The Easthampton Film Festival is about celebrating the work of up-and-coming filmmakers around the world, with a particular focus on celebrating local talent and themes. Filmmakers are encouraged to attend and participate in talkbacks. Screenings of short films are curated by theme (e.g. documentary, horror, family-friendly).

Located in the heart of Western Massachusetts's Pioneer Valley, Easthampton is home to a thriving community of artists and musicians, as well as an abundance of excellent restaurants, cafés, and breweries.

Scout Film Festival is excited to announce its 2022 Emerging Filmmakers Grants sponsored for the third year by director, writer, and producer Colin Trevorrow, known for the indie film SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED (2012) and the blockbuster hit JURASSIC WORLD.

SUBMISSIONS ARE FREE:  As part of Scout's Career Development Program, in partnership with Visura.co, this open call is an opportunity for two emerging filmmakers to receive $5,000 in cash for the completion of a new short film or work in progress in one of two separate age categories; 18 and Under or 19 to 24. The winner will be announced at this year's Scout Film Festival in Boston, Massachusetts.

The mission of the Grants is to 1) recognize diverse emerging filmmakers aged 24 and under from around the world; 2) support a recently completed short film or work in progress; 3) connect emerging filmmakers with key industry leaders; and, 4) support the next generation of filmmakers worldwide.

DEADLINE: August 19, 2022, at 11:59:00 p.m. EST

Scout is also inviting filmmakers aged 24 and under to submit their short films for an opportunity to be showcased during Scout Film Festival October 27-30 in Boston! The festival recently launched TALL SHORTS, a new category showcasing the work of creators aged 24 and under working in vertical format short content. Through TALL SHORTS, the festival continues to celebrate evolution and innovation in storytelling, style, and craft. Submissions are accepted through FilmFreeway - Submission Deadline July 29. 

The Mystic Film Festival is open for submissions for the 5th festival! The festival will take place from October 20-23. Of particular interest to the festival are films that could premiere at the festival. WIFVNE members receive a 25% discount on film or screenplay submissions. Log in for your WIFVNE Members Only discount code. 

The Roxbury International Film Festival (RoxFilm) will be hosting its 24th festival from Thursday, June 22 – Sunday, July 2, 2022, with options for audiences to enjoy events virtually with RoxFilm@Home. RoxFilm is the largest festival in New England celebrating people of color around the world. The festival presents narrative and documentary features, shorts, animation, experimental and youth films. The festival holds workshops, panel discussions, discussions with filmmakers and networking opportunities. 

RoxFilm will be hybrid this year with in-person screenings taking place at various locations and an additional online component called RoxFilm@Home which is a curated virtual festival for those who prefer to take in the festival from the comfort of their own homes. RoxFilm@Home, the online program, will run from June 27 – July 2, 2022. A complete festival schedule is available on the RoxFilm website.

Two Options for Passes Available:

• In Person Early Bird Passes Available Here
• RoxFilm@Home Virtual Early Bird Passes Available Here

“We are so excited to be bringing RoxFilm back in person and online for our 24th festival,” says RoxFilm Director Lisa Simmons, a WIFVNE Member. “Themes of love, family, community, and resilience pepper the festival complimented by conversations and workshops that focus on the power of Black and Brown voices. We continue to be humbled by the incredible stories these filmmakers have brought to us to share with our audiences.”

RoxFilm will showcase feature-length narrative films, documentaries, shorts and animated films that are fiercely independent. The festival has featured and celebrated both films and filmmakers of color for the past two decades screening over 1,500 films to over 35,000 attendees. RoxFilm will include panel discussions, one-on-one conversations, networking opportunities, filmmaker hangouts and Q&A sessions with filmmakers and special guests. Keeping to their mission, the festival will screen a number of local films and highlight films from Boston Public School students, Lynn’s Raw Arts Program and other student-made films from around the country.

