The weekend is only half over folks, and the wonderful crazies that bring us the 13th annual Independent Film Festival Boston have a TON of great features and shorts planned for all day today! Some of the biggest and best films yet are showing today, including three Toronto Film Festival favorites as well as a couple others from other major festivals, and a live appearance by Stephen Tobolowsky at his film The Primary Instinct, plus a lot more.
I want to take a second to thank the people in charge at IFFB this year for a great festival! Headed up by Brian Tamm, Nancy Campbell, and Judy Wong, and their dozens of volunteers, they all make this one of the best festivals in the area. You’ll see them running around quite often connecting and coordinating at the Somerville and Brattle theaters, so if you get a chance and you see them, be sure to stop a second and say “Thanks!” as they pass by (don’t stop them – they’re BUSY! Heh heh). And do the same for all the great people who help out each year, passing out and collecting film ballots, checking people in, running the merch stand and more! WE LOVE YOU GUYS!!
Onto todays schedule – it’s a doozy! I’ve changed up the format, listing each particular cinema and its fare. Due to prior commitments, we unfortunately have to sit both today and tomorrow out, which sucks, because there are several films both days I’ve been dying to check out – hopefully I’ll get to see them soon through the kindness of publicists and promoters…heh heh heh.. Films that are sold out in advance indicate “Rush tickets only”, which means you’ll have to stand in line for the few tickets that might be available at screening time. As always, descriptions come directly from the official IFFB writeup on their website, which you can find at http://iffboston.org.
SOMERVILLE THEATRE
Somerville 1
12:30 PM – I Am What I Play
A documentary about the heyday of rock radio DJs, featuring Charles Laquidara, Meg Griffin, Pat O’Day, and David Marsden.
3:30 PM – Bounce: How The Ball Taught The World To Play
A journey across continents and centuries to explore our universal obsession with the ball. Screening Supported by The Boston Book Festival.
7:30 PM – Primary Instinct
A One Man show with Stephen Tobolowsky.
Somerville 2
12:45 PM – Barge
Misfits on dry land find purpose and direction 28 days at a time as the crew of a towboat headed for New Orleans.
3:00 PM – 61 Bullets (encore – Rush tickets only)
Senator Huey Long and his alleged assassin Dr. Carl Weiss die in a hail of bullets. 79 years later, their families search for closure.
5:30 PM – Funny Bunny
A serious comedy about a hapless anti-childhood obesity crusader and a maternally neglected trustfunder who bond as they vie for the heart of a troubled animal activist.
5:15 PM – Rolling Papers
An irreverent and incisive year-one look at the emerging world of cannabis legalization through the eyes of the world’s first marijuana editor at The Denver Post.
Somerville 3
1:00 PM – Shorts program I – Documentary
3:15 PM – Bob And The Trees
Bob, a 50-year-old logger in rural Massachusetts with a soft spot for golf and gangsta rap, is struggling to make ends meet in a changed economy. When his beloved cow is wounded and a job goes awry, Bob begins to heed the instincts of his ever-darkening self.
5:45 PM – King Georges
Renowned French chef Georges Perrier runs Le Bec-Fin, arguably the finest French restaurant in the US. Can he adapt his cuisine to America’s ever-evolving tastes?
8:30 PM – The Keeping Room
Three young women in the Old South must fight to protect their farm from two Union soldiers during the American Civil War. Starring Brit Marling (ANOTHER EARTH, IFFBoston 2011) and Hailee Steinfeld (TRUE GRIT).
Somerville 4 – all shorts all the time
12:15 PM – Program A – Narrative
3:00 PM – Program J – Documentary (Rush tickets only)
6:45 PM – Program D – Narrative (Rush tickets only)
8:30 PM – Program G – Documentary
Somerville 5
12:30 PM – In Transit (Rush tickets Only)
Journey into the hearts and minds of passengers aboard the Empire Builder, America’s busiest long-distance train route. Directed by Albert Maysles, Lynn True, Nelson Walker, Ben Wu & David Usui.
3:15 PM – Made In Japan
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.
6:00 PM – Finders Keepers (encore)
A true story of fame, addiction and a custody battle over a man’s leg. Screening Supported by The DocYard
8:45 PM – Sunshine Superman
A heart-racing portrait of Carl Boenish, the father of the BASE jumping movement.
Somerville MicroCinema
12:00 PM – PANEL: Divide and Conquer: The Unique Producer/Director Parnership
3:00 PM – PANEL: Reporting vs Representing: Responsiblity in Non Fiction Films
Brattle Theatre, Cambridge
1:00 PM – Chinese Mayor
Controversial Mayor Geng Yanbo is demolishing one of the world’s dirtiest cities to recreate its glorious past.
3:30 PM – A Brilliant Young Mind
A socially awkward teenage math prodigy develops new friendship and confidence when he lands a spot at the International Mathematics Olympiad.
6:00 PM – The Look Of Silence
Joshua Oppenheimer’s powerful companion piece to the Oscar-nominated THE ACT OF KILLING (IFFBoston 2013). Screening Supported by The DocYard
8:45 PM – Theory of Obscurity: A Film About The Residents
Explores the history and fandom surrounding the famously-reclusive art-band, iconic for their eyeball helmets and renowned for their anonymity.
And this isn’t it, either folks! IFFB continues for three more days, with a huge lineup on Monday, two spectacular films on Tuesday, and, to close everything up in a nice neat package for another year, this year’s Sundance Grand Jury AND Audience Award winner on Closing Night Wednesday…so stay tuned, and don’t forget to tell your friends that eCinemaBoston has ALL the best coverage of IFFB ’15!