The Independent Film Festival Boston is a
not for profit film festival in
Boston, Massachusetts.
History
The Independent Film Festival Boston (also known as IFFBoston or IFFB) was created in 2003 by the non-profit organization the Independent Film Society of Boston. The festival takes place each April in the Boston area's finest
art-house
An art film (or arthouse film) is typically an independent film, aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience. It is "intended to be a serious, artistic work, often experimental and not designed for mass appeal", "made primarily f ...
cinemas. Over 1,200 films are submitted to the festival each year and roughly the best 90-100 of those are shown. Over 120 screenings take place, most with director Q&A sessions following them. There are also nightly parties for guest filmmakers and passholders as well as weekend panel discussions.
The Independent Film Festival Boston was named "one of the top five film series in Boston" by the Boston Society of Film Critics in the festival's inaugural year of 2003 and was the only film festival on that list. The book ''The Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide'' named the festival "the premier film festival in Boston" and the festival has since been recognized by the ''
Boston Globe'', ''
Boston Herald
The ''Boston Herald'' is an American daily newspaper whose primary market is Boston, Massachusetts, and its surrounding area. It was founded in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States. It has been awarded eight Pulit ...
'', ''
Boston Phoenix'', ''Boston Magazine'', ''
Indiewire'', and countless filmmakers as "the premier film festival in Boston". In 2008, ''
MovieMaker Magazine'' named IFFBoston among "The Top 25 Film Festivals Worth The Entry Fee".
The festival debuted in 2003 with an audience of 10,000 people and has grown in size each year since (2004–15,000 people, 2005–18,000 people, 2006–22,000 people, 2007–23,000 people, 2008–23,400) making it the largest film festival in
New England.
Special guests
Special guests of the festival in its first six years included
Steve Buscemi
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,
Chris Cooper,
Sir Ben Kingsley,
John Waters,
Will Arnett,
Lili Taylor,
Illeana Douglas,
Melvin Van Peebles,
Noam Chomsky,
Michael Almereyda,
Robert Vaughn,
Bill Pullman,
Dylan Baker,
Famke Janssen,
Mary Stuart Masterson, ''
Project Runways Jay McCarroll,
Todd Graff, Congresswoman
Cynthia McKinney
Cynthia Ann McKinney (born March 17, 1955) is an American politician, academic, and conspiracy theorist. As a member of the Democratic Party, she served six terms in the United States House of Representatives. She was the first African American ...
,
Ted Hope,
Bob Odenkirk
Robert John Odenkirk (; born October 22, 1962) is an American actor, comedian and filmmaker best known for his role as Saul Goodman on ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–2013) and its spin-off ''Better Call Saul'' (2015–2022). For the latter, he has re ...
,
Bernie Worrell,
Ryan Fleck, Anna Boden,
Alexandre Rockwell,
Eliza Dushku,
Danny Huston,
Jesse Eisenberg,
Doug Pray,
Albert Maysles, ''
Saturday Night Live's''
Fred Armisen, ''
the Daily Show's''
Rob Corddry and
Michael Cera.
Notable films
Films shown at the festival in the first six years included ''
Half Nelson
A nelson hold is a grappling hold which is executed by one person from behind the opponent, generally when both are on the mat face down with the opponent under the aggressor. One or both arms are used to encircle the opponent's arm under the armpi ...
'', ''
Murderball'', ''
The Corporation'', ''
The Proposition'', ''
The Saddest Music in the World
''The Saddest Music in the World'' is a 2003 Canadian film directed by Guy Maddin. Budgeted at $3.8-million and shot over 24 days, the film marks Maddin's first collaboration with actor Isabella Rossellini.
Maddin and co-screenwriter George Toles ...
'', ''
Ivans XTC'', ''
Lonesome Jim'', ''
The Puffy Chair'', ''
Fay Grim'', ''
Hannah Takes the Stairs'', ''
Mutual Appreciation'', ''
Me and You and Everyone We Know'', ''
Transsiberian'', ''
My Winnipeg'', ''
Medicine for Melancholy'', ''
Ballast'', ''
Encounters at the End of the World'', ''
The Story of the Weeping Camel'' and ''
Metallica: Some Kind of Monster'' as well as the U.S. premier of ''
Azumi''.
The festival shows narrative features, documentary features, short films, animation, and experimental works.
Judging
The Independent Film Festival Boston awards Grand Jury, Special Jury prizes, and Audience Awards in the categories of narrative feature, documentary feature and short film. The juries are composed of top film industry professionals.
Year-round activities
The Independent Film Festival Boston also holds monthly screenings throughout the year. The main hub of the festival is the
Somerville Theatre in
Davis Square,
Somerville, Massachusetts. Other venues used by the festival in its first seven years include the
Coolidge Corner Theatre, the
Brattle Theatre, the
Museum of Fine Arts, the
Institute of Contemporary Art, and the
Jimmy Tingle Theatre.
IFFBoston testimonials
"Yet in only its third year, the Independent Film Festival of Boston has become the major game in town: a smartly programmed and risk-taking festival that balances 'big' indie films with the best in local filmmaking."
- Ty Burr, '' Boston Globe''
"IFFBoston has redefined the term 'filmmaker friendly' for every producer, director, editor, cinematographer, composer and actor that has been lucky enough to experience the festival. The audiences are passionate and intelligent, which is every filmmaker's dream."
- Joe Swanberg, director of ''Hannah Takes the Stairs''
" e annual Independent Film Festival Boston (IFFB) has accomplished more in its five-year history, than some festivals do with twice as much time and resources.
- Matt Dentler, Indiewire
"Definitely one of the best-run film festivals I have been to."
- Bob Odenkirk, director of ''Melvin Goes to Dinner''
"Though the word 'independent' sometimes connotes 'small', it's clear that the Independent Film Festival of Boston is THE premiere film festival in the Boston area. From a distributor's standpoint, it's important that a festival handle a film with a certain degree of professionalism and attention to detail. IFFBoston's focus on presenting dynamic, quality films and treating each screening as an event both meets and exceeds those expectations."
- Brad Westcott, Magnolia Pictures
References
{{reflist
External links
IFF Boston website
Film festivals in Boston