#BUFF21 is back with a vengeance for Day 2 with snarling teeth, underground heroes, and haunted houses. Set in 1945 just at the end of World War II, Adrian Panek’s harrowing, horrifying Werewolf raises the bar for siege films to disorienting new heights as a group of young Holocaust survivors in an abandoned orphanage face off against a pack of feral dogs. Through stark images, gorgeously shot landscapes, and amazing actors, the director forces us to confront the inevitability of horror, the gruesomeness of the survival instinct, and the battle to reclaim one’s humanity.
Next up we’re proud to present Industrial Accident: The Story of Wax Trax! Records, director Julia Nash’s personal chronicle of the record store and influential record label founded by her father Jim and his partner Dannie, who formed an unlikely family of punks, queers, and outsiders on their transformative, breakneck ride through the music and culture of the 80s underground scene. Join us afterwards for post-screening drinks at Brass Union in Somerville, where our favorite local DJ Brother Cleve will be spinning classic Wax Trax! hits and more all night long.
Meanwhile, back at at the Brattle, we’re excited to share the East Coast premiere of haunted house horror Girl on the Third Floor, hot on the heels of its successful world premiere at SXSW. As a producer, Travis Stevens has been a regular fixture at the fest for years, responsible for some of the most brilliantly nasty flicks to disgrace our screens (A Horrible Way to Die, Cheap Thrills, Starry Eyes, etc.), and you’d be hard-pressed to find a better home than BUFF for his directorial debut. Wrestling fans take note: this film also marks the acting debut of former WWE champion CM Punk!