Boston is abuzz with movies this fall. The calendar boasts a film festival nearly every weekend from now through early December, with plenty of talent slated to attend
Since speaking with the organizers of Taiwan Film Festival of Boston earlier this summer, the festival announced that Julian Chou, the director of “Blind Love,” will attend the festival along with the film’s lead, Ariel Lin. Screening on Sept. 17, “Blind Love” tests the limits of a mother-son bond when the teen son falls for his mother’s ex-girlfriend. It finds its way to Boston after premiering at International Film Festival Rotterdam and winning the top prize from the Joburg Film Festival in 2025.
On Sept. 21, the producer of a fictional story about a 1990s marching band called “Marching Boys,” Kelly Chen, will be joined onstage after a screening with the film’s action director, Damien Fan. The festival runs Sept.10-21 in person and continues online through Oct. 11. (For additional details, visit the film festival’s website.)
Each fall since 2010, the Arlington International Film Festival screened films from around the world at the Capitol Theatre. The fest changed hands in 2024 and this year its leadership team has unveiled a new name and concept. The Finding Bright Film Festival takes place Nov. 5-8 (for film highlights, see the overview below)
Executive director Jaina Cipriano said that the fest retains an international scope and has expanded to include more experimental and immersive work. “We are leaning a bit weirder,” she said, with an interest in “unconventional stories told in unconventional ways, like magical realism and hearing from groups of people who don’t often get their stories told.”
Cipriano described the organic way she became the festival’s self-dubbed “top banana.” She had a friend in common with AIFF creators April Ranck and Alberto Guzman, who often selected films from their global travels. Cipriano learned they were considering retirement. “We immediately hit it off,” she said. For two years, Cipriano led the fest as AIFF all the while asking, “What’s missing in Boston? What would get people excited in Boston?”
Lucy Yan said the chance to work with Cipriano drew her in. Both artists in their own right — Ciprianoa photographer and filmmaker; Yanan oil painter — they met as members of the Copley Society of Art. “I could not believe a powerhouse lady at this age is running a film festival, is a film director, and builds immersive art,” said Yan of her 33-year-old colleague. “I was so inspired.” Yan now serves as Finding Bright’s operations manager, rounding off a team of eight, plus a board.
Yan said the Capitol remains the main festival venue, but they have also hosted microcinema immersive experiences at Bow Market in Somerville. Last year the fest brought in an immersive horror theater group, Witch Hunt Theatre, run by Taylor Stark. “She made a film, then played the film, then [performed] live immersive theater while the film was playing,” said Yan. Due to its popularity, this August the festival hosted “Who Are You?,” a 15-minute participatory theatrical experience Yan described as “storybook-inspired.” There, audience members could “rebrand yourself the way that we rebranded ourself.” Organizers are still considering a similarly immersive experience for the main festival in November.
Here are more ways to find (at least some) storybook endings at the movies this fall
Newburyport Documentary Film Festival
When: Sept. 25-27
Where: Firehouse Center for the Arts and The Screening Room
Highlights: For a weekend jam-packed with only documentaries and a few parties and panels, this is the fest for you. I recommend arriving early enough to grab a refreshment and hang out on the Firehouse terrace. You’re likely to catch some live music in the waterfront park it overlooks. Or hang out there to discuss whatever film you just took in. As for the line-up, count on seeing New England onscreen and the latest from the region’s filmmakers: I highly recommend “Leaving Angola,” a moving portrait of resilience within the confines of Louisiana State Penitentiary. Andy Kukura continued the film after his longtime collaborator Jenny Phillips died unexpectedly early in production. Also, don’t miss the chance to see “The Great Experiment,” Stephen Maing and Eric Daniel Metzgar’s gorgeous, sad, uplifting collage of pandemic-era America in a theater, with others. (Bring tissues and blank voter registration cards.)
Another standout, James Rutenbeck and Harmon dot aut’s stage play within a film “Tornado Tastes Like Aluminum Sting,” screens as does another short, “Make a Joyful Noise” by Alice Stone. Stone’s short has been picking up awards along its festival route and I’m looking forward to (finally) seeing it. As a member of the volunteer jury, I’ll be seeing the entire line-up. That’s good because despite a past collaboration with “The Last Yztari” director Tim O’Donnell and producer Jeff Schmidt, I’ve yet to see their completed tale of U.S. Army veteran and gamer Mary Dague turned sci-fi world creator. Another film long on my list: David Abel’s personal short “The Petal Pusher,” about a longstanding flower shop in New York’s Penn Station. Boston-based Greg Shea picked up a prize for Best Short Feature at the Maine Outdoor Film Festival for “Man in the Wave.” It follows an open-water swimmer and photographer as he pursues both activities while living with multiple sclerosis. Shea told me, “It’s a film about making the most of the time we’re given.” Since there are so many others I want to list here and see, I say “amen.”
