The Boston Science-Fiction Film Festival is a 10-day film festival devoted to showcasing science fiction features and short films. It culminates with a 24-hour movie marathon of classic, new and schlock films. The 24-hour marathon (known as The ‘Thon) starts at noon on the Sunday of President's Holiday weekend and runs, non-stop until noon the following day. This annual event occurs every February in the Greater Boston area.
Contents
Beginnings
The ‘Thon began back in 1976 at the Orson Welles Cinema in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was designed to complement the Boskone, the Boston Science Fiction Convention, playing in Boston that same weekend. Sunday February 15, 1976 was the inaugural program. It featured "This Island Earth," "The Day the Earth Stood Still," "The War of the Worlds," "Things to Come," "The Thing from Another World," "Them!," and "Zardoz." Tickets for the 14 feature film event cost $4.75 with a complimentary champagne toast at the conclusion.
The following year featured a sneak preview of a then unknown "Star Wars." Collectible posters were given out to attendees who paid the $4.95 admission price. By 1978, the event was given a tagline of SF3, connoting its third year. The last digit increases with each following year. 2013, it will be SF38. In a controversial decision, The ‘Thon’s 10th anniversary was a 36-hour endurance event.
End of the OWC era
A few months after SF11, the Orson Welles Cinema was destroyed by fire. The Marathon found a new home at the Somerville Theatre located in Davis Square, Somerville, Massachusetts which was under the operations of former Welles Manager, Garen Daly. Over the next few years, the event expanded to include more days, changed its official name to The Boston Science Fiction Film Festival and became a bit peripatetic. There were iterations at the Coolidge Corner Theatre, The West Newton Cinema, and the Dedham Community Theatre. Then for the SF30, the Festival returned to the Somerville Theatre where it has remained ever since.
Growth and evolution
With the advent of VHS and DVD, the Festival faced changing tastes. To address these, it began to add more days, newer films and more shorts reaching its current festival structure of ten days. The first nine days are devoted to showcasing new works from around the world. Judges rotate every year and are gleaned from the attendees, local personalities and the occasional 'special' judge. Awards are presented every year for Best Feature and Best Short. In 2012, a new category was added, Steampunk Awards for this category also included Best Feature and Best Short.
The Gort
The best overall film is awarded The Gort, is a specially designed award after the robot the classic film The Day the Earth Stood Still. Quiet Earth exclaimed it is "probably the coolest looking award ever." It was designed by Boston sculptor Casey Riley after one of the first films in the inaugural program. The 2012 winner of the Gort was the film "Dimensions: A Line, A Loop, A Tangle of Threads."
Upcoming festival
SF40, the 2015 version of The Boston Science-Fiction Film Festival will again be at the Somerville Theater. or as it is become affectionately known as “The Starship Somerville.” The festival start date is February 7, 2014, and the ‘Thon will begin at noon on February 15, 2014. Festival submissions start in August and run through the beginning of January. The Festival uses WithoutABox as its submission agent. More information on submitting a film and the competition categories are available on the Festival’s website.