Reel Hub: Mickey, Sean, and Ty at the BSFC

Last night at the Brattle theater, the Boston Society of Film Critics gathered to hand-out their annual awards. It was the second time the organization held an actual ceremony, and the group wisely decided to use the opportunity to single out the people that make the Boston film world what it is, the curators, theater managers, authors, and projectionists whose unqualified love of film make going to the movies here a singular experience. We often think about film as a mass media, but for at least one night the intimacy of watching movies was on display.

The event began with the awards presentation. The (old) MFA was well represented as Stefanie Lubkowski, former MFA film program associate, Kelly Teer, outgoing manager of the MFA auditorium, and former film curator Bo Smith (not in attendance) were all commended. Ty Burr's presentation for Lubkowski captured what the MFA has meant for Boston, praising the "hard to market movies" they've brought to the city that otherwise wouldn't be exhibited, and the actual community they created through their "Friends of Film" program. At times nostalgic, the presentation gave a sense of the rich programs put on over the years, and the daunting task facing the MFA today.

Bostonist favorite Paul Sherman received an award for his “Big Screen Boston: From Mystery Street to the Departed and Beyond,” while the most touching presentation was Gerald Perry's introduction for Steve Livernash, the longtime projectionist at the HFA. Perry and Livernash explained that the golden rule of projection was to make sure the print was returned in better condition than it arrived, and implied how seldom the rule is followed. Livernash was not only a first-rate projectionist, Perry argued, but a film preservationist. Joe Zina of the Coolidge Corner Theater, also commended, was not in attendance.