Away from the multiplex, a summer to love

With all the inevitability of sunburn, summer blockbuster season will soon be upon us. But if the idea of choosing among big-screen remakes of TV shows or if returning (yet again) to a galaxy far, far away leaves you cold, don't despair. Venues in and around Boston present plenty of alternatives.

No summer would be complete without some Cape and island hopping, of course. Now in its 10th year, the Nantucket Film Festival kicks off June 15. Rosie Perez and Peter Farrelly will cohost the popular late-night storytelling event. The four-day festival also includes a reading of the winning script from Kevin Spacey's yearlong Triggerstreet.com screenplay competition and a tribute to Steve Martin. More details will soon be available at www.nantucketfilmfestival.org.

The Provincetown International Film Festival will offer an eclectic mix of screenings, workshops, and special events starting June 15. On opening night, Gus Van Sant will attend the East Coast premiere of his latest film, ''Last Days." Inspired by former Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, the film captures the last hours in the life of a troubled rock star. A double bill at the Wellfleet Drive-In on June 17 pairs one film that explores the mysteries of the ocean (''Deep Blue") with one that has chased more people from the sea than any other (''Jaws"). Back on dry land, John Waters will introduce Jacques Nolot's ''La Chatte a Deux Tetes," the story of a Parisian porn theater. The festival's schedule should be available online May 23 at www.ptownfilmfest.org.

The Woods Hole Film Festival, which runs from July 30 to Aug. 6, has several interesting movies on tap, including ''Missing in America," Carlisle native Gabrielle Savage Dockterman's debut, which stars Danny Glover and Linda Hamilton. Those interested in digital filmmaking may want to check out Xwhaves, a new event that brings filmmakers and distributors together. For more information, go to www.woodsholefilmfestival.com.

Film festivals will also draw movie buffs to other nearby locales. The first Plymouth International Film Festival debuts July 21. Founder Lisa Mattei has put together a strong program of workshops and screenings. One of the most intriguing films in the lineup is ''Purgatory House," produced and directed by Brockton native Cindy Baer. The story is based on Baer's experience with a troubled teenage girl she met through a Big Sisters program, and the script was penned by 14-year-old Celeste Davis. Keep an eye on www.plyfilmfest.org for the schedule.

Also look for details on the Newport International film festival (June 7-12, www.newportfilmfestival.com) and the Roxbury Film Festival (Aug. 17-21, www.roxburyfilmfestival.org).

A LOT OF LEGWORK: Beginning this Friday, the Harvard Film Archive kicks up its heels with an 11-day series devoted to legendary choreographer Busby Berkeley. Berkeley's work became famous for overhead, kaleidoscopic shots of dancing chorus girls and films such as ''42nd Street," which opens the series. He was behind the eye-catching numbers in scores of Warner Bros. and MGM musicals, including ''Gold Diggers of 1933" (and 1935 and . . .) and ''Babes in Arms." Studio executives even coined a new term for Berkeley's genius: ''cinematerpsichorean."

The HFA also offers an antidote to all that cinematic sunshine. ''Matters of Life and Death: The Films of Bruno Ganz" kicks off June 3 with 19 days of films devoted to the versatile Swiss actor. ''Kafka Goes to the Movies," from June 24 to 29, captures the attempts of various directors to translate the Czech writer's vision on film.

Finally, the bulk of the summer at the HFA, from July 1 to Aug. 21, features a journey through the archive's treasures. Viewers can expect to see work from filmmakers including Howard Hawks, Francis Ford Coppola, and Catherine Breillat.

HARTLEY PREMIERE: Hal Hartley will attend the Brattle Theatre's June 3 premiere of his latest film, ''The Girl From Monday." Hartley's Possible Films, which produced the movie, describes it as ''an unapologetically stylized account of friendship, sacrifice, and free love in the information age . . . fraught with the tensions of an unchecked consumer society and its impact on our sexualities, terrorism, and the difficulty in distinguishing elected officials from other corporate elites." Not your run-of-the-mill popcorn flick, to be sure, but it promises the quirky, off-kilter vibe that Hartley fans have come to expect.

Hartley will be on hand for the Brattle's 7:15 p.m. screening of the film. The Brattle also digs into the director's catalog with a June series titled ''Trouble + Desire: the Films of Hal Hartley." The lineup includes ''The Unbelievable Truth," ''Henry Fool," and ''Amateur."

LITTLE PARIS: July brings Bastille Day and the Boston French Film Festival at the Museum of Fine Arts. The program, one of the largest celebrations of French film in the United States, runs from July 7 to 24 and features both up-and-coming and well-known directors. The lineup will include Olivier Assayas's ''Clean," Eric Rohmer's ''Triple Agent," and Jacques Audiard's ''The Beat That My Heart Skipped." Filmgoers can expect several Boston premieres and appearances by filmmakers. Details will be available at www.mfa.org.

COMIN' AT YA: What could be better than a full week of 1950s classics on the big screen? Seeing them in 3-D, of course. Keep those cardboard red-and-blue glasses handy starting June 10. A six-day series at the Coolidge includes ''Kiss Me Kate," ''Creature From the Black Lagoon," ''Dial M for Murder," and the original, Paris Hilton-free ''House of Wax." Most of the films will be presented in restored 3-D prints. Harvard professor Steven Pinker will also give a presentation on how our brains process 3-D images. For more information, go to www.coolidge.org.

SHORT TAKES: Fans of TV's long-gone but not yet forgotten high school drama ''Freaks and Geeks" will want to stay up late and head over to the Coolidge this weekend. Samm Levine a.k.a. Neal Schweiber, will attend the theater's Freaks and Geeks Pajama Party at midnight on Friday and Saturday. The first night will feature two classic Neal episodes and a Q&A. On Friday night, viewers will vote for favorites to be screened on Saturday.

Bailey Island, Maine, gets ready for its close-up in ''Four Corners of Suburbia," a complex relationship drama by Elizabeth Puccini set, in part, on the island. The cast includes former ''Twin Peaks" star Madchen Amick and Paul Blackthorne (''24"). The film originated as a play written by Puccini, and the director will attend a Wednesday screening at 7:30 p.m. at Patriot Cinemas in Salem.

Spalding Gray built a wide-ranging film career as a writer and actor whose credits spanned from ''The Killing Fields" to ''How High." Now the founders of South End's B Roll Films, Ken Kinna and Greg Shea, have completed ''Gray Memorial," a tribute to the late monologist. They'll present it at next month's Filmstock Film Festival in Luton, England.

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