Independent Film Festival Boston

Independent Film Festival Boston

Also known as: IFFBoston
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Independent Film Festival Boston (IFFBoston) presents local, national and international independent films each spring in theatres across Greater Boston, including the Somerville Theatre in Davis Square, the Brattle Theatre and the Coolidge Corner Theatre. The selection spans narrative and documentary features, short films, animation and experimental work, and a film may not have had a formal premiere in Massachusetts before the festival. Juries give Grand and Special Jury Prizes in four competition categories, audiences vote for their own awards, and documentary editing is recognised with the Karen Schmeer Award.

Founded in 2003, IFFBoston is a volunteer-run nonprofit; beyond the spring festival it presents the autumn Fall Focus programme at the Brattle and screenings throughout the year. The dates for the 2027 edition are 28 April – 5 May 2027.

Country

United States (USA)

Categories

Animation, Documentary, Experimental, Feature, Short, Student

Dates

28 April 2027 — 5 May 2027

Awards and prizes

Films in competition are judged by juries of industry professionals; audience awards are decided by public ballots after each screening. Grand Jury Prize: Narrative Feature, Documentary Feature, Narrative Short, Documentary Short Special Jury Prize: Narrative Feature, Documentary Feature, Narrative Short, Documentary Short Audience Award: Narrative Feature, Documentary Feature, Narrative Short, Documentary Short Karen Schmeer Award for Excellence in Documentary Editing

Festival rules

All genres are eligible. Films must be recently completed (the cut-off date is set for each edition). A film may not be considered if it has had a formal premiere in Massachusetts before the festival, and accepted films may not screen in Massachusetts between acceptance and their IFFBoston screening. Shorts run under 30 minutes; features run 31 to 140 minutes. Foreign-language films must have English subtitles. Works in progress must be at least 95% complete at the submission deadline. Submission categories: documentary feature, narrative feature, narrative short, documentary short and Massachusetts student short; the student fee requires proof of student status. Accepted films are exhibited from DCP (35mm is possible for features by prior arrangement); Blu-ray and DVD are not accepted as exhibition formats. The festival may screen an accepted film two or three times and use clips and trailers for promotion.

Contacts

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