Mountainfilm 2025 Festival Program

CELEBRATING INDOMITABLE SPIRIT SINCE 1979

WELCOME TO MOUNTAINFILM’S 47TH FESTIVAL

We are honored to be part of Mountainfilm as it celebrates 47 years of screening wondrous documentary films, bringing together leading minds — artists, activists and athletes — in our beautiful community of Telluride. With so much uncertainty in the world, this year’s festival offers a chance to come together, laugh, learn and find inspiration at a time when it is needed most.

When Lito Tejada-Flores and Bill Keys founded Mountainfilm in 1979, they created a festival where scrappy climbers and mountaineers could spend their days climbing Telluride’s peaks and their evenings watching groundbreaking films about the mountains. Over the decades, the festival has expanded and enriched its programming to feature cutting-edge documentary films, focusing not only on climbing, but also on the environment, social justice and stories that celebrate indomitable spirit, as well as featuring brilliant and diverse speakers and artists.

Mountainfilm is beyond thrilled to announce that it has been officially designated as an Academy Award® Qualifying Festival in the Documentary Short Film category. This prestigious recognition by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences places Mountainfilm among a distinguished group of festivals worldwide, allowing the film that wins Best Short Documentary at Mountainfilm to become eligible for consideration for an Academy Award®.

At this year’s festival we welcome Sophia Bush as our Guest Director. Bush is a longtime festival attendee and an incredibly talented actress, activist, producer and entrepreneur.

“Mountainfilm is one of the most intentional and inspirational gatherings there is, and to join the legacy of friends and mentors who have helped shape this experience that has shaped me so profoundly is an honor,” Bush said.

Mountainfilm is dedicated to lifting up filmmakers by providing support to help advance their work beyond the festival. Each year, Mountainfilm offers direct funding through its Commitment Grant and Emerging Filmmaker Fellowship programs. In its most recent grant cycle, Mountainfilm funded 21 projects. Additionally, Mountainfilm has expanded its Doc Talk offerings and will be debuting its first Take Action Impact Pitch, a new program designed to support filmmakers’ impact campaigns.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has supported Mountainfilm over the past four decades — our attendees, volunteers, staff, donors, sponsors, board members and especially our filmmakers. Each of you has contributed to the festival’s remarkable growth and evolution, making it the extraordinary event it is today. Thank you so much for spending your weekend with us — here’s to Mountainfilm 2025! — THE MOUNTAINFILM STAFF

PRESENTING SPONSOR

SUMMIT SPONSORS NATIONAL MEDIA SPONSOR

NONPROFIT PARTNERS

CAMP III SPONSORS

CAMP II SPONSORS

CAMP I SPONSORS

SAN MIGUEL COUNTY • ELINOFF GALLERY • ALPINIST & THE GOAT • COLORADO OFFICE OF FILM, TELEVISION AND MEDIA CHUMS • KINSHIP • AH HAA SCHOOL FOR THE ARTS

BASE CAMP SPONSORS

LMNT • SAN MIGUEL POWER ASSOCIATION • SNOW LEOPARD CONSERVANCY • TELLURIDE ACADEMY • JUST FOR KIDS FOUNDATION

LA COCINA DE LUZ • MOUNTAIN LIMO • SMART BY NATURE • ALPACKA RAFT • BASECAMP PROPERTY MANAGEMENT & VACATION RENTALS

EDWARD JONES INVESTMENTS, JON MARTIN IN TELLURIDE • BÖD BAR • ALPINE START • MOUNTAIN TRIP • TAILWIND NUTRITION NEVE • POWERFUL LADIES • SHĀR SNACKS • LAST DOLLAR SALOON • BAKED IN TELLURIDE • TELLURIDE THEATRE TELLURIDE HELITRAX • OPUS HUT • OPEN ROADS • STRANG • KARA DUFFY COACHING & CONSULTING THE COFFEE COWBOY • THE ALIBI • OAK, THE NEW FAT ALLEY • BLACK TIE SKI RENTALS

Mountainfilm is honored to have Sophia Bush as our 2025 Guest Director.

Hello friends, and friends yet to be made,

Welcome to Mountainfilm 2025. It is such a joy to serve as the Guest Director for its 47th year! I cannot wait to gather with you all in our favorite town. As I sat down to pen this letter, and reflect on what this festival means to me, I found it surprisingly difficult. How does one adequately communicate about — or quantify the impact of — a gathering that has helped shape me?

On one special weekend every year, this beautiful little town becomes a palace of ideas. And every year we can trust that this ragtag group of misfits, dreamers, storytellers and justice seekers will return and build it again. Some of the magic you feel in the air during this film festival is the intentionality of the community that gathers here. Telluride is not an easy place to get to. It requires effort and real dedication. And each Memorial Day it’s palpable. To step into this role and help shape the conversations and experiences we’ll share together is a gift I don’t take lightly.

This is a gathering built on the principles of equity, believing in science and a desire to make this world a better place for the ones who come after us. We gather here as we see much of the world shunning these values: choosing power over people, greed over gratitude and harm over hope. But perhaps it’s why this year, more than ever, Mountainfilm is medicine. Because in times that feel dark, or hard, hope is a salve. It is a spark. It is the thing that gives us lamp light as we try to move through the tunnel together and find what’s on the other side.

My hope for this year is simple: that we show up with open hearts, ready to listen, learn and be moved. And that we leave, as always, inspired to imagine and build a more connected, compassionate and courageous world.

Thank you all for your dedication and for the intention that you put into being here. I look forward to celebrating with you in Telluride.

In Gratitude, —Sophia Bush

SYNOPSIS WRITERS FESTIVAL THEATERS

Heather Sackett

Natalie Reiter

Brooke Warren

Jennifer Julia

CONTENT WRITER

Heather Sackett

POSTER & COVER ARTIST

Caroline Clark

PALM – Palm Theatre

HC – High Camp

SHERIDAN – Sheridan Opera House

MASONS – Masons Theater

BC – Base Camp

See town map on page 98 for locations.

MELISSA PLANTZ

FESTIVAL TIPS

HOW TO MOUNTAINFILM

HOSPITALITY

Hospitality and Lost & Found are located at Mountainfilm HQ at 122 S Oak St. Please visit us throughout the festival with questions or for the latest up-to-date information.

HOSPITALITY HOURS:

Thursday 8 AM–8 PM Friday 8 AM–8 PM Sunday 9 AM–7 PM Saturday 9 AM–7 PM Monday 9 AM–3 PM

MOUNTAINFILM APP

Use the free Mountainfilm app as your festival guide. The app contains your ticket reservations, festival schedule, film descriptions, event details and real-time festival updates, including TBAs and program changes. Search for “ Mountainfilm” in the App Store (iOS) or Google Play (Android) to download.

THEATER ACCESS & RESERVATION INFORMATION

For guaranteed access to programs, passholders must reserve programs through the festival schedule on the Mountainfilm app or schedule webpage. You can make reservations up to 45 minutes before the start of a program, space permitting. If you are unable to attend one of your reserved programs, please cancel your reservation.

Patron passholders have walk-up priority access at theaters and do not need a reservation. Please arrive at the theater 30 minutes before showtime to gain priority entry.

You must wear your pass to be admitted into venues. Please arrive at least 30 minutes before the start of the program. For the uninterrupted enjoyment of all, theater staff may not grant access to a program once it starts. If you are not at the theater at least 30 minutes in advance, you may lose your seat reservation as we will begin loading our standby lines.

STANDBY LINES

If space is available after reservation holders and Patrons have loaded into the theater, passholders without a reservation can wait in the standby line for admission. The general public is welcome to wait in the standby line for seating after passholders are admitted. Individual standby tickets are $20. Credit cards only.

HOW TO VOTE

Use the Mountainfilm app or your Eventive account to cast your vote for the Audience Choice Award, available to vote on for both feature and short films. Make sure you are signed into your account. Click on My Tickets and then follow the steps to vote. Voting ends Monday, May 26 at 2 PM.

TBA PROGRAMS

TBA screenings take place on Monday, May 26. Tickets for TBAs can be reserved in advance, and there will also be a standby line. You can find TBA information and updates on the festival app or website.

LEIGH ORNE

THE MOUNTAINFILM STORE

Official Mountainfilm apparel and gear are available at The Alpineer, located at 150 W Colorado Ave, including this year’s Mountainfilm poster created by Caroline Clark.

GETTING AROUND

All venues are accessible by foot, bicycle, bus or free gondola. Most venues are located in the town of Telluride and are accessible by foot, bicycle or bus. The free Galloping Goose shuttle bus runs a loop through Telluride every 10 minutes. (Check street signs for times and stops.)

High Camp (Telluride Conference Center) is located in Mountain Village. The free gondola runs between Telluride and Mountain Village daily from 6:30 AM to midnight. On Friday and Saturday during the festival, gondola hours are extended until 1 AM.

ACCESSIBILITY

Accessibility information can be found on our website by scanning the QR code, and on the Mountainfilm app.

If you have any accessibility questions please email us at help@mountainfilm.org or call 970-728-4123, option 1.

ADA accessible venues are indicated with an “ADA” icon. Select films are available with closed and open captions, which are listed on our Accessibility web page and our app.

QUIET SPACE

If you would like to use the CaptiView devices for closed captions or hearing assist headphones, please email cc@mountainfilm.org in advance of the screenings you plan to attend.

The Show Bar at the Sheridan Opera House will serve as a designated quiet space throughout the festival. It will be open and accessible during theater operating hours. Please enter through the outside doors.

THEATER ETIQUETTE

• Arrive at theaters 30 minutes in advance of screenings

• Do not save seats for people arriving late

• Do not make disruptions by arriving late, talking or shushing during screenings

• Pets are not allowed at festival events; exceptions are made for service animals

Please be considerate of your fellow festival goers. Here are the top protocols attendees should follow:

• Silence all cell phones and watches; refrain from using devices with lit screens

• Remove any hats or caps that may block another’s view

• Do not take unauthorized photographs or recordings during screenings

• Remove fidgety and crying children from the theater

• Please consider staying for the entirety of program and Q&As

• Please clean up afterward and take all of your belongings

• Remember to vote

We want you to have a wonderful festival experience! If you have any questions, please stop by Hospitality, contact our support team at help@mountainfilm.org , or call 970-728-4123, option 1.

PRAYER FLAGS

Thar-cho (Tibetan: ) or prayer flags have adorned the Town of Telluride during the annual Mountainfilm Festival since the first-ever Moving Mountains Symposium in 1994 was dedicated to the Tibetan people’s struggle for freedom. We acknowledge that prayer flags are a long-standing and intrinsic part of Tibetan culture and continue to be used today to send prayers of peace and well-being for all beings. The meaning of this quintessentially Tibetan custom aligns with Mountainfilm’s values, and so, it is with great respect that prayer flags continue to be a key part of the festival.

HISTORY

Prayer flags originate from the Bön tradition in Tibet, where they are hung to bring good fortune. Later with the advent of Buddhism, the practice of offering prayer flags was adapted with the printing of specific Buddhist prayers. The offering of prayer flags is now a common practice across Tibet and the Himalayan region. Over time, this practice has spread globally, and its understanding continues to grow.

MEANING

Tibetans traditionally print prayer flags in five colors: blue for sky and space, white for air and wind, red for fire and energy, green for water and yellow for earth. They are traditionally woodblock-printed by hand with sacred images and texts.

The center of the flag often depicts a lungta (Tibetan: ) meaning wind horse, a symbol of speed and transformation of bad fortune to good, bearing three jewels on its back that represent the Buddha, Buddhist teachings and the Buddhist community. Images of four sacred animals — dragon, garuda, tiger and snow lion — can appear in the corners. Covering the rest of the flag are versions of many mantras (powerful ritual prayers) and prayers for peace and harmony.

Tibetan and Himalayan peoples believe that when the prayer flags move in the wind, blessings, goodwill and compassion are spread. As the printed prayer flags fade over time, these sacred items are treated with respect, are not stepped on, sat on, or disposed of as garbage; instead, they are returned to nature or sometimes burned. Not items of decoration, prayer flags are used for their traditionally intended meaning. Learn more at mountainfilm.org.

WHERE LIQUID MEETS COURAGE

FEATURE FILMS

THE AGE OF WATER

Isabel Alcántara Atalaya, Alfredo Alcántara

FRI, SHERIDAN, 9 AM SUN, MASONS, 11:45 AM

In Person: Film Participants

In the heartland of Mexico, a close-knit community is grieving the loss of three girls who all died of leukemia within a year. Suspecting that the town’s drinking water may lie at the center of these tragic events, Elia, a local kindergarten teacher, and Nely, a mother who nearly lost her newborn, form a group seeking an investigation into the water supply, but are met with resistance from government officials. With the assistance of Dr. Adrián Ortega, a hydrogeologist from the National University of Mexico, they conduct rigorous testing of the town’s water. Their efforts lead to significant revelations about the dangers hidden within Mexico’s ancient aquifers. (Mexico, 2024, 76 min.)

U.S. Premiere

Commitment Grant Winner

THE AMERICAN SOUTHWEST

Ben Masters

FRI, HIGH CAMP, 2:45 PM SAT, PALM, 8:30 PM

In Person: Film Participants

The Colorado River is mesmerizing — from its headwaters in the Rocky Mountains, through lush forests and iconic canyons, down diversion tunnels and irrigation canals — on its 1,400-mile journey to sustain both the natural world and humanity. Along the way, the river nourishes diverse ecosystems that are bursting with life, and provides water to more than 40 million people. From the recovery of elk and beavers to the endangerment of cutthroat trout and jaguars, The American Southwest showcases wildlife stories that speak to our society’s ability both to destroy and to recover the natural world. Narrated by Quannah ChasingHorse-Potts (Sicangu Lakota and Hän Gwich’in), and through collaboration with Natives Outdoors, the film also features the incredible artwork, architecture and culture of Indigenous peoples who have lived in relative harmony with the region for over 1,000 generations.

