“Murina,” directed by Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović and produced by Martin Scorsese, is a suspenseful coming-of-age drama which tells the story of a young woman on the Adriatic coast of Croatia who dives for eels with her father but yearns to leave her island.
The fall showcase will also include director Audrey Diwan’s film “Happening” about a college student seeking an abortion in 1960s France. “I think it’s really important that as many people see it as possible,” said the programming director of the festival, Katherine Irving, who notes that “just being there with the protagonist, in those tight close-ups as she faces the threat of her meltdown”. future, I think it could be a really powerful experience.
The Boston Women’s Film Festival kicked off in 2018.
“We noticed a hole in Boston’s cultural landscape and wanted to elevate women’s stories and women in the industry,” Irving said.
The festival began with a series of feature film screenings at the Brattle Theater and the MFA. Its main event, scheduled for March 2023, has grown to include a short film competition that attracts hundreds of submissions and many young filmmakers,” said festival general manager Jo-Ann Graziano.
Although this year’s fall showcase does not include any shorts, Irving had young filmmakers in mind when selecting films. “I like the idea of making international cinema accessible to Americans who might find it a little intimidating,” she said.
Irving said she hopes by spotlighting award-winning female filmmakers like Hélène Louvart of “Murina” she can encourage women to consider careers on the more technical side of filmmaking.
Cinematography “is a historically macho technical profession,” she said. “I think women on film sets still struggle to feel at home with material; we were brought up to have a mental block, to think – it’s not for you.
Graziano agreed that visual creativity is an important part of the festival’s selection criteria. “Whether [films] aren’t visually interesting, they don’t usually make the cut for us,” she said, adding that it’s “probably one of the strengths of our festival: it’s all about the cinematography and the color.”
In addition to its fall showcase, the Boston Women’s Film Festival will screen a larger selection of films, host its annual short film competition and present its cinematography award next March during Women’s History Month.
Boston Film Festival
Celebrating its 38th year, the annual Boston Film Festival will offer a selection of in-person and virtual screenings September 22-26.
The festival will open with the director Olivia Wilde’s animated thriller “Don’t Worry Darling,” which will screen in person Sept. 22 at the Regal Cinema in Fenway.
The in-person portion of the festival will culminate in the world premiere on September 24 of “The Wind & the Reckoning,” a drama inspired by historical events concerning a leprosy epidemic in Hawaii and tensions between native Hawaiians and government officials. American in the late 1800s. The film will be screened at the festival’s closing gala at the Omni Boston Hotel at the Seaport; director David L. Cunningham and various actors will be present. Prior to the screening, Hawaiian delegates will be greeted by representatives of local tribes, including the Abenaki and Wampanoag.
The festival has also partnered with the Boston Public Library and the Rockport Music Shalin Liu Performance Center to screen three different documentaries for free. “Wild Beauty: Mustang Spirit of the West” is a documentary about the plight of wild horses in the United States and will be screened in Rockport on September 23. ‘The Power of Activism’ follows six Australian environmental activists and ‘The Temptation of Trees’ examines the relationship between caring for forests and mitigating climate change. will show Sept. 24 at the Boston Public Library.
Short films and animated films selected by the festival’s selection committee will also be available for ticket buyers to watch online for the duration of the festival. The Boston Film Festival selection committee includes a number of local students, whose recommendations have sometimes made the difference in whether a film was cut, said festival director Robin Dawson.
“The two things that drive me to do this film festival are the students and the reward of knowing they’re learning,” said Dawson, “and knowing that we’re going to help filmmakers get their creative vision seen.”
BOSTON WOMEN’S FILM FESTIVAL FALL SHOWCASE
September 23-25. bostonwomensfest.org
BOSTON FILM FESTIVAL
September 22-26. bostonfilmfestival.org
Joy Ashford can be contacted at [email protected] Follow them on Twitter @joy_ashford.
