The Boston Film Festival is one of America's longest-running, industry-recognized events for films. The 41st program takes place in September and will showcase cutting-edge indie films, top documentaries, shorts, animated films, fall-release studio films, and a new sports category, along with an environmental focus, social impact themes, and wildlife/nature submissions. The Oscar winner for Best Picture, Green Book, premiered on Opening Night at the 2018 festival, and award circuit winner Jojo Rabbit premiered on the festival's 2019 Opening Night. The highly touted film Don't Worry Darling opened the 2022 BFF.

Question & Answer panels with filmmakers and talent follow all live event premieres, in addition to nightly parties hosted by some of the region's top restaurants. Red carpet national press coverage of this exciting five-day event includes the Hollywood trades, entertainment shows, and a wide range of print and electronic media outlets, making the BFF a powerful platform for far-reaching visibility. The Boston Film Festival has a rich history of premiering many of Hollywood's most celebrated and breakout films.

Some of the filmmakers and actors who have participated include Sam Rockwell, Aaron Eckhart, George Clooney, Melissa Leo, Ken Burns, Tony Goldwyn, Chris Evans, Marc Abrahams, Giancarlo Esposito, Mike O'Malley, Ed Burns, Sam Mendes, Jerry Weintraub, Barkhad Abdi, Anne Heche, Bob Yari, John Fusco, Uma Thurman, Dermot Mulroney, Jeremy Piven, Jeff Bridges, and Sir Ridley Scott, among many others.

Luxury accommodations are provided for featured filmmakers and actors. Exhibiting filmmakers enjoy all-access passes to screenings and the opportunity to network at events. Massachusetts is the origin of many of America's best storytellers and actors and is a hotbed of production. Boston provides an ideal setting to showcase a festival of films and television series during the spectacular fall foliage season. The BFF is impassioned about film and dedicated to supporting filmmakers by providing a forum to showcase their artistic vision. The festival is committed to mentoring students from the region's extensive university system annually.

Awards & Prizes

The Boston Film Festival presents awards for the following categories:
Best Film, Best Documentary, Best Short, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Ensemble, Audience Favorite, and the Mass Impact for a film that illuminates social issues and the EcoFilm for a film that advances environmental health. Honors were added in 2022 for Best Short Performances and Best Director (short).

Rules & Terms

Films already in Any VOD platform or For Sale on a streaming platform or any other company, location, etc. will not be accepted.

*Films must have been completed in the current or previous couple of years.

* The applicant holds the sole responsibility of copyright clearance of any copyrighted material in the film.

*Accepted films must be in Blu-Ray or DCP.

*Films not in English must be subtitled in English unleash dialogue is minimal and not necessary for the comprehension of the film.

*Acceptance of a film does not guarantee airline or hotel accommodations for talent or producing crew. The BFF does travel directors/actors for long form but reserves the right to designate attendees.

*The BFF requires the director and at least one actor of feature films to attend the festival to participate in the Q & A and red carpet. Documentary directors must also attend.

*The festival is not responsible for the shipment of the print, within the USA when leaving Boston.

*Some films accepted are press screened. You will be asked to send a link or DVDs for press viewing. The filmmaker and festival will jointly select possible critics and the filmmaker may elect not to provide their film to the press.

*All films are subject to possible reviews though we request it is run through the festival.

*The number of screenings, days and venues is at the sole discretion of the Festival.

*Due to high administrative and shipping costs, submission DVDs, videos and marketing materials will not be returned.

*We will not transfer PAL for viewing -- only forward NTSC format.

*It is cost prohibitive for the festival to insure individual prints. Make sure you have your own insurance.

*All submitted feature films MUST make their New England premiere at the Boston Film Festival to be included in competition. Films ARE allowed to have screened in other regions within the United States and internationally (but not in New England prior to the Boston Film Festival). In addition, films cannot have been previously released in theaters or broadcast on television and streaming platforms before the preceding the Boston Film Festival. Short films are the exception and can screen previously at other New England based festivals.

*Filmmakers will accept the decisions of the film festival including theater venue and position, red carpet, etc. when exhibiting as part of the Boston Film Festival. An overview of the elements set for the premiere will be provided by the festival and a mutual agreement will be signed off on by the BFF and producer.
20 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
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Networking
  • Devon Kelley

    We love The Boston Film Festival!

    February 2025
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  • Martin Guigui

    Wonderful and Inspiring festival, lead by the exemplary Robin Dawson. BFF is all about the passion and vision of Independent Filmmaking. Was an honor to be a part of the 40th anniversary celebration. So grateful.

    December 2024
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  • Kim Smith

    Thank you Boston Film for the world premiere of The Piping Plovers of Moonlight Bay at the stunning Shalin Liu Performance Center. We were deeply honored to participate in the 40th Boston Film Festival, and even more so, to receive the Eco Film Award. Festival Director Robin Dawson and her team create a truly stellar event, showcasing a diverse range of compelling and beautifully crafted films. The BFF provides an opportunity for filmmakers to launch their films with great audiences and the Q and A following each premiere was especially interesting. Their hospitality, social media highlights, and communication could not have been better and was deeply appreciated. Many, many thanks again to Robin Dawson and team BFF for all you do for filmmakers!"

    October 2024
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  • Rafi Jacobs

    We were truly honored to be the Closing Film at the 40th Boston Film Festival. The East Coast Premiere of our feature, MAX DAGAN, played in the stunning, recently renovated, Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport to a lively audience, capped off with a super engaging Q&A. Robin, Sharon, and the entire BFF team were rockstars in their dealings every step of the way - from logistics coordination, securing press ops, social media collabs, and beyond. It was a privilege to screen alongside so many outstanding titles at this iconic fest.

    Nabbing the Best Supporting Actress award was the cherry on top of a magical weekend. Congrats to all the other participating filmmakers and we look forward to our next opportunity in Boston!

    October 2024
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you Rafi and everyone on the Max Dagan team! We were thrilled to include your film in the 40th Boston Film Festival. You, Terre, Lindsey and Zach were a delight. Congrats on a wonderful film!!

  • Ryan Doris

    We had a blast being a part of the Boston Film Festival. Having our short, "Who's There?", featured in one of the strongest and most diverse block of shorts I've seen this season was truly an honor. I'll definitely be submitting again with my next project.

    October 2024
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you for the great review. Our programmers and screening committee work hard to create an entertaining thoughtful program. This is helpful to us and other filmmakers.