(USA, 2025, 103 min.)

Colorado Premiere

“ Do we play it safe, keeping our heads down and hoping that the storm passes us by? Or do we stand tall, speak our truth, advocate for science, and do everything we can to advance our urgent mission, in spite of unknown risks?

We have chosen the latter path.”

Dr. R. Max Holmes, President and CEO Woodwell Climate Research Center

Proud supporter of Mountainfilm

photo by Eric Lee

CECIL

Arthur Cary

SAT, SHERIDAN, 5:15 PM SUN, PALM, 8:30 PM

In Person: Film Participants

In 2015, the fate of a prominent and muchphotographed lion in Zimbabwe — Cecil, with his striking black mane and golden eyes — became entangled with that of an American dentist named Walter Palmer. The events that unfolded sparked a media frenzy and global outcry over trophy hunting practices. Yet, the simplicity of the outrage stood in stark contrast to the complexity of the reality. Tourism and hunting are major economic drivers in the region, often at odds with the perspectives of wildlife protectors and, especially, the local communities most directly impacted. Cecil urges us to confront the history of colonization, the ethics of conservation, the limitations of legal systems and the impacts of cancel culture.

(UK, 2024, 97 min.)

World Premiere

**Warning: This film includes mature and graphic content

COEXISTENCE, MY ASS!

Amber Fares

SAT, MASONS, 3 PM

Coexistence, My Ass! is a comedy show created by Israeli activist and stand-up comic Noam Shuster Eliassi. Shot over five tumultuous years, the film traces Eliassi’s personal, professional and political journey in tandem with the region’s steady deterioration. Raised in a bilingual Israeli-Palestinian village — the only intentionally integrated community in the country — Eliassi grows disillusioned with traditional peace activism. She pivots to stand-up and quickly attracts attention across the Middle East. But as her star rises, everything around her falls apart. With biting satire, she pushes her audiences to face difficult truths that aren’t always funny but do remind us that another reality is possible.

(USA, France, 2025, 93 min.)

Colorado Premiere

DESERT

ANGEL

Vincent DeLuca

SAT, HIGH CAMP, 12:45 PM SUN, MASONS, 2:30 PM

In Person: Film Participants

Rafael Larraenza has dedicated his life’s work in service of others by running a harrowing, high-stakes DIY search-and-rescue operation for those who have gone missing crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. For 25 years, Larraenza, a naturalized Mexican immigrant, has led missions deep into the desert and is one of the few people equipped to answer the call when migrants and their families need help. Now, facing physical decline and limited resources, Larraenza races against time to help a mother find her missing son, knowing that every minute can mean the difference between life and death. Desert Angel follows his dangerous journey through the deadly landscapes few ever see and some never escape.

(USA, 2024, 87 min.)

Colorado Premiere

Commitment Grant Winner

**Warning: This film includes mature and graphic content

KAI JONES’ FALLING INTO PLACE

Todd Jones, Clayton Vila

FRI, BASE CAMP, 8:45 PM

In Person: Film Participants

Born into the iconic action sports production company Teton Gravity Research, co-founded by his father, filmmaker Todd Jones, Kai Jones became a professional skier at just 12 years old. Kai swiftly rose to the top of freeskiing with viral videos that earned him four consecutive Skier of the Year nominations, beginning at the unheard-of age of 14. In March of 2023, Kai suffered a near-fatal, potentially career-ending injury deep in Wyoming’s remote backcountry. After a remarkable rescue, he faced an uphill battle through multiple surgeries, intense physical rehabilitation and relearning to walk — all while confronting whether he still wanted to pursue a career as a professional skier. This film offers an unfiltered look into Kai’s journey as he re-examines his childhood dreams and goals, and forges a new path for his future.

(USA, 2024, 59 min.)

GIRL CLIMBER

Jon Glassberg

SAT, PALM, 5:45 PM

SUN, HIGH CAMP, 2:45 PM

In Person: Film Participants

Professional climber Emily Harrington has summited Everest, completed numerous first female ascents of 5.14 routes, scaled 8,000-meter peaks and dominated the competition circuit. But her greatest challenge extends beyond the physical. To cement her legacy in the male-dominated world of elite rock climbing, she sets her sights on a careerdefining 24-hour ascent of Yosemite’s El Capitan. Caught between the pursuit of personal ambition and the ticking biological clock of life, Harrington grapples with what she’s truly willing to risk. Equal parts gripping survival story and intimate portrait of a woman who deals with self doubt, Girl Climber isn’t just about breaking records. It’s about breaking barriers. Among Yosemite’s legendary boy’s club, Harrington doesn’t prove she is the best female climber ever — she proves she is one of the best climbers of all time.

(Austria, 2025, 83 min.) World Premiere

LOST WOLVES OF YELLOWSTONE

Thomas Winston

SAT, SHERIDAN, 9 AM SUN, MASONS, 5:15 PM

In Person: Film Participants

On Jan. 12, 1995, wolves were brought back to Yellowstone National Park, 50 years after being wiped out in the U.S. Using previously lost archival footage, the story follows Alpha Female Wolf No. 5 as she leads her pack to survive in their new home. Meanwhile, Mollie Beattie, the first female director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, fights to protect endangered species and oversees the wolves’ reintroduction. Since then, over 750 wolves have been born in the park. Like the wolves, who rebalanced the entire ecosystem, Beattie’s intrepid work created wildlife refuges and improved the health of ecological communities across the nation. Both female leaders — Wolf No. 5 and Beattie — leave powerful legacies in their wake. (USA, 2024, 93 min.)

Colorado Premiere

MR. NOBODY AGAINST PUTIN

David Borenstein, Pavel Talankin

FRI, MASONS, 6 PM

SAT, SHERIDAN, 11:45 AM

Pasha is a beloved teacher and event organizer at a small Russian school. In ordinary times, he is a mentor, prankster and nonconformist, known for hanging up democracy posters and offering his office as a safe haven for students who feel left out. However, after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine began, his responsibilities began to include facilitating daily state-sponsored propaganda events. Under the guise of his actual role as the school’s videographer, he documents footage inside classrooms, chronicling an institution abruptly transformed by new regressive laws, militarization, violence and oppression.

(Denmark, Czech Republic, 2025, 90 min.)

Colorado Premiere

OLD MAN LIGHTNING

Dawn Kish

FRI, SHERIDAN, 8:15 PM SUN, HIGH CAMP, 12 PM

In Person: Film Participants

John “Verm” Sherman, a legendary rock climber, raconteur and curmudgeon, has lost his climbing mojo and wants it back. What better way to do that than by scaling the world’s most famous boulder problem, Yosemite’s mythical Midnight Lightning? He conquered it 25 years ago, but since then the climb has gotten harder and Sherman has gotten softer due to beerlust and his passion for bird photography. Nevertheless, he’s stubborn and determined. Plus, Sherman is dedicated to saving condors from extinction through his photography, and if leveraging his climbing celebrity will help, he’ll stop at nothing. With the help of cheerfully sadistic trainer Ryan “Meatball” Whited, Sherman embarks on a sixmonth mission to conquer bouldering’s “Problem of Problems.” What could possibly go wrong in this comedic climbing comeback film?

(USA, 2025, 60 min.)

World Premiere Commitment Grant Winner

REMAINING NATIVE

Paige Bethmann

FRI, MASONS, 2:30 PM

SUN, BASE CAMP, 8:45 PM

In Person: Film Participants

Kutoven (Ku) Stevens (Paiute), a 17-year old Native American high school runner, with the skill and drive to become an elite college athlete, strives for his goals. Even though he doesn’t have access to a coach, cross-country team or recruiters, he is determined to get a running scholarship. When the remains of thousands of Indigenous children are discovered across Canada and the U.S., Stevens’ painful family history re-emerges: His own great-grandfather Frank Quinn escaped an Indian boarding school by foot at age 8. In an act of reverence, Stevens sets out to run the same 50-mile escape route his great-grandfather took, interweaving Quinn’s story with his own journey to run a collegiate qualifying time. Will Stevens outrun his history or will he learn to run alongside it to achieve his dreams?

(USA, 2025, 88 min.)

Colorado Premiere

Commitment Grant Winner

SALLY

Cristina Costantini

SAT, PALM, 9:30 AM SUN, SHERIDAN, 8:15 PM

In Person: Film Participants

In 1983, Sally Ride became the first American woman to blast off into space, but behind her unflappable composure she carried a secret. Throughout her life, Ride was in the spotlight for her groundbreaking work with NASA and her dedication to inspiring girls to get into science. This film reveals the hidden romance between Ride and her life partner, Tam O’Shaughnessy, and the sacrifices they made during their 27 years together to keep their love private. Finally, Ride is celebrated for who she truly was beyond her accomplishments, quiet ambition and all.

(USA, 2025, 103 min.)

SNOW LEOPARD SISTERS

Sonam Choekyi Lama, Ben Ayers, Andrew Lynch

SAT, HIGH CAMP, 5 PM SUN, PALM, 3 PM

In Person: Film Participants

In Nepal’s remote Dolpo region, where fewer than 90 snow leopards remain, conservationist Tshiring Lhamu Lama returns home with a mission: to save the endangered animals. She takes on 17-year-old Tenzin Bhuti Gurung as her apprentice — a girl whose family has suffered from snow leopard attacks on their livestock. As they trek through the treacherous yet breathtaking Himalayan landscape, Tshiring helps Tenzin understand the delicate balance between protecting wildlife and supporting herding communities. Through intimate verité footage and stunning cinematography, Snow Leopard Sisters captures the power of women’s voices in shaping a better future for themselves and the elusive snow leopard. (UK, 2025, 93 min.)

Colorado Premiere

SPEAK.

Jennifer Tiexiera, Guy Mossman

FRI, HIGH CAMP, 8:30 PM SAT, SHERIDAN, 2:30 PM

In Person: Film Participants

Five of the nation’s top teenage speech competitors craft captivating spoken word performances in a bid to win the prestigious NSDA Nationals, often considered the Super Bowl of public speaking. These high schoolers tackle powerful topics like social and political manipulation, queer identity, disabilities and mental health, using their voices to highlight the issues they care about most. During nine months of preparation and competition, they experience the euphoria of victory and the sting of defeat. Meanwhile, their coaches help them perfect their delivery amid challenges like budget cuts, book bans and censorship. With courage and conviction, Speak shows that these teens are not only paying attention, but are also funny, passionate and full of hope.

(USA, 2025, 103 min.)

Colorado Premiere

STONE MOUNTAIN

Daniel Kaufman

FRI, SHERIDAN, 2:30 PM SUN, MASONS, 8 PM

In Person: Film Participants

In a small Georgia town of 6,000, racist underpinnings and history define the state’s largest tourist attraction: Stone Mountain. Carved on the side of a granite dome that overlooks the hamlet and gives it its name, is a massive confederate memorial where the KKK held rallies as recently as 1948. Through ethereal cinematography, Stone Mountain focuses on local residents and activists as they come to terms with the town’s racist past, and navigate government bureaucracy that struggles to represent its 85% Black community. Despite nationwide efforts to remove Confederate monuments, this one remains protected by state law. Stone Mountain explores why symbolism matters, questions whose history gets representation and invites viewers to witness the slow arc of change.

(USA, 2024, 83 min.)

Colorado Premiere

THE NORTH FACE PRESENTS: TRANGO

Leo Hoorn

FRI, PALM, 5:30 PM SUN, HIGH CAMP, 5:30 PM

In Person: Film Participants

After a two-year attempt, renowned ski mountaineers Jim Morrison and Christina “Lusti” Lustenberger, joined by Nick McNutt and Chantel Astorga, attempt the first-ever ski descent of Pakistan’s formidable Great Trango Tower. What begins as a test of skill evolves into a profound emotional journey. They navigate risk, grapple with grief and face physical danger as they push the limits of human experience. At 6,000 meters, constant exposure and unexpected avalanches test their resolve, but it’s the unspoken trust and support within their expedition team that allows them to face the unimaginable together. Trango transports us to otherworldly places and reminds us that the best way to honor those we have loved and lost is to find the courage to truly live.

(USA, 2025, 45 min.)

World Premiere

SHORTS PLAYING WITH FEATURES

A COLD EMBRACE

Roberto Colombo, Lea Colombo

FRI, SHERIDAN, 8:15 PM SUN, HIGH CAMP, 12 PM

A Cold Embrace is a tribute to the beauty and power of the human connection with the elements. Featuring Britain’s most storied mountaineer, Sir Chris Bonington, the film takes viewers on a journey through high altitude environments and subzero temperatures, sharing extraordinary accounts of Bonington’s life. Featuring never-before-seen footage from Bonington’s own archives, this film gives insight into what it feels like to experience some of the coldest and most beautiful places in the world that most of us only dream of seeing.

(UK, 2024, 11 min.)

