Area art houses were where the action was

The local film scene goes out with the old and in with the new, and similarly the year's best offerings ranged from familiar favorites to pleasant surprises.

Why go to the movies when you can just stay home and watch DVDs? The answer was clear at venues around town: Nothing beats seeing movies, especially classics, on the big screen. The Brattle Theatre had two especially strong entries, with series featuring Greta Garbo and 1920s star Harold Lloyd. The Museum of Fine Arts and Harvard Film Archive also expanded the definition of classic with lesser-known but must-see films ''I Am Cuba" and ''Little Fugitive" (part of ''The Films of Morris Engel and Ruth Orkin.")

Along with classics, retrospectives also had a good year. Chloe Malle, the daughter of the great Louis Malle, was on hand for an introduction and post-screening Q&A for ''Au Revoir Les Enfants." The film was among a dozen in a series presented by the HFA and MFA that began in September. The two organizations teamed up again for a powerful retrospective honoring Japanese filmmaker Mikio Naruse. Stanley Kubrick's masterpieces were included in the Brattle's September series, but the program also presented little-seen early work.

Art houses and rep theaters brought not just captivating films to the area but the filmmakers themselves. The Coolidge Corner Theatre regularly plays host, and notable guests in the past 12 months included director Richard Leacock and cinematographer Gordon Willis. Bruno Dumont, Jacques Doillon, and Sally Potter also attended screenings of their work at venues including the HFA and the Brattle.

Established filmmakers weren't the only ones who stood out this year. Up-and-coming directors were well represented on the local film scene. Amanda Micheli's ''Double Dare" turned a spotlight on often overlooked Hollywood stuntwomen; Jenny Abel paid tribute to her prankster father, Alan, with ''Abel Raises Cain"; Andrew Bujalski got some long overdue notice with ''Funny Ha Ha"; and two filmmakers put their personal stamp on larger, complex issues: the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks (Nina Davenport's ''Parallel Lines") and the closings of Catholic parishes (Rudi Schwab's ''Closed on Sundays.")

Viewers discovered many of these rising filmmakers thanks to area film festivals. The big names (Nantucket, Provincetown, Woods Hole) have been going strong for years and this summer was no exception. Nantucket honored Steve Martin not for his comic genius as an actor, but as a screenwriter; Gus Van Sant's ''Last Days" had its East Coast premiere in Provincetown; and Woods Hole focused on filmmakers with a New England connection. The Boston Jewish Film Festival shows no signs of slowing down after almost 20 years. The Plymouth International Film Festival made a strong debut; the Boston Latino International Film Festival continues to get stronger each year; and the Roxbury Film Festival still boasts the area's strongest lineup of work by filmmakers of color.

Documentaries were an important part of the local film landscape as well. ''Winter Soldier," the powerful Vietnam War film that went largely unseen for more than 30 years, screened at the MFA in November. The Nile perch sounds like a poor choice for a dramatic narrative, but Hubert Sauper uses this lowly creature to explore issues of globalization and poverty in ''Darwin's Nightmare." Curtis Elliott's ''HairKutt" took an intensely personal, unflinching look at a close friend's battle with drug addiction.

The Boston area is no slouch when it comes to international film. As Francophiles know, the MFA hosts one of the country's most prestigious French film festivals. Work from countries such as Turkey, Greece, Iran, and Russia also screens with regularity. Next year, look for festivals that spotlight work from Africa and Armenia.

Music and movies go so well together that even silent films got into the act this year. Alloy Orchestra, Devil Music Ensemble, and Puerto Muerto were among the many musicians that created live soundtracks for films ranging from ''Phantom of the Opera" to ''Nosferatu" to ''Texas Chainsaw Massacre." Film series devoted to music also rocked the Coolidge and the Brattle.

Late in the year the Brattle went public with its financial woes. In October, the Cambridge theater announced that without raising $400,000 by year's end (and another $100,000 by the end of next year) it would be forced to cease operations. The theater has hosted benefit screenings and other fund-raising events, and almost $200,000 has been raised to date. The theater still has a long way to go but the situation would be far more bleak without community support.

For all the big-name organizations that put an indelible stamp on the area film scene (the Brattle, Coolidge, HFA, and the MFA), local film offerings wouldn't be quite as rich without the less acknowledged venues and groups that also play a crucial part: Belmont World Film, whose programming lives up to its name; BollywoodFlick.com, for bringing Indian film to the multiplex; and Women in Film & Video New England, for supporting aspiring and established female filmmakers alike.

Rhonda Stewart can be reached at rstewart@globe.com.