Boston Independent Film Festival Returns For Successful Second Year!
Boston Independent Film Festival, orchestrated by Boston College’s Media Department in collaboration with the Savoy Cinema, shone a spotlight on the exceptional filmmaking talent thriving within the local community. Showcasing a curated selection of 19 films on the big screen, the festival provided a platform for emerging talent to captivate audiences and impress industry professionals in attendance.
Returning for its second year, the film festival expanded its programme over 2-days, with a showing of the classic war movie, ‘One of Our Aircraft is Missing’, which features scenes filmed in Boston and welcomed guest filmmakers from Middlesex University to showcase their own submissions within an earlier screening.
Boston College’s Film and Media Studies Lecturer, Dan Thompson said, “I had the privilege of overseeing the organisation of this year’s film festival, working closely with our guest filmmakers Middlesex University and hosts Savoy Cinema. I am immensely proud of the dedication and creativity exhibited by our students – each film reflects the unique voices and perspectives of its creator, demonstrating their hard work and passion, as well as their eagerness to engage with the local community.”
During the sold-out film festival finale event, the audience felt a wave of emotion as the fantastic selection of short films demonstrated a diverse array of genres including sci-fi, noir, comedy, drama, period films, and action. As part of the event, the student films were judged by a panel of creative industry experts including Claire Foster, Boston College Principal and CEO; Tom Hughes, Boston College Assistant Principal; Peter Blumer, Bauer Media Head of Video; David Heinemann, Middlesex University Senior Film Lecturer, and Alistair Hastings, Duckworth Motor Group Marketing Executive. After the judges scores were counted, an award ceremony took place with awards presented to:
- Aleksandra Gdula, ‘Ophelia’ – Best Cinematography
- Isaac Wale, ‘A Look Into The Past’ – Ambition Award
- Ellis Harrell, ‘Unsheathe’ – Best Editing
- Michael Upsall, ‘Tempus’ – Best Performance
- Keegan Nuttell-Cartwright, ‘To Die with Grace’ – Best Writing.
Benjamin Tiffen was announced as the Overall winner for his film ‘The White Dahlia’.
Speaking of the event, Claire Foster said, “I was thrilled to witness the astonishing talent showcased at this year’s film festival. I am incredibly proud of the students’ achievements, as their work not only wowed industry experts but also set a new benchmark for excellence. The diversity and high standards of the entries made judging a truly difficult task, highlighting the impressive calibre of our emerging filmmakers”.
Well done to all winners and students involved, and sincere thanks to everyone who helped to make the event such a huge success! All of this year’s entries can be viewed on the Creative Arts Channel.
For more information on Boston College’s Media and Film courses, available up to degree level, click here.
Many thanks to Boston College University Level Student, Bernice Bradley Photography, for capturing these photos of the event.