by: Ashley Wilkins

There is one age-old question that seems to torment most filmmakers, from the first frame all the way to the final edits - if a good movie is made but no one is around to see it, does it make an impact? Thankfully, the Independent Film Festival of Boston is ensuring that the answer to this question can remain unknown. From April 21-24th the third-annual event will be showcasing 58 of the best national and international indie films of the year in Boston, Somerville and Cambridge, giving directors a chance to assert their independence and audiences a chance to see their work and show their support.

Though the event was started just back in 2002, don’t let its youth fool you. In fact, despite its age IFF Boston is sort of like the young, hip grandparent of the local independent film circuit. It manages to bring the whole family together under one roof despite their differences – features, documentaries, shorts, west coast, east coast and everywhere both beyond and in between. It then beckons us to take a seat while it does the duty of every respectable familial figurehead by telling us a tale or two. “The most important thing in a film is a good story. Whether it’s scripted or a documentary, a compelling story is the key for any film,” said Adam Roffman, IFF Boston’s program director, whose job duties include film selection, a daunting task considering this year they had 1,200 submissions. “We looked at a lot of films, but we accepted only the best.”

And what films were chosen? A full list can be found on IFF Boston’s web site, www.iffboston.org, but here are a few of the festival’s offerings in further detail.

Blackballed: The Bobby Dukes Story
The New England premier of writer-director Brant Sersen’s irreverent and compelling paintball mockumentary features a lot of familiar faces. Boston’s own Rob Corddry of Comedy Central’s The Daily Show with Jon Stewart stars alongside many members of the “Upright Citizens Brigade,” which led to a great deal of improvisation on the set of the scripted film, according to the director. The opening of the movie sets the tone; He-Man dolls are used to recreate the tragedy that was Bobby Dukes’s fall from paintball grace. Star of a three-time championship team of an upstate New York league, Dukes is caught “wiping,” the most offensive and cowardly act a paintball player can commit, and is sent into 10 years of forced retirement. The film follows Dukes and his new ragtag on a journey back to the top of the game. Do call it a comeback.

Blackballed will be screened Friday, April 22nd at 8 pm and on Sunday, April 24th at 9 pm, both at the Somerville Theater.

Attending: Brant Sersen, Producer Darren Goldberg, DJ Hazard, Rob Corddry (Friday only)

Lonesome Jim
This film, directed by veteran indie actor and sometime director Steve Buscemi, tells the story of Jim (Casey Affleck), a disgruntled youth who lands on his childhood home’s doorstep after getting his hopes and dreams beaten out of him by the big city. With a devoted but domineering mother (Mary Kay Place) and a reclusive father (Seymour Cassel) as the heads of household, as well a despondent older brother Tim (Kevin Corrigan) living down the hall, there is no doubt as to why Jim is lonesome. After his brother is involved in an automobile “accident,” Jim is forced to take over Tim’s position as the high school girl’s basketball coach, as well as try to find a girl of his own in nurse Anika (Liv Tyler). Lonesome Jim will open the festival on Thursday, April 21 at 7 pm at the Somerville Theater.

Why? “It was chosen because a) it’s a good film and b) because we’ve been inviting Steve Buscemi all three years. He’s been one of our first choices and it’s his spot,” said Roffman. “It’s a great opportunity to recognize an actor/director who is such an important part of independent film.”

Attending: Steve Buscemi, Producer Galt Niederhoffer, Writer James Strouse

Same Sex America
One of the documentary offerings of the festival, Director Henry Corra follows the lives of seven gay and lesbian Boston couples through their quest for marriage licenses and dealings with the Massachusetts Supreme Court. The film offers a variety of views, both those of traditional marriage advocates and those who search for wedding bands on same-sexed hands.

“This is a really potent and dramatic chapter in civil rights history and an amazing opportunity to see personal dramas unfolding,” said Corra. “When [producers] saw rough cuts, everyone was in tears. Very rarely in my career have I gotten such a strong emotional reaction to a film, and I can only say that I hope that audiences in Boston will be responsive.”

Same Sex America will be screened three times: Friday, April 22nd, 5:30 pm at the Somerville Theater; Saturday, April 23rd, 7:30 pm at the Museum of Fine Arts; Sunday, April 24th, 5:30 pm at the Brattle Theater.

Attending: Henry Corra

Home
First time writer/director and long-time film critic Matt Zoller Seitz filmed this story exclusively at his two-story brownstone in Brooklyn. The film follows seven major and 12 supporting characters through an eight-hour party on a hot summer night while we watch them weave in and out of each others lives.

“The film began as a featurette, but as we shot we realized there were other stories to tell. It expanded into a kind of human quilt,” said Seitz. “There’s a scene in the movie where the hero, Bobby, and the hostess, Susan, leave their various personal drams and go outside to have a conversation by the house gate. It’s simply written and simply shot. It’s just the two of them talking when he steps through the gate and she swings it back and forth in a teasing way. That’s the scene that people are going to be on board with. It’s the only scene that gives me chills.”

To see this scene and many more, Home is playing on Friday, April 22nd, 2 pm and Saturday, April 23rd, 4 pm, both at the Somerville Theater.

Attending: Matt Zoller Seitz.

Me and You and Everyone We Know
Indie performance artist Miranda July makes her feature debut with this film about all things amorous, from elation to confusion to depression. With a vast variety of characters including artist Christine (played by July), newly-divorced shoe salesman Richard (John Hawkes), a 7-year old involved an internet romance, a pretentious director and two curious teenage girls, the film is both romantic and comedic, though neither appear in their traditional Hollywood form.

“[Me and You and Everyone We Know] is easily one of the best narrative features I’ll see this year. It’s well written, well acted, well directed,” said Roffman. “It’s original and plays to a wide variety of tastes, which makes it a great way to top off the festival.”

The film will play on closing night, Sunday, April 24, 8 pm at the MFA.

This year’s festival is expected to bring 20,000 attendees to the Somerville, Brattle, and Coolidge theaters, as well as the recently added venue - the Museum of Fine Arts, over the four-day period of movies and mingling. IFF Boston’s purpose is not only to screen films, but to bring together the eclectic crew that comprises the filmmaking world – directors, actors, producers, writers, sponsors and yes, even viewers.

The film lineup is complimented by panel discussions to be held at the Institute of Contemporary Art. This year’s special events include “Documenting Boston,” a discussion with directors about filming controversial issues as they occur; “Making Your First Feature,” featuring festival directors regaling the trials and tribulations of their first time; and “A Conversation With Melvin Van Peebles,” with Boston Globe critic Wesley Morris.

Thankfully, after all those intellectual discussions and debates, IFF Boston provides an opportunity to give your grey matter a rest and party like an indie film star at a variety of post-screening parties. Although most of the shindigs require a pass, a party being held on Friday at the AFH Epicenter is available to the general public for $20. The big bash will include live music, an open bar, various finger foods and the proximity necessary to pick the brains of a variety of industry types.

So come one, come all, to the Independent Film Festival of Boston. It may just be your chance to participate in cinema, to ask questions and get answers, and to see independents make an impact, up close and personal.

For more information about the festival, go to www.iffboston.org.