BUFF XX is finally here! Tonight, we make our triumphant return to the Brattle Theatre in Harvard Square to kick off our 20th annual celebration of strange and unusual cinema. We’re expecting a cold & snowy nor’easter here, but we’ll be bringing the cinemadness all night long, and what better way to stay warm than with our friendly family of film freaks?

Our festival opens with the East Coast premiere of My Name is Myeisha, a phantasmagorical meditation on a beloved teen’s life cut tragically short, told from her perspective at the moment of her unjust death. But what sounds like a sobering and solemn premise is rendered with unexpected playfulness and incredible warmth. With tour-de-force performances by leads Rhaechyl Walker and John Merchant, My Name is Myeisha is fearless independent filmmaking at its absolute finest. We’ll have director Gus Krieger and lead Rhaechyl Walker here for a Q&A following the film.

We’re also ecstatic to present a rare 35mm screening of neon-drenched, new wave, electroclashtastic cult classic Liquid Sky. Inspiring generations of creatives, filmmakers, musicians, and weirdos since its debut, Liquid Sky is a mind-melting must-see on the big screen. If you’ve only ever seen this on VHS or YouTube (or if you’ve never seen it at all), you absolutely do not want to miss this ultra-rare screening in glorious 35mm!

We’d also like to invite you to come bathe in dark, eerie, synth-soaked bliss after the movies tonight at the killer Death Waltz showcase at ZuZu in Central Square, featuring Timothy Fife and Pentagram Home Video. If you’re a fan of John Carpenter, Tangerine Dream, or the Stranger Things soundtrack (which some of us on staff have played more times than we’d care to admit…), you won’t be disappointed by these electronic wizards. Tickets are $10 at the door and free to BUFF passholders.

We’ve got a whole lot more coming this week, too, so don’t forget to check out our schedule, and we hope to see you at the cinema!