Colorado Premiere

PLAYING WITH: OLD MAN LIGHTNING P. 19

ANI

Olivia Gorham

SAT, HIGH CAMP, 5 PM SUN, PALM, 3 PM

In Person: Film Participants

Ani is an experimental short film that immerses viewers in the quiet rhythms of a Tibetan Buddhist nunnery in the Nepali Himalaya. Moving through dawn prayers, shared meals and solitary moments of reflection, the film lingers on the nuns’ daily rituals and the rhythmic cadence of life in the surrounding natural environment. Ani foregrounds sensory experience, layering textured soundscapes and fragmented imagery, where meaning emerges in the spaces between sound, image and silence.

(USA, 2024, 12 min.)

Colorado Premiere

PLAYING WITH: SNOW LEOPARD SISTERS

P. 21

PROUD TO SPONSOR MOUNTAINFILM

BEYOND BELIEFS

Quamae Hall

FRI, PALM, 5:30 PM

SUN, HIGH CAMP, 5:30 PM MON, PALM, 12 PM

In Person: Film Participants

A young woman from Cleveland, Ohio earns a scholarship to attend a four-day river trip through the wild Green River’s Gates of Lodore Canyon. The only catch? She doesn’t know how to swim and is terrified of water. Join Danielle and her peers on this wonderful journey, and bear witness to her inspiring first-hand account of what it took to go beyond her beliefs about water, and how that expanded the vision for her future.

(USA, 2025, 5 min.)

World Premiere

PLAYING WITH: TRANGO P.23

CUT – PAIUTE PERSPECTIVES ON WATER

Sean Slobodan, Travis Pitcher

FRI, HIGH CAMP, 2:45 PM SAT, PALM, 8:30 PM

In Person: Film Participants

Mukuntuweap, now better known as Zion National Park, is the poster child of public lands being loved to death. Carlos Bullets, a Kaibab Paiute elder, shares a love letter with us in his Native Paiute about the life and role of water within the park’s walls of sandstone. An excerpt from the feature documentary Forever Is Now, this short film serves as a unique and powerful collaboration between Zion National Park and the Kaibab Paiute Tribe.

(USA, 2024, 2 min.)

World Premiere

PLAYING WITH: THE AMERICAN SOUTHWEST P. 13

DAGO’S BOOTS

Paul Collins

SAT, HIGH CAMP, 12:45 PM SUN, MASONS, 2:30 PM

In Person: Film Participants

Dago’s Boots is a glimpse into the world of a master cobbler. A third-generation tradesman originally from Honduras, Dago emigrated to the U.S. seeking opportunity and landed on Hollywood’s doorstep. For the last 35-plus years he’s focused his talent and imagination into custom footwear for clientele ranging from the biggest names in entertainment to everyday people. Making shoes by hand is a dying art and Dago’s Boots spotlights how humor, diligence and style are the sole ingredients of an honest day’s work.

(USA, 2024, 6 min.)

Colorado Premiere

PLAYING WITH: DESERT ANGEL P.15

EPHEMERAL

Josiah Jones

FRI, PALM, 5:30PM

SUN, HIGH CAMP, 5:30 PM

In Person: Film Participants

As the ice climbing season grows shorter each year, ice and mixed climber Jeff Mercier is driven into Iceland’s unforgiving glacial landscape. Faced with an ever-shifting medium and treacherous terrain, Mercier pushes his own limits as well as the boundaries of his sport. Ephemeral showcases the beauty and calculated risk of ice climbing, a sport that is endangered by the effects of climate change. (USA, 2024, 32 min.)

North American Premiere

PLAYING WITH: TRANGO P.23

FILMS | SHORTS PLAYING WITH FEATURES

FROM RODEO TO POLO

Kendi King

FREEMAN VINES

André Robert Lee, Tim Kirkman

FRI, SHERIDAN, 2:30 PM

SUN, MASONS, 8 PM

For decades, 82-year-old Freeman Vines has been hand-carving guitars in hopes of replicating a sound that captivated and still haunts him. The guitars range in style from more traditional to fully abstract using a variety of wood — including lumber from trees once used to lynch Black men. Now battling multiple myeloma and suffering from diabetes, Vines lives and works in a small storefront shop in rural Fountain, North Carolina, still in pursuit of the elusive sound, surrounded by his tools, materials and other objects that speak to his lifelong conflict with racism in this region. Freeman Vines is the story of a true artist who has found a way to create while surviving in a complex world. (USA, 2025, 14 min.)

Colorado Premiere

PLAYING WITH: STONE MOUNTAIN P.23

SUN, BASE CAMP, 8:45 PM

In Person: Film Participants From Rodeo to Polo chronicles the triumphant journey of the first-ever HBCU (Historically Black College or University) polo team at Morehouse College as they prepare for their USPA qualifying match. Led by a charismatic troupe of Southern cowboys hailing from Texas and Louisiana, the film captures their raw, spirited transition from passionate rodeo riders to polo-playing stars. More than a sports story, From Rodeo to Polo highlights the broader cultural legacy of Black horse riders in America. This powerful narrative about social justice, resilience and breaking boundaries offers a glimpse into a world where young Black men defy stereotypes and build community. (USA, 2025, 18 min.)

Colorado Premiere Mountainfilm Emerging Filmmaker

PLAYING WITH: REMAINING NATIVE (SUNDAY) P.21

GIGIIGEMIN BAAGA’ADOWEYANG “WE ARE HEALED BY STICKBALL”

Finn Ryan

SAT, SHERIDAN, 9 AM SUN, MASONS, 5:15 PM

In Person: Film Participants

In its creation story, the game of Baaga’adowewin is given as a gift and tool for life. After the forced assimilation of Indigenous communities, the game was suppressed and remained dormant for almost a century. This film shares the return of Baaga’adowewin, or stickball, as Ojibwe communities walk the path of cultural revitalization and exercise their treaty rights to continue to heal from historical traumas and overcome challenges of today.

(USA, 2024, 11 min.)

PLAYING WITH: LOST WOLVES OF YELLOWSTONE

P.19

FILMS | SHORTS PLAYING

MOUNTAIN JOY

Chris Woods

FRI, SHERIDAN, 8:15 PM SUN, HIGH CAMP, 12 PM

In Person: Film Participants

In the 1960s, a charismatic outdoorsman named Dave Farny launched a Colorado mountaineering school with his wife Sherry that would inspire over 1,000 adventurers to seek out their limits. The Farnys took young students on challenging outings over five-week periods, fostering some of the best mountaineers, skiers and climbers of the era. Ultimately, the Farny family ended up learning — as much as the boys did — about the mountain joy to be found through camaraderie, hard work and adventure in the Rockies.

(USA, 2025, 16 min.)

World Premiere

PLAYING WITH: OLD MAN LIGHTNING P.19

RAVINOS

Alex Clapin

FRI, BASE CAMP, 8:45 PM

In Person: Film Participants

Travel back to Vail, Colorado in the early 1970s, where a bunch of skiers from the Midwest who called themselves the Ravinos sparked a revolution in extreme skiing. Identified by the iconic flaming skull insignia patches on their cutoff denim jackets, the rowdy Ravinos were eventually shut down by the authorities. After a 30-year hiatus, a new generation of snowboarders resurrected the club and its infamous St. Paddy’s Day induction ceremony where doing a backflip down the Wailer gap gets you “patched in.” Ravinos showcases the best of ski town culture: positive energy, friendships and stoke.

(USA, 2025, 19 min.)

PLAYING WITH: FALLING INTO PLACE

P.17

FILMS | SHORTS PLAYING WITH FEATURES

SHIFT THA CULTURE

Malik Tha Martian

FRI, MASONS, 2:30 PM

In Person: Film Participants

Shift Tha Culture follows pro snowboarder Zeb Powell on a deeply personal journey of self-discovery and cultural impact. Set against the backdrop of Burton’s annual Culture Shifters event, the film explores Powell’s evolving connection to his Black identity and his mission to bring diversity to the mountains. Through his unique position as a trailblazer in snowboarding, Powell uses his platform to challenge norms, foster inclusivity and inspire a new generation to reimagine what’s possible in outdoor spaces. Blending powerful storytelling with stunning visuals, Shift Tha Culture is a celebration of community, resilience and the transformative power of representation.

(USA, 2025, 15 min.)

World Premiere

PLAYING WITH: REMAINING NATIVE (FRIDAY) P.21

THE LONG VALLEY

Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck, Robert Machoian

FRI, SHERIDAN, 9 AM SUN, MASONS, 11:45 AM

Does dreaming allow us to imagine a better future, or prevent us from living our current lives? Shot in tableaus that sit in the space between film and still photography, The Long Valley documents the land and the people who work it. Central and South American immigrants living in the Salinas Valley share divergent perspectives on the passage of time, acceptance of reality and finding the space to dream. Rather than presenting definitive answers, the audience is given time and space to meditate on their own interpretations.

(USA, 2024, 13 min.)

Colorado Premiere

PLAYING WITH: THE AGE OF WATER P.13

WHAT BRINGS YOU UP THERE?

Nathanaël Sapey-Triomphe FRI, BASE CAMP, 8:45 PM

Society encourages the infinite quest of always more. So Nathanaël SapeyTriomphe keeps hopping from one expedition to another, but he starts questioning the reasons that bring him here again and again. Join Sapey-Triomphe and his friends as they embark on a journey of self discovery during his last para-alpinism expedition in the Himalaya. With few words, it offers no answers, only an invitation to find your own.

(France, 2024, 22 min.)

Colorado Premiere

PLAYING WITH: KAI JONES’ FALLING INTO PLACE P.17

FILMS | SHORTS PLAYING WITH

UKRAINE UNDER FIRE: A FILM ABOUT WAR & RESILIENCE

Jordan Campbell FRI, MASONS, 9:30 AM

In Person: Film Participants

Ukraine Under Fire follows Ukrainian journalist Olga Butko of RADA television and American journalist Jordan Campbell as they document the realities of war. The film highlights the experiences of volunteer frontline medic Peter Fouché, offering a raw look at resistance efforts, war crimes, child deportation, sexual violence and acts of genocide amidst the most significant conflict in Europe since World War II. More broadly, the film explores Ukraine’s ongoing struggle for freedom, democracy and European integration.

(USA, 2024, 39 min.)

Colorado Premiere

**Warning: This film includes mature and graphic content

PLAYING WITH: WAR & RESILIENCE P.71

FIRE LINES

Ken Etzel

SUN, HIGH CAMP, 9:30 AM

In Person: Film Participants

In northern California, climate change and 150 years of forest mismanagement have led to some of the most catastrophic wildfires in the state’s history — including the Dixie Fire, which in 2021 devastated the Lost Sierra’s already struggling communities. In the face of that destruction, one group turned to trails for hope and to the past for a better future. Fire Lines follows a community of passionate mountain bikers and trail stewards as they create a plan to integrate forest management into the trail system.

(USA, 2024, 43 min.)

PLAYING WITH: ON THE FRONT LINES OF FIRE P.71

THE OPENING ADDRESS

Konwanahktotha Alvera Sargent, Jess Lowe Chaverri FRI, HIGH CAMP, 11 AM

In Person: Film Participants

This film is presented by The Akwesasne Freedom School, a sovereign Mohawk immersion institution dedicated to preserving the language and culture that colonization sought to erase. The Opening Address (Ohen:ton Karihwatehkwen) is the central prayer of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois Confederacy). It expresses gratitude for life and the natural world, opening and closing all social and religious gatherings. Recited daily at sunrise, it gives thanks and acknowledgment for Mother Earth and all she provides: water, fruit, trees, birds, medicine and more.

(USA, 2024, 10 min.)

Colorado Premiere

PLAYING WITH: A NEW ERA OF CONSERVATION P.65

DIRT & ROCK

ROGATKIN

Keenan DesPlanques

In Person: Film Participants

Mullet, no visor, fired up and spinning like a top, Nicholi Rogatkin is a slopestyle mountain bike rider like no other. His fearless approach and innovative tricks have redefined what is possible in the sport. Rogatkin has been competing for over 20 years, and he’s still on the rise. He’s the ultimate hype man, and if the world could figure out how to harness Rogatkin’s energy, it could power the planet.

(USA, 2025, 15 min.)

Saturday, High Camp, 8 PM Sunday, Sheridan, 12 PM

YOUR LAST BEST: A MEMPHIS ROX STORY

Glen Janssens

In Person: Film Participants

South Memphis is a historic neighborhood long recognized for being the home of Soulsville USA and the birthplace of Aretha Franklin. The area has also historically struggled for basic resources. Many areas are recognized as food deserts as national chains have left due to crime, gang violence and basic economic inequalities.

In 2018, a dedicated group got together and began an effort to bring lasting change and hope to the community. This unlikely place is a climbing gym called Memphis Rox.

(USA, 2025, 16 min.)

North American Premiere

EARTHWORKS

Rachel Ross

In Person: Film Participants

Ceramicist Kim Hall draws similarities between her craft and her favorite hobby: desert rock climbing. Earthworks takes viewers on a visual journey into the parallel process of carefully placing gear in cracks and meticulously crafting a piece of functional art.

(USA, 2024, 5 min.)

SAVORING JOY

Ben Weiland, Brian Davis, Myron “Mylo” Fowler

Diné photographer Mylo Fowler goes on a 450-mile bikepacking journey from the Salt Flats of northern Utah to his childhood home on Navajo land (Dinetáh) in order to carry on his people’s tradition. He carries with him a gift of salt, intended as a ceremonial gift for a baby’s first laugh ceremony. Along the way the teachings of his elders and legacy of his grandfather help guide his path.

(USA, 2024, 20 min.)

