Boston Film Festival Questions and Answers

For 36 years the Boston Film Festival has attracted filmmakers and aspiring artists as well as film enthusiasts from throughout New England as well as around the world to The City. Over the years, new film categories have been added, awards presented, and additional festival events and attractions have evolved to make the Boston Film Festival one of the City’s most desirable events. If you’ve got questions about the Boston Film Festival, we’ve got the answers!

What is the History of the Boston Film Festival?

The Boston Film Festival originated 36 years ago, the very first festival being held in 1984. The annual festival typically takes place in September and has long been known to premier some of Hollywood’s most notable films. 

What Awards are Presented at the Boston Film Festival?

Awards are presented in various categories for the top contenders. At the most recent Boston Film Festival, awards were provided for Best Film, Fest Documentary, Best Short, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Ensemble, Audience Favorite, Mass Impact, and EcoFilm.

What are the Submission Rules?

Submitting to the Boston Film Festival requires acceptance of several rules and terms. These rules may vary with the next Boston Film Festival, but recent details on submissions can be found at Film Freeway.

Common rules such as the completion date, formats, and ownership of copyright represent a few of the important agreements that filmmakers must be aware of prior to submitting.

Submitted films must make their New England premiere at the Boston Film Festival in order to be included in the competition although they may be screened in other areas or religious of the United States so long as they have not been viewed in New England prior to the festival.

Additionally, films may not have already been released in theaters or have been broadcast on television prior to the Boston Film Festival.

What Activities Occur at the Boston Film Festival?

If you’re thinking about attending the next Boston Film Festival, you may be wondering what kind of activities or attractions to expect.

The festival features various events each year, but in past years some of the most notable attractions in addition to premieres of the industry’s top films from New England as well as from many other areas of the world, audience’s also enjoyed first-hand access to filmmakers and insight into the filmmaking process.

Each year, live Q&A sessions with the Director and Talent take place after each screening.

This represents an engaging opportunity for the audience to get intimate questions answered about the film including first-hand accounts of the filmmaking process as well as insight into the emotions and history of those that worked on the set.

It’s a unique opportunity that audience members really enjoy.

What Does it Cost?

Submissions to the Boston Film Festival have varied costs or entry fees which change with each year. Visit the Boston Film Festival website in advance of the next scheduled event in September to get information on submission entry fees.

For those wishing to attend a screening, entry tickets are typically under $15 and virtual screenings are free.