The 19th annual Boston Underground Film Festival returns to Harvard Square to kick off New England’s Spring festival season, bringing with it a smorgasbord of phantasmagoria, dark comedy, thrillers, killers, and chillers to the Brattle Theatre and Harvard Film Archive from March 22nd through the 26th. This year’s schedule boasts an eclectic selection of weird, wonderful programming packed with flavors for cineastes of all tastes!
Bookending this year’s festival of sensory-melting bliss are 2016 TIFF Midnight Madness juggernaut Prevenge and ferocious feminist satire Bitch, on the heels of its 2017 Sundance world premiere. Veteran actress, co-writer of 2012’s Sightseers, and first-time director/writer/star Alice Lowe’s bloody British baby bump (off) slasher comedy Prevenge appropriately births BUFF’s five days of cinemania and cinemonstronsity when it splatters the Brattle Theatre screen Wednesday March 22nd, fresh from its SXSW 2017 screening. And closing out this year’s filmic feast is filmmaking triple-threat director/writer/actor Marianna Palka’s delightfully disturbing dive into dissociative doggone delirium, Bitch.
Bubbling up from down-under, also coming to Boston fresh from SXSW 2017, is not-to-be-missed Aussie crime thriller Hounds of Love, a masterful feat of tension, terror, and restraint from Perth-based, wildly talented first-time feature filmmaker Ben Young. In stark contrast to some of BUFF’s darker fare, prepare to meet your new obsession with first-time filmmaker Bill Watterson’s Slamdance 2017 standout Dave Made a Maze, which will beguile and a-maze with its hilarious odyssey through one man’s intricately crafted, booby trapped, livingroom box fort labyrinth; awe-inspiring stop-motion animation and strong lulz await.
BUFF alum Steven Kostanski & co-directing partner Jeremy Gillespie, both of Astron-6 fame, are coming to Boston, bringing with them their moody, atmospheric, tentacular modern horror masterpiece The Void. Speaking of creatures, BUFF is beyond thrilled to welcome legendary creature creator and make-up effects maestro Gabe Bartalos, who will present his phantasmagorific nightmare Saint Bernard for the first time ever to a North American audience.
BUFF is psyched beyond belief to be hosting the East Coast Premiere of 68 Kill from mad genius Trent Haaga, director of BUFF’s 2011 Director’s Choice Award-winner Chop and writer of 2013’s Cheap Thrills & 2008’s Deadgirl. Haaga’s highly anticipated punk rock heist film unites BUFF regulars AnnaLynne McCord & Matthew Gray Gubler in the ultimate highway to hell road film. Additional beloved BUFF alumni will be in attendance with fresh cuts this year, including multi-award-winning, Massachusetts-based horror filmmaker Skip Shea, who unveils his deeply personal first feature, Trinity, to a hometown audience.
As usual, we’ll have: Our kid-friendly annual Saturday Morning Cartoons program with cereal smorgasbord, programmed by renowned curator, author, and Monster Fest Festival Director Kier-La Janisse; a veritable bounty of shorts programming celebrating fantastic music videos, animation, transgressive horror; and more! So. Much. More!
Individual screening ticket prices vary and will be available online and at the Brattle Theatre box office on the day of screening. Festival passes, which include admission to all films and parties, are available at a significantly reduced rate through BUFF’s ongoing Kickstarter through March 17th. Passes, thereafter, will be available for $180 at www.bostonunderground.org/tickets.
Festival Passes & Ticket Package Presales are available through Kickstarter until March 17th: bit.ly/KickstartBUFF19
