowatchit.com/movies/in-transit-300431 IRIS - http://gowatchit.com/movies/iris-299492 LOOK OF SILENCE - http://gowatchit.com/movies/the-look-of-silence-269783 MADE IN JAPAN - http://gowatchit.com/movies/made-in-japan-299405 ROLLING PAPERS - http://gowatchit.com/movies/rolling-papers-299425 STRAY DOG - http://gowatchit.com/movies/stray-dog-269951 SUNSHINE SUPERMAN - http://gowatchit.com/movies/sunshine-superman-269828 (T)ERROR - http://gowatchit.com/movies/t-error-274268 THEORY OF OBSCURITY: A FILM ABOUT THE RESIDENTS - http://gowatchit.com/movies/theory- of-obscurity-a-film-about-the-residents-299447 WELCOME TO LEITH - http://gowatchit.com/movies/welcome-to-leith-283142 WESTERN - http://gowatchit.com/movies/western-283139 THE WOLFPACK - http://gowatchit.com/movies/the-wolfpack-283169
BOSTON SCI FI FESTIVAL
ALIEN OUTPOST - http://gowatchit.com/movies/alien-outpost-283317 DARK SUMMER - http://gowatchit.com/movies/dark-summer-277443 LIMBO - http://gowatchit.com/movies/limbo-299403 UNCANNY - http://gowatchit.com/movies/uncanny-277301 WYRMWOOD - http://gowatchit.com/movies/wyrmwood-road-of-the-dead-269635
BELMONT WORLD FILM SERIES
THE CUT - http://gowatchit.com/movies/the-cut-300464 THE FINISHERS - http://gowatchit.com/movies/the-finishers-268785
DOCYARD SPRING 2015
ACTRESS - http://gowatchit.com/movies/actress-269320 FOREST OF THE DANCING SPIRITS - http://gowatchit.com/movies/forest-of-the-dancing-spirits- 269266 HAPPY VALLEY - http://gowatchit.com/movies/happy-valley-267132 NE ME QUITTE PAS - http://gowatchit.com/movies/ne-me-quitte-pas-268889 UKRAINE IS NOT A BROTHEL - http://gowatchit.com/movies/ukraine-is-not-a-brothel-269387 UNDERGROUND - http://gowatchit.com/movies/underground-2469583
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Time to toot our own horn, so to speak…here’s links to EVERY ARTICLE that appeared on eCinemaBoston throughout the festival season!
SALEM FILM FEST http://pnrboston.pnrnetworks.popcornnroses.com/2015/03/05/boston-springs-fehtival-spring- season-kicks-tonight-salem-film-fest/ http://pnrboston.pnrnetworks.popcornnroses.com/2015/03/05/boston-springs-fethival-salem- film-fest-day-2/ http://pnrboston.pnrnetworks.popcornnroses.com/2015/03/06/boston-springs-fethival-sights- sounds-salem-ma/ http://pnrboston.pnrnetworks.popcornnroses.com/2015/03/06/boston-springs-fethival-salem- film-fest-day-3/ http://pnrboston.pnrnetworks.popcornnroses.com/2015/03/07/boston-springs-fethival-salem- film-fest-day-4/ http://pnrboston.pnrnetworks.popcornnroses.com/2015/03/08/boston-springs-fethival-salem- film-fest-day-5/ http://pnrboston.pnrnetworks.popcornnroses.com/2015/03/09/boston-springs-fethival-salem- film-fest-day-6/ http://pnrboston.pnrnetworks.popcornnroses.com/2015/03/10/boston-springs-fethival-salem- film-fest-day-7/ http://pnrboston.pnrnetworks.popcornnroses.com/2015/03/11/boston-springs-fethival-salem- film-fest-day-8/ http://pnrboston.pnrnetworks.popcornnroses.com/2015/03/12/boston-springs-fethival-salem- film-fest-day-8-2/
IRISH FILM FESTIVAL http://pnrboston.pnrnetworks.popcornnroses.com/2015/03/10/15th-annual-irish-film-festival- coming-march-19-22nd/
BOSTON TURKISH FILM FESTIVAL http://pnrboston.pnrnetworks.popcornnroses.com/2015/03/17/apologies-lack-posts-week/
