IFFBoston 2010 Wrap-Up

By Norm Schrager at April 29, 2010 | 11:04 pm | Print

Eight days. Four Boston-area theaters. 30 narrative features, 38 documentaries, about four dozen appearances, a shorts series, a handful of parties, and an indie-as-hell volunteer staff who are probably still sleeping it off.  That’s the 2010 Independent Film Festival of Boston, the movie pride of Our Olde Towne. And here’s our festival summary, in case you missed anything.

:: Award Winners

Narrative Features
:: Grand Jury Prize: Down Terrace
Highlighted in our “Watch This” feature, this small mob family tale with a British twist is now an award-winner on both sides of the pond, thanks to some confident teeth-gritting humor and fine performances from Robin Hill and Robert Hill.

:: Special Jury Prize: Winter’s Bone
Following wins in Sundance and Berlin, Debra Granik’s tough drama continues to be the toast of the festival circuit this year. A teenage girl (Jennifer Lawrence, above) from the Ozark woods goes on a rough search for her drug-addicted father.

Documentaries
:: Grand Jury Prize: The Oath
This slowly unraveling story of two al-Qaeda members is one of the most complex documentaries about terrorism. It’s also one of the most challenging and incisive, and may very well end up being the best documentary of 2010.

:: Special Jury Prize: Marwencol
And speaking of complex… After suffering a severe, brain-damaging beating, Mark Hogancamp (above) began building his own imaginary town, a 1:6 scale creation called Marwencol. It’s therapy for him. And it’s something special for us, thanks to director Jeff Malmberg. Featured in one of Allison’s What to Watch posts.

Looking for comments on films we’ve mentioned in our coverage? Here are our quick links:
Colony
Cracks
Cyrus
Erasing David
The Extra Man
Harmony and Me
Hipsters
Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child
Le Donk & Scor-zay-zee
Life 2.0
October Country
On the Other Side of Life
The Parking Lot Movie
Perrier’s Bounty
Phillip the Fossil
Secrets of the Tribe
Strange Powers
Taqwacore

Share your comments

Awards Documentaries Independent Film