Filmmakers’ reviews are originally posted on FilmFreeway.
“Incredible and venue at the MFA. There were two Boston Arts Academy alums in my group and we were all so proud to be sharing films in our hometown at the best film festival in Boston. This was the Boston premiere of ‘How to Sue the Klan’ and we purposefully waited in the hopes of getting an invitation from RoxFilm. Thank you so much to all the staff, programmers, and volunteers. It was a special night for our film and myself and hope to return someday.”
“Wonderful Film Festival and was so glad to see so many people attend and support us filmmakers. The staff is always friendly and supportive and my husband and I felt very welcomed! We hope to see everyone again next year!
Thank you Lisa and Allison and the rest of the ROXFILM staff!”
“Thank you, ROXFILM for showing our small-town Florida film, “A Seat at the Table,” to new audiences in the Northeast. We are so honored to have been part of it!”
“Great communication and everything was a breeze with this festival.”
“Lisa, Alison and their team were masterful. The festival was robust in its lineup. And they featured my 8-minute short nicely, with a great post-screening Q&A session. It remains the best festival experience I’ve had, bar none. Thank ya’ll!”
“One of the best festivals I’ve ever screened at. Love the city of Boston and having the showings at MFA. Their communication was outstanding and provided answers to anything I need. Lots of opportunities to network. Strongly recommend this one.”
“The Roxbury International Film Festival is a jewel. Not only is it a great showcase of work from filmmakers of color from across the world but a wonderful opportunity to network. The festival is run with heart by Lisa and Alison Simmons and their fantastic staff. It’s that personal touch that makes the festival shine. This is a filmmaker forward festival, focusing on a breath of work and themes to highlight artists and the issues of our time. We had a blast at the screenings, the events and the after parties. We look forward to next year!”
“Strongest community involvement of any festival I’ve been to. Amazing theater inside the historic MFA Boston. Organizers who are passionate about indie filmmaking across the board. A highlight of our festival run.”
“Phenomenally well organized, wonderful films in well-curated groupings, abundant networking opportunities — this is a first class film festival. It was an honor to premiere at Roxbury International Film Festival and we’re incredibly grateful for the experience!”
“Thank you once again Roxbury for a fantastic festival.”
“This film festival was such a great time. They had a wide variety of films available for viewing.”
“Lisa is wonderful. I really enjoyed the nightly Filmmaker hangouts. The variety and selection of films was excellent”
“Thank you for selecting “A Sisterhood of Signatures” for your festival in 2020. I met so many amazing people and had great conversation.”
“The Roxbury International Film Festival is one of the “Best Film Festival “ ever! Lisa, her Sister Allison and the Volunteers are extraordinary, work hard and takes pride in the films they select and show. Thank you and look forward to another year of great films, documentary, i.e”
“It was an honor to be selected as part of the Roxbury Film Festival! It’s a legendary festival in Boston, and they were wonderful to communicate with. Thank you very much!”
“I love this festival! I’ve been at RIFF with 3 different films and every time I am beyond impressed with the dedication and passion that the festival directors and programmers have for the films they select. There is a lot of thought put into the films selected and a lot of intelligent discussions around the issues presented in the films. They care about the filmmakers and the audience and that makes the experience fun and meaningful.”
“Excellent organization and very friendly and warm team. Wish I could’ve attended in person, but the virtual experience was still amazing!”
“I had a wonderful time at the 2019 Film Festival. It’s the second time a film of mine has screened there, and I have had a wonderful experience each time. Great venue, great people, great after party events!! I can’t wait to come back!”
“This festival is a gem and caters to the filmmakers.”
“Great film festival!
Very good communication and constant updates from Roxbury team throughout the whole process.”
“Amazing film festival. Here’s why:
1. Well organized. Good communication before and throughout the event, with daily updates, and very friendly.
2. Attracts an appreciative crowd that reacts during the films and asks good questions during the Q&A.
3. The selected films are fantastic! Good quality and diverse, so you feel in good company.
4. Quite a few filmmakers show up, so there’s ample opportunity for networking.
5. The swag is actually nice and genuinely useful, not just a bunch of promo knickknacks that a bunch of sponsors threw in. Cool T-shirt too.
