Independent Film Festival Boston

Co-presentations at WQ

SHORT FILM PROGRAM

Outerlands

FREE

Sun, Apr 13 2025 @ 6:00 pm

Brattle Theater

Cass (they/them) juggles jobs as a nanny, restaurant server, and party drug dealer in order to make ends meet and pay for their tiny San Francisco apartment. After a one night stand with Kalli, a co-worker they have a crush on, Cass agrees to watch her 11-year-old daughter, Ari, while she goes out of town. But as days pass without word from Kalli, Cass and Ari form a bond that spirals Cass back to their own difficult childhood and the pain they’ve been running from.

Director Elena Oxman & Star Asia Kate Dillon in person

SHORT FILM PROGRAM

Heightened Scrutiny

FREE

Sun, Apr 13 2025 @ 2:30 pm

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

From director Sam Feder and the team that brought you DISCLOSURE comes this critically timed snapshot of the state of transgender rights and justice in America. ACLU attorney Chase Strangio takes on not only the Supreme Court but also the court of public opinion, as news coverage shapes the national conversation on this flashpoint topic for our times.

SHORT FILM PROGRAM

Sisters

FREE

Fri, Apr 11 2025 @ 6:30 pm

Brattle Theater

Lou and Esther are the best of friends. They do absolutely everything together, speak their own language through inside jokes and code words, and share a dreamy curiosity about what their lives would be like had they grown up with a sister. When Lou’s father unexpectedly passes away, she discovers that she has a very real, and very chic, long-lost half-sister, Priya. As Lou begins to explore her relationship with Priya, her and Esther’s codependent bliss is rudely interrupted, creating a rift between them. As the rift threatens to grow beyond repair, Lou must learn to redefine what family is, or risk losing Esther for good.

SHORT FILM PROGRAM

I’m Your Venus

FREE

Mon, Apr 07 2025 @ 8:30 pm

Brattle Theater

A moving and timely documentary following the unsolved murder of Venus Xtravaganza, star of the legendary Paris Is Burning as Venus’ two families — biological and ballroom — come together to seek answers and celebrate her legacy.

SHORT FILM PROGRAM

Bulletproof: A Lesbian's Guide to Surviving the Plot

FREE

Sat, Apr 05 2025 @ 1:00 pm

Coolidge Corner Theater

Filmmaker Regan Latimer takes an insightful, immersive, and deeply personal look at Queer representation in television, and the power of the media to shape how we see ourselves. Witty, fast-paced, and laced with pop culture references, Regan journeys across North America and beyond in her quest to understand the forces that influence the stories we see on our screens. Original animation and personal anecdotes are interwoven with wide-ranging conversations with television insiders, LGBTQ+ community advocates, and people who just love to watch TV. As Latimer navigates an ever-evolving media landscape, the filmmaker learns firsthand that representation done well has the power to transform.

SHORT FILM PROGRAM

Mutt

FREE

Sat, Apr 08 2023 @ 7:00 pm

ArtsEmerson Paramount Center

Within the space of 24 hours, Fe√±a is swept through the extremes of human emotion when people who seemed to disappear when he transitioned are suddenly back in his life.

A trans man confronts his past after bumping into his ex-boyfriend, sister and dad for the first time since transitioning — all within the span of a day.

SHORT FILM PROGRAM

Blue Jean

FREE

Sat, Apr 08 2023 @ 5:00 pm

Brattle Theater

Jean, a PE teacher, is forced to live a double life. When a new student arrives and threatens to expose her sexuality, Jean is pushed to extreme lengths to keep her job and her integrity.

SHORT FILM PROGRAM

Youtopia

FREE

Thu, Apr 06 2023 @ 7:00 pm

Brattle Theater

After a devastating break up an elder millennial inadvertently forms a hipster cult. When members start to disappear, the leader is confronted with the knowledge that her journey of self-discovery may trigger the end of civilization as we know it, forcing her to face her most challenging enemy yet: herself. Many of the musical numbers here are stylish.

