American beauties?

They're off and screening in the 15th Boston Film Festival

Now in its 15th year, the Boston Film Festival is settling into middle age with a comfortable, no-frills formula: some 45 features spread over 10 days (September 10 through 19 this year), plus six programs of shorts. It's not Cannes or Berlin or New York or Toronto, but last year's offerings did include Adrian Lyne's Lolita, Julia Sweeney's God Said, "Ha!", Bill Condon's Gods and Monsters, Joan Chen's Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl, Robert Towne's Without Limits, Thomas Vinterberg's The Celebration, John Boorman's The General, Udayan Prasad's My Son the Fanatic, and Walter Salles's Central Station. This year we get a sneak preview of the promising American Beauty, whose stars, Kevin Spacey and Annette Bening, will be receiving the festival's Film Excellence Awards this Sunday evening. There's also a trio of attractive documentaries: Cynthia Gates Fujikawa's Old Man River, James M. Felter's Rats, and Mark McLaughlin's Keepers of the Frame. Here's the line-up for the second week of the festival:

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Film Festival Feature Films

| Keepers of the Frame | The Runner | The Carriers Are Waiting | Tumbleweeds | Deterrance | The War Zone | Happy, Texas | Joe the King | The Legend of 1900 | Best Laid Plans | Original Diner Guys | The Glass Jar | Rose's | Wirey Spindell | Starry Night | Bellyfruit |

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More Boston Film Festival information, film descriptions, and show times

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Also, Boston Film Festival short films