The Boston Film Festival runs from tomorrow, Wednesday, through next Monday, the 21st. This is the entire schedule, along with the synopses. In the next post we’ll feature the two films that are playing at the Shalin Liu, both on Monday, and both I am looking forward to attending!
TO PURCHASE TICKETS
42nd Boston Film Festival
Live Premiere Schedule
Wednesday, September 16, 2026
Emerson College Special Screening Event in collaboration with the 42nd BFF
7:00PM: BoBo Saves Christmas TRT: est. 90 mins, followed by Q&A
Location: Emerson College
Guests Attending: Emmerson Alum Maria Menounos, Director Kevin Undergaro
Synopsis: On X-mas eve, six fledgling Hollywood hopefuls get a mysterious knock at their door and an envelope of $$$ at their feet. It contains the “opportunity of a lifetime” to go burglarize a mutually despised producer that once screwed them over. Who organized this holiday heist? Who will go through with this preposterous plan? Will these desperate idiots pull it off?
Thursday, September 17, 2026
3:00PM: WBTV Next Gen Panel & recording an episode of WBTVG’s podcast “A Lot More” moderated by Jonathon Buckley – TRT: 45mins (30min panel, 15min Q&A)
Location: Emmerson’s Paramount Bright Theater
Guests Attending:
Nathaniel Logan McIntyre (All American) CONFIRMED
Avantika Vandanapu (Not Suitable for Work) CONFIRMED
Lauren Tsai (Rooster) PENDING PRODUCTION
Lukita Maxwell (Shrinking) PENDING PRODUCTION
Iyla Sundarsingh McKaig (Unaccustomed Earth) CONFIRMED
Adi Roy (Unaccustomed Earth) AWAITING RESPONSE
4:00PM: Warner Bros “The Voice” Panel Discussion TRT: 45mins (30min panel, 15min Q&A)
Guests Attending: Alexia Jayy, Winner, Season 29, Audrey Morrissey, Executive Producer & Showrunner
Friday, September 18, 2026
OPENING NIGHT – 42nd Boston Film Festival
7:00PM: Unleashed Spirits: The Rise of the Hollywood Vampires –- WORLD PREMIERE TRT: approx. 105 mins followed by Q&A moderated by music historian and radio personality Eddie Trunk
Location: Boch Center-Wang Theatre
Guests Attending: Daniel Catullo, Alice Cooper, Joe Perry, Tommy Henrickson, Paul Geary, Ernie Boch Jr.
About Unleashed Spirits:
Director Daniel Catullo Producers Paul Geary, Ernie Boch Jr., Leslie Atkins, Steve Moss, Shep Gordon, Andrew Ward
Stars Alice Cooper, Johnny Depp, Joe Perry, Tommy Henricksen, Paul McCartney, Robert DeLeo, Robby Krieger, Chris Wyse, Glen Sobel, Billie Perry, Sheryl Cooper, Bob Ezrin, Matt Pinfield, Duff McKagan
Synopsis: In the 1970s, a secret drinking club led by Alice Cooper evolved into the powerhouse supergroup known as the Hollywood Vampires with Johnny Depp, Alice Cooper and Joe Perry. Explore their journey from a hidden haunt to arena rock stardom, highlighting their extraordinary collaborations with legendary talent.
Saturday, September 19, 2026
1:30PM: Papertown –- NORTHEAST PERMIERE
Location: Boston Public Library
Guests Attending: Jeremy Seifert – Director, Ryan Suffern – Executive Producer, TBD: Chris Pruett – Producer
About Papertown:
Director Jeremy Seifert Executive Producer Ryan Suffern Executive Producer/Musician Dave Matthews Co-Director Benjamin James Roberts, Producer Chris Pruett
Synopsis: When the paper mill that defined Canton, North Carolina announced it would close, the town had just three months before its largest employer—and a core part of its identity—was gone. Filmed in real time, this documentary captures the shock, unanswered questions, and growing anger as rumors swirl, corporate leaders stay silent, and news emerges of executives profiting from stock trades days before the announcement. Through grief, resilience, and uncertainty, the people of Canton confront life without the industry that shaped them for generations.