Other RoxFilm programs include the return of the popular outdoor screenings at the MFA, the New England Premiere of the film Triggered Life (recent Las Vegas Black Film Festival award winner) directed by local director John Adekoje and starring award-winning actor Keith Mascoll, a conversation with Topper Carew American film director, screenwriter and producer best known for D.C. Cab and creating the television series Martin, the return of The Daily Read where scripts by RoxFilm alumni will be read by professional local actors, as well as various networking opportunities and industry panel discussions. On June 26, RoxFilm will also be partnering ArtsEmerson’s Shared Stories film series to present the New England Premiere of Anike Tourse’s America’s Family.

About the Roxbury International Film Festival:

The Roxbury International Film Festival (RoxFilm) is a 2019 and 2021 Best of Boston recipient that supports media makers of color and others who have an interest in creating and developing new and diverse images of people of color in film, video and performing arts. The festival collaborates with many arts institutions and organizations whose mission it is to promote and support independent artists and contribute to the creative economy of the Commonwealth. 

Lights, camera, Easthampton!

The Easthampton Film Festival debuts May 26-29, 2022, with screenings of independent films at multiple venues throughout Easthampton, MA. Tickets cost $5 per screening. Tickets must be purchased online in advance. The number of tickets available for each screening is limited, based on each venue’s capacity.

The Easthampton Film Festival showcases the work of up-and-coming filmmakers from around the world (Argentina, Canada, Finland, India, Iran, Spain, Syria, UK), with a particular focus on celebrating regional talent and themes (MA: Belchertown, Feeding Hills, Hadley, Holyoke, Northampton, and Wilbraham, as well as films from CT, ME, NJ, NY, RI, and VT).

This year’s selections represent several genres, including: feature films, shorts, documentary, horror, animation, comedy, drama, and music videos. Some Q & A sessions with filmmakers will follow screenings.

Two WIFVNE Members has their films in the festival!

G is for Gun by Kate Way & Julie Akeret (WIFVNE Member)
A remarkable glimpse into the controversial policy of arming teachers. This visually-rich and engaging film explores a complex, political, and emotionally-fraught issue as one small-town community in Ohio town wrestles with how best to keep their children safe.

All the Marbles by Melissa McClung (WIFVNE Member)
A girl and a magical marble save the world from total destruction.

Details on the screenings and trailers can be found on the EFF website.

Chris Ferry, the festival’s founder and organizer, has produced and participated in making several independent films. He moved to Easthampton from New York City with his family in 2020. Eager to join the thriving artistic community here, he connected with local filmmakers.

(Above:  Joshua Gaestel, Melissa McClung, and Chris Ferry at a recent EFF Presents: talkback)

Calling all filmmakers! Submissions for the EFF23 season will open June 1, 2022; please check EasthamptonFilmFestival.com for details.

From the team that previously brought you the Boston Latino International Film Festival (BLIFF) comes Cinefest Latino Boston, a new and better premiere film festival, founded and led by Boston filmmaker and WIFVNE Member Sabrina Avilés.

Cinefest Latino Boston is committed to using the power of film to break stereotypes, bring cultures and communities together and reveal the complex issues affecting the Latinx community in the United States, as well as communities in Latin America and Spain.

The festival is launching with the same team formerly associated with BLIFF, including Director of Programming Isabel Dávalos. This staff and volunteers earned accolades for their work with BLIFF, including being selected one of the top Hispanic celebration events in the Northeast by AAA and showcasing films that have won Official Selection at Sundance and have been selected as New York Times Critics Picks.

Sabrina Avilés, Executive Director of Cinefest Latino Boston, is committing Cinefest Latino Boston to a year-round effort to showcase the local and domestic Latinx film community, while continuing to offer a premier venue for international films in the U.S.

"The media landscape is growing rapidly, and that growth is encouraging more storytellers to produce their dream film projects and bring them to an audience. Cinefest Latino Boston will continue to give the greater Boston region access to the best of these filmmakers, both local and from around the world," said Executive Director Avilés.