U.S. Premiere

ONE INCH FROM FLYING

Jim Aikman, Taylor Humphrey

In Person: Film Participants

In One Inch from Flying, a young climber grapples with the complexity of modern life, and celebrates the sense of balance he gets from carefully navigating highlines while rigging and walking an alpine highline in Washington’s North Cascades.

(USA, 2024, 4 min.)

Colorado Premiere

ANNA

Kael Van Buskirk, Taylor Rees

In Person: Film Participants

Anna is an intimate, unflinching portrait of The North Face mountaineer Anna Pfaff as she faces the aftermath of a life-altering frostbite injury in Alaska. Anna follows Pfaff’s challenging physical recovery and the profound evolution of her character — a painful yet powerful journey toward acceptance and the transformation of both body and spirit. It’s a compelling exploration of recovery, reinvention and the limitless potential of human-powered movement.

(USA, 2025, 22 min.)

World Premiere

**Warning: This film includes mature and graphic content

JACKSON GOLDSTONE – SOLO

Scott Secco

When he’s not turning heads trackside, Jackson Goldstone can be found turning trails into his own personal playground. While his 9-to-5 is piloting his Syndicate V10 downhill bike down heinous tracks in pursuit of podium glory, he absolutely loves to get out on his local trails, floating through North Vancouver’s iconic North Shore trails.

(Canada, 2024, 3 min.)

FILMS | SHORTS PROGRAMS

WATER & ICE

BROTHERS OF THE SEA

Ethan Edmunds, Armin Korsos

In Person: Film Participants

Bernardo and Diego lived what many would call a dream — surfing perfect waves and being deeply connected to the ocean. However, they also endured immense hardship and were forced to grow up fast after being abandoned by their parents at a young age. Watching the brothers grow from orphans to loving fathers is a journey that challenges us to rethink what success truly means.

(USA, 2025, 4 min.)

World Premiere

THE BEGINNING

Cristobal Ruiz

Alenka Mali grew up immersed in the outdoors, guided by her climber parents. From the Patagonian landscapes to the Alps, her childhood was filled with climbing, camping and adventure. Mali is now combining her passions of freeride snowboarding and BASE jumping by attempting a snowboard BASE jump off Goat Mountain in Squamish, British Columbia, Canada. After two years of preparation, Mali reflects on her mother’s role in shaping her path to realizing her wildest dream.

(Canada, 2024, 19 min.)

Friday, Sheridan, 11:45 AM Sunday, Palm, 5:45 PM

BRIDGERS

Joseph Fletcher

In Person: Film Participants

Two Bozeman-based ski patrollers reflect on the rapid changes facing their home and the sport they love. With 50 seasons under his belt, Dene Brandt regards the future with an optimism that infects his younger co-worker.

(USA, 2025, 12 min.)

World Premiere

ÉPHÉMÈRE

Baptiste Sjöström, Edgar Cheylus

Éphémère is a deeply personal and poetic journey about grieving, thriving and finding one’s way. It is the reflection of a shy child who had a special relationship with nature, of a teenager who embraced that connection and of a young adult who navigates a society that struggles to understand — all told through the downhill dance with gravity of skier Edgar Cheylus. The film explores the eternal goodbye to what we love, and a poetic ode to the inevitable and ephemeral.

(France, 2024, 17 min.)

U.S. Premiere

AND AGAIN.

Wiley Kaupas

In Person: Film Participants

Iconic freestyle skier and Winter X Games champion Bobby Brown struggles to hold onto his identity after being sidelined by two injuries. Brown learns to give up the grind as he transitions to the next chapter where he is grateful for small moments and a life that still includes skiing.

(USA, 2024, 10 min.)

ADAPTIVE AVALANCHE –INCLUSIVE OUTDOORS PROJECT

Vasu Sojitra, Dani Aravich

The Inclusive Outdoors Project’s Adaptive Avalanche Recreation Level 1 course brings together adaptive skiers and snowboarders and avalanche professionals to offer hands-on avalanche safety training for those with disabilities. Set in the expansive backcountry of Cooke City, Montana, Adaptive Avalanche highlights how adaptive athletes build expertise, brainstorm new ideas that work for each individual and gain confidence to navigate snow-covered terrain, demonstrating the importance of making backcountry spaces safer and more welcoming for everyone.

(USA, 2024, 7 min.)

ADAPTIVE AVALANCHE

FIRST IN, LAST OUT

Keith Malloy

In Person: Film Participants

When competitive swimmer from Colorado Christa Funk joined the Coast Guard, she found herself stationed on Oahu, Hawaii for five years, where she discovered the world of surf photography. Inspired by the memory of her father and his parting words, Funk pushed herself into the world’s most dangerous and crowded surf lineups, becoming one of the best surf photographers in the world, and notably, one of the few women out there.

(USA, 2025, 25 min.)

THE SMOKE THAT THUNDERS

Caleb Roberts

Aiming to paddle the fabled Minus rapids at the base of Victoria Falls on the Zambezi river, Ben Marr’s biggest challenge is to get to them by trekking upstream. A total assault on the senses awaits as the force of the river speaks for itself.

(Canada, 2024, 4 min.)

BRIDGERS

ORIGINALS

TESSITURA

Lydia Cornett, Brit Fryer

In Person: Film Participants

Blending historical overview with character portraits, Tessitura explores the entangled ways that voice, character and gender are continuously reformulated in opera by those who contend with the constraints of the genre. The story sheds light into the ways that contemporary transgender opera singers navigate the traditional rules and categories of their art form, highlighting the ongoing dialogue about gender fluidity in opera.

(USA, 2025, 18 min.)

Colorado Premiere

SAVING SUPERMAN

Friday, Sheridan, 5:30 PM

Sunday, Palm, 9:15 AM

YOUR OPINION, PLEASE

Marshall Granger

In Person: Film Participants

Every week for nearly a decade, Yellowstone Public Radio aired “Your Opinion, Please!,” an open call program for listeners across Montana to pick up the phone and express their views live on-air, without pre-screening or prompt. Calls would range from the war in Iraq, disputes over public land access, local school board meetings and outrage at the idea of an indoor smoking ban. Set against the imagery of present-day Montana — a state deep in identity crisis when it comes to community, cost-ofliving and the right to free expression — Your Opinion, Please holds up the voices of the past as a mirror through which Montana can examine itself.

(USA, 2025, 15 min.)

Colorado Premiere

WHO IS MICHAEL JANG?

SHANTI RIDES SHOTGUN

Charles Frank

In Person: Film Participants

On Manhattan’s jam-packed streets, New York City’s most iconic driving instructor prepares students to navigate the road ahead. With a brash attitude and a 99% drivers test pass rate for her students, Shanti Gooljar is the mostrequested instructor at the Empire State Driving School.

(USA, 2024, 8 min.)

Colorado Premiere

WHO IS MICHAEL JANG?

Michael Jacobs

After a long career as a commercial and portrait photographer, mischievous San Francisco artist Michael Jang sat for decades on a hidden archive of pictures taken in his 20s — both candid celebrity shots and a down-to-earth cross-section of Chinese-American family life rarely captured so playfully. Then, during the pandemic, Jang set out to share his work with the world, street guerilla-style.

(USA, 2025, 42 min.)

Colorado Premiere

SAVING SUPERMAN

Adam Oppenheim, Samuel-Ali Mirpoorian

In a small suburb outside of Chicago lives Jonathan, a 57-year-old man with ASD (autism spectrum disorder), also known as “Superman.” Known for his heroic actions, Jonathan is a revered member of the Glen Ellyn community and has been a staple in the 4th of July Parade for nearly 30 years. Jonathan’s living circumstances become threatened, and his community comes together when Superman needs saving.

(USA, 2024, 11 min.)

Colorado Premiere

TESSITURA

INDOMITABLE SPIRIT

DYNASTY AND DESTINY

Travis Lee Ratcliff

In Person: Film Participants

A psychological portrait of the motherdaughter duo, Dynasty and Destiny follows Kanesha Jackson and Kortnee Solomon, who are bound together by their passion for the rodeo and the weight of their family’s legacy in the sport. Jackson is a third-generation barrel racing champion and she’s training 13-year-old Solomon to follow in her footsteps.

(USA, 2024, 7 min.)

Colorado Premiere

Saturday, Palm, 12:15 PM

Sunday, Sheridan, 9:15 AM

THE LIFE WE HAVE

Sam Price-Waldman

In Person: Film Participants

What would you do if death felt just steps away? For Rob Shaver, who has faced multiple stage-four cancer recurrences over the past two decades, death has felt like an ever-present shadow. The Life We Have captures Shaver’s resilience, wisdom and deep appreciation for life, as he navigates his latest battle with the disease.

(USA, 2025, 24 min.)

DYNASTY AND DESTINY

TO BE A CHILD

Nicholas Dorsey

In Person: Film Participants

Through her curious and observant lens, San Francisco-based artist Haoyun Erin Zhao explores the intricate relationship between sensorial memories and the natural elements of California. To Be a Child offers a poetic narrative on the profound influence of one’s environment on the creative journey and the transformative power of entering a meditative state to draw inspiration from the unknown.

(USA, 2024, 4 min.)

ABOUT DAMN TIME

Dana Romanoff

In Person: Film Participants

In 1983, Cindell “Dellie” Dale talked her way onto her first commercial river trip through the Grand Canyon. Like many women in the industry at the time, her place was in the kitchen. But determined to push against the tide of a maledominated river-running world, she earned her spot on the oars and became one of the Grand Canyon’s legendary dory guides. Inspired by the trailblazing women before her, Dale is now proudly passing the oars to a new generation, declaring, “It’s about damn time.”

(USA, 2024, 24 min.)

THE POWER OF SMALL

T. C. Johnstone

In Person: Film Participants

In a world longing for compassion and human connection, imagine gathering a diverse group of people, endowing them with unexpected financial means and asking them to focus on a single mission: spread kindness. With no rules and no supervision — just empathy as their guide — The Power of Small chronicles the journeys of six individuals gifted with the financial resources to make a widespread impact. The film demonstrates how small acts of kindness can serve as a powerful catalyst for transformative societal change.

(USA, 2024, 39 min.)

Colorado Premiere

FILMS | SHORTS PROGRAMS

TERRA

THE VOICE OF BAMBOO

Mingyuan (David) Zheng

In Person: Film Participants

The Voice of Bamboo follows Keiji, an elderly immigrant bamboo farmer, as he meditates on his symbiotic, lifelong relationship with bamboo. After fleeing from a post-World War II Japan, Keiji and his wife Stefani devoted themselves to recreating their own slice of Japan in the lush mountains of Western North Carolina. Now, over 35 years later, he is a master bamboo craftsman, steward and musician. And he is more committed than ever on his quest to learn — and heal — from the mysterious plant that has become his mentor.

(USA, 2024, 15 min.)

Saturday, Masons, 5:45 PM

Monday, Palm, 9:15 AM

A GUIDE TO FIGHTING FOR WILD RIVERS

Logan Bockrath

In Person: Film Participants

Since 2012, OARS has partnered with American Rivers and Friends of the Yampa to host the Yampa River Awareness Project (YRAP), an annual rafting trip that brings decision-makers, stakeholders and activists together to experience one of the last freeflowing rivers in the Colorado River Basin. This immersive journey fosters personal connections to the Yampa, inspiring longterm conservation efforts against threats like dams and diversions. A Guide to Fighting for Wild Rivers highlights a conservation model rooted in the legacy of early river crusaders like David Brower, Bus Hatch and Martin Litton, who proved that love for a place can drive real environmental victories.

(USA, 2024, 10 min.)

Colorado Premiere

A GUIDE TO FIGHTING FOR WILD RIVERS

A KIND FAVOR

Christian Klein, Mattias Evangelista

In Person: Film Participants

In the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains, ceramicist Jessie DuBois and her grandmother, Marcia, engage in a heartfelt conversation about life, death, art and the pottery school Marcia and her husband built in the 1960s. Honoring her family’s past, DuBois forages for clay among the ruins of her grandparents’ home which was tragically destroyed by a wildfire.

(USA, 2024, 5 min.)

Colorado Premiere

MONUMENTAL MOMENT

Pete McBride, Michelle Smith

In Person: Film Participants

On Aug. 8, 2023, Maya Tilousi-Lyttle, the shy and soft-spoken teenage daughter of Havasupai advocate Carletta Tilousi, spoke powerfully from a podium moments before President Joe Biden signed the proclamation declaring Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument. The monument represented a form of long-sought permanent protection for a region that holds irreplaceable significance to the Indigenous peoples who have called it home for millennia. But in January 2025, the Arizona legislature and others filed lawsuits attempting to overturn the monument designation and attacking the Antiquities Act as unlawful. The fight continues, and it is up to Maya’s generation to make their voices heard.

(USA, 2025, 15 min.)

World Premiere

HOUSTON’S WHITEBEAM

Jake Morris, Alex Darby

Houston’s Whitebeam follows climber, botanist and poet Libby Houston who, at 80 years old, continues her work climbing the 300-foot cliffs of Bristol’s Avon Gorge to investigate rare plants. By reaching every ledge on every rock face and using her poet’s eye for close observation, Houston has helped establish the area as one of England’s most important botanical sites. But as it stands, there is only one known member of her namesake discovery — Houston’s Whitebeam — and reflecting on its inevitable extinction prompts Houston to contemplate her own legacy.

(UK, 2024, 13 min.)