Los Angeles, 2019. Times are shitty, and they’re about to get worse. When Scout Durwood’s girlfriend dumps her unexpectedly, Scout takes stock in her life and determines that from now on, if something doesn’t feel one hundred percent authentic to her, she’s not doing it! Following the devastating break up, Scout inadvertently becomes the leader of a hipster millennial cult that engages with the multiverse and of course, aliens. But when members of the cult start to disappear, she soon discovers that her journey of self-discovery could trigger the end of civilization as we know it and is forced to take on her biggest opponent yet: herself.

SHORT FILM PROGRAM

1946: The Mistranslation That Shifted A Culture

FREE

Mon, Apr 03 2023 @ 7:00 pm

SHORT FILM PROGRAM

Unidentified Objects

FREE

Sat, Apr 01 2023 @ 7:00 pm

Brattle Theater

A misanthropic Gay dwarf and a plucky sex worker go on a road trip to Canada in search of aliens, but what sounds like a wacky premise is actually a heartfelt story about finding your people.

A curmudgeonly gay dwarf and his unstable, alien-obsessed neighbor are thrown together on an impossible road trip that will alter their strange friendship (and their sense of reality) forever.

SHORT FILM PROGRAM

Chrissy Judy

FREE

Sat, Apr 01 2023 @ 5:00 pm

Brattle Theater

When his best friend and creative partner suddenly couples off and moves away, an ambitious New York City Drag Queen must reinvent himself or risk becoming an irrelevant solo act both onstage and off.

When his best friend and creative partner suddenly couples off and moves away, an ambitious New York drag queen determined for the limelight must reinvent himself or risk becoming an irrelevant solo act both onstage and off.

SHORT FILM PROGRAM

Big Boys

FREE

Opening Night

Fri, Mar 31 2023 @ 7:00 pm

Institute of Contemporary Art

A coming-of-age story about Jamie, a chubby, gay fourteen year-old, who develops a crush on his older cousin’s boyfriend, Dan, on a family camping trip.

Director Corey Sherman, Stars Isaac Krasner & David Johnson III in person

Other co-presented events

CO-PRESENTED BY WQ

FROM 2023

Independent Film Festival Boston

Kokomo City

FREE

Mon, May 01 2023 @ 9:30 pm

Brattle Theater

Four Black transgender sex workers in Atlanta and New York City break down the walls of their profession.

Independent Film Festival Boston

Monica

FREE

Fri, Apr 28 2023 @ 9:45 pm

Somerville Theater

After years of estrangement, a trans woman returns home to help care for her dying mother.

Independent Film Festival Boston

Transmilitary

FREE

Sat, Apr 28 2018 @ 4:30 pm

Somerville Theater

At a time when transgender people are banned from serving in the U.S. military, four of the thousands of transgender troops risking discharge fight to attain the freedom they so fiercely protect. WINNER 2018 SXSW Audience Award - Documentary

Gabe Silverman & Fiona Dawson

Independent Film Festival Boston

A Kid Like Jake

FREE

Thu, Apr 26 2018 @ 10:30 pm

Somerville Theater

A Brooklyn couple has always known that their four-year-old son is more interested in fairy tale princesses than toy cars. But when his preschool director points out that his gender-nonconforming play may be more than a phase, the couple is forced to rethink their roles as parents and spouses.

Independent Film Festival Boston

Stumped

FREE

Wed, Apr 26 2017 @ 10:30 pm

Somerville Theater

When filmmaker Will Lautzenheiser’s limbs are amputated, his life is derailed and he turns to stand-up comedy as therapy. Meanwhile, a world-famous medical team is performing transplants that restore bodies to unprecedented levels. Despite grave risks, Will agrees to undergo an experimental double-arm transplant in the hope of reclaiming his independence.

Independent Film Festival Boston

Real Boy

FREE

Sat, Apr 30 2016 @ 4:30 pm

Somerville Theater

REAL BOY is the coming-of-age story of Bennett Wallace, a transgender teenager on a journey to find his voice-as a musician, a friend, a son, and a man. As he navigates the ups and downs of young adulthood, Bennett works to gain the love and support of his mother, who has deep misgivings about her child’s transition. Along the way, he forges a powerful friendship with his idol, Joe Stevens, a celebrated transgender musician with his own demons to fight.