2024 Festival Schedule 

Doors Open. VIP Early Seating. 

Film Block 3.

“From Earth to Earth” takes a critical look at the rituals dictated by America’s death-denying culture and asks, “how can people trying to cope with the death of a loved one be better served?” Our documentary takes the viewer deep into the woods of Vermont and the meadows of central New York where deathwork pioneers are inspiring a new way of thinking about life, death, and our enduring connection to nature. Along the way, we explore the systematic problems of the death industry and provide insight into alternative paths for returning our bodies to the embrace of the Earth. You will meet traditional morticians, advocates of natural burial, people dealing with the death of loved ones, and Vermont's very own “tiny death witch.” Along the way, you will discover a whole new approach to burial, funerals, and life itself.

Director: Maxwell Schweik, Alyssa Beebe, Chess Cabrera, Reed Freedman, Mikayla Hall

Ithaca College  Category: Colorado Documentary 

The son of first generation immigrants from Vietnam, filmmaker Danny Truong explores the unique challenges facing his family, including bullying he and his brother experience in school.

Director: Danny Truong Category: Next Generation Filmmaker

At one time Libby James held more running records than Flo-Jo and Usain Bold combined, yet most likely you have never heard of her. She is considered the grandmother of women’s competitive running despite not having started running until she was 35. Currently, she holds six American records and in 2012 was the highest point graded runner in the world.

Director: Stash Wislocki & Patty J Arndt, Telluride, CO Category: Short Documentary

Music video for "Holy Girl" by Boy-Jo (Joseph Mbah)

Director: Amber Mbah, Phoenix, AZ Category: Music Video

It is a commonly accepted fact among professionals that Vienna, Austria, is and has long been the world capital of espionage. A team of documentary filmmakers asked internationally renowned experts to prove or disprove this claim. The results exceeded all expectations.
The experts: Dr Boris B. Volodarsky, Intelligence Historian and writer, Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, London; Gert Rene Polli, former head of the BVT, the Austrian equivalent of MI5; Professor Gerhard Mangott specializing in International Relations and Security in the post-Soviet region; General Oleg Kalugin (ret.), former head of foreign counterintelligence of the KGB’s foreign intelligence arm; Christo Grozev, leading investigative journalist, 2023 Oscar for Best Documentary Feature ‘Navalny’, and others. Filmed in a modern style with many computer effects and meticulous re-enactment of spy episodes in real places based on original documents and footing, the documentary traces the 150-year-long history of international espionage between 1873 and the present using Vienna as a hub. The original musical theme ‘Undercover’ composed by Peter Sax was written especially for this film.

Director: Boris Volodarsky, Vienna, Austria Category: Feature Documentary

Intermission.

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Film Block 4.

Storytelling by Laine Michelle. 

World-renowned geologist Dr. Adolf Peretti visits the mines and markets of the Sri Lankan gem industry, and finds himself at the center of an important social issue.

Director: Rob Himebaugh & Adolf Peretti, West Hollywood, CA Category: Short Documentary

A nervous wreck throws a “house party” for his friend’s birthday at his grandma's expensive cabin. Will he be able to handle this party of his or will it spiral out of control?

Director: Creig Dunn, Parker, CO Category: Mockumentary 

Richard Fierro, the Army veteran credited with stopping the Club Q mass shooter, recounts the life experiences that led up to his heroic actions. Fierro’s bold insights on diversity, courage, and unity remind us what it takes to make America a beacon of hope for all.

Director: Edward Tyndall, Denver, CO Category: Colorado Documentary

After his karate dojo shuts down, filmmaker Caleb Worrath explores how important the space was for him growing up and how to process grief after a pandemic.

Director: Caleb Worrath Category: Next Generation Filmmaker

'Underdawgs' shares the true story of Austin Underwood, an inspirational figure with Down syndrome, and his mother, Jan, as they challenge stereotypes and empower individuals with learning differences to set expectations, not limitations.

Director: Brie Electra & Charity Robinson, Texas Christian University  Category: Student Documentary

A young woman realizes her worth while experiencing heartbreak under the big top. From country singer and "The Voice" winner Chevel Shepherd.

Director: David Dibble  Category: Music Video

“Now & Then: Notes from a Fragmented Life" is a picaresque compendium of autobiographical video poems, and a follow up sequel to "The Cost of Living" (2016, 21:53), our award winning first film together after thirty years apart, also based on a heartbreaking collection of Jack's short poems, each of which takes flight from a different Polaroid still. Our new film proves that there is more to the story, which once again tackles life, love, tragedy, redemption, family, bizarre twists of fate, aging ... and the mundane absurdities of life in the 21st century. Found footage, animation, special effects, and a collage of audio sources combine once again with live action footage in ways perhaps not possible before the ubiquity of the internet and the affordability of high quality HD video equipment and (this time) cell phone cameras. While having something in common with the personal documentary, the experimental collage, the biographical narrative, and the essay film, "Now & Then" is even more comfortable as an outlier, a freewheeling tour-de-force poetic melange whose quirky visual style resists any single genre or category.

Director: Pamela Falkenberg & Jack Cochran, Austin, TX  Category: Experimental Documentary

"Setting Crescent" tells the story of Dean Coombs, the writer, editor, and publisher of the world's last hot metal newspaper, the Saguache Crescent. Through patient filmmaking, viewers will discover what drives Dean to carry on the the family legacy of his century-old newspaper. It's a unique look at a bygone era of printing, a love letter to all things analog, and an intimate story of familial legacy.

