LIVE @ THE SOMERVILLE THEATRE FEBRUARY 12-16
Purchase your festival pass here!
Advance single tickets on sale now at Film Freeway!
• 2025 FESTIVAL LINEUP •
Keep scrolling for program descriptions & info on visiting shorts filmmakers
Trailers for this year’s selections are streaming on our YouTube
Wednesday, February 12
4 PM: Shorts—LAPUTA
6 PM: CLONE COPS with Cowriter Phillip Cordell & Cinematographer Corey Allen
8 PM: SMALL TOWN UNIVERSE + Post-film discussion with filmmaker Katie Dellamaggiore, Boston’s Museum of Science Director of Immersive Theaters and Programs Dani LeBlanc and Planetarium Educator Talia Sepersky, and Harvard School of Astrophysics PhD candidate Claire Lamman
9:30 PM Opening night party at The Burren!
Thursday, February 13
4 PM: THE ROAD TO NOWHERE
7 PM: DISCUSSION—The Science of Hunting Aliens with theoretical physicist & author Avi Loeb!
9 PM: PARALLEL CONSEQUENCES with Director Gabriel França
Friday, February 14
4 PM: Shorts—OMELAS
6 PM: TIME TRAVEL IS DANGEROUS with Director/Cowriter Chris Reading
8:15 PM: IS / WAS \ WILL with Director Richard Shepard & Producer Jon Stern
Saturday, February 15
Noon: PANEL—Beyond SF50: The Uncertain Future of Film Festivals at Comicazi!
1 PM: Shorts—ELOI
2 PM: PANEL—How Stories Are Born: A Screenwriters’ Roundtable at Comicazi!
3 PM: THE STRANGE DARK with Writer/Director/Producer Chris Messineo
5 PM: Shorts—ALTAIR
7 PM: U ARE THE UNIVERSE
9:15 PM: STRANGE HARVEST: OCCULT MURDER IN THE INLAND EMPIRE
Sunday, February 16
1 PM: I HOPE THIS HELPS + Post-film discussion on AI with director Daniel Freed & visualization scientist Kim Arcand, PhD
2:30 PM: Shorts—NIBIRU
4:30 PM: Shorts—EREWHON
6:30 PM: Shorts—MXC
• FILM DETAILS •
WED FEB 12
LAPUTA - Bite-sized visions from the dark edges of humanity
• Golden Hour (USA) Writer/Director/Producer Maureen McEly in attendance
• R E S E T (USA) Writer/Director Peter Stray in attendance
• The Shaver Mystery (USA) Dir. Dean Bertram
• Memories of Mother (USA) Writer/Director Lola Kenet & Cinematographer Kunga Choephel in attendance
• Absolution (USA) Writer/Director/Producer Jill Yapsuga in attendance
• Ocean’s Playbook (UK) Writer/Director Samual Dawes in attendance
Clone Cops
Dir. Danny Dones
with Cowriter Phillip Cordell & Cinematographer Corey Allen
(USA)
This wacky comedy takes you behind the scenes of a top-rated reality show, with a new kind of genetically engineered law enforcement! These identical crime fighters are hot on the trail of a cornered and increasingly desperate criminal gang. But they’re none too bright, and secrets, a spy, and a shortage of cloning goo could further complicate the operation. (96 minutes)
Small Town Universe - New England premiere
+ Post-film discussion with filmmaker Katie Dellamaggiore, Boston’s Museum of Science Director of Immersive Theaters and Programs Dani LeBlanc and Planetarium Educator Talia Sepersky, and Harvard School of Astrophysics PhD candidate Claire Lamman
(USA)
The question of whether life exists on other planets is front of mind in Green Bank, West Virginia, home to the world’s most sensitive radio telescope. Dellamaggiore’s documentary focuses on the community of this unique little town, where cell phones and Wi-Fi are banned and residents and scientists come together to look toward the stars. (90 minutes)
__________________________________________________
THU FEB 13
The Road to Nowhere
US premiere
Dir. Amadeusz Kocan
(Poland)