I flew from California to Boston for this event, and I’m glad I did. I’d like to say thanks to the festival director Lisa!”
“Excellent Festival with a purpose. Films were high quality, programmers are knowledgeable about film and passionate about supporting PoC filmmakers. The venue screening rooms are state of the art and the location is convenient to get to.”
“Great festival! Great staff! Can’t express enough how much we enjoyed attending!”
“Great platform for indie voices. Fantastic screening venue at the MFA Boston. A curious and engaged audience. And organizers created a warm environment for filmmakers that was great for networking. Feels like a true community.”
“What an incredible festival. The staff are incredible and helpful. Very communicative regarding any changes that might be made during the festival, and I love the fact that they put filmmakers 1st. We had an awesome time and we really enjoyed ourselves. We can’t wait to submit to the festival when we have a project next time.”
“Incredible festival! Staff and film festival goers were wonderful, fun, and passionate! Venue was excellent and quality. Highly recommend this festival.”
“Amazing Film Festival. Will submit my future projects.”
“Great experience. Such a wide array of important films. And it was exciting to see all the films in our segment, and Lisa did a fabulous job facilitating a talk back. Many thanks!”
“I’m so honored to have had the privilege to have my short film, Molasses, at this prestigious film festival. The communication from the program directors was top-tier. The opportunity to network and meet other Filmmakers came with ease. Program scheduling was so intentional and thoughtful. I got to watch beautiful work from filmmakers around the world. This is an important festival for filmmakers to be a part of and I’m so happy I got the chance to participate. I can’t wait for next year!”
“This was a stellar experience. How has Lisa Simmons led this festival for 26 years, and still maintained her welcoming, calm and intelligent respect for filmmakers? Because we attended from out of town, we were afraid the audience turnout would be small, especially after a major downpour. But there was a sizable audience - a testament to the longevity of the festival - which was very engaged and responsive.”
“There are not enough words to thank Lisa and Alison Simmons.
Plus 1s is an Official Selection and had its World Premiere at The Roxbury International Film Festival 2023. The film screened at the majestic Museum of Fine Arts Boston, and we had a sold out screening! We even had people on the waitlist!
RIFF hosted an incredible filmmakers networking event, the catering was fantastic as well as the elite filmmakers from all walks of life. Highly recommend submitting your film here!”
“Thank you, ROXFILM FAM, for a wonderfully curated festival! It was an honor to showcase our project alongside other incredible filmmakers! You have supported my projects for two seasons now; I can never take that for granted!
I look forward to more with you. Onward…”
“Although, as a Director I was not able to attend, I had friends attend the festival and they had an incredible experience . And that’s what for your audience. It was well organized festival, they provided clear communication and did an excellent job in promoting and marketing the festival. Screening my short film, Mama Duke, at Roxbury International Film Festival was a great opportunity to introduce my film to a new audience and community.”
“Excellent film festival! Thank you so much to Lisa and Alison Simmons for organizing this event and for including BECOMING BLACK LAWYERS in this year’s lineup of selected films! It was truly an honor to have the film screened and also be invited to participate in a thoughtful Q&A session alongside other filmmakers with an interested and engaged audience. A really great experience. Outside of my experience as a filmmaker, as a festival attendee, I enjoyed the programming and learned so much from the documentaries I was able to view. I will definitely attend and support this festival for many years to come. Such excellent in-person and online programming that I really wish I could have taken advantage of it ALL. A first-class, world-class event. It is truly a gem and blessing for the greater Boston community and beyond. Highly recommended!”
“Thank you Roxbury for including our short in this year’s programming. They are a dedicated team of talented and weathered filmmakers that we are honored to be acquainted with! For Black Filmmakers would 100% recommend applying to and attending Roxbury!”
“Great festival! The film selection and Q&A were amazing! I had a wonderful time at the Museum of Fine Arts for Roxbury International FF.”
“Amazing and affirming festival that I’ll support for a lifetime!”