Director: Bryan Wendland, Denver, CO Category: Colorado Documentary

A young musician explores life's biggest questions -- including her own mortality -- in this poetic homage to the term "sonder." Through interpretive imagery and evocative storytelling, the film explores what it means to be alive and human.

Director: Logan Richardson Category: Next Generation Filmmaker

In the quirky mountains of Colorado, people from all over the world gather to throw a party for a frozen dead guy. “Grandpa” died in 1989 and was frozen by his Norwegian grandson who hid him away in a tiny shed along with one other body. The uncovering of the bodies, as well as the controversy that followed, led to an annual celebration of costumed weirdos looking to drink, dance, race coffins, and dive into a frozen lake.

Director: Mike Scalisi & Bruce Borowsky, Boulder, CO Category: Colorado Documentary

Intermission.

Film Block 5.

Due to a traumatic series of events, Steve Musick goes to Heaven but is not allowed to stay. This film explores how he and his beloved have learned that Heaven is closer than we think. This is an invitation to experience Heaven here. While the fullness of Heaven is not here yet everyone can encounter moments of Heaven that Steve would say are very much like the hereafter. It changes lives.

Director: Jonathan Cipiti, Englewood, CO Category: Short Documentary

Music Video for the song War Paint by Los Indios.

Director: Damian Becerra, Tucson, AZ Category: Music Video

A film about international and transracial adoption and how one young adoptee, after surviving a life-threatening congenital condition, is redefining what family means in America.

Director: Dulcinea Genevieve Ruth Harrison Category: Next Generation Filmmaker

Our public lands represent the collective "us". As the shifting seasons reveal the beauty of nature, we, too, can hope to discover the beauty within ourselves.

Director: Andrew Hanson Category: Experimental Documentary

Project Beloved is a non-profit organization in Fort Worth, Texas, that is changing the conversation about sexual assault and empowering survivors. Beloved tells the story of the organization's founder, Tracy Matheson, and the tragic events surrounding the murder of her daughter Molly Jane. Out of the ashes, Tracy is working to honor her daughter's memory and support survivors of sexual assault through her non-profit organization, Project Beloved.

Director: Emily Dearman & Charity Robinson, Texas Christian University

Category: Student Documentary

Director: Florence Anderson Category: Mockumentary

Dreama Walton is a mother, full-time employee, and an ultramarathon runner. Dreama Team follows this amateur athlete on her road to compete in American's biggest ultramarathon: The Western States 100. As she draws inspiration from painful experiences in her youth, she finds herself getting fueled by a community she never expected. We explore the "dark place" of an ultra marathon - which is often a battle of the mind, and what comes up emotionally while running. Dreama didn't have the best role models in her childhood as she experienced neglect and abuse, but discovered the running community as a positive influence. She talks about her sister who had Spina Bifida and could never walk... and how she now "carries" her while she runs. Dreama Team isn't just a story about Ultramarathon running. It's a story about a relatable person, and how she takes struggle head-on, to face life's challenges.

Director: Chad Weber & Steve Vanderheide, Longmont, CO Category: Feature Documentary

Intermission.

Film Block 6.

Dance Performance by Westin Danceworks.

We all have questions about our past. Why are we the way we are? What happens when a family relic shows up out of nowhere and turns into a guiding light for a possible answer to that question? 

Ray Cameron has been fishing his entire life, but over the past few years he has learned so much more than he ever expected. About fishing. About his family. About himself. Two years ago after starting to tie flies for the first time, his dad gifted him a notebook that was his great grandfather’s. In the notebook, there were close to 100 hand-drawn fly patterns and detailed instructions on how to tie them. This notebook turned out to be the tip of the iceberg and has led Ray down a path of discovery that involves generations of his family. This film follows Ray’s journey alongside his father, Bill, as they use fishing and Pop’s notebook as a platform to discover threads of story that connect them to generations past.

Director: Clay Hervey Category: Short Documentary

Don't Let Go is a short film about a profound loss suffered by the band Little Us. The pianist reminisces and honors his friend through powerful solo performances.

Director: Laine Michelle, Colorado Springs, CO Category: Music Video

Water is a finite resource — and an essential one. For farmers, it’s everything. In this poignant new film, award-winning director Ben Knight explores a national issue around water through an intimate portrait of a small community in Pueblo, Colorado, that’s fighting to protect their water, land, and livelihood. Mirasol, Looking at the Sun, follows a multi-generational Italian and Hispanic immigrant farming community, from the 92-year-old farmer who has worked the land for generations to the young people who are ready and willing to take the reins. Through their voices, the film offers a story of a deep connection to place, the land, and the famed Pueblo Chile. Right now, their way of life is threatened by rapid development and population growth. There’s an assumption that our food will always be there. It will, but only if we fight to protect it. In this film we hear from the people who grow our food about what’s at stake, and what it would mean to lose it. “This land should be like our only child,” says one farmer. “We should be protecting it with everything we have.” Mirasol is a quiet, but powerful rallying cry that asks us all a question: If you had the chance to do something about it, would you? The water leases to the farmers will expire, and without action, the farms will be lost forever. We have an opportunity to protect this community, and stand up for all of the hardworking families and thriving fields on the fringes of cities across the country that are so often overlooked, or taken for granted. This film illuminates the intrinsic connection and universal needs of food, family, love, and the land. As a community, and as a nation, we have important choices to make.

Director: Ben Knight​, Colorado Springs, CO Category: Colorado Documentary

Intermission.

Yellow Carpet & Awards Ceremony.