BOSTON UNDERGROUND FILM FESTIVAL http://pnrboston.pnrnetworks.popcornnroses.com/2015/03/25/boston-springs-fethival- boston-underground-film-festival-day/ http://pnrboston.pnrnetworks.popcornnroses.com/2015/03/26/boston-springs-fethival- boston-underground-film-festival-day-2/ http://pnrboston.pnrnetworks.popcornnroses.com/2015/03/27/boston-springs-fethival- boston-underground-film-festival-day-3/ http://pnrboston.pnrnetworks.popcornnroses.com/2015/03/28/boston-springs-fethival- boston-underground-film-festival-day-4/ http://pnrboston.pnrnetworks.popcornnroses.com/2015/03/29/boston-springs-fethival- boston-underground-film-festival-day-5/ http://pnrboston.pnrnetworks.popcornnroses.com/2015/03/31/boston-springs-fethival- buff17-awards/
BOSTON LGBT FILM FESTIVAL http://pnrboston.pnrnetworks.popcornnroses.com/2015/04/02/boston-springs-fethival- boston-lgbt-film-festival-opening-night/ http://pnrboston.pnrnetworks.popcornnroses.com/2015/04/03/boston-springs-fethival- boston-lgbt-film-festival-day/ http://pnrboston.pnrnetworks.popcornnroses.com/2015/04/04/boston-springs-fethival- boston-lgbt-film-festival-day-3-2/ http://pnrboston.pnrnetworks.popcornnroses.com/2015/04/05/boston-springs-fethival- boston-lgbt-film-festival-day-4/ http://pnrboston.pnrnetworks.popcornnroses.com/2015/04/06/boston-springs-fethival- boston-lgbt-film-festival-day-5-2/ http://pnrboston.pnrnetworks.popcornnroses.com/2015/04/07/boston-springs-fethival- boston-lgbt-film-festival-day-6-2/ http://pnrboston.pnrnetworks.popcornnroses.com/2015/04/08/boston-springs-fethival- boston-lgbt-film-festival-day-7-2/ http://pnrboston.pnrnetworks.popcornnroses.com/2015/04/09/boston-springs-fethival- boston-lgbt-film-festival-day-8-2/ http://pnrboston.pnrnetworks.popcornnroses.com/2015/04/10/boston-springs-fethival- boston-lgbt-film-festival-day-9-2/ http://pnrboston.pnrnetworks.popcornnroses.com/2015/04/11/boston-springs-fethival- boston-lgbt-film-festival-day-10/ http://pnrboston.pnrnetworks.popcornnroses.com/2015/04/12/boston-springs-fethival- boston-lgbt-film-festival-day-12-final-day/
INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL BOSTON http://pnrboston.pnrnetworks.popcornnroses.com/2015/04/02/boston-springs-fehtival-iffb- announces-2015-lineup-sundance-winner-me-earl-dying-girl-close-fest/ http://pnrboston.pnrnetworks.popcornnroses.com/2015/04/21/iffb-2015-starts-tomorrow- ready-festing/ http://pnrboston.pnrnetworks.popcornnroses.com/2015/04/22/boston-springs-fethival- independent-film-festival-boston-day-1/ http://pnrboston.pnrnetworks.popcornnroses.com/2015/04/23/boston-springs-fethival- independent-film-festival-boston-day-2/ http://pnrboston.pnrnetworks.popcornnroses.com/2015/04/24/boston-springs-fethival- independent-film-festival-boston-day-3/ http://pnrboston.pnrnetworks.popcornnroses.com/2015/04/25/boston-springs-fethival- independent-film-festival-boston-day-4/ http://pnrboston.pnrnetworks.popcornnroses.com/2015/04/26/boston-springs-fethival- independent-film-festival-boston-day-5/ http://pnrboston.pnrnetworks.popcornnroses.com/2015/04/27/boston-springs-fethival- independent-film-festival-boston-day-6/ http://pnrboston.pnrnetworks.popcornnroses.com/2015/04/28/boston-springs-fethival- independent-film-festival-boston-day-7/ http://pnrboston.pnrnetworks.popcornnroses.com/2015/04/29/boston-springs-fethival- independent-film-festival-boston-day-8-closing-night/
We also posted an “IFFB Daily Trailer” every day on eCinemaBoston, and several eCinemaOne Daily Trailers this year have featured films at one or more fests!