Existing in a post-apocalyptic world, the solitary Piotr finds survival a daily struggle, love a distant memory, and danger in the signs of other human life. Yet the incredible power of personal connection provides a glimmer of hope in this barren world, if Piotr still has the kind of courage needed to be open to it. (84 minutes)
Parallel Consequences
WORLD PREMIERE
Dirs. Gabriel França, CD Vallada
with Director Gabriel França
(Brazil)
A resourceful thriller with tension to burn, Parallel Consequences centers on a standoff between a woman, her partner, and their best friend, prompted by a trip to the woman’s family home and the discovery that her late mother built a time machine out of an old easy chair. (80 minutes)
FRI FEB 14
OMELAS: Shorts that tend toward the terrifying
• Quiet (USA) Writer/Director/Producer Carolina Ribeiro & Producer Chris Lee in attendance
• Humanzee (USA) Writer/Director Taro O’Halloran in attendance
• The Itch (USA) Dir. Gordon Phillips
• Carter (Canada) Director/Producer Xander Copp & Cinematographer Bradley Cherry in attendance
• Escape (USA) Dir. Lorenzo Manetti
• Golden Shopping Arcade (Italy) Dir. Francesco "Skino" Ricci Lotteringi
Time Travel is Dangerous!
East Coast premiere
with Director/Cowriter Chris Reading
(UK)
Just as their vintage store is on the verge of failing, best friends Ruth and Meegan score big when they find a time machine in the trash. But while it’s great for stocking antiques direct from the source, it’s no good for the fabric of the universe. This charmingly quirky British mockumentary features narration by Stephen Fry. (100 minutes)
Is / Was \ Will
WORLD PREMIERE
with Director Richard Shepard & Producer Jon Stern
(USA)
Strap in for a unique Valentine’s film that’s a marvel of stock film storytelling. Kumail Nanjiani, Carrie Coon, Sam Rockwell, and Murray Bartlett give voice to this dystopian world view conjured entirely from existing footage, in which a surveillance professional risks imprisonment or worse to pursue love in a society that spends its off time forgetting with a state-sanctioned drug. (75 minutes)
SAT FEB 15
PANEL—Beyond SF50: The Uncertain Future of Film Festivals
2025 marks the 50 th anniversary of the Boston Science Fiction Festival, and this panel will ponder whether Boston SciFi can last another 50 years in an increasingly complicated climate. Panelists will discuss the changes in the festival circuit since 2020 and the challenges felt by local, national and international festivals—struggles with funding, the rise of streaming, and the festival circuit’s waning cultural impact. An ambivalence about the relevance of film festivals exists among filmmakers and viewers alike. In response to these challenges, a group of festival directors and filmmakers will ask a bold question: Can Boston Sci-Fi make it to SF100?
Panelists:
• Michael Granberry, Director of SF50 selection Les Bêtes
• Alison Simmons, Co-Director, Roxbury International Film Festival
• Melissa Starker, Assistant Director, Boston Science Fiction Film Festival
• Moderated by Angela Burgess, Lead Programmer, Boston Science Fiction Film Festival
PANEL—How Stories Are Born: A Screenwriters’ Roundtable
Screenwriting is the foundation of filmmaking, but the writing process is often overlooked by viewers in comparison to directing, acting and cinematography. A panel of SF50 screenwriters will discuss their craft, sharing their personal methods for creating complex characters and engaging narratives. The discussion will also dive into the perils and rewards of taking on both the writer and director role.
