Boston Underground Film Festival

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The Boston Underground Film Festival is an annual event held in the Boston, Massachusetts, area that specializes in alternative film and video. The Boston Underground Film Festival, also known as BUFF, is the largest underground film festival in New England, spotlighting short films and feature length films that would not otherwise find an audience. It is the only film festival in the world to give an award for "Most Effectively Offensive."

Boston Underground Film Festival, image © 2007 by Bryan McKay

1 History
2 The Bacchus Award
3 Notable films featured
4 Notable guests
5 An Interview with BUFF Founder David Kleiler
6 References
7 External links

[edit] History

Started in 1998, by film professor/curator David Kleiler, BUFF was an extension of an all night film marathon produced by Kleiler and Dima Ballin. The First Annual Boston Underground Film Festival took place in February of 1999 at the now defunct Revolving Museum in South Boston. Described by programmer Bernard Broginart as "a wonderful hoax of a film festival,"^[1] the first BUFF was an extremely informal event. Patrons were encouraged to wander from room to room for a single ticket price in the art gallery converted to a cinema. This format was continued for the 2000 festival.

In the years following, BUFF has adopted a more traditional festival format with set screening start times and using actual cinemas and screening rooms. Between 2001 and 2004, BUFF had expanded and contracted with no central location or venue and no set duration. The festival took place during the month of February from 1999 to 2002. In 2003, it was moved to October; then to May in 2004. During this period, numerous venues housed BUFF screenings, including the Milky Way Lounge in Jamaica Plain, The Allston Cinema Underground (now defunct), The Arlington Regent Theatre, and the Brattle Theatre.

In 2005 BUFF centralized its operations, holding its seventh festival at the Somerville Theatre in Davis Square in early April. The 2006 Festival was held primarily at the Brattle Theatre in Harvard Square and a video screening room in Harvard University's Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts. The 2007 and 2008 Festivals also used the Brattle as its primary screening venue. The 2006, 2007 and 2008 Festivals were held in late March, where the current directors plan on keeping it. David Kleiler stepped down as festival director after the 2006 festival. Current directors Anna Feder and Kevin Monahan have been managing operations beginning with the 2005 festival.

[edit] The Bacchus Award

Rather than giving cash or trade value prizes for awards, BUFF doles out a trophy, that vibrates when held, in the shape of a demonic black bunny with red eyes. The Bacchus Award was incorporated into BUFF in its second year and has since become the official mascot of the festival, a focal point in poster/logo design, and the rationale behind the festival's red/black color scheme. "And the bunny goes to..." is the much-anticipated phrase at the award ceremony that closes the festival.

BUFF 2006 cover art by Bryan McKay

[edit] Notable films featured

I Stand Alone, Gaspar Noe (2001)
Rejected, Don Hertzfeldt (2001)
Shucking the Curve, Todd Verow (2001)
We Sold Our Souls for Rock 'n Roll, Penelope Spheeris (2001)
Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Doug Miles (2002)
Zero Day, Ben Coccio (2003)
Horns and Halos, Galinsky/Hawley (2003)
Titler, Jonathan Bekemeier/Gregory Roman (2003)
Searching For Mr. Butch, S.G. Collins (2003, encore in 2005)
Dear Pillow, Bryan Poysner (2004)
Deliverance: The Musical, David Frickas (2004)
Son of Satan, J.J. Villard (2004)
Family Portraits: A Trilogy of America, Douglas Buck (2005)
Graveyard Alive: A Zombie Nurse in Love, Elza Kephart (2005)
Stryker, Noam Gonick, (2005)
Ennui, Charles Doran (2005)
Rick Trembles' Goopy Spasms Live Cartoon Show, Rick Trembles (2005)
Neighborhood Watch, Graeme Whifler (2006)
Monsters, Robert Morgan (2006)
The French Guy, Ann Marie Fleming (2006)
Psychopathia Sexualis, Brett Wood (2006)
Twitch, Leah Meyerhoff (2006)
American Stag, Benjamin Meade (2007)
Dante's Inferno, Sean Meredith (2007)
Viva, Anna Biller (2007)
The Hamster Cage, Larry Kent (2007)
Roman, Angela Bettis (2007)
Gary's Touch, Ken Takahashi (2007)
La Belle Bête, Karim Hussain (2008)
The Wizard of Gore, Jeremy Kasten (2008)
Pop Skull, Adam Wingard (2008)
Who Is KK Downey?, Darren Curtis & Pat Kiley (2008)
Otis, Tony Krantz (2008)

[edit] Notable guests

Bill Plympton (2003)
George A. Romero (2004)
Douglas Buck (2005)
Ann Marie Fleming (2006)
Lloyd Kaufman (2006)
Angela Bettis (2007)
Lucky McKee (2007)
Larry Kent (2007)
Karim Hussain (2008)
Jeremy Kasten (2008)
Tony Krantz (2008)

[edit] An Interview with BUFF Founder David Kleiler

Kleiler has found a place for himself in the wonderful world of bizarre, alternative, offensive and at times disturbing films. In our interview, we talked about the year long film project 12 amongest other insightful, and undiscovered movies. Years past, Kleiler has been a regular on A Time to Review discussing the latest happenings with underground filmmaking. Kleiler can be seen on Brookline Studios on a recently taped interview with Executive Producer and Host Daniel Berman.

Kleiler can be seen on Thursdays at 8am then, rebroadcasted at 8pm, Sundays at 8:30pm, and Fridays at 2pm, channel 3. The program is currently airing on Brookline Studios.