2:00PM: Animation Program –- Adventure Time: Side Quests Panel TRT: 45 mins
Location: Massachusetts College of Art and Design, 621 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115
Guests Attending: Nate Cash, Executive Producer & Showrunner, Victor Courtright, Supervising Producer, Keith Pakiz – Storyboard Artist, Matthew Yang – Storyboard Artist
About Adventure Time: Side Quests:
Panel description: The creative team behind Adventure Time: Side Quests will explore the process of bringing an animated series to life, from developing stories and characters to visual world-building and collaboration across the production team. Designed for students and aspiring artists, the discussion will provide an insider’s perspective on careers in animation, storytelling, and the many creative paths that contribute to building a successful series.
Stars: John DiMaggio, Sasha Knight, Hynden Walch, Tom Kenny, Olivia Olson, Niki Yang
Synopsis: The early days of Finn the Human and Jake the Dog’s brotherly bond, embarking on epic quests together and hanging out with familiar faces along the way.
4:00 PM: My Father, Dick Allen –- NORTHEAST PREMIERE TRT: approx. 60 mins followed by Q&A moderated by Steve Buckley, National Columnist, The Athletic
Location: Paramount Theater
Guests Attending: Andy Billman, Richard “Goose” Gossage, Richard Allen Jr., Dr. David Fletcher, Sharon Pannozzo
About My Father, Dick Allen:
Director Andy Billman Executive Producers Dr. David Fletcher, Sharon Pannozzo Producers John Owens, Richard Allen Jr., Willa Allen
Stars Narrator Jocko Sims, MLB HOF member Goose Gossage
Synopsis: For decades, the debate raged: Was Dick Allen a Hall of Famer? A prodigious slugger with a swing that produced some of the most awe-inspiring home runs of his generation, Allen was a five-tool talent who terrorized pitchers during the 1960s and 70s. Yet, his charismatic, anti-establishment persona and the controversies that often followed him left him just short of baseball’s highest honor time and again.
“My Father, Dick Allen” chronicles the long and arduous journey to Cooperstown for one of the game’s most individualistic and misunderstood superstars, culminating in his posthumous election to the Baseball Hall of Fame in the summer of 2025.
6:00PM: A Minor Time –- WORLD PREMIERE TRT: 1 hr 41 mins followed by Q&A
Location: Paramount Theater
Guests Attending: Tina Alexis Allen, William Sadler, Choe Guidry, Judee Wales
About A Minor Time:
Director Tina Alexis Allen Producers Judee Wales, Susan Batson
Stars William Sadler, Chloe Guidry, Tina Alexis Allen, Judee Wales
Synopsis: A MINOR TIME is an intimate, emotionally charged coming-of-age story about sisterhood and the weight of inherited trauma. It explores the unexpected ways a broken family finds its way back toward the light, learning that healing after profound loss is possible—not all at once, but eventually in time.
9:00PM: Bolio –- WORLD PREMIERE TRT: 93 mins followed by Q&A
Location: Paramount Theater
Guests Attending: Jim Issa, Mark Donadio, Gabriel Hogan, Emily Tarver
About Bolio:
Director Jim Issa Producers Mark Donadio, Miriam Marcus, Jamieson Shea, Eugene Cordero, Gabriel Hogan
Stars Gabriel Hogan, Eugene Cordero, Tony Shaloub, Kevin Heffernan, Tawny Newsome, Sarah Baker, Emily Tarver, Amir Talai, Brooke Adams
Synopsis: Dale Bolio is a depressed high school shop teacher who feels trapped in a life he doesn’t know how to change. Desperate to become a better version of himself, and win back his estranged wife, he hires Chuck Swayze, a charming life coach who is full of confidence, big promises, and questionable advice.
As the two become unlikely friends, Dale begins to believe Chuck’s unconventional methods might actually work. But when Chuck’s carefully constructed persona starts to unravel, Dale realizes the man he trusted to save him may be just as lost as he is.
