It is the same feeling each year. Perhaps because the Academy Awards precede it, but for film buffs this time of year brings an excitement that is palpable and serves as a fitting warm up to Durango’s own independent film festival.
It all kicks off tonight with “Free Movie Night” sponsored by DGO at the Gaslight Theatre and runs through Sunday.
The festival provides affordable access to all genres, geographies and filmmakers and is unmatched in the region in its quality and diversity of offerings.
If you go, and you should, prepare to be transported. For an area as isolated as Southwest Colorado, it is a rare treat that festival-goers must choose between 115 films from 28 countries, educational panels free to the public, parties, receptions, and an awards presentation on Sunday night.
With panel topics like the “Social value of cinema,” “Making a film in the four corners,” and “Stories from the front lines of filmmaking,” the festival embraces its educational mission, represented in a subtle but significant name change in 2012 to Durango Film.
The change more fully reflects their mission statement and year-round offerings that also includes the Manhattan Short Film Festival, and drinking, dining and movie events in collaboration with other organizations and business partners throughout the region.
A “Best of the Fest” screening is planned for Cortez next month.
New this year is a partnership with the Community Concert Hall on Saturday night featuring a blues concert with Jim Belushi and the Sacred Hearts. Belushi will also discuss the film “About Last Night” in which he stars (it will screen on Saturday morning).
The festival is rightly proud of its Reel Learning Program that brings Native cinema, animated, educational and entertaining films and filmmakers to over 1,200 K-12 students at schools in Ignacio and Durango.
Including the school program, the festival reaches over 7,000 individuals, one quarter of whom come from out of town. It also plants seeds for travel or additional learning and feeds many a curious mind.
Take their slogan to heart: escape, expand, and explore the world through film. More information and tickets are available at durangofilm.org