Panelists:
• Cameron Tyler Carr, Writer/Director of SF50 selection Harlem Fragments
• Catarina De Cèzanne, Writer/Director of SF50 selection After Link
• Chris Messineo, Writer/Director of SF50 selection The Strange Dark
• Moderated by Angela Burgess, Lead Programmer, Boston Science Fiction Film Festival
ELOI: Shorts about modern living; some restrictions apply
• The Cardinal & the Computer (USA) Dir. Scott Fitzloff
• Mirthless (Canada) Dir. Tina Kardan; Producer Christopher Cook in attendance
• Where Are All the Gay Superheroes? (UK) Dir. Tom Paul Martin
• Zasady (The Rules) (USA) Writer/Director Amanda Renee Cox in attendance
• Harlem Fragments (USA) Writer/Director Cameron Tyler Carr in attendance
• Our Time (Canada) Dir. Sandesh Bharthur
The Strange Dark
New England premiere
with Director Chris Messineo
(USA)
With sharp pacing and deadpan humor, The Strange Dark tells the nonlinear tale of an accountant on the run from his mysterious firm after taking off with a set of numbers that allow him to see the future. (84 minutes)
ALTAIR: Memorable tales of humans and non-humans alike
• Bright Forests (USA) Dir. Chadwick Harman
• Laika (USA) Director David Wesley Gelb in attendance
• The Eclipse (USA) Codirectors Laurence Arcadias & Robin Corbet in attendance
• Les Bêtes (USA) Director/Producer Michael Granberry in attendance
• I’m Not a Robot (Netherlands) Dir. Victoria Warmerdam—OSCAR NOMINEE!
• Launch Fever (USA) Dir. Sabrina Ehlert
U Are the Universe
US premiere
Dir. Pavlo Ostrikov
(Ukraine)
Ostrikov’s debut feature uses the trope of a lone astronaut in space as the basis for a touching and funny love story. Sent on a mission to Jupiter’s moon with only a robot companion to provide levity, Ukrainian space trucker Andriy believes he’s the last man standing after the world explodes—until a French voice answers his parting message to humanity. (90 minutes)
Strange Harvest: Occult Murder in the Inland Empire
East Coast premiere
Dir. Stuart Ortiz
(USA)
Two detectives spent two decades tracking the notorious Southern California serial killer known as Mr. Shiny. Well, not really, but you’d be forgiven for thinking otherwise after watching this creepy, absorbing, perfectly executed simulation of modern true crime documentaries. (94 minutes)
SUN FEB 16
I Hope this Helps
New England premiere
Post-film discussion on AI with director Daniel Freed & visualization scientist Kim Arcand, PhD
(USA)
If humanity faces a real threat from AI, what better source for ideas on how to destroy it than AI itself? That’s the idea behind Freed’s efforts to defend humankind through a long, carefully worded series of prompts in this exploration of the relationship we have with the increasingly powerful tools at our disposal. (51 minutes)
NIBIRU: Imminent threats in short form
• we.are.in.control.now! (USA) Writer/Director/Producer Quinn Marcus & Actor/Producer Kipp Marcus in attendance
• Goodbye Mother (UK) Dir. Sam Strong
• Lab Rats (USA) Dir. Stimson Snead
• Weasel (Mexico) Dir. Hisham Iyad Hajir
• Last Cigarette (Japan) Dir. Dario Alfredo Caamanxxo
• After Link (Portugal) Writer/Director Catarina De Cézanne in attendance
• Dagon (Italy) Dir. Paolo Gaudio
• CLAUD_IA (USA) Writer/Director Gabriel Furman & Production Designer Dani Marco in attendance
EREWHON: Shorts about bumpy travels and troubled inventions
T-Minus (USA) Dir. L.M. Oliver
I’m Leaving (Russia) Dir. Vladimir Kornienko
The Weight (UK) Dir. Susan Lay
Soulmate (UK) Dir. Richard Fenwick
Nemesis Battlefield Volume 16 (USA) Dirs. Neeraj Bhattacharjee, David Cisneros, Ran Fang, Richard Musinguzi, Saurabh Vashistha
Pluto (USA) Dir. Haoran Ma
MXC: Magical mystery shorts
Jump Cut (USA) Dir. James Martin Morrison
House in the Outlands (USA) Dir. Josh Schneider
Platypus Silk (USA) Dir. Bob White
Love Eternal (USA) Writer/Director Dominic Czarnota & Actor Anthony Sayo in attendance
D dot H (Canada) Dirs. Meegwun Fairbrother, Mary Galloway
Clark (USA) Dir. Shenxun Yao
Factory Drop (Germany) Dir. Petja Pulkrabek
Special thanks to our venue partners