“RoxFilm has become such a staple for Black and Brown creatives! Telling stories from an underserved community and highlighting the intentionality of unknown and unnamed heroes is what makes RoxFilm special! I couldn’t have been more honored to have my film “Soul Intact” featured in the Activise portion. I left so inspired, hopeful and motivated to create the change I wish to see”
“Lisa Simmons and her team did a fantastic job putting this powerful event together under extremely challenging circumstances. I really enjoyed getting to know the RoxFilm team and other filmmakers during the nightly Zoom hangouts. Wish we could have been there in person, but this was a beautiful experience. We were so thrilled to win Honorable Mention for Best Narrative Feature for Last Night in Rozzie, especially with so many great films. Congratulations to Thato Rantao Mwosa for winning Best Narrative Feature with the poignant Memoirs of a Black Girl. Well deserved!”
“Fantastic Festival! Loved the community building and the Filmmaker Q&A’s and Filmmaker hangouts. Will totally submit another film here.”
“Amazing festival! professionally operated and a great slate of films selected.”
“Roxbury International Film Festival was absolutely awesome presentation of entertainment and education!!!”
“The experience at The Roxbury International Film Festival was amazing! Emails were answered promptly and communication was clear.
We as a production team attended the film fest and the turnout was great with a lot of quality films in our screening block. I look forward to attending this film festival every year whether we have a submission or not.”
“I can’t speak on the actual Festival because I was not able to attend, but I had a family member who also screened there who said the festival was amazing. The opportunities to network and share with creatives was on par with the most prestigious fests in the world.
My own experience with the programming team was wonderful. They were open, easy to talk to, and extremely helpful in getting my film ready to screen. They replied to all communication promptly and were transparent as far as the process was concerned.
Excellent pre-festival experience but now I really want to attend based on testimony!”
“Lisa and crew, Thank you so much for your gracious hospitality. Most of all, thank you for awarding my feature film an ‘Honorable Mention’.”
“I had an amazing time at this festival. Although the saturday morning screening had very little attendance, I noticed that other days and times were jam packed. I enjoyed the Q&A session and highly recommend this festival to all film producers and directors. I look forward to submitting next year.”
“This festival was absolutely wonderful. Very accommodating and film maker friendly. The venue was perfect. The organizers were great to work with and extremely supportive. And, I met a lot of incredible people.”
“These people know how to run a festival, and they care about the filmmakers. It was a great experience all around.”
“Ditto, ditto, DITTO to all of the rave reviews of this festival! I was completely blown away by my experience here. Not only are the organizers committed and passionate about staying on mission with the films they screen but they do everything they can to support the filmmakers behind the work. In spite of being super busy the fest director found time to make introductions to folks who may have an interest in my film and to invite me to various press opportunities. I found that ROX Film does not shy away from sharing the critical if at times painful stories that affect underrepresented communities of color. In addition the festival curator(s) seem to have a knack for recognizing not only the well mastered film but the gem of a newcomer, understanding the intentions of the film artist, whether completely realized or not. To top it off I had a ball hanging out at the filmmaker hangouts, meeting the fellow filmmakers, and having my film screen at one of the premiere cultural venues of the city; the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. I would recommend the Roxbury International Film Festival equally to the first time filmmaker and the seasoned filmmaker, particularly to directors and producers who may have had trouble connecting with diverse audiences. You and your work will be appreciated and welcomed here.”
“This is a great film festival to be a part of. The whole team communicates well with the film makers are passionate about what they are putting together. I would recommend it to any film maker who wants to be a part of something really dynamic.”
“We had such a beautiful time at the festival. They were very welcoming and considerate, very lovely intimate gatherings after the films as well as singing karaoke and dancing. A diverse offering of films by filmmakers from around the world with different sensibilities and approaches to filmmaking. A fantastic opportunity to discover creators as well as celebrate the classics. Thank you so much for having us. ✨🌹✨”
“One of the best film festivals in Boston. Highly recommended!”
“Incredible festival! Was so proud to win Best Narrative Short for Fifty-Four Days. I just wish I could have attended in person but I look forward to bringing many future films!”
“This is well curated festival that respects filmmakers and actively nurtures new talent through daily scene readings with actors. Lisa, Alison and team have been organizing this festival for 25 years. When they started out, there were no resources for a festival that sought to celebrate the work of people of color. Hats off to what ROXFILM was and what it has become!”