9:30PM: Evening Celebration at Sip Wine Bar
Sunday, September 20, 2026
1:00PM: Beneath the Blue Suburban Skies TRT: 90 mins followed by Q&A
Location: Paramount Theater
Guests Attending: Ed Burns
About Beneath the Blue Suburban Skies:
Directeor & Writer Edward Burns Producers Aaron Lubin, Edward Burns, William Rexer
Stars Jennifer Ehle, Edward Burns, Hannah Dunne, Brian Wiles, Brian d’Arcy James
Synopsis: Stuck in a middle-aged rut, a working-class woman, Tina Collins (Jennifer Ehle) struggles with feelings of shame and anger she has toward her two grown children who live at home, and resentment of a husband who may have held her back. Financial problems loom and the impact of addiction and alcoholism amplify the building crisis in the life of Tina and her family.
2:00PM: Shorts Program –- Mass College of Art TRT: 2 hr 7 mins followed by a panel with the programmer
4:00PM: 4000 Days –- NEW ENGLAND PREMIERE TRT: 110 mins followed by Q&A
Location: Paramount Theater
Guests Attending: Daniel E Catullo III, Julie & Gary DeVercelly, and TJ & Kim Burch
About 4000 Days:
Director Daniel Catullo Producers Daniel E. Catullo, Russell Greene, Sean Carey, Gary DeVercelly, Julie DeVercelly
Stars Julie and Gary DeVercelly, Linda and Eric Oakes, Kim and TJ Burch
Synopsis: 4000 Days is a powerful documentary chronicling the relentless fight of three families-Gary and Julie DeVercelly, Linda and Eric Oakes, and TJ and Kim Burch-who turned their personal tragedies into a nationwide movement for change. After losing their sons to fraternity hazing, the families found themselves up against a deeply entrenched system that thrived on secrecy, denial, and silence. Refusing to accept that their children died in vain, they joined forces and waged a years-long battle to expose the dangers of hazing, challenge university and fraternity accountability, and push for sweeping legislative reform. The film’s title, 4000 Days, represents the length of their struggle-the number of days it took to turn grief into action, and action into law.
7:15PM: Come What May TRT: approx. 2 hr
Location: Paramount Theatre
Guests Attending: Lahna Turner, David Gantz, April May
About Come What May:
Director Lahna Turner & David Gantz Producer Lahna Turner
Stars Jay Mohr, Jay Leno, Tiffany Haddish, Alonzo Bodden, Maz Jorbani
Synopsis: COME WHAT MAY is an intimate, unflinching portrait of beloved comedian Ralphie May, whose large personality and even larger size set him apart from the rest and helped skyrocket him to fame. This loving husband and father fell victim to enablers, addiction, and abuse, causing his bright light to burn out far too quickly. Featuring candid interviews with friends and family, alongside never-before-seen archival footage, what unfolds is a loving tribute to a flawed and complicated man who brought joy to millions, but pain and heartbreak to those who knew him best.
9:30PM: Evening Celebration at The Sporting Club at Omni Boston
Monday, September 21, 2026
CLOSING NIGHT
4:00PM: Tony Foster: Painting at the Edge–- EAST COAST PREMIERE TRT: 1 hr 40 mins followed by Q&A
Location: Shalin Liu
Guests Attending: Director David C. Schendel, Artist Tony Foster
About Tony Foster: Painting at the Edge:
Director David C. Schendel Producers Joe Pavlo, David Schendel, Leslie Berriman, Nion McEvoy, Harlan Taney
Stars Tony Foster
Synopsis: Traveling mostly on foot, by raft or canoe, English artist Tony Foster paints landscapes in the remotest of areas often risking his life to bring awareness to wilderness destruction and climate change.
7:15PM: Little Audrey –- CLOSING NIGHT SCREENING TRT: 98 mins followed by Q&A
Location: Shalin Liu
Guests Attending: Michael Mailer, Bob Wahlberg, Jeff Thomas TBD Emily VanCamp, Josh Bowman
About Little Audrey:
Director Michael Mailer Producers John Buffalo Mailer, Michael Mailer, Jeff Thomas
Stars Emily VanCamp, Jennifer Esposito, Josh Bowman, Aidan Quinn
Synopsis: Based on a true story, an agnostic Jewish child psychologist is recruited to a Vatican investigation of a comatose girl believed to be a “victim soul,” only to find herself pulled into a case where alleged miracles defy reason — and challenge everything she believes.
9:00PM: Closing Night Celebration at Shalin Liu