Good to know: Cape Cod-based director Allison Argo has two films screening at Newburyport this year — “Forever Home,” about “animal-centered” architecture, and “Frozen Frames: Murphy’s Yellowstone,” an ode to wildlife photographer Tom Murphy. Prior to making “animal” films, Argo performed on Broadway
CineFest Latino Boston
When: Sept. 30-Oct. 4
Where: ArtsEmerson, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Public Library, Brattle Theatre and Coolidge Corner Theatre
Highlights: CineFest screens the best new features, shorts, fiction and documentaries about the global Latinx experience. Festival founder and director Sabrina Avilés said that with “American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez” (Sept. 30), she could open with “something uniquely from the United States, with name recognition that will bring audiences in.” Valdez’s life story more than fits the bill. Before penning the blockbuster “La Bamba,” Valdez mobilized fellow farmworkers to unionize during the grape strike in Central California. He also founded El Teatro Campesino, a theater company that carries on that spirit of advocacy through art to the present day. The documentary illuminates both his remarkable life and also mid-century Chicano representation on stage and screen at large.
Every film student should see the stunning mixed-media animation (rotoscoping, figurine creation, 3D action capture and more) in another documentary, “TheyDream,” said Avilés. The deeply personal film about loss draws a mother and son together through their intricate artistic collaborations. In “Runa Simi,” a Peruvian father and his young son embark on a spirited journey to dub “The Lion King” into Quechua as an act of language preservation. “Aún es Noche en Caracas (It Would Be Night in Caracas)” dramatizes the consequences one woman faces amidst heavily policed government protests in modern-day Venezuela. This fest has other titles soon to be announced.
Good to know: Earlier this year, “American Pachuco” and “TheyDream” picked up awards at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. The former received the Festival Favorite and Audience Award for U.S. Documentary and the latter received the NEXT Special Jury Award for Creative Expression
IFFBoston Fall Focus
When: Oct. 8-11 and Oct. 29-Nov. 1
Where: Brattle Theatre
Highlights: IFFBoston carries on its top-tier fall series at one location over two weekends. Consider it a highfalutin buffet of awards contenders, many titles making their first stop in Greater Boston. (I wish I’d seen “The Secret Agent” here last year instead of too late for my own favorite films from 2025. It definitely would’ve made the cut.) IFFBoston executive director Brian Tamm pointed out that last year they also hosted local premieres for “It was Just an Accident,” “Sentimental Value” and “No Other Choice.” “Our audience can expect a similar lineup this year,” he said.
Good to know: Adding a screening of “The Testament of Ann Lee” on a 35mm print “that came straight from the lab” was one of Brian Tamm’s favorite moments from last year
Boston Asian American Film Festival
When: Oct. 15-18 and Oct. 24-25
Where: ArtsEmerson and Coolidge Corner Theatre
Highlights: More than 40 titles — documentaries, comedies, dramas, thrillers — will play for this 18th annual showcase of the Asian American experience on film. Fresh off Toronto International Film Festival’s Next Wave program, the fest opens with “Isle Child,” an emotionally intense meditation on adoption, identity and allegiance by Korean American director Thomas Percy Kim. “Jersey Boy” by Jaskaran Singh also screens. The fictional story recounts a young Sikh boy’s grief after 9/11 as he questions what it means to belong. The granddaughter of Vietnamese composer Y Vân documents his life story and lost music in “Y Vân: The Lost Sounds of Saigon.” Check it out for the saturated, savvy graphic design aesthetic along with the generational saga. The fest closes with “Montreal, My Beautiful,” about a middle-aged Chinese immigrant (played by Joan Chen) who goes against her own grain in pursuit of an unexpectedly liberating romance. Filmmakers from all mentioned titles are expected to attend for audience conversation.
Good to know: Born in Shanghai, actor Joan Chen rose to fame after moving to the U.S. at age 20 and starring in Bernardo Bertolucci’s end-of-an-era dazzler “The Last Emperor” (1987). Soon thereafter, she starred in the TV series “Twin Peaks” and has continued her work as an actor and director in both the U.S. and China
Boston Palestine Film Festival
When: Oct. 16-25
Where: Coolidge Corner Theatre, Brattle Theatre, MassArt, Museum of Fine Arts and Boston University
Highlights: The highlight of this year’s festival for executive committee member Michael Maria is how long it’s existed. “We started 20 years ago in Boston with the MFA and we’re still going strong.” Indeed, the MFA film program, which has faced its own ups and downs (through COVID-19 and more recently upon senior film programmer Katharine Irving’s departure), remains one of the venues. Maria said he chose the MFA for “Chronicles from the Siege” (Oct. 23), a fictional film inspired by the director’s personal experience in the Yarmouk refugee camp in Syria, for its visual beauty. Prior to this, Abdallah Al-Khatib made a documentary from inside Yarmouk, which no longer exists. “Powerful cinematography moves a film into deeper ‘work of art’ territory that makes it all the more suitable for the MFA,” he added.