“Love these guys so much. They care about film-makers, they take time to speak with you and in our Directors case they had an in conversation. Supporting diversity and inclusion is high on their agenda. Being part of US festivals has led to US distribution which we are so happy about.
We were so happy to win this award - much appreciated indeed
Thank you again for everything”
“Thank you Roxbury International Film Festival for making my experience so exciting. It was an honor to screen my film and the entire festival team is warm and welcoming. Best wishes for your 25th edition next year!”
“The Roxbury International Film Festival is very special. We were so honored to have been part of it. Alison and her team go the extra mile. Having our short doc screened at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts before such an attentive audience along with such inspirational films was a total thrill!”
“The Roxbury International Film Festival is my favorite film festival! It is welcoming, fun, and very well-run! Lisa Simmons and her sister, Alison Simmons put so much thought into their beautifully curated screenings. The festival has a moral core that runs throughout all the films. Audiences leave with a deeper understanding of what it means to be a person of color in the US and abroad. It was an honor to have InterGeneration included in the festival!”
“My experience was limited but what I did see and feel was terrific. I’m really proud to have been part of this great film festival.”
“This was a fabulous festival! So well-organized, aware of and attentive to the needs of a hybrid festival in a pandemic. And so genuinely committed to films by and about people of color, especially women. Director Lisa Simmons and this festival have created an inviting and much-needed space for these works.”
“It was an honor to screen at RoxFilm this year, and I was just blown away by the outstanding communication and attention to detail in this hybrid festival.”
“I thoroughly enjoyed my participation in the [Roxbury] international film Festival. Lisa, the Director was wonderful. All of the communication I received was clear concise and timely. I met some very amazing female filmmakers that I hope to keep in contact with. I look forward to next year‘s festival!”
“Have been attending Roxbury for years! It was an honor to have my film short ROOM shown during the 2020 film festival! The festival is always professional, warm, and supportive of filmmakers of color.”
“Wonderful festival that selected and treated us very well, thank you so much!”
“Wow! I can unequivocally say that the Roxbury IFF is a top tier event for ANY indie filmmaker and a must go for filmmakers of color. The communication, organization, quality, variety of exhibitions, screening facilities, and creative environment were unexpectedly amazing. Mark your calendars. Do not miss the opportunity to attend this festival.”
“Lisa Simmons and her staff did an excellent job!”
“Unfortunately I wasn’t able to attend but it seemed like a fantastic festival. Good communication and great program. Would love to attend one day!”
“I had an amazing time at his festivial! My film “Training Wheels” was a Boston premiere here! Everyone was so warming and inviting. The festival also gave all the filmmakers a little care package for appreciation! Programmers were very nice and excited that you’ve attented to respresent your film! Wonderful experience.”
“The festival is an incredible experience meeting filmmakers of color from across the nation and the real issues they face addressed in films with poignancy, relevance and class. The festival offers plenty of networking opportunities, a pitch session and state-of-the-art screening facilities. The director Lisa Simmons and her team are always supporting filmmakers on and off the festival floor. Highly recommended.”
“I just LOVED RoxFilm’s American Debut of “Darkroom” on the impressive Museum of Fine Arts-Boston big screen plus its convenient & affordable MassArt Treehouse accommodations. Can’t wait to Black Film Festival Reports them during next year’s 20th RIFF via http://www.BlackFilm.blog.”
“It was a great experience. Just to screen your film at one of the most famous art museums in the world; venues of the city; the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. The festival director and the people run festival care about the filmmakers and audience. It is organized very well. I would recommend the Roxbury International Film Festival, it is a great festival and gives a chance to connect with diverse audiences. I am grateful being part of it.”
“Great festival experience with an audience that was genuinely interested in the subject of my film!”
“An amazing festival with a rich history of presenting stories about, and also for, people of color. The films screened will easily show that many quality films, themes and topics are represented. More important is the wonderful communication provided by the festival to ensure a well-run and successful event. Continued success and congratulations to Lisa Simmons and the Roxbury team...”