Sabrina Avilés is an award-winning independent filmmaker, whose work has taken her throughout Latin America, Canada and Europe. As a life-long filmmaker, Sabrina was inspired to create a showcase for storytelling talent and has the vision to lead its development. During her 25+ year career, she has worked on many PBS programs, among them the six-hour Peabody award-winning series, Latino Americans. Currently, she is in production for her first feature-length documentary on the city of Chelsea, MA and its response to the pandemic. Sabrina has received grants from ITVS’ Diversity Development Fund, the LEF Foundation, Mass Humanities, Latino Public Broadcasting, and the New England Foundation for the Arts. She was a 2019 LEF Foundation Flaherty Fellow, is a member of the Documentary Producers Alliance and currently serves on the boards of Filmmakers Collaborative and the Massachusetts Production Coalition. Previously, from 2016 to 2021, Sabrina was the Executive Director of the Boston Latino International Film Festival. Born in Washington Heights, Sabrina’s family originates from Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.

The Mystic Film festival, celebrating its 5th year, is “an annual event showcasing independent feature-length and short-form narrative films and documentaries from around the world.” Occurring from October 20-23, 2022, the festival will be held in Mystic, CT and surrounding areas.

Those interested can submit screenplays and films to the following categories:

• Documentary
• Narratives
• Student Films
• Feature Film Screenplays

Submissions are being accepted through June 25, 2022. The Mystic Film Festival Jury will recognize the top films in the competition and award them accordingly including the top winners of the screenplay competition.

If you would like to submit, please visit the festival's submission page on Film Freeway. There you can find additional submission guidelines.

https://filmfreeway.com/MysticFilmFestival 

WIFVNE members receive a discount on submissions, please check your email for details.

Visit the festival’s website for more information at www.mysticfilmfestival.com, or contact Shareen Anderson at shareen@mysticfilmfestival.com or Wendy S. Wilkins at wendy@mysticfilmfestival.com.

Happy filming!

Belmont World Film (BWF) announces the lineup for its 20th International Film Series, running March 25-May 16, 2022, in a hybrid format. BWF features eight of the world’s top films, accompanied by both online and one in-person discussions with filmmakers or expert speakers.

“Last year we showed the East Coast premiere of Lunana, which is now an Oscar nominee for this year’s Best International Feature Film,” says Belmont World Film Executive Director and WIFVNE member Ellen Gitelman. “Audiences will find this year’s films no less appealing, and I wouldn’t be surprised if several of the films we show become their countries’ submissions for the Best International Feature Film Oscar, and perhaps even a nominee.”

Half of this year’s films are directed by women, with six directors making their feature film debuts, alongside two veteran directors: two-time Cannes Film Festival winner Tony Gatlif (Latcho Drom, Exils) and Philippe Le Guay (Women on the Sixth Floor). Films feature such diverse languages as Albanian, Anishinaabemowin (Canadian First Nation language), Italian, Occitan (the language of the Oc people in the south of France), Polish, Romanian, and Spanish. Seven of the eight films are in French from France and Francophone countries, including Belgium, Canada, and Switzerland.

Three films will be shown both online and in person at either the Majestic 7 Cinema in Watertown (81 Arsenal Yards Blvd.) or the West Newton Cinema (1296 Washington Street), four films will be available online only, and the closing night film on Monday, May 16, will only be shown in-person at the Majestic 7 in Watertown. All discussions will take place on Zoom on Mondays at 7:00 PM, except for closing night on May 16, which will take place immediately following the screening. 

Individual in-person tickets are $12. Virtual individual tickets are $14 for a single viewer and $24 for multiple viewers. Several pass combinations are also available: in-person films only (4 films) are $40; online films only (7 films) are $85 for single viewers and $150 for multiple viewers; combo passes, which include 4 in-person films and 4 online films are $90. Memberships, which include complimentary tickets or passports and other benefits, are also available. EBT, WIC, and ConnectorCare cardholder tickets and passes are half price. To purchase tickets and passes, or for more information visit www.belmontworldfilm.org

BWF is funded in part by generous grants from Gravestar, the Mass Cultural Council and the Belmont Cultural Council. It is also supported by the Quebec Delegation of Boston and Villa Albertine.