Colorado Premiere

WHAT THE RIVER KNOWS

Diego Riley, Will Buckley

In Person: Film Participants

For the past several years, a lost Eden drowned under Lake Powell has been reemerging, revealing the follies of the past and a new way forward for the Colorado River. What The River Knows is a film that explores this unique inflection point in a centuries-long history. At the same time that we are met with the need to redesign our systems of water management in the West, we are presented with the opportunity to restore one of the most stunning landscapes on the planet.

(USA, 2025, 34 min.)

World Premiere

WILD

BETWEEN MOON TIDES

Jason Jaacks

In Person: Film Participants

Friday, High Camp, 5:45 PM Saturday, Sheridan, 8 PM

OUR NEIGHBORS, THE PEACOCKS

Callie Barlow

In Person: Film Participants

In a ribbon of saltmarsh in coastal Rhode Island, an intergenerational group of citizen scientists is trying to save the Saltmarsh Sparrow from extinction, one nest at a time. As climate change raises tide levels, which threatens to inundate the birds’ nests before hatchlings can fly, Deirdre Robinson and her team cobble together a method of raising the nests above the flooding threshold. Robinson teaches a team of interns how to find the delicate nests in the thick tangle of marsh grass, knowing they may be the best hope against the unacceptable loss of this species.

(USA, 2025, 26 min.)

World Premiere

IF I DISAPPEAR

Charlie Turnbull

In Person: Film Participants

Author Jedidiah Jenkins documents his eight weeks spent living in a remote mountain shed, where he retreats to regain his focus. Disconnected from the world without the ability to scroll or Google, by the end of 60 days, he has handwritten a book. If I Disappear is a look at the life-affirming peace that’s possible when we spend time alone with our own mind.

(USA, 2025, 10 min.)

The residents of Arcadia, California have embraced the feral peacocks that roam through yards and perch on roofs, celebrating the bird with its brilliant purple and teal plumage as the city’s beloved mascot. But a few neighborhoods over, the peacocks are ruffling residents’ feathers with the noisy squawking of spring mating season and booming populations due to humans feeding them. Our Neighbors, The Peacocks is the story of a suburban neighborhood trying to coexist with an animal that’s seen as both a pet and a pest.

(USA, 2024, 23 min.)

Colorado Premiere

ARCTIC ALCHEMY

Colin Arisman, Zeppelin Zeerip

In Person: Film Participants

Arctic Alchemy follows renowned Alaskan adventurer and climate scientist Roman Dial and his team on a 112-mile research expedition above the Arctic Circle. Traveling by packraft and foot through Alaska’s mighty Brooks Range, their goal is to find the source of a mysterious phenomenon poisoning watersheds in the Arctic. Along the journey, Dial reckons with fatherhood, personal tragedy and the power of wilderness to both break us and bring us fully alive.

(USA, 2025, 25 min.)

World Premiere

DEARS

GLOBAL POV

PLACEKEEPERS

Robert Hope

In Person: Film Participants

As the only road leading to the Caucasus mountain region of Tusheti, Georgia, closes for seven months of winter, a handful of holdouts remain. Experiencing time outside the flow of state regulation and consumer exchange, this smattering of people form a tight, interdependent group, navigating intergenerational friction, the remnants of the Soviet Union and uncertainty over their community’s future.

(USA, Georgia, 2024, 25 min.)

Colorado Premiere

DEARS IN THE HEADLIGHTS

Julia Jansch

A young woman finds solace in taxidermying roadkill, restoring dignity to the lost — and in the process giving an outlet to her own grief about her brother’s death. By carefully and lovingly mending the animals back together, they are also transformed into new creations, admired as pieces of art.

(South Africa, 2024, 16 min.)

Colorado Premiere

Friday, Masons, 8:45 PM Sunday, Masons, 9 AM

MOMO

Michael Schwartz

In Person: Film Participants

From the humble beginnings of a small African village to the dazzling heights of Cirque du Soleil, Momo shares the story of a man who defied gravity and destiny. This short film is a celebration of resilience and the magic of flight, where Momo doesn’t just perform — he transcends.

(USA, 2024, 2 min.)

North American Premiere

WIND’S HERITAGE

Nasim Soheili

Mohammad Vali Gandami is the last surviving master of the traditional craftsmanship of building and restoring windmills in northeastern Iran. These ancient windmills, known as “Asbad,” have been harnessing the power of the wind for centuries and are considered an invaluable part of the country’s cultural and historical heritage. Gandami, now 70 years old, has dedicated his life to maintaining and protecting them, passing on his knowledge to future generations. His efforts highlight the urgent need for conservation and recognition of these architectural marvels, which stand as a testament to the ingenuity and resilience of ancient Persian engineering.

(Islamic Republic of Iran, 2024, 29 min.)

Colorado Premiere

SEA COUNTRY

Nicole Gormley

In Person: Film Participants

Extending beyond Australia’s 30,000 kilometers of coastline are millions of hectares of “Sea Country.” The First Nations people of this region have been protecting Sea Country for thousands of years and are the original ecologists of Australia. Tishiko King is a climate justice campaigner, marine biologist and a proud Kulkalaig woman. Sea Country weaves King’s narrative with deeply immersive underwater cinematography, exploring the power of First Nations’ leadership, the commitment of local communities to protect their special places and one woman’s love for her home.

(USA, Australia, 2025, 15 min.)

World Premiere

KENTARO

Tilmann Stewart, Gaku Matsuda

Kentaro explores the life of an 11-year-old boy in the remote, mountainous village of Kawakami. Following the Great Japanese Earthquake, parents Miho and Hiro Yokobori abandoned their life in Tokyo to embrace a new beginning in the isolated community. Kentaro’s birth — the first in the village in 25 years — injects a renewed sense of hope and vitality, countering Japan’s troubling trend of an aging population and record low birth rates. The film follows the Yokobori family, as they navigate the delicate balance between preserving Japanese heritage and embracing a hopeful future.

(Australia, Japan, 2024, 15 min.)

U.S. Premiere

SEA COUNTRY

VISIONARIES

THE BOOK OF GEORGE

Danny Schmidt

In Person: Film Participants

From Brooklyn’s concrete jungle to the heart of the Everglades, Black wildlife photographer George McKenzie Jr. is transforming his lens into a beacon of change. Swapping the weight of a gun for the promise of a camera, McKenzie captures city pigeons and rats as well as elusive panthers. A rare gem in the predominantly white canvas of wildlife photography, McKenzie is empowering kids of color to shift their gaze to conservation.

(USA, 2025, 15 min.)

Commitment Grant Winner

AT SEE

Serena Dykman

In Person: Film Participants

At See follows a group of visually impaired travelers and their guide dogs as they navigate a giant commercial cruise ship in the Caribbean. As the first documentary to feature Open Audio Description as part of its storytelling, the film fosters a dialogue between blind and sighted communities, and offers a fresh perspective on accessibility, independence and the deep bond between humans and their guide dogs.

(USA, 2025, 15 min.)

Colorado Premiere

Friday, Masons, 11:30 AM

Sunday, Palm, 12:15 PM

ALSO RESISTERS

Christina D. Bartson

Also Resisters considers solidarity across generations and geography. Adapted from a 1968 essay by the gay American socialist David E. McReynolds, this short archival film takes the images and sounds of the American war in Vietnam to reflect on the feedback loop between militarism abroad and at home — and the people who resisted it.

(USA, 2025, 14 min.)

Colorado Premiere

SEE LIKE ME

Kate Brantley, Ben Lalande, Sarah Hughen

In Person: Film Participants

Blind children are often born with perfect pitch and a natural aptitude for music. In 1980, music programs were cut from schools in the U.S., and access to music for such uniquely talented musicians was nearly lost. A music school, founded in 2020 to help fill the void, has changed the lives of musically gifted blind children.

(USA, 2025, 6 min.)

World Premiere

I’M STILL HERE

Stephen Stinson, Sam Miller

Between 1947 and 1967, Black-owned homes in Birmingham, Alabama were bombed over 50 times. Homes on Center Street were targeted so often, the neighborhood became known as “Dynamite Hill,” and became an inflection point for the Civil Rights movement. I’m Still Here follows three residents of Birmingham who lived this history as children and chose to stay to try and turn the city’s struggles with Civil Rights into a symbol for hope. (USA, 2024, 26 min.)

Colorado Premiere

ANNIKA–WHERE SHE LANDS

Michael Schwartz

In Person: Film Participants

Annika Malacinski is chasing more than just a podium — she’s fighting for equality in her sport. Where She Lands follows the U.S. Nordic Combined skier as she pushes the limits of what’s possible, balancing the relentless pursuit of excellence with the weight of a larger battle. As she fights for women to have the same Olympic opportunities as men, the film captures an athlete at a crossroads — determined to leave her mark, no matter where she lands.

(Norway, 2025, 10 min.)

ANNIKAWHERE SHE LANDS

LONG & SHORT OF IT

ENRAIZADOS (OUR ROOTS REMAIN)

Sélim Benzeghia, Ivonne Serna

In Person: Film Participants

In the mountains of Michoacán, Mexico, the Indigenous town of Cherán did what no one thought possible: It kicked out the cartels, shut down illegal logging and took back control of its future. Our Roots Remain follows the community’s transformation from uprising to self-rule through the lives of three generations shaped by the movement. Susy, a teenage street artist, turns local memory into public art. Paco, an environmental engineer, rebuilds damaged lands while designing systems that don’t rely on the state. And Geno, one of the rebellion’s first organizers, looks back on the cost of standing up and what it takes to keep going.

(USA, Mexico, France, 2024, 18 min.)

North American Premiere

EXODUS

Saturday, Masons, 9 AM Sunday, High Camp, 8:15 PM

CHASING ROO

Nimco Sheikhaden

In Person: Film Participants Exodus is defined as “a mass departure of people” or “the road out.” After decades of incarceration, the film offers an intimate window into the lives of two women, Trinity Copeland and Assia Serrano, as they navigate the complexities of life after release. With the central question of what life after prison truly looks like, Exodus explores their struggles to rebuild their identities, relationships and futures, while confronting the societal barriers that persist long after their sentences have ended. Through their stories, the film examines the enduring impact of the justice system, offering a profound look at resilience, healing and the journey toward building a dignified life.

(USA, 2025, 35 min.)

Colorado Premiere

Skye Fitzgerald

In Person: Film Participants

Legally sanctioned harvesting of kangaroos in Australia equates to the largest commercial killing of land-based wildlife in the world each year. For some in Australia the culling of the country’s national symbol for meat and leather is an outrage. For others, it is an economically viable way of life in the poverty-stricken, deeply rural communities of the outback. Chasing Roo is an intimate portrait of the kangaroo harvesting industry, which confronts an essential question: Can one feel empathy for both the hunted and the hunter?

(USA, 2024, 35 min.)

Colorado Premiere

**Warning: This film includes mature and graphic content

ADRENALINE

Saturday, 8:45 PM, Base Camp

Experience high-flying, physics-defying extreme sports on the big screen in this beloved short film program. Held at Base Camp, this screening invites you to bring warm layers, blankets and low-backed chairs for an unforgettable evening under the stars. Free and open to the public.

WHITE GOLD

Peter Brown, Amon Barker

In Person: Film Participants

From the Silverton road gap to the infamous Telluride Trestle, legendary freeskier Bobby Brown and friends spent the winter filming around the San Juan Mountains. This film showcases Brown’s athleticism, the allure of the snowy peaks and the pure joy of hucking kickers on a bluebird day.

(USA, 2024, 6 min.)

FIRST WOMAN EVER TO DROP AT RED BULL RAMPAGE

Satchel Cronk

When Robin Goomes learned she’d be competing in the 2024 Red Bull Rampage, an invitation-only freeride mountain bike competition, she set her sights on victory. Follow Goomes as she navigates the brutal demands of crafting and testing her line, and pushing her limits before making her final drop into the most challenging event of her career.

(USA, 2024, 9 min.)

¡AY CHIHUAHUA!

Ben Stooksberry & Erik Boomer

Expedition kayakers Erik Boomer and Ben Stooksberry take on the mile-deep Barranca Candameña in the Wild West of Chihuahua, Mexico. At the put-in, with heavy rain filling the river, the team weighs the danger of flash flood and the specter of narcos against their goal to be the first to descend one of the most spectacular canyons on Earth by kayak.

(Mexico, 2024, 17 min.)

STRIKE - MARY RAND

Liam Gallagher

Follow snowboarder Mary Rand on a few strategic strike missions to some of the snowiest locales in the world. First was a couple weeks in Japan’s fabled Hakuba region for some of the deepest snow of the season. Then came a quick stint near Rand’s home in Washington for some boot packing around the Mount Baker backcountry. The final stop on the world tour was with Alaska Heliskiing to get on some of the legendary spine lines outside Haines.

(USA, 2025, 3 min.)

SUMMER IN THE CITY

Michael Brown

In Person: Film Participants

On a hot summer afternoon, two friends attempt to ride every inch of Salt Lake City and the surrounding trails on their mountain bikes.

(USA, 2024, 3 min.)

MAGIC HOUR - SEGMENT

Todd Jones

In Person: Film Participants

Alaska is the ultimate heli-skiing playground, and Cordova’s Points North Heli is the spot for untouched powder. Magic Hour follows Griffin Post and Michelle Parker as they hit massive lines during an epic spring.

(USA, 2022, 5 min.)

WHITE GOLD

CHANGING TEMPO

Will Bendix, Alan van Gysen

Shot on location in Skeleton Bay, Mozambique and South Africa, Changing Tempo traces Michael February’s journey from pro competitor to one of the most versatile surfers on Earth, as he rides a collection of twin-fins, longboards, midlengths and all manner of craft in between. This vignette is part of a bigger story about February’s lineage of design and experimentation, handed down from his father Isaac.

