Boston (Film Festival) Goes Hollywood

Say, movie lovers: What are you doing tonight through, say, next Thursday? Nothing? Excellent, because we have one heck of a suggestion for you and its name is the Boston Film Festival.

Held this year at the fairly new indie/art house cinema at the Stuart Street Playhouse, the festival (in its 27th year) will feature a broad spectrum of films, from documentary to animated.

There will be short films, films narrated by Martin Sheen, films making their world premiere (six, to be exact), films starring Brittany Snow, films about Boston street doctors and films with the description "Dom McGuire had it all figured out until his best friend sobered up, his sister lost 100 pounds and his fiancée rediscovered her religion."

For those truly hard-core about the movie-making biz, there's even the panel "From Script to Screen," which will include festival directors, writers and producers (Saturday, Sept. 17, 3-4 p.m.). Succinctly put, there's a little something for everyone at the Boston Film Festival.

The kicker? You get to see world premieres for a little less than a ticket at Showcase Cinemas. General admission to films is $9, which is pretty good when you consider you'll be one of the first people on Earth to lay eyes on some of these dramatic nuggets.

The festival kicks off this Friday, the 16th, and runs through the 22nd. For more information, visit the Boston Film Festival Web site. Be sure to check out the available movie trailers, too. After all, as any true moviegoer knows, the previews are always the best part.