Boston Underground Film Festival
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Boston Underground Film Festival is an annual event held in the Boston, Massachusetts area that specializes in alternative film and video. The Boston Underground Film Festival, also known as BUFF, is the only film festival of its kind in New England, spotlighting short films and feature length films that would not otherwise find an audience. It is the only film festival in the world to give an award for "Most Effectively Offensive."
Contents |
[edit] History
Started in 1998, by film professor/curator David Kleiler, BUFF was an extension of an all night film marathon produced by Kleiler and Dima Ballin. The First Annual Boston Underground Film Festival took place in February of 1999 at the now defunct Revolving Museum in South Boston. Described by programmer Bernard Broginart as "a wonderful hoax of a film festival,"[citation needed] the first BUFF was an extremely informal event. Patrons were encouraged to wander from room to room for a single ticket price in the art gallery converted to a cinema. This format was continued for the 2000 festival.
In the years following, BUFF has adopted a more traditional festival format with set screening start times and using actual cinemas and screening rooms. Between 2001 and 2004, BUFF had expanded and contracted with no central location or venue and no set duration or time of year when it would occur. During this period, numerous venues housed BUFF screenings including the Milky Way Lounge in Jamaica Plain, The Allston Cinema Underground (now defunct), The Arlington Regent Theatre and the Brattle Theatre.
In 2005 BUFF centralized its operations, holding its seventh festival at the Somerville Theatre in Davis Square. The 2006 Festival was held primarily at the Brattle Theatre in Harvard Square and a video screening room in Harvard University's Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts. The 2007 festival will also use the Brattle as its primary screening venue.
[edit] The Bacchus Award
Rather than giving cash or trade value prizes for awards, BUFF doles out a trophy in the shape of a demonic black bunny with red eyes. The trophy vibrates when held, much like a Sweedish Erotica device. The Bacchus Award was incorporated into BUFF in its second year and has since become the official "mascot" of the festival, a focal point in poster/logo design and the rationale behind the festival's red/black color scheme. "And the bunny goes to..." is the much anticipated phrase at the award ceremony that closes the festival.
[edit] Notable Films Featured
- I Stand Alone, Gaspar Noe (2001)
- Rejected, Don Hertzfeldt (2001)
- Shucking the Curve, Todd Verow (2001)
- We Sold Our Souls for Rock and Roll, Penelope Spherris (2002)
- Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Doug Miles (2002)
- Zero Day, Ben Coccio (2003)
- Horns and Halos, Galinsky/Hawley (2003)
- Titler, Jonathan Bekemeier/Gregory Roman (2003)
- Dear Pillow, Bryan Poysner (2004)
- Deliverance: The Musical, David Frickas (2004)
- Son of Satan, J.J. Villard (2004)
- Family Portraits: A Trilogy of America, Douglas Buck (2005)
- Graveyard Alive: A Zombie Nurse in Love, Elza Kephart (2005)
- Stryker, Noam Gonick, (2005)
- Ennui, Charles Doran (2005)
- Rick Trembles' Goopy Spasms Live Cartoon Show, Rick Trembles (2005)
- Neighborhood Watch, Graeme Whifler (2006)
- Monsters, Robert Morgan (2006)
- The French Guy, Ann Marie Fleming (2006)
- Psychopathia Sexualis, Brett Wood (2006)
- American Stag, Benjamin Meade (2007)
- Dante's Inferno, Sean Meredith (2007)
- Viva, Anna Biller (2007)
- The Hamster Cage, Larry Kent (2007)
- Roman, Angela Bettis (2007)
[edit] Notable Guests
- Bill Plympton (2003)
- George A. Romero (2004)
- Douglas Buck (2005)
- Ann Marie Fleming (2006)
- Lloyd Kaufman (2006)
- Angela Bettis (2007)
- Lucky McKee (2007)
- Larry Kent (2007)