The documentary, “Habibi Hussein” (Oct. 24), looks at one of the last film projectionists in Palestine. “He was an expert and he took a lot of great pride in it,” said Maria. “But then, it gets at these dynamics of foreign intervention.” Outside funders come in with the intent to help, but that’s not necessarily the result. The documentary “Palestine Comedy Club” closes the fest (Oct. 25) by following six Palestinian comedians who thread the needle between humor and devastation on and off stage. “So, we get at Gaza in a few places here and there,” said Maria, “but it’s not central to the program.” Instead, as much as possible, it’s a year for celebration. Volunteers are working behind the scenes to pull together something new: a gala celebration to close the festival. The public is welcome and details are to be announced.
Good to know: As a first last year, the fest co-hosted a traveling art exhibit “The Lost Paintings Project” at Unbound Visual Arts in Brighton. This year, the organizations will collaborate again on the launch of a solo show of one the “Lost Painting” artists, Khaled Jarrar
GlobeDocs Film Festival
When: Oct. 21-25
Where: Coolidge Corner Theatre, Brattle Theatre, Alamo Drafthouse and online
Highlights: Last year, this all-documentary festival had its most successful run to date “in terms of ticket sales and submissions,” said director of programming Lisa Viola. Viola also programs the Provincetown International Film Festival, and one standout from that fest — “Give Me the Ball!” — grabbed her attention for its robust account of sports icon Billie Jean King. The film by Liz Garbus and Elizabeth Wolff shows King as a trailblazer and lifetime advocate for women far beyond her tennis court artistry. “I already loved her and found I was even more in awe of her impact,” said Viola of the one title she could confirm for this year’s GlobeDocs. She is still in the process of confirming other titles. (Last year, I saw two of my favorite films at this fest: “Ask E. Jean,” which had a theatrical release this year, and “The Bend in the River” by Boston area filmmaker Robb Moss.) One of the festival’s trademarks is to match each film with a Boston Globe journalist and a member of the film team whenever possible. A program of local shorts will screen, with titles yet to be announced.
Good to know: Elton John and Bernie Taupin wrote the song “Philadelphia Freedom” for Billie Jean King and co-founding World Team Tennis, the only professional, co-ed team sports league. “But the times have changed, the less I say the more my work gets done,” say the lyrics
Boston Turkish Documentary and Short Film Competition
When: Oct. 30-Nov. 15
Where: Goethe-Institut Boston and Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Highlights: This competition marks 21 years of awards for top Turkish nonfiction and fictional short cinema. Finalists screen again in the annual Boston Turkish Film Festival held in April. While the competing titles can typically be seen throughout November and often also online (the fest was still confirming plans at press time), three non-competition feature length films play the series, including Reis Çelik’s “Night of Blindness (Kör Gece)” on Nov. 13. Set during Turkey’s 1980 military coup and shot in black and white, the director based the story on his own life. But he opted to have a woman play the left-wing activist trying to evade capture. Several of Çelik’s past films have screened at this festival and he received its Excellence in Turkish Cinema Award in 2014.
“On the Dry Rock” a documentary that charts the aftermath of a mountain village’s flooding screens on Nov. 14 and the political drama “Yellow Letters,” which won the Golden Bear at Berlinale, screens on Nov. 15. As for competing films, audience members can expect to encounter personal nonfiction such as the complex inter-family dynamics seen in last year’s Best Documentary winner, “Tomato, Pepper, Depression (Domates, Biber, Depresyon)” or the intense drama in Best Short winner “Garan,” set on a hazy and heavily guarded border between two countries. Audience members also have a chance to weigh in and give an award. The overall experience allows “Boston film enthusiasts to experience the work of a new generation of Turkish filmmakers firsthand,” said festival director Erkut Gömülü.
Good to know: “Night of Blindness” is the second installment of Reis Çelik’s Night Trilogy. The first, “Night of Silence (Lal Gece)” about a strange wedding night with a young bride and older groom, came out in 2012. Çelik told The Hollywood Reporter that the concept of night interests him because “We most often confront our true selves and our inner souls after dark.”
Finding Bright Film Festival
When: Nov. 5-8
Where: Arlington’s Capitol Theatre
Highlights: Previously known as the Arlington International Film Festival, this year the fest rebrands as one leaning into weird, experimental and immersive cinema. The line-up features both shorts programs as well as features, including “Objet A,” which the programming team described as “a surreal, stylish and sensual story with elements of magical realism and a beautiful 35mm aesthetic,” and “Matapanki,” described as “a gloriously DIY Chilean superhero tale with an aesthetic lifted from anarchist punk zines and an irreverent, anti-authoritarian attitude.” Boston area filmmaker and visual artist Piper Mohring co-directed a short shot on 35mm with Ari Roman called “Kiss of God,” screening in one of the shorts programs. Using practical effects such as light and sound manipulation, their film involves a “spiraling girl and the fish rotting in the back of her refrigerator.” Handcrafted scenes, formal innovation, and storylines that subvert and challenge norms pop up throughout the selections, with at least 15 nations represented.
