by Victoria Potenza, Staff Writer

I have never had the honor of attending the Boston Underground Film Fest in person. However as a Boston native I am very excited to attend (virtually) this year. Boston Underground has an exceptional line up for those who are able to attend, check out their full schedule of events here. The fest runs from March 23rd to the 27th. 

Almost everything they are showing this year is something I am interested in, but I am especially interested in their curated selection of female directed films. 

Medusa (dir. Anita Rocha da Silveira)

Did the name alone have me sold on this film? Yes. Medusa is a figure we do not see enough in popular culture and that truly needs to be remedied. While the film does not necessarily seem to be a Medusa story it is about a girl gang who goes after those they deem sinful. I would be remiss not to check this film out honestly. I am excited to check out this work from Brazilian director Anita Rocha da Silveira. 

Honeycomb (dir. Avalon Fast)

Honeycomb is another film that caught my eye, for very similar reasons. This film follows a group of girls who stray from society looking for something better. Do they find a feminist utopia? Do they delve into a Yellowjackets/Lord of the Flies dystopian nightmare? I truly do not know what this film has in store for me but I am eager to find out. 

Watcher (dir. Chloe Okuno)

I am way too excited about this film. I am a huge fan of the star, Maika Monroe (It Follows, The Guest). Plus, after seeing Chloe Okuno direct the best segment of V/H/S/94, I was thrilled for this creative pairing. The story follows Monroe’s character as she is potentially stalked by an unknown stranger after moving to a new place with her fiance. I have no idea where this film might be going or what will happen but I think there is very little chance I will be disappointed in the results. 

Hatching (dir. Hanna Bergholm)

Hatching is another female directed film that has been on my radar for some time now. A young girl finds an egg that she keeps hidden and hangs onto while she waits for it to hatch. It seems thoroughly weird, in the best way. I love being exposed to horror from other countries, especially ones that are backed by female creative teams so this is certainly one I cannot wait to experience. 

The Innocents (dir. Eskil Vogt)

I have a love hate relationship with creepy kid films. But the description and poster have made me very intrigued by this feature. A group of children hanging out one day discover they have strange powers, with potentially dark results. This film comes from Norway and I am very interested in what these Nordic creepy kids are up to.

There are plenty of other films and shorts that you can look into for the festival. Shorts include local, female/Nonbinary, BIPOC, and first time filmmakers that you can check out and support. They span a variety of genres. Shorts are often my favorite part of festivals so certainly do not sleep on this selection.