Boston Film Festival Guide

Where to find Boston film festivals, nearby hotels, film schools

Use this Boston Film Festival Guide to find more than a dozen annual film festivals held in Boston throughout the year, plus the most convenient hotels if you're visiting from out of town.

If you're really addicted to movies, check out our list of excellent film schools in Boston where you can learn to make your own.

Boston Film Festival - Bogart Mural in Casablanca Restaurant in Cambridge

Famous movie scene mural at Casablanca, next to Harvard Square's Brattle Street Theatre,
venue for several Boston film festivals

Boston Film Festival Guide by Month

Some of these Boston film festivals attract large crowds and boast an international reputation, such as the Boston Underground Film Festival, the Boston Film Festival, and the Boston International Film Festival. Others draw smaller numbers of equally enthusiastic fans.

Most film festivals in Boston allow you to buy single tickets, or choose passes or packages good for multiple days and events. Even bigger savings may be available through Goldstar.

Festival venues include regular Boston movie theaters, colleges and universities, Boston museums, and even the grassy expanse of the Boston Esplanade. Most of these film festivals include additional events such as panel discussions, workshops, and social events.

Boston Film Festivals in February

Russian Short Film Festival

Only 1 day (after all, the films are short!) of Russian Films

Venue: Modern Theatre at Suffolk University, 525 Washington St, Boston
Hotels near the Modern Theatre in Boston: Theatre District Hotels

Boston Sci-Fi Film Festival

10 days of sci-fi movies and videos, including "The 'Thon"

Venue: Somerville Theatre, Davis Square, Somerville (short walk from Cambridge or go to the Davis T stop on the Red Line of Boston's subway)
Hotels near the Boston Sci-Fi Film Festival - None - but you'll find plenty of choices 3 minutes away (by T) near the Harvard Square T stop - check out these hotels near Harvard Square


Inn at Harvard	Charles Hotel	Harvard Square Hotel

More hotels near the Boston Sci-Fi Film Festival

Boston Film Festivals in March

Boston Underground Film Festival

8 days of experimental films, indie films, alternative vision films

Venue: Museum of Fine Arts, 465 Huntington Ave, Boston's Fenway neighborhood
Hotels near MIT in Cambridge:
- Boston Marriott Cambridge Rates | Reviews
- Residence Inn Boston/Cambridge Rates | Reviews
- The Kendall Hotel Rates | Reviews

Check the Boston Event Calendar for March for exact dates and times for the Boston Underground Film Festival

Boston Irish Film Festival

4 days of Irish cinema

Venue: Museum of Fine Arts, 465 Huntington Ave, Boston's Fenway neighborhood

Check the Boston Event Calendar for March for exact dates and times for the Boston Irish Film Festival

Boston Francophone Film Festival

Recent films from all over the French-speaking world.

Venue: Museum of Fine Arts, 465 Huntington Ave, Boston's Fenway neighborhood
Hotels near the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston:


Colonnade Hotel	Inn@St Botolph	Copley Square Hotel	Lenox Hotel

Note: The Boston Francophone Film Festival does not appear to be on MFA's schedule for 2012. As an alternative, check out MFA's Friday Night Films for March 2012.

Boston Turkish Film and Music Festival

Approximately 16 films shown over the course of 5 weeks, including many U.S. premiers.

Venue: Museum of Fine Arts, 465 Huntington Ave, Boston's Fenway neighborhood
Where to Stay: Hotels near the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston

Check the Boston Event Calendar for March for exact dates and times for the Boston Turkish Film and Music Festival

Boston Film Festivals in April

Boston International Film Festival

10-day festival screening the best local and international experimental and independent films.

Venue: Loews Boston Common Theater, 175 Tremont Street
Where to stay: Hotels near the Boston International Film Festival

Independent Film Festival of Boston

This 8-day film festival features indie films from around the world, plus lots of panels and parties, and attracts art house fans from Boston as well as across the U.S.

Venues: Somerville Theatre, Davis Square, Somerville (Red Line/Davis Station on the T, Boston's subway - only about 2 minutes from Harvard Square, Cambridge); Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline; Brattle Theatre in Harvard Square, Cambridge
Where to stay: Hotels near Harvard Square

Go on a Boston Movie Tour


Boston Movie Tours	Whale Watching Tours	Ghosts Tours	More Boston Tours

Boston Film Festivals in May

Boston LGBT Film Festival at the MFA

Almost 2 weeks long, the LGBT Film Festival screens a wide selection of LGBT movies and videos from around the world.

Venue: Museum of Fine Arts, 465 Huntington Ave, Boston's Fenway neighborhood
Where to Stay: Hotels near the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston

Boston Film Festivals in June

Free Friday Flicks at the Esplanade

Family classics every Friday under the stars on Boston's Esplanade - June - August.