(South Africa, 2023, 15 min.)

WHISPERS

Josh Fairmont, Oliver Smith

Whispers is an exploration of the deep connection between skiers and the mountains, capturing the raw intensity and quiet beauty that draw us back year after year. The film showcases the magic of skiing long after the crowds have gone, where the glow of headlamps cuts through the darkness, snowflakes shimmer under moonlight and every turn feels otherworldly.

(USA, 2024, 6 min.)

THE EVERYDAY RIDER

Nathan Beninger

In Person: Film Participants

In The Everyday Rider, Chris Shook and Nathan Beninger capture the true essence of snowboarding. Shot with heart and filled with soul, from the pristine peaks of the Kootenays to the powdery playground of Whitewater Ski Resort and beyond. With every turn, every drop and every powder-filled moment, it’s a celebration of the mountains and the passion that fuels us all.

(Canada, 2024, 7 min.)

World Premiere

CENTER PUNCH | SAN JUAN SPLITBOARDING

Harry Kearney, Timmy Taussig

In Person: Film Participants

The green light is a special occurrence in the San Juan backcountry, so when local riders Harry Kearney, Timmy Taussing and Hagen Kearney had it during the spring of 2024, they got sprung. Center Punch is the culmination of the footage gathered from an extraordinary two weeks of foot-powered snowboarding in Telluride’s backyard.

(USA, 2024, 3 min.)

ELIOT JACKSON - DROP THE MIC

Scott Secco

Eliot Jackson has sneaky superpowers. You might know him for his commentary skills as one of the voices of RedBull TV’s mountain bike coverage or from his communitybuilding and advocacy efforts with Grow Cycling. But not many people know him from one of his more underground claims to fame: Being one of the most badass riders to ever scrub-whip a mountain bike.

(Canada, 2024, 2 min.)

PASTRANA

Gabriel Motta, Melissa Brogni

While reliving memories and images, downhill skateboarder Melissa Brogni endeavors to create a tribute to her friend, Pastrana. As she retrieves the past with the assistance of her friends, Pastrana’s inherent presence helps her fill the silence left behind and gain a deeper understanding of time.

(Brazil, 2023, 14 min.)

Colorado Premiere

UNDER, OVER

Shea Donavan, Jimmy Wilkins

Under, Over is vert skateboarding from the unique perspective of two buds with a borrowed camera, the sole goal of having fun with fresh angles and not a whole lot of planning.

(USA, 2024, 4 min.)

GOOCHIE

Cole Bernier, Adam Price

Adaptive mountain biking has been gaining traction worldwide over the past few years, but its true potential is just getting started. Filmed at the Whistler Mountain Bike Park in British Columbia, Canada on the unceded territories of the Lil’wat Nation and Squamish Nation, Goochie spreads the stoke about a growing sport that’s rewriting the rules of the trail.

(Canada, 2024, 3 min.)

GLOBAL INDIGENOUS STORIES

GOOD RELATIVES

Suzi Pond

In Person: Film Participants

Indigenous archeologist Dr. Bonnie Newsom (Penobscot) reconnects to her ancestors through little-known artforms and skills like birch bark biting. Located in the heart of the Penobscot Nation’s territory, Wáhsehtəkʷ — the East Branch of the Penobscot River — carries profound importance for the nation. Trust for Public Land is working to return nearly 30,000 acres of land to the Penobscot Nation, creating vital access to Kahtadin Woods and Waters National Monument.

(USA, 2025, 3 min.)

World Premiere

Saturday, Masons, 11:45 AM Monday, Masons, 9 AM

THIS IS A STORY ABOUT SALMON

Princess Daazhraii Johnson

In Person: Film Participants

As traditional salmon fishing comes under threat, Alaskan Native subsistence communities join together to support one another, heal and deliver a powerful testimony to their resilience and resistance.

(Canada, Norway, 2025, 7 min.)

North American Premiere

ENTROPY

Inuk Jørgensen

The vast Greenlandic ice sheet has been created over thousands of years, but today climate change is threatening the close and sacred connection between the land molded by ice and the Inuit who live there. Told from an Indigenous perspective, the film celebrates Greenlandic mythology as much as it laments the nature we are all losing.

(Greenland, 2024, 10 min.)

Colorado Premiere

RED-SHADED GREEN

Johannes Vang

In Person: Film Participants

Tall turbines pierce the Arctic sky, a promise of clean power. Yet, beneath their whirring blades, reindeer trails fade, ancient songs grow faint. Does the rush for renewable energy justify the erosion of Sámi heritage? This verse whispers of a paradox: a green future built on the sacrifice of an enduring past, questioning if progress can truly be sustainable when it demands cultural extinction.

(Norway, 2025, 5 min.)

Colorado Premiere

WASKA: THE FOREST IS MY FAMILY

Nina Gualinga

In the search for healing, Western societies often look for answers in Indigenous knowledge and cultures — ways of being that have maintained the kinds of community connections and spiritual practices that many in the West seek today. As commodification and extraction from the Amazon Rainforest extends to the plant medicine hayakwaska, Nina Gualinga, from the Sarayaku Peoples, the granddaughter of a Yachak (shaman), reveals the essence of what it means to live as part of the forest, as family.

(Ecuador, 2025, 15 min.)

Colorado Premiere

TIGER

Loren Waters

In Person: Film Participants

Dana Tiger (Muscogee/Seminole/Cherokee) was just five years old when her father, legendary Muscogee Creek artist Jerome Tiger, passed away. She turned to his art as a way to know him, the richness of her culture and her family’s artistic tradition. After the family T-shirt printing business was derailed by tragedy, Dana and her family work for years through their grief to revitalize the iconic Tiger T-shirt company. Now, everybody wants to get their hands on a Tiger.

(USA, 2024, 13 min.)

LET MY PEOPLE GO SKIING

Ellen Bradley

In Person: Film Participants

Confronted with the frustration of false narratives and intergenerational trauma that surround her, Tlingit skier and scientist Ellen Bradley (Tlingit) returns to her traditional homelands in Southeast Alaska. Weaving ancestral knowledge, scientific understanding and passion for her sport, Let My People Go Skiing follows Bradley’s journey to help her community reclaim its place at the forefront of the stories told about their homelands. By dismantling barriers to snowsports for Alaska Native youth, she empowers a generation in hopes that the mountains can teach them what it will take to endure the fight to protect their culture, language and home forever.

(USA, 2025, 18 min.)

Commitment Grant Winner

RED-SHADED GREEN

CINE COMUNIDAD COMMUNITY FILMS

ROOTS

Danny Schmidt

In Person: Film Participants

In the Dominican Republic, baseball is more than just a sport — it’s a way of life. Every child dreams of playing in the “big leagues,” and nearly every adult knows someone who has. However, as the nation’s passion for baseball flourishes, its natural environment is under threat from rapid development. Essential mangroves, which provide vital ecological benefits, are being destroyed to make way for new infrastructure. A new initiative aims to ignite a nationwide passion for environmental conservation through the country’s love for baseball.

(USA, 2024, 12 min.)

Thursday, Base Camp, 8:45 PM

Saturday, Masons, 8:30 PM

FOR ME. FOR YOU. FOR EVERYONE.

Grant Robbins, Sara Robbins

In Person: Film Participants

Get Outdoors Leadville! (GOL!) is a nonprofit organization based in Leadville, Colorado that breaks down barriers for the local community to enjoy the outdoors. This film highlights a trip to Great Sand Dunes National Park for local LatinX families, where kids play in the creek and slide down the dunes. GOL! proves that the outdoors is for everyone.

(USA, 2024, 6 min.)

FOR ME. FOR YOU. FOR EVERYONE.

BETWEEN THE LINES

Liz McGregor, Alex Obregon, Felipe Zanotti

In Person: Film Participants

Between the Lines is a moving reflection on what it means to be connected — to the water, to the fish, to one’s truest expression of self. The river is a thread that has been woven in and out of Alex Obregon’s life since he was three weeks old. While working as a raft guide in southern Chile, he found his love of fly fishing by way of whitewater, and simultaneously deepened his appreciation and understanding of all the spaces and species that a river holds.

(USA, 2024, 15 min.)

Colorado Premiere

NEGUS IN NATURE

Michael Alfuso

In Person: Film Participants

Negus in Nature shares the transformative power of climbing and community. The story follows a Bay Area-based organization as they challenge traditional narratives of who belongs in the outdoors. From climbing meet-ups in Oakland to an inspiring journey to the Ice Climbing Festival in Ouray, Colorado, the film showcases the resilience, passion and commitment of a group redefining outdoor adventure. With breathtaking visuals and authentic storytelling, Negus in Nature highlights the joy of climbing, the strength of community and the importance of representation in outdoor spaces.

(North America, 2024, 23 min.)

Colorado Premiere

THE CHANGEBAKER

Courtney Dixon

In Person: Film Participants

Manolo Betancur immigrated to the U.S. to chase the American Dream and escape the horrors of war in Colombia,

where he was a captain in the Army. He uses nightmares of the past to fuel his mission to create jobs for fellow immigrants at his bakery in North Carolina. But after a string of ICE raids, the shop has become something more than just a trendy local spot for baked goods. It has become a hub for local activism, and a symbol of hope and resilience for the community. A sign hangs proudly at Betancur’s door for all to see: “Made in America by the Hands of Immigrants.”

(USA, 2025, 16 min.)

World Premiere

OUTLIER: COMMON

Dani Reyes-Acosta

In Person: Film Participants

Outlier: Common follows three Latina leaders chasing summit perfection. On an emotional journey through mountain ranges, a scientist, a filmmaker and a disruptor share the deeply personal, turbulent stories of their lives — while pushing toward the summits that define them. At personal crossroads, these women turn to the mountains for clarity and an exploration of mind, heart, body and soul. From British Columbia’s deep backcountry to the Tetons’ towering peaks, their journey reveals hard-won lessons on tenacity, joy and solidarity — even when the world feels like it’s crumbling.

(USA, 2025, 26 min.)

KIDS KINO

Monday, NOON, Palm

Mountainfilm’s program of short, family-friendly films are curated for kids and held annually at the Palm. This program offers a wide variety of age-appropriate and perspective-widening themes. Please note that films are not rated. This program is free to kids and all festival passholders. $10 tickets are available to the general public. MOUNTAIN ROOTS

ALDO’S BUG EXTRAVAGANZA

Neil Losin, Aldo Losin

In Person: Film Participants

Aldo and his dad collected bugs in vials at Walnut Springs Park before Aldo went to kindergarten. It was interesting and bugs are really cool. It taught me about different kinds of bugs and it was fun to watch.

-Cyrus Kelly, age 6

(USA, 2024, 6 min.)

FARM DAYS

Louisa Rechenbach

Farm Days is about alpacas on tours, with humans. There is also one llama named Jefe. People call to book the tours. It takes several minutes for the alpacas to use the bathroom.

-Helena Glidewell, age 8

(UK, 2024, 4 min.)

Colorado Premiere

MOUNTAIN ROOTS

Carrie McCarthy, Mark Pedri

In Person: Film Participants

Mountain Roots is a story about a young girl named Bennet. Her family was not from Wyoming despite her roots in the U.S. Bennet’s heart wants to return to her home in Italy to explore the mountains, reconnect with her roots and challenge herself with new climbs and new connections. -Juno Bubolo, age 16 (USA, 2025, 19 min.)

North American Premiere

SLIDING

Katie Tannenbaum, Matīss Spaile

In Person: Film Participants

The short film Sliding has an amazing soundtrack, a beautiful backdrop, and features a brave Swiss luge rider. It reminds me of belly sliding in Town Park when the snow is firm and fast.

-Willa Waring, age 8

(Virgin Islands, 2024, 4 min)

TO SOMEONE LIKE ME

National Geographic Society Impact Story Lab

In Person: Film Participants

When the Taliban banned girls’ education in Afghanistan, National Geographic Explorer Shabana Basij-Rasikh helped students flee. Her school, SOLA, continues abroad. However, countless girls still lack access to education. National Geographic Society’s Impact Story Lab produced this film to share students’ stories of hope with girls in Afghanistan and abroad. (USA, 2024, 5 min.)

Colorado Premiere

MY GRANDMOTHER’S SKETCHBOOK

Max Romey

In Person: Film Participants

In this wholesome short film, Max Romey shares his quest to find his grandmother’s sketches in real life and recreate them in his own style. This inspiring story about connecting to your heritage and finding perspective is sure to leave the audience with a desire to get outside. -Caroline Merritt, age 15 (USA, 2025 16 min.)

World Premiere

TIDES OF CHANGE

Justin Wheelon

In Person: Film Participants

In Tides of Change, viewers are taken on a breathtaking journey beneath the waves, guided by an experienced underwater photographer who is deeply passionate about marine conservation. Through stunning visuals and intimate encounters with marine life, the film showcases the hidden beauty of the ocean and the devastating impact of human pollution. (USA, 2024, 3 min.)

Colorado Premiere

BEYOND BELIEFS

Quamae Hall

In Person: Film Participants

Danielle doesn’t know how to swim. She is learning how to swim. She is facing her fears. -Cali Barragan, age 10

(USA, 2025, 5 min.)

