Ninth-annual event expands to four days, features 26 short films
Arielle Bielak wants you to trust her.
The director of the Ridgway Independent Film Festival knows we’re in more control than ever over the media we consume, the shows and movies we choose to watch.
But for at least this weekend, she’s asking you to let go of the wheel. Allow her and the other volunteers that put together Ridgway’s annual eclectic film festival and the filmmakers whose work will be on display to take you on a motley journey. Trust that they will lead you somewhere interesting and fun to see something you haven’t seen before. Trust that, even if what’s on the screen at a particular moment doesn’t appeal to you, if you’ll wait a few minutes you’ll like what’s next.
“If you see something you don’t love, you’re going to still be engaged and you’re still going to want to stick around for the next one,” Bielak said. “If you’re willing to sit down for it, I think you will come away pleasantly surprised.”
The ninth-annual Ridgway Independent Film Festival returns this weekend, and the notion that it’s bigger and better than previous iterations isn’t just a gimmick. This year’s event spans four days and features 26 films, compared to two days and 16 films last year. For the first time, films will be shown in two locations, both at the Sherbino Theater and across Sherman Street inside the Decker Community Room at the Space to Create building. There will be catered food, a panel discussion, filmmaker question-and-answer sessions, mixers and social events.
The growth of this year’s festival is due in no small part to Bielak’s effort to build relationships with other film festivals in the region, including Ouray, Aspen, Crested Butte, Salida and Silverton. More than 100 films were submitted this year.
Last year’s offerings trended intense. Bielak describes this year’s festival as “darkly funny, soulful.”
The festival opens tonight (Thursday) with screenings of two short films, “Skyline” and “Born Curious.” “Skyline” shares the story of how Ridgway native Jonny Zaugg traversed the Sneffels Range in a day and how that journey helped him cope with mental health issues. The film was made by Zaugg’s former Ridgway classmate, Kael Van Buskirk. Thursday night’s event, which is free to the public (although donations are welcome), will feature food and mental health resources.
Friday features an exhibition opening from painter Emma Kalff and the showing of selected films at Space to Create, followed by film screenings at the Sherbino and a social event. Screenings continue Saturday, with a preceding mixer at Rootwings Art and a late-evening film night.
The final day of the festival, Sunday, includes a morning trip to Top of the Pines to view the mountain range Zaugg traversed, a panel discussion, more films and an awards presentation.
The noon panel discussion features Log Hill Mesa resident Peter O’Fallon, a writer and director; Grand Junction resident Arielle Brachfeld, an actor and the deputy commissioner of film for the Colorado Office of Film, Television and Media; and James Kleinert, a documentary filmmaker, director and actor. The discussion, moderated by Bielak and Liz Pryor, an author, columnist and speaker, will focus on the panelists’ careers and on rural filmmaking.
The festival includes cash prizes for winning films and a panel of professional judges — O’Fallon; Ouray County residents and filmmakers Renan Ozturk and Taylor Rees; Norwood author Craig Childs; and Ridgway resident, writer, educator and filmmaker Dylan Howell.