Venue: Boston's Esplanade
Where to Stay:

Boston Hotels near the Esplanade


Liberty Hotel	Taj Boston	Beacon Hill Hotel	Charlesmark Hotel

More hotels in Boston's Back Bay neighborhood

Boston Film Festivals in July

Magic 106.7 Film Festival

Family favorites every Saturday during July and August

Venue: Museum of Fine Arts, 465 Huntington Ave, Boston's Fenway neighborhood

Roxbury International Film Festivals

This 4-day film festival features films written, acted, produced, and directed by filmmakers from around the world with African roots.

Venue: Museum of Fine Arts, Massachusetts College of Art, Wentworth Institute, Northeastern University, Roxbury Center for the Arts, Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline

Annual Boston French Film Festival

Spanning 2 weeks, this annual film festival showcases contemporary French films.

Venue: Museum of Fine Arts, 465 Huntington Ave, Boston's Fenway neighborhood

Best area to stay for all of the July Film Festivals: Hotels near the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston

Find out how to get discounts of 50% or more for Boston Film Festivals

Boston Film Festivals in August

Films at the Gate

Free Chinese Film Festival in Chinatown.

Venue: Rose Kennedy Greenway, next to the the Chinatown Gate to Essex Street
Where to stay:

Top Choices for Boston Chinatown hotels


Ritz Carlton	W Boston	Hyatt Regency	Courtyard Tremont

Boston Film Festivals in September

Boston Film Festival

Highly regarded among actors, filmmakers, and film enthusiasts - world premiers, plus lots of question and answer sessions, discussions, and receptions.

Venue: Stuart Street Playhouse in the Radisson Hotel in Bay Village
Where to Stay: Hotels near the Stuart Street Playhouse or Boston Chinatown hotels

Boston Film Festivals in November

Boston Latino International Film Festival

Four exciting days of dozens of international Latino films, receptions, and special events, along with the participation of 15 well-known local, national, and international directors.

Venue: David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies at Harvard University in Cambridge (1730 Cambridge Street), and other screening venues near Harvard
Where to stay: Hotels near Harvard Square

Boston Jewish Film Festival

The best in Jewish-themed films - typically features 30+ films and shorts..

Venue: Museum of Fine Arts, 465 Huntington Ave, Boston's Fenway neighborhood, and Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline
Where to Stay: Hotels near the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston

How to Get Discounts for Boston Film Festivals

- See if the film festival offers blocks of tickets or package deals - always cheaper than buying single tickets!

- Get on Goldstar Event's mailing list (free sign up) or check their website periodically to look for movie discount ticket deals - typical savings of about 50% mean you'll get half-price tickets! Not all festivals list their tickets with Goldstar - but it's always worth a look.

- If you're a student, check the film festival's website for student discount prices - ditto if you qualify for senior savings.

Top Film Schools in Boston

Hooked on films and want to make your own?

Because of our 60+ universities and colleges in Boston, we have some of the best film schools and programs in the United States.

If you are planning a film making career and want to get a head start, find out how these top Boston film schools and programs can help you in your profession.

Emerson College Film and Video Programs

Widely regarded as one of the best film schools in America and internationally famous for its communications, media, journalism, and broadcast programs, Emerson College offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in film and video in its Visual and Media Arts Department. Study with top faculty and future stars, use Emerson's state-of-the-art equipment, network with Emerson College alumni in the entertainment industry. More about Emerson College

Boston University's Center for Digital Imaging Arts

Boston University's film school, Center for Digital Imaging Arts in Waltham Massachusetts (and Washington DC), offers a certificate program in Digital Filmmaking taught by professionals in the field. Full-time and part-time formats focus on pre-production, production, and post-production to give you career-oriented training. More about BU's Center for Digital Imaging Arts

New York Film Academy's Film Workshops at Harvard University

New York Film Academy holds summer workshops on the Harvard University campus each summer in Cambridge, Massachusetts, just across the Charles River from Boston. The full-time workshops include classes and film-making opportunities throughout the Boston and Cambridge area. More about the New York Film Academy

Massachusetts College of Art and Design

Massachusetts College of Art and Design - known locally as "MassArt" - offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in film and video taught by top-notch faculty, and provides a wide array of equipment for students to use. MassArt's film/video program features weekly screenings of an eclectic mix of films and videos, and usually an opportunity for discussion with the filmmaker. More about MassArt

Making Your Own Film?

Boston has its share of famous film makers and screenwriters who got their start in local venues - including some interesting beginnings: Mark Walhberg (rapped under the name "Marky Mark," modeled Calvin Klein underwear on giant billboards displayed all over Boston), Matt Damon (started acting while attending Cambridge Rindge and Latin), and Tommy Lee Jones (star football player at Harvard).

If you're planning to make your own films some day, here are a few sources for film grants to check out to speed your journey.

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