Covid measures for in-person screenings include proof of vaccination or a negative Covid test within 72 hours of a screening, mask wearing, and social distancing (subject to change, depending on conditions).

Salem Film Fest, now in its fifteenth year, is a leading, award winning international documentary film festival in New England. Screenings in-person will be from March 24 to 27, and streaming March 28 through April 3 via salemfilmfest.com.

SFF includes in-person filmmaker Q&A, free events, and more! The 2022 lineup includes 27 feature-length films, plus 4 blocks of short-length films, from across the globe. Salem Film Fest is a volunteer-run non-profit event focused on bringing the best documentary films and filmmakers to the North Shore community.

IN PERSON SCREENINGS:  From March 24 to March 27, SFF offers 21 feature length documentaries with filmmaker Q&A and 2 blocks of shorts.

STREAMING SCREENINGS: March 28 through April 3, SFF offers 24 feature length documentaries and 4 blocks of shorts plus 3 special events available for streaming anywhere in the United States: 

EVENTS:  SFF offers free events and musical performances March 24 to March 27, including special events with filmmakers. Special events do not require tickets.

TICKETS: Please note all in person tickets will be a first-come, first-served basis and seating capacity will be limited. Tickets cost $10 each; ticket packs are also available.

WIFVNE is a proud sponsor of the Mass Reality Check 

Friday, March 25, 11am-12:30pm

Mass Reality Check is the doc shorts showcase for Massachusetts college and university students and recent graduates. A jury of film industry sponsors bestows the MRC Award with prizes provided by Boris FX and Talamas. Programming staff from SFF and representatives from Documentary Educational Resources and WIFVNE will meet with the winner to give career advice. FILMMAKERS Q&A.

FREE ADMISSION. Cinema Salem, 1 East India Square Mall, Salem, MA
Sponsored by Boris FX, Talamas, Documentary Educational Resources, and Women in Film and Video New England.

For over twenty-one years, the Boston Underground Film Festival has been bringing the finest in vanguard filmmaking from all over the world to New England cinephiles.

BUFF celebrates unconventional stories, idiosyncratic voices, fever dreams, nightmarish visions, and all manner of cinematic forms, in service of an audience ravenous for an annual sensory bacchanalia from beyond the mainstream.

Below is just a sample of the films showing at BUFF.  Check out these films -- all with directors who are female -- and others at the Brattle Theater in Cambridge's Harvard Square from March 23-27:  

Hatching (Finland, 2022, 1h 16m)

Female Director Hanna Bergholm. Synopsis:  A young gymnast who tries desperately to please her demanding mother, discovers a strange egg. She hides it and keeps it warm, but when it hatches, what emerges shocks them all.

Honeycomb (Canada, 2022, 1h 14m)

Female Director and Co-Writer Avalon Fast. Synopsis:  Five girls stray from society on the hunt for something more special...you can find them if you follow the sound. 

Medusa (Brazil, 2021, 2h 7m)

Female Director and Co-Writer Anita Rocha da Silveira and female Co-Writer Érica Sarmet. Synopsis: In order to resist temptation, Mariana and her girlfriends try their best to control everything and everyone around them. However, the day will come when the urge to scream will be stronger than it ever has been.

Neptune Frost (Rwanda & US, 2021, 1h 45m)

Female Co-Director Anisia Uzeyman. Synopsis: An intersex African hacker, a coltan miner and the virtual marvel born as a result of their union.

Watcher (US, 2022; 1h 31m)

Female Director/Co-Writer Chloe Okuno. Synopsis: A young woman moves into a new apartment with her fiancé only to be tormented by the feeling that she is being stalked by an unseen watcher in an adjacent building.