Good to know: In June, FBFF executive director Jaina Cipriano wrapped production on a short film she wrote and directed called “Actualization,” about a woman struggling with the phobia of vomiting, something that she grew up experiencing. “There is quite literally no movie, TV show, or media about it that exists in the world at all, so this will be the very first film,” she explained. After completing postproduction hopefully this year, Cipriano imagines sharing it at festivals, conferences, and with mental health providers.
Boston Jewish Film Festival
When: Nov. 4-15
Where: JCC Greater Boston, Museum of Fine Arts, Coolidge Corner Theatre, Somerville Theatre, West Newton Cinema and the Brattle Theatre
Highlights: In January, JCC Greater Boston announced it had acquired Boston Jewish Film and its cluster of film programs, including its longstanding anchor Boston Jewish Film Festival. This year marks the first hosted entirely by the JCC. “We’re honored to build on the festival’s rich history while looking toward its future as an integral part of the JCC’s Arts & Ideas offerings,” said Blair Sullivan, the JCC’s director of Arts & Ideas. Though still early for a complete line-up, director of marketing and communications Riva Cheses said this year’s festival will “showcase a variety of stories about women,” including the U.S. premiere of one confirmed film, “Women on Trial (L’Affaire Marie-Claire).” The film dramatizes a crucial turning point in women’s rights in France. Based on the real-life 1972 trial, Charlotte Gainsbourg plays Gisèle Halimi, a lawyer defending a teenager who wants an abortion after being raped. In addition, Cheses said that the festival anticipates screening many other premieres and that shorts will be incorporated throughout the festival instead of compiled as one short program.
Good to know: A fictional Simone de Beauvoir (played by Marianne Basler) helps make the case for women’s equality in “Women on Trial.” The infamous philosopher wrote “The Second Sex” in 1949 and many other books thereafter, including “Inseparable: A Novel” published posthumously in 2021. (The internet says Beauvoir’s partner Jean-Paul Sartre thought it too dull to publish when she wrote it in 1954.)
Boston International Kids Film Festival
When: Nov. 20-22
Where: Natick’s Walnut Hill School, Watertown’s Mosesian Center for the Arts and Dorchester’s The Strand
Highlights: Throughout the weekend, a global array of films by, for and about kids screen for this 14th annual family-friendly festival. A “next gen voices” competition kicks things off the evening of Nov. 20, when audience members vote live for their favorite documentary, animation and narrative short films made by Massachusetts high school students. Through a workshop hosted by BIKFF, young people ages 9-17 will hone their creative storytelling and public speaking skills then present a TED Student Talk on Nov. 21. Set in Vermont, the documentary “Gone Guys” (screening on Nov. 22) examines the “quiet crisis” of boys’ and young men’s societal disengagement, especially in rural U.S. Last year, the fest coordinated a middle school field trip to The Strand. Kids watched “The Bee,” a short about beekeeping in Boston, then saw hives firsthand and tried on bee suits. Festival director Laura Azevedo called the immersive experience “awesome” and said something similar is in the works for this year. In case you’re wondering, BIKFF sure does have a “step and repeat” backdrop for camera-loving youngsters (and grown-ups looking for reasons to dress up).
Good to know: Check out the “Gone Guys” website for additional deep-dive videos on topics like healthy masculinity, the impact from a decline in scouting, and a visit from scholar Richard Reeves (whose work inspired the film) on a visit to Vermont
Wicked Queer Fall Film Frolic
When: Nov. 20-22
Where: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Highlights: For about four years, Wicked Queer programmed only documentaries in this fall slot. Last year, they opened things up “to possibly find a queer Christmas movie” and screen narrative and nonfiction gems missed in the main Wicked Queer fest held in April. Executive director Shawn Cotter said the goal is to “queer up the usual autumnal festival offerings and celebrate the diversity of our communities’ culture and history.” At press time, they were still working on the frolicking program. (Last year, WQ screened three features: two Sundance darlings, “Cactus Pears” and “Jimpa,” and the Irish drama “Four Mothers.”) Cotter said audience members can again count on three film events. A few more may be added between now and then.
Good to know: In “Cactus Pears (Sabar Bonda),” a queer man from Mumbai returns to his rural childhood home to mourn his father. While there, he strikes up a quiet romance and delicately alerts his mother that he won’t be marrying. The semi-autobiographical drama marked the feature debut for director Rohan Parashuram Kanawade
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