World Premiere

GIRLS RIDING HIGH

Katrin York

In Person: Film Participants

In my opinion, girls that do mountain biking are the best. You can see wild animals and plants. Don’t be like others — be yourself! Some girls sometimes get scared of pain and getting hurt but they try. There are lots of activities in Alaska and mountain biking is one of them! Games and camping are part of that so girls in Alaska like mountain biking! -Melany Jorge Marcos, age 8

(USA, 2024, 15 min)

Colorado Premiere

CENTER PUNCH | SAN JUAN SPLITBOARDING

Harry Kearney, Timmy Taussig

In Person: Film Participants

The green light is a special occurrence in the San Juan backcountry, so when local riders Harry Kearney, Timmy Taussing and Hagen Kearney had it during the spring of 2024, they got sprung.

Center Punch is the culmination of the footage gathered from an extraordinary two weeks of foot-powered snowboarding in Telluride’s backyard.

(USA, 2024, 3 min.)

11 AM-1 PM

SPEAKER SERIES: SYMPOSIUM: A New Era of Conservation (p. 65) 2:30–4:30 PM Stone Mountain (p. 23) 11:45 AM–1:45 PM WATER & ICE (p. 34) 9–11 AM The Age Of Water (p. 13) 5:45–7:45 PM WILD (p. 43) 2:45–4:45 PM The American Southwest (p. 13) 5:30–7:30 PM ORIGINALS (p. 36)

8:30–10:30 PM The Last Place on Earth (p. 17) 8:30–10:30 PM Speak. (p. 23) 8:15–10:15 PM Old Man Lightning (p. 19) 5:30–7:30 PM Trango (p. 23)

BASE CAMP OUTDOOR THEATER IS FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

9:30–10:30 AM THE INNER LENS: A Creative Reset (p. 84) 11:30 AM–1:30 PM VISIONARIES (p. 46) 2:30–4:30 PM Remaining Native (p. 21) 9:30–10:45 AM Ukraine Under Fire (p. 31, 71) 8:45–10:45 PM GLOBAL POV (p. 44) 6–8 PM Mr. Nobody Against Putin (p. 19) 8:45–10:45 PM FALLING INTO PLACE (p. 17) FRIDAY 8:45–10:45 PM CINE COMUNIDAD / COMMUNITY FILMS (p. 52) THURSDAY 2:30–4 PM DOCTALK: State of the Industry (p. 78) 1–3 PM FREE RANGE: Hike Bear Creek (p. 83)

4–7 PM TELLURIDE ARTS ART WALK (P. 72)

9:30–11:30 AM SALLY (p. 21)

3:15–5 PM GUEST DIRECTOR & FRIENDS (p. 67) 2:30–4:30 PM Speak. (p. 23) 11:45 AM–1:45 PM Mr. Nobody Against Putin (p. 19) 9–11 AM Lost Wolves of Yellowstone (p. 19)

12:15–2:15 PM INDOMITABLE SPIRIT (p. 38)

10 AM–12 PM

BEYOND BOUNDARIES: Explorations from the Himalaya to Antarctica (p. 66)

5:45–7:45 PM Girl Climber (p. 17)

8:30–10:30 PM The American Southwest (p. 13)

5–7 PM Snow Leopard Sisters (p. 21)

12:45–2:45 PM Desert Angel (p. 15) 5:15–7:15 PM Cecil (p. 15) 8–10 PM WILD (p. 43)

8–10 PM DIRT & ROCK (p. 32)

AM–1:45 PM GLOBAL INDIGENOUS STORIES (p. 50) 9–11 AM THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT (p. 47)

8–9 AM COFFEE TALKS (p. 74)

11 AM–12:30 PM DOC TALK: Impact Distribution (p. 78)

1:30–3 PM

DOC TALK: Navigating Censorship (p. 79)

2 PM–3:30 PM ICE CREAM SOCIAL (p. 85)

8-9 AM

FREE RANGE: COLD PLUNGE (p. 83)

5:45–7:45 PM TERRA (p. 40)

5–7:30 PM

DOC TALK: In the Works Test Screenings (p. 81)

BASE CAMP OUTDOOR THEATER IS FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC LIBRARY

8:30–10:30 PM CINE COMUNIDAD / COMMUNITY FILMS (p. 52) 8:45–10:45 PM ADRENALINE (p. 48)

10 AM–12 PM FREE RANGE: INDOOR CLIMB (p. 83)

FREE RANGE: HIKE FOR HILAREE (p. 83)

TNF HAPPY HOUR & ATHLETE CHAT: The Future of Forests in the Western U.S. (p. 83) 1–3 PM

3–5 PM

7:30-9:30 PM @ THE BUCK THE NATURE CONSERVANCY PARTY (p. 85)

9–10:30 PM

DARK SKY STORYTELLING (p. 83, 85)

9:15–11:15 AM ORIGINALS (p. 36) 9:15–11:15 AM INDOMITABLE SPIRIT (p. 38)

9:30–11:15 AM FIRE LINES & FRONTLINES OF FIRE PANEL (p. 31, 71)

12:15–2:15 PM VISIONARIES (p. 46) 12–2 PM DIRT & ROCK (p. 32)

2:45–4:45 PM Girl Climber (p. 17) 12–2 PM Old Man Lightning (p. 19)

5:30–7:30 PM Trango (p. 23) 3–5 PM Snow Leopard Sisters (p. 21)

5:45–7:45 PM WATER & ICE (p. 34)

8:30–10:30 PM Cecil (p. 15)

8:15–10:15 PM THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT (p. 47)

2:45–4:45 PM HUMANITY AND THE PLANET (p. 68) 5:30–7:30 PM The Last Place on Earth (p. 17)

8:15–10:15 PM SALLY (p. 21)

5:15–7:15 PM Lost Wolves of Yellowstone (p. 19)

2:30–4:30 PM Desert Angel (p. 15) 11:45 AM-1:45 PM The Age of Water (p. 13) 9-11 AM GLOBAL POV (p. 44) 8–10 PM Stone Mountain (p. 23) 8:45–10:45 PM Remaining Native (p. 21)

LIBRARY

10:30 AM–12:30 PM

DOC TALK: Take Action Impact Pitch (p. 81)

1:30–3 PM DOC TALK: Filmmaker Toolkit (p. 79)

IS FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC 8–9 AM COFFEE TALKS (p. 76) 10 AM–12 PM FREE RANGE: Trail Run & Accessible HikeLegacy Trail (p. 83) 1–3 PM FREE RANGE: Meditative Forest Walk (p. 83) 3–5 PM TNF HAPPY HOUR & ATHLETE CHAT Harnessing Collective Action: (p. 83)

10 AM–12 PM FREE RANGE: LGBTQIA+/BIPOC/ Allies Indoor Climb (p. 83) 8 PM-LATE DANCE PARTY (p. 85)

BASE

CAMP OUTDOOR THEATER

MINDS MOVING MOUNTAINS SPEAKER SERIES

A NEW ERA OF CONSERVATION:

How Indigenous Leadership Is Reshaping What We Thought We Knew About Land Management

FRIDAY, HIGH CAMP, 11 AM SYMPOSIUM

Indigenous peoples have been doing for generations what conservation-focused governments and nonprofit organizations strive for: sustainable stewardship of the land. This talk will focus on the movement to re-Indigenize conservation and the vital role of Indigenous voices, knowledge and history in conservation movements. It will also explore collaborations between tribes and conservation-focused organizations, opportunities to improve practices and steps to reshape policies.

The program will start with a screening of the film The Opening Address.

This panel is moderated by Jade Begay: (Diné and Tesuque Pueblo) Indigenous rights and climate policy expert

ADDITIONAL PANELISTS INCLUDE:

Brooke LaRae Woods (Dlel Taaneets); Climate Adaptation Specialist, Woodwell Climate Research Center)

Deb Haaland (Laguna Pueblo) gubernatorial candidate for Governor of New Mexico, former U.S. Secretary of the Interior

Ernest House Jr. (Ute Mountain Ute) Senior Policy Director, Center for Tribal & Indigenous Engagement, Keystone Policy Center; Board of Trustees, The Nature Conservancy

Ken Lucero (Zia Pueblo and Cochiti Pueblo)

Senior Director, Tribal & Indigenous Lands Initiative, Trust for Public Land

Dr. Len Necefer (Diné) CEO, NativesOutdoors

Konwanahktotha Alvera Sargent (Mohawk Nation) The Opening Address co-director

BEYOND BOUNDARIES: Explorations from the Himalaya to Antarctica

SATURDAY, HIGH CAMP, 10 AM

Legendary explorers, climbers, adventurers Mandip Singh Soin and Edmund Stump will present humor, natural history, personal anecdotes and lessons from lifetimes exploring the globe — from the Arctic to the Antarctic and countless places in between.

Singh Soin, known to everyone as Mandy, is a climber, adventure travel and eco-tourism expert, environmentalist and founder of one of India’s oldest, award-winning expedition companies. Beginning at age 15, Mandy has spent 50 years traveling across all seven continents. He now teaches responsible tourism, preparing other travelers to tread lightly.

Stump is a retired professor of exploration at Arizona State University where he taught geology for 37 years. No one knows more about the Transantarctic Mountains than Stump, where he spent his 40-year research career mapping and sampling rocks from the 1,500-mile length of the world’s most remote mountain range. Stump will take audiences through the ice and rock of this desolate landscape, weaving together stories of scientific discoveries, personal connections to the land and his early climbs with his legendary brother Mugs Stump.

MANDIP SINGH SOIN

EDMUND STUMP

GUEST DIRECTOR & FRIENDS

SATURDAY, PALM, 3:15 PM

Actress, activist, producer and entrepreneur Sophia Bush, Mountainfilm’s 2025 Guest Director, hosts an inspiring conversation centered on women’s rights, climate action and the transformative power of collective voice.

Bush is dedicated to championing causes that uplift girls and women around the world. For this program, she’ll be joined by very special guests for a thoughtful discussion from the power of storytelling to advocacy in environmental and social justice spaces. They’ll explore the intersection of activism and art — and how each of us can take action to help shape a brighter future.

ABOUT GUEST DIRECTOR SOPHIA BUSH

Sophia Bush has starred in television and film projects such as “One Tree Hill,” John Tucker Must Die, “Chicago PD,” Incredibles 2 , “Good Sam” and Junction. She currently hosts her iHeart podcasts, “Work in Progress with Sophia Bush” and co-hosts “Drama Queens.”

Bush is a dedicated activist and philanthropist, passionately supporting projects that empower girls and women.

She serves as a strategic advisor to the First Women’s Bank alongside Billie Jean King, and as a General Partner in Union Heritage Ventures; a majority African American- and women-owned venture capital firm headquartered in Detroit, Michigan.

SOPHIA BUSH

HUMANITY & THE PLANET

SUNDAY, SHERIDAN OPERA HOUSE, 2:45 PM

This program brings together two influential changemakers as they share insights and teachings from the origins of our species to our present-day impact on the planet and how we can move sustainably forward.

Palaeoanthropologist, TV presenter, explorer, and stand-up comic Ella Al-Shamahi traces human evolutionary history from a time when Earth was home to multiple human species, to now, where only Homo sapiens remain. Through storytelling, Al-Shamahi explores how we rose to become the most dominant force shaping the planet.

Climate activist Sage Lenier will share her journey from teaching one of UC Berkeley’s largest climate courses at just 21 years old to building a global media movement for real solutions to the ecological crisis. With institutions failing to prepare us for the challenges ahead, she is shaping a new narrative. One that fights for a sustainable and just future through film, podcasts and social media.

This program offers a hopeful look at where we’ve been as a species and how we can reimagine and reshape a more resilient future for humanity.

ELLA AL-SHAMAHI SAGE LENIER

MINDS MOVING MOUNTAINS |

WHAT NOW?

After four days of immersion in incredible documentaries and uplifting stories from remarkable individuals, you are feeling electrified, abuzz with possibility and motivated to create a better world. But how do you take that inspiration and incorporate it into your real life in ways that are meaningful?

Both longtime friends of the festival, Hollywood filmmaker, writer and director of blockbuster comedies such as Ace Ventura, The Nutty Professor, Bruce Almighty and documentary I Am (Mountainfilm 2010 Audience Award Winner and Student Awards), Tom Shadyac will join author of Wild and Tiny Beautiful Things, and Mountainfilm special guest, judge, speaker and 2019 Guest Director Cheryl Strayed to tackle that question – WHAT NOW? – in this festival-wrap conversation about turning motivation into action.

MONDAY, SHERIDAN OPERA HOUSE, 8 AM FREE AND

CHERYL STRAYED

TOM SHADYAC

HALLIE KOHLER

SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS

These special programs include film screenings followed by in-depth conversations with filmmakers and participants, offering audiences a deeper understanding of the stories, themes and real-world issues explored on screen.

WAR & RESILIENCE — UKRAINE UNDER FIRE

In Person: Film Participants

follows Ukrainian journalist Olga Butko of RADA television and American journalist Jordan Campbell as they document the realities of war. The film also highlights the experiences of volunteer frontline medic Peter Fouché, offering a raw look at resistance efforts, war crimes, child deportation, sexual violence and acts of genocide amidst the most significant conflict in Europe since World War II. More broadly, the film explores Ukraine’s ongoing struggle for freedom, democracy and European integration.

