Best Film Series
“Young Oceans of Cinema: The Films of Jean Epstein” at The Harvard Film Archive
“Guy Maddin Presents …” at The Harvard Film Archive
“Time and Place Are Nonsense! The Cinema According to Seijun Suzuki” at The Harvard Film Archive and The Brattle Theatre
“Say It Loud! The Black Cinema Revolution” + “Pam Grier, Superstar!” at The Harvard Film Archive
“Sex & Death & Venetian Blinds: Neo-Noir of the 1980s and 1990s” at The Brattle Theatre
Best Rediscoveries
Varieté/Variety [1925, E.A. Dupont] with live score by The Berklee Silent Film Orchestra as part of The Sounds of Silents program at The Coolidge Corner Theatre
L’inhumaine/The Inhuman Woman [1924, Marcel L’Herbier] with live score by The Alloy Orchestra presented by CRASHarts at The Somerville Theatre
Applause [1929, Rouben Mamoulian] (Rouben Mamoulian, Reconsidered) at The Harvard Film Archive
La maternelle/Children of Montmartre [1933, Jean Benoît-Lévy and Marie Epstein] (Guy Maddin Presents …) at The Harvard Film Archive
Sign o’ the Times [1987, Prince] at The Brattle Theatre
Commendations
To The Boston University Cinémathèque Film Program, curated by Dr. Gerald Peary, which over its 22 years has welcomed more than 300 filmmakers, producers, writers and actors to speak at screenings. Always free of charge, these screenings feature lively discussions that provide up-and-coming filmmakers, industry professionals and the general public access to a range of perspectives on the business and art of film.
To Connie White, who is stepping down as artistic director of the Provincetown International Film Festival, a position she has held since 1999. White has worked in collaboration with both the Provincetown Film Society and the Provincetown artist community to build a unique festival that emphasizes LGBT issues and independent cinema. Events at the PIFF include an annual award for Career Achievement and the Filmmaker on the Edge award, whose recipient is then featured for an onstage interview with filmmaker and author, John Waters.
To Boston-based filmmaker Peter Flynn for The Dying of the Light, a documentary that eulogizes film projection in the era of digital presentation. Flynn focused his lens on the human cost of the switch to digital, celebrating the projectionists who have toiled for years in cramped booths, expertly handling the fragile film they tenderly prepare and thread through projectors, the likes of which are being retired to scrap heaps. Thanks to Flynn, these unseen heroes won’t be forgotten.
To the Somerville Theatre for their 70mm and Widescreen Film Festival, Programmed to cover a variety of genres, the series was the result of tireless dedication to procuring the best available prints and giving audiences a sight and sound experience of optimal quality. Special mention goes to projectionist extraordinaire David Kornfeld.
Boston Society of Film Critics 