BWFF is back again for 2021! We’ll be holding our first in-person screening for our special opening night screening of FANNY: THE RIGHT TO ROCK with director Bobbi Jo Hart and June Millington, from Fanny, in attendance! Tickets are on sale now at the Brattle!
The rest of our festival will be virtual with some great features and lots of short films!
We are pleased to announce that submissions for our upcoming festival in October, 2021 are now open through Film Freeway! Click though to submit your film!
We are happy to announce our dates for the fall 2021 Boston Women’s Film Festival. The fourth edition of the festival will run from October 7th to the 17th. Submissions will be opening soon and information will be posted here. We look forward to seeing you all again in October. We don’t know if we will be live or virtual but either way we will be bringing you the best in contemporary films directed by women.
The 2020 Boston Women’s Film Festival is almost here. We’ll be announcing the program in the next couple of days. Ticket passes will go on sale Wednesday, Sept 30th. Individual film tickets will be made available shortly after that.
Pricing for tickets:
$10 individual
$25 Three Film Pack
$85 Full Festival Pass
Stay tuned to our social media for updates and information about the festival.
Black Women’s Health Imperative
Black Trans Femmes in the Arts
Black Artists and Designers Guild
When we talk about Black Lives Matter, too often the black LGBTQ+ community is left out of the conversation and specifically Black Transgender Women do not receive adequate representation or credit for their work in the fight against injustice. Activism has long been a movement lead by black transgender persons and members of the LGBTQ+ community, therefore, inclusivity is key in enacting real change for all black lives in America. When you say, “Black Lives Matter” remember that it includes Black Women’s Lives, Black LGBTQ+ Lives, Black Disabled Lives, Black Mentally Ill Lives
Today we want to shed light on the story of Marsha P. Johnson, a black trans woman who was at the forefront of the gay liberation movement, economic and racial justice, and aids activism for over thirty years. She is the reason gay rights are where they are today.
The story begins long before the Stonewall riots of 1969, the catalyst for the Gay Rights movement in the United States and worldwide. At this time in American history there were several discriminatory laws against the LGBTQ+ community preventing them from exercising their freedoms. On June 28th, 1969 the NYPD raided the Stonewall Inn, a prominent Gay Club and safe haven in Greenwich Village in New York City. As the police profiled patrons, harassed, sexually assaulted and beat them; members of the community could no longer stand silent, watching in horror as their fellow community members were being treated with such disrespect and brutality.
Marsha P. Johnson along with Sylvia Rivera, another prominent transgender activist in the movement, were among the first to resist the police on this day. This sparked a 6-day riot on Christopher street and the surrounding neighborhood. This was the unifying event that members of the LGBTQ+ community needed in order to unify and band together to fight a common cause. A year later, on the anniversary of the riots, thousands of people gathered to march from the Stonewall Inn to Central Park. It was called “Christopher Street Liberation Day,” and it is recognized now as America’s first gay pride parade. At the front of this march, was none other than Marsha P. Johnson.
Along with Sylvia Rivera, Marsha P. Johnson went on to found the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries or STAR; one of the first organizations dedicated to help homeless young drag queens and trans women of color. Several other Gay rights organizations were created in the wake of Stonewall such as the Gay Rights Liberation Front, GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation), PFLAG (Parents, Family & Friends of Lesbian and Gays).
Although her legacy is one to be celebrated, we must never forget the tragedy of her death.
On July 6th, 1992 off the West Village Pier, Johnson’s body was found drowned in the Hudson river. The investigation of her death was quickly closed with police ruling her death as “suicide” despite close friends and community members urging that she was not suicidal and demands for her case to be further investigated. Her case remained closed.
Reopened in 2012, not by law enforcement but by Victoria Cruz, a crime victim advocate from the New York City Anti-Violence Project (AVP). Justice has not yet been brought for Johnson, the truth has not been uncovered, and the ones that are searching for it are everyday citizens.
This story is all too familiar in America’s history. Even with video evidence of police brutality, murders and lynchings, it is extremely difficult for justice to be brought for the victims. In the case of black transgender women, uprisings and protests in their names are few. This time around more and more people are speaking out for inclusivity within the movement, and just last weekend the people of New York, 15,000 of them, marched in the Brooklyn in the name of trans lives. This in response to the violent killings of two black trans women whose bodies were found within 24 hours of each other, Riah Milton and Dominique “Rem’Mie” Fells.
We are here to say that every Black life matters, regardless of their gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, etc. We must not push black trans women to the side during this movement. We must not forget those who have lost their lives speaking for their right to be who they are and who have brought us to where we are now in this fight for equality.
Marsha P. Johnson.
Say her name.
