Durango Film: An Independent Film Festival is in its 12th year of bringing cool movies, panels and filmmakers to Durango, and this year is no different. Running from Wednesday through March 5, the film fest offers an eclectic mix of features, documentaries and shorts.
The movies will kick off Wednesday night with the festival’s Free Movie Night. No passes are required, and entry to the shows at the Gaslight Theatre are first come, first served.
Here are some movies you don’t want to miss:
My Love Affair with the Brain: The Life and Science of Dr. Marian Diamond
How can you not fall in love with a woman who carries a preserved human brain inside a flowery hat box? As one of the founders of modern neuroscience, it’s no exaggeration to say that Dr. Marian Diamond has changed science in dramatic ways over the course of her career. Her groundbreaking work is all the more remarkable because it began in an era when so few women entered science at all.
61 min. Showing with “I Want to Fly” 10 a.m. March 3, Gaslight 2; and 6 p.m. March 4, Gaslight 2.
The 1,000 Eyes of Dr. Maddin
Film director Guy Maddin, nicknamed the Canadian David Lynch, unveils his methods, techniques and inspirations of filmmaking. Despite living in the digital age, this unorthodox director has spent 25 years summoning the light-and-shadow techniques and experimentations of the Golden Age of film to resuscitate a unique cinematographic language that plays with the spectator’s unconscious by means of visual trickery that borders on the absurd.
65 min. Showing with “Overwhelming Majority” 5:30 p.m. March 3, Animas City Theatre; and 3:30 p.m. March 5, Gaslight 1.
Real Boy
As 19-year-old Bennett Wallace navigates early sobriety, late adolescence and the evolution of his gender identity, his mother makes her own transformation from resistance to acceptance of her trans son. Along the way, both mother and son find support in their communities, reminding us that families are not only given, but chosen.
72 min. Showing with “Mezzo” and “The Typist” 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Gaslight 1; and 2:30 p.m. March 4, Gaslight 1.
June Falling Down
After wandering aimlessly for the year after her father’s death, June Larson is returning home for her best friend and love-that-could-have-been, Harley’s wedding. Now, lost in grief over her father’s cancer, she’s not quite ready to let Harley go so easily.
115 min. 9:30 a.m. March 3, Animas City Theatre; and 5 p.m. March 4, Gaslight 1.
About Last Night
A man and woman meet and try to have a romantic affair despite their personal problems and the interference of their disapproving friends.
113 min. John Rubano will interview Jim Belushi after the screening 11:30 a.m. March 4, Animas City Theatre.
Wichita
A deep and suspenseful psychological thriller, “Wichita” follows a voyeur down a path so dark it leads to horror. Trevor Peterson plays Jeb as he struggles to find dignity in a cruel world that has alienated him to the point of no return. Leading a writing retreat in the mountains intended to save his failing kids’ TV show becomes a new opportunity and stage for his hidden cameras. Woven by themes of nature and nurture, this provocative play on the horror genre leads to a disturbing, emotional climax.
85 min. 10 a.m. Thursday, Gaslight 2; and 3 p.m. March 4, Gaslight 2.
The Most Wicked Storm
From acorn to adult, a family of trees fight the elements to avoid nature’s most vicious attack.
3 min. Showing as part of the Reel Learning Program, 9:30 a.m. March 5, Gaslight 2.
Lost in Paris (Paris Pieds Nus)
Fiona’s orderly life is disrupted by a letter of distress from her 93-year-old Aunt Martha who lives in Paris. Fiona takes the first plane she can and arrives only to discover that Martha has disappeared. In an avalanche of spectacular disasters she encounters Dom, the affable but annoying tramp who just won’t leave her alone. A wondrously fun and hectic tale of peculiar people finding love while lost in the City of Lights.
83 min. Subtitled. 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Gaslight 1; and 12:30 p.m. March 4, Stadium 9.
Two Soft Things, Two Hard
As a small group prepares for a seminal LGBT Pride celebration in the arctic of Nunavut, Canada, the film explores how colonization and religion have systematically shamed and erased traditional Inuit beliefs about sexuality and family structure, and how, 60 years later, a new generation of Inuit are actively “unshaming” their past.
70 min. Showing as part of the Native Cinema #2 Program. 3:30 p.m. March 3, Gaslight 2; and 12:30 p.m. March 5, Gaslight 2.
Sea Gypsies: The Far Side of the World
The vessel is Infinity, a 120-ft. hand-built gypsy boat. The journey, an 8,000 mile Pacific crossing from New Zealand to Patagonia with a stop in Antarctica. No silver spoon-fed deck hands here, only a group fueled by courage, sweat, blood, a dash of disdain for authority and a penchant for reckless adventure. Underlying Infinity’s journey is the crew’s insatiable quest for wonder and awe, tempered only by the raw power of the natural world.
80 min. Subtitled. 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Gaslight 2; and 8 p.m. March 4, Stadium 9.
Film synopses taken from Durango Film program.
If you go
What: Durango Film: An Independent Film Festival.
When: March 1-5.
Where: Various venues around Durango including Animas City Theatre, Gaslight Theatre and Durango Stadium 9.
More information: For more information and a complete schedule of movies, panels, events and ticketing, visit http://durangofilm.org/.
Special guest Jim Belushi
Durango Film has a tradition of bringing in special guests to the festival. In the past, we’ve had Lindsay Wagner, Judge Reinhold, Alex Cox and Wes Studi come to town. This year, it’s Jim Belushi, who will not only be on hand to discuss his film “About Last Night,” but will also be performing at the Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College with his band The Sacred Hearts.
What: Jim Belushi and the Sacred Hearts.
When: 7:30 p.m. March 4.
Where: Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College.
Tickets: $48/$98. Tickets available at http://bit.ly/2ldSil7 or by calling 247-7657.
More information: Visit durangofilm.org. This is a separate ticketed event brought to you by Durango Film. Durango Film passes not accepted as entry.