Jordan Campbell and guests for a compelling discussion on the impact of war, the resilience of those on the front lines and the role of journalism in

ON THE FRONT LINES OF FIRE — FIRE LINES

SUNDAY, SHERIDAN OPERA HOUSE, 9:30–11:15AM

Wildfires in the American West are burning hotter and bigger than ever. With more and more people moving into what’s known as the fire-prone wildland-urban interface, these mega-fires have the potential to destroy hundreds of homes and lives, and change how we interact with the landscape. This event will begin with a screening of the Patagonia film Fire Lines (P.31), which follows a group of passionate northern California mountain bikers and trail stewards in the aftermath of the 2021 Dixie Fire as they create a plan to integrate forest management Abe Streep will take us behind the headlines of the catastrophic January 2025 Palisades Fire, which torched entire neighborhoods in Southern California. Streep will share his reporting on wildland firefighters, the communities impacted by recent fires and the ways climate change is fueling more intense and frequent flames.

UKRAINE UNDER FIRE

Friday, 4–7 PM

ART WALK

Mountainfilm partners with Telluride Arts to celebrate and showcase the work of photographers, activists and artists through the annual Mountainfilm Art Walk

ARTIST EVENTS

The Art Walk opening reception kicks off at Telluride Arts HQ with featured artists Caroline Clark and Dana Tiger, along with complimentary refreshments courtesy of Telluride Arts.

Artist talks will take place approximately 6 PM during the Art Walk at Telluride Arts HQ and Telco.

Caroline Clark, Mountainfilm’s 2025 poster artist, will exhibit a limited run of framed and unframed prints at Telluride Arts HQ.

Dana’s artwork, along with select pieces by her son and daughter, will be on display at Telluride Arts HQ.

Greg’s mural and artwork will be on display at Telco and Heard Gallery.

PARTICIPATING GALLERIES

Ah Haa School for the Arts 155 W Pacific Ave

Bella Fine Goods 213 W Colorado Ave

Baked in Telluride 127 S Fir St

Citizens State Bank 215 San Juan Ave., Unit C2 (Access from 201 S. Fir Street)

Elinoff Gallery 204 W Colorado Ave

Heard Gallery 214 W Colorado Ave

La Cocina de Luz 123 E Colorado Ave

Milk Moon 307 E Colorado Ave

Slate Gray Gallery 130 E Colorado Ave

Sit, Stay, Shop! (Second Chance) 335 W Colorado Ave

Telco 212 W Colorado Ave

Telluride Arts HQ 135 W Pacific Ave

Wilkinson Public Library 100 W Pacific Ave

MELISSA PLANTZ

FEATURED ARTISTS

CAROLINE CLARK

Telluride Arts

Colorado Springs-based artist, Caroline Clark, is this year’s Mountainfilm poster artist. In 2018, while living in the desert, she launched Caroline Clark Designs to share the joy and nostalgia of being outdoors. With a knack for transforming everyday moments into quirky, colorful art inspired by the American West, she captures the spirit of adventure in every piece. In 2024, she took a bold leap by opening Long Lost Studio — a creative space reminiscent of gathering around a campfire with friends.

DANA TIGER

Telluride Arts

GREG FISKE

Telco + Heard Gallery

Greg Fiske is this year’s mural artist. He is the lead cartographer and data visualization specialist at the Woodwell Climate Research Center, where he has decades of experience translating climate science into maps. He collaborates with researchers to integrate data for complex modeling and works with communications to share research findings. The spatial data and images in the mural titled “Cartographies of Arctic Change” represent the realities of our changing Arctic. The Arctic is warming three to four times faster than the rest of Earth and the resulting changes, like permafrost thaw and wildfire, affect Arctic communities and the global climate.

Dana Tiger is an award-winning, internationally recognized artist and a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, with Seminole and Cherokee heritage. Inspired by the legacy of her father, renowned artist Jerome Tiger, and mentored by her uncle, painter Johnny Tiger Jr., Dana embraced both her cultural roots and her family’s artistic tradition. She is best known for her watercolors and acrylics celebrating the strength of Native American women, with works displayed in institutions across the country.

Inducted into the Oklahoma Women’s Hall of Fame in 2001, Dana also co-founded the nonprofit Legacy Cultural Learning Community to support Native youth through art and cultural education.

COFFEE TALKS

Saturday & Sunday, 8 – 9 AM

Kick off your festival mornings on Saturday and Sunday with our popular Coffee Talks, where we bring together longtime friends of the festival and exciting first-time guests for enlightening conversations. Bring your cup of joe (don’t forget your mug!) and join us as we dive into meaningful discussions — ranging from adventures to environmental advocacy and matters of the heart.

Passholders receive priority entry to Coffee Talks. If space allows, members of the public will be seated after passholders.

LOCATIONS & HOSTS

Hotel Telluride, Laura Colbert

Camel’s Garden, Julia Caulfield

Library, Laura Shaunette

Ah Haa, Jedidiah Jenkins

Mountain Lodge, Jon Tukman

HALLIE KOHLER

BASH JELEN

SATURDAY

#1 REWILDING OURSELVES MOUNTAIN LODGE

We know nature is essential for our wellbeing — but in a world that moves fast, how do we slow down and make space to truly connect with it? Panelists will explore how we can reclaim our relationship with the natural world, even amidst busy lives and digital noise. From protecting public lands to restoring Indigenous access to ancestral lands, these changemakers offer reflections and tools for finding grounding, meaning and renewal through nature.

Panelists: Roman Dial, Konwanahktotha Alvera Sargent, Maya Lyttle Tilousi, Carletta Tilousi, Pete McBride

#2 WOMEN WRITING FOR CHANGE

HOTEL TELLURIDE

Celebrated authors Leslie Chang, Cheryl Strayed, Shelby Stanger, Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer, Dylan Mulvaney and Cassidy Randall come together to discuss their books — from daring adventures and personal transformation to managing grief, and the experience of living and writing abroad and beyond. Their stories uncover hidden truths, challenge assumptions and explore how writing helps us fall in love with the world — even when it’s hard.

#3 FREEING THE FLOW: REIMAGINING WESTERN RIVERS

AH HAA

Water in the American West is under threat from persistent drought, climate change and aging infrastructure — offering an opportunity to rethink how we manage this vital resource. From innovative conservation efforts to restoring natural flows, this panel will explore solutions for securing the future of the Colorado River and beyond. Experts will discuss water rights, Indigenous stewardship and strategies for balancing

environmental health with community needs, ensuring that Western rivers flow for generations to come.

Panelists: Chairman Manuel Heart, Lorelei Cloud, Quannah ChasingHorse, Sinjin Eberle, Ben Masters, Dana Romanoff

#4 DEFENDING CREATIVE EXPRESSION

CAMEL’S GARDEN

The need to protect free speech and inclusive expression has taken on a new urgency in 2025. Join journalists, storytellers and filmmakers for a discussion on the global impact of censorship, threats against journalistic integrity and freedom of the press — and how these restrictions are affecting students in schools by limiting access to critical information. This panel will examine how free expression shapes the next generation’s understanding of the world. True freedom means making space for voices that have long been silenced or sidelined. Through storytelling, art and dialogue, expression can be reclaimed as a vital tool for visibility, equity and connection.

Panelists: Shahrzad “Sherry” Dadgar, Peter Hessler, Abe Streep, Skye Fitzgerald, Laura Nix

#5 WHAT’S REALLY WORKING IN SUSTAINABILITY?

LIBRARY

As climate concerns grow, so does the push for green initiatives — but which efforts make an impact, and which fall short? With wildfires worsening and climate solutions lagging, this panel will explore the successes and challenges of sustainability, and barriers to real change. Panelists will discuss what’s working, what’s not, and how we can drive meaningful progress in protecting our planet.

Panelists: Max Holmes, Erik Dalton, Kendra Held, Jill Tidman

SUNDAY

#6 MAKING MEANING OF PURSUING PASSION MOUNTAIN LODGE

At the heart of the relationship between athletes and the natural world are often tales of human perseverance. This Coffee Talk brings together outdoor athletes who have pushed past limits physical, mental and societal — to pursue their passions in the mountains. From navigating risk and resilience to overcoming injuries, systemic barriers and personal setbacks, these athletes will share stories about the challenges they’ve faced on their journeys toward creating a meaningful life.

Panelists: Bobby Brown, Kai Jones, Anna Pfaff, Dani Reyes-Acosta, Christa Funk

#7 THE FUTURE OF MODERN MOUNTAINEERING

HOTEL TELLURIDE

Pioneering mountaineer Edmund Hillary famously said he climbed Mount Everest “because it’s there.” But in today’s world, there are many reasons to climb, including the inherent human desires to explore, overcome challenges and push limits. Join modern-day explorers to discuss the current state of the mountaineering industry, impacts of tourism, strategies for promoting sustainability and the challenges posed by overcrowding on popular peaks and destinations. The conversation will also highlight how women in mountaineering are breaking barriers and reshaping the industry with fresh perspectives and leadership.

Panelists: Mandip Singh Soin, Hadley Hammer, Emily Harrington, Pem Dorjee Sherpa, Jim Morrison

#8 CHANGING THE WORLD THROUGH KINDNESS, COMPASSION AND SPIRIT

AH HAA

If you had an opportunity to make a difference in the world, what would you do? This discussion will reflect on the power of altruism, kindness and compassion to foster true human connection and inspire societal change. The conversation will delve into practical ways to incorporate small acts of service into daily life as a powerful catalyst for transformation. Join filmmakers and experts who firmly believe anthropologist Margaret Mead’s famous saying, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed individuals can change the world. In fact, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

Panelists: Terri Bullock, Tom Shadyac, Manolo Betancur, Shanti Gooljar

SUNDAY

#9 PROTECTING THE WILD: DEFENDING WILDLIFE ACROSS THE GLOBE

CAMEL’S GARDEN

Join wildlife defenders from around the world for a panel discussion on conservation and working to protect endangered species. From scientists focused on saving snow leopards in remote locations in Nepal to California Condors along the Colorado River and kangaroos down under, this event will explore the solutions and challenges of preserving wildlife. Learn how global efforts are making a difference and how you can get involved in protecting our planet’s most vulnerable species.

Panelists: Tshiring Lhamu Lama, George McKenzie Jr., Louie Psihoyos, Tishiko King, Rick Schwolsky

#10 DARK SKIES AND WILD ADVENTURES

LIBRARY

Join acclaimed authors Craig Childs and Hampton Sides for presentations and discussions. Childs will share insights from his latest book, The Wild Dark, tracing his journey from the neon glow of Las Vegas to one of the darkest places in North America. His exploration reveals the profound impact of true darkness and the wonder that unfolds when we embrace the night. As the author of The Wide Wide Sea, Sides will share the accounts of Captain James Cook’s final voyage. The book explores the contradictions of a legendary navigator revered for his respect for Indigenous cultures — yet who was ultimately entangled in the harsh realities of colonial expansion.

DOC TALKS: A CREATIVE HUB

Mountainfilm’s Doc Talks are dedicated to career development and filmmaker support, offering practical insights and inspiration. These sessions feature leading industry experts alongside filmmakers and activists, sharing knowledge, tools and experiences to help creators thrive.

Doc Talk workshops are intended for filmmakers and festival guests. The public is welcome after festival guest passholders have been seated.

MOUNTAINFILM INDUSTRY & FILMMAKER MEETUP

FRI, THE ALIBI, 4:30–5:30 PM

Meet up with Mountainfilm filmmakers and industry professionals for an informal gathering to connect, network and kick off the festival weekend together.

THE STATE OF THE INDUSTRY

FRI, AH HAA, 2:30–4 PM

The documentary landscape is evolving at a rapid pace. This discussion will cover the conditions, outlooks and strategies for filmmakers. Join industry experts to discuss shifting audience trends, the changing role of streamers and new distribution opportunities. From emerging platforms to innovative storytelling approaches, panelists will explore how filmmakers can adapt and anticipate in an industry that’s ever-changing.

Moderater: Brian Newman (Sub-Genre)

Panelists: Anisa Hosseinnezhad (IDA), Beth Osisek (Hulu), Chloë Walters-Wallace (Firelight Media), Jeffrey Winter (The Film Collaborative), Laura Nix (Filmmaker) and Tara Hein-Phillips (Jolt)

INSIGHTS INTO IMPACT DISTRIBUTION

SAT, AH HAA, 11 AM–12:30 PM

Documentaries can be a catalyst for change. Join changemakers of the film world to learn how to engage in impact distribution and design campaigns that extend films’ reach beyond the screen. Experts will share strategies for partnering with organizations, mobilizing audiences and using film as a tool for advocacy, education and social action. Whether you’re looking to inspire policy shifts or grassroots movements, this conversation will offer tangible ways to make a lasting impact and change.

Moderator: Michael Collins (Filmmaker)

Panelists: Asad Muhammad (POV), Christie Marchese (Kinema), Katie Stjernholm (Filmmaker) and T.C. Johnstone (Filmmaker; Impact Documentary School)

LEIGH ORNE

NAVIGATING CENSORSHIP IN FILMMAKING

SAT, AH HAA, 1:30–3 PM

How do documentary filmmakers stay steadfast in their pursuit of storytelling and truth while navigating increasing pressure on free speech?

This panel discussion explores the role of censorship in modern filmmaking and examines the risks of telling difficult truths, the challenges of navigating legal, political and financial barriers and the complex role of self-censorship in ensuring critical stories reach the public. Censorship silences voices that challenge dominant power structures often under the false promise of protection. We resist by telling the truth boldly, building community and refusing to let others define the boundaries of our stories.

Moderator: Shahrzad “Sherry” Dadgar (Filmmaker)

Panelists: Anisa Hosseinnezhad (IDA), Larry Laboