The festival has enjoyed such success in the past that this year’s roster has been expanded to encompass 96 films that will be featured at over 150 screenings. The focus is on filmmakers whose work — be it long-form movies, documentaries, or short films — presents themes “that are life changing, thought provoking and expose aspects of life in new and revealing manners.”

And, if you think all the festival is about is going to a theater, sitting and watching, and then going home, then think again. In addition to the actual showings, organizers have planned panel discussions, Q&A sessions with filmmakers, and parties, as well. Special guests currently include a number of individuals who work in different areas of entertainment and film, such as Brad Neely, Chris Eigeman, Famke Janssen, Guy Maddin, Harlan Ellison, Harmony Korine, Harry & The Potters, Jay McCarroll, and Mary Stuart Masterson.

The weeklong Independent Film Festival of Boston, also called IFFBoston, runs from Wednesday, April 23, until Tuesday, April 29. There are several options for participating, ranging from purchasing individual tickets for specific films (shown at Brattle Theatre in Cambridge, Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline, and Somerville Theatre in Somerville) to buying one of several passes that allow admission to numerous events. Visit the Ticket Website for more information, as well as the websites for the Film Lineup, Music Lineup, Panel Schedule, and surprisingly full Party Schedule.

Continue after the jump to see the trailer for one of the film selections at IFFBoston that I’m personally looking forward to a great deal, director Grant Gee’s comprehensive documentary Joy Division, which is about the influential English band of the same name and its tragic lead singer Ian Curtis.

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The ten-year-old annual event began as an informal affair in 1999, but has since matured and expanded into a full-fledged, more conventionally arranged series of screenings. And, unlike the fare you’ll find at whatever national chain happens to service your community, many of the scheduled works at BUFF will be hosted by the writers, directors, and stars who bring the films to life. If you’ve ever been to a hosted screening before or even watched the extras on a DVD, you probably agree there’s nothing like discovering details about a movie straight from the horse’s mouth.

This Saturday and Sunday, BUFF films and shorts in a variety of genres, ranging from musicals to horror to comedy, will be shown at two venues in Cambridge near Harvard University: Brattle Theatre (40 Brattle Street, Cambridge, 617-867-6837) and AMC Loews Harvard Square (10 Church Street, Cambridge, 617-864-4581).

Highlights include Saturday’s presentation of the German film-noir crime drama The Road to Nod from writer/director M.A. Littler (AMC Loews Harvard Square, 9:45pm, 100 minutes, Germany, 2007) and Sunday’s Closing Night screening of host and director Tony Krantz’s Otis (Brattle Theatre, 8:30pm, 90 minutes, USA, 2008), a dark serial-killer horror-comedy that premiered at SXSW earlier this month. Otis stars Bostin Christopher in the title role, along with familiar actors like Daniel Stern (Home Alone), Kevin Pollak (Casino), Quincy-born Illeana Douglas (Stir of Echoes), and Cambridge-born Jere Burns (TV’s Help Me Help You).

Tickets to individual movies cost $8 each for the general public and $6 for students and seniors. Moreover, trailers for the two intriguing movies mentioned previously, The Road to Nod and Otis, follow the jump. [More Information]

Post from: The Boston Traveler