BOSTON SCIFI http://pnrboston.pnrnetworks.popcornnroses.com/2015/01/27/40th-annual-boston-scifi-fest- unveils-lineup/
BELMONT WORLD FILM http://pnrboston.pnrnetworks.popcornnroses.com/2015/02/24/boston-springs-fethival- belmont-film-series-announces-lineup-venue-change/
THE DOCYARD http://pnrboston.pnrnetworks.popcornnroses.com/2014/12/16/docyard-announces-spring- 2015-lineup/
Also note that we occasionally mention all of these festivals in general articles on the site, and give them EXTENSIVE COVERAGE on Subject:CINEMA as well, generally the week they announce the lineup. The full episodes of the podcast are as follows:
Subject:CINEMA #482 – The 5th Annual “Boston Springs A Fethival!” Part 1 – May 23 2015
Subject:CINEMA #483 – The 5th Annual “Boston Springs A Fethival!” Part 2 – May 24 2015
Also, individual reviews from each festival will be available soon on our Subject:CINEMA Reviews channel at http://subjectcinemareviews.libsyn.com/RSS, which is also available through the PNRNetworks Roku channel.
Print synopsis of each viewed film will be available soon – as soon as I have a chance to get all caught up (Yes, yes, I KNOW I’m hopelessly behind, geez – at our two usual print outlets – Letterboxd and CriticWire – and you can find a full print review of “Me and Earl And The Dying Girl” here.
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WHEW! Well, there it is! Our 5th annual Boston Springs A Fethival special! We hope everyone finds tons of great films to check out and we can’t thank all our Boston festival crews enough for giving us what really was a FANTASTIC year of festival films!
It starts again in the fall, with another not-quite-as-hectic period from mid- September through mid-November, and a few other festivals scattered here and there throughout the year as well. And we’ll do our best to bring you coverage of ALL of them! In the meantime we hope you’ll check out all the festival websites, all the films herein, all the great venues where the festivals take place, and also the PNR Networks family of sites and podcasts – we work year-round to bring you great film coverage! Cheers until next year!
About Subject:CINEMA
Subject:CINEMA is one of the oldest and longest running film podcasts on the internet, celebrating its ninth anniversary in June 2015. Hosts TC Kirkham and Kim Brown bring you film news and reviews, crazy film features, commentary and a whole lot more each and every weekend. And the show will hit episode 500 sometime this fall! Check us out at http://subjectcinema.com!
About eCinemaOne and eCinemaBoston eCinemaOne (formerly Popcorn N Roses) and eCinemaBoston (formerly PNR Boston) cover film and entertainment news and bring you commentary, daily trailers, regular featured columns, and podcasts. eCO covers the entire film world, while eCB is specific to Metro Boston, where the sites are based. eCO is also home to our two weekly film podcasts, Subject:CINEMA and Three Minute Weekend, and is the parent site for the entire PNR Networks hub, which also includes Indie Film Spotlight, Platinum Roses’ Garden, Cavebabble, Mashed Up Madness, Mirrorball Mayhem, and the PNR Radio Network. You can check the sites out at http://ecinemaone.com and http://ecinemaboston.com!
SPECIAL THANKS: All of our friends within the Boston film community, the Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film, all our loyal readers and listeners, and everyone who loves film in general!
SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!!
PNR NETWORKS eCinemaOne – http://ecinemaone.com eCinemaBoston – http://ecinemaboston.com Subject:CINEMA – http://subjectcinema.com Indie Film Spotlight – http://indiefilmspotlight.com Platinum Roses’ Garden – http://platinumrosesgarden.com Mirrorball Mayhem – http://mirrorballmayhem.com PNR Radio Network – http://pnrradionetwork.com Cavebabble – http://cavebabble.com Mashed Up Madness – http://mashedupmadness.com