To celebrate her life this Juneteenth, watch Happy Birthday Marsha! A short film about our Queen MPJ directed by Sasha Wortzel and Tourmaline. Free with AmazonPrime subscription
As a non-profit organization, the Boston Women’s Film Festival vows to do what we can to amplify the voices of the Black Lives Matter movement. We recognize that as a part of the Boston community we cannot be silent in these times, and we intend to use our platform to inform our audience on the issues that have been made apparent in the wake of George Floyd’s killing. We will be providing lists of organizations that are in support of the Black Lives Matter Movement as well as organizations that are working to assist those who have been affected by systemic oppression and police brutality.
As a film festival focused on bringing forth the stories of women as told by women, in the next weeks we will have a focus on sharing the films created by Black women, an even larger marginalized group in film and media. Ava DuVernay said, “Time will tell...whether folks want to point and stare at the black woman filmmaker who made a certain kind of film, and pat her on the back, or if they want to actually roll up the sleeves and do a little bit of work so that there can be more of me coming through.”
We see now more than ever, that fostering a space that is inclusive to black women is imperative in the fight for racial justice and we vow to continue to feature films directed, written and starring black women. Their stories deserve the spotlight and we are here to give it to them!
The Team at BWFF
Black Trans Femmes in the Arts
Black Artists and Designers Guild
The Brattle’s festival line-up is coming together with films from all over the globe. Passes on sale now for the this year’s festival.
The complete festival schedule will be announced next week.
The Awakening of the Ants – Isabel is a 28-year-old seamstress. She is a good mother, wife and daughter-in-law and she teaches that to her daughters. Her family insists she should have another child, a boy, and this pressure awakens her to a progressive, silent, and unavoidable rebellion.
Watch Trailer
Blowin’ Up – Working within a broken criminal justice system, a team of rebel heroines work to change the way women arrested for prostitution are prosecuted. With intimate camerawork that lingers on details and brings the Queens criminal courtroom to life, BLOWIN’ UP celebrates acts of steadfast defiance, even as it reveals the hurdles these women must face.
Watch Trailer
Endzeit – Carolina Hellsgård’s chilling second feature follows two women fighting for their lives in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by zombies — a future Hellsgård presents as both horrific and hopeful.
With women in every major creative role, ENDZEIT is a different kind of zombie movie.
Watch Trailer
Good Posture – Dolly Wells’ first feature starring Grace Van Patten and Emily Mortimer.
Watch trailer
The Remix: Hip Hop X Fashion – As hip hop music was taking off in the late 80s and 90s, associated fashion trends and styles were also making their voice heard. And both were largely dominated by men. But as the voices of Mary J. Blige, Missy Elliot, and Lil’ Kim grew louder, so too did the influence of their female designers and stylists working behind the scenes.
Watch Trailer
The Two Faces of a Bamileke Woman – filmmaker Rosine Mbakam left Cameroon at 27 to live in Belgium. Seven years later—having studied film and married a European—she returns, accompanied by her son. Motivated by a desire to better understand her past and the place she grew up, Rosine is nonetheless surprised by the revelations her mother and other women make in startlingly intimate conversations.
Watch Trailer
The Boston Women's Film Festival is offering all-access passes this year.
Individual passes are $125, and a Dual pass is $200. The festival will be held at The Brattle Theatre and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston September 26 - 29. Passes provide you access to all films at both the Brattle and the MFA, as well as to the festival parties.
Limited availability.
We’re happy to announce that the second annual Boston Women’s Film Festival will be taking place September 26th to the 29th, 2019.
We’ll be back at the Brattle Theatre and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston!
Stay tuned for more details.
We are proud to be co-presenting the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston’s screenings series “Ida Lupino at 100!”
We have confirmed guests for the festival! Kate Webber of KIM SWIMS and Madeline Olnek of WILD NIGHTS WITH EMILY will be in attendance! Both films will have a Q&A following the film!
Before the film, local artist Lani Asuncion will perform her piece BLOODLESS on the stage of the Remis Auditorium. Like Narcissister, Asuncion frequently explores her heritage and intersectional identity in her work. BLOODLESS is about what lead to the annexation of the nation of Hawai’i in 1893, when Queen Lili’uokalani stepped down from power to allow the American sugar planters under Sanford Ballard Dole (currently known as Dole Food Company) backed by the U.S. military to establish a new provincial government with Dole as president. Asuncion’s father was born and raised on one of these implemented sugar plantations, and this connection has influenced her life and work.
We are pleased to announce our entire schedule and all ticketing is live!
Click through the ticket link buttons to the venue's page. You'll be able to purchase tickets to all screenings!
We are so excited to be co-presenting women's directed films that are screening as part of the Boston Jewish Film Festival's Summer Cinematheque! Check out their schedule here
We're honored to be co-presenting several screenings as part of the annual Boston French Film Festival! Come and see films by some of our favorite French filmmakers like Agnes Varda (FACES/PLACES) and Clair Denis (LET THE SUNSHINE IN)! Check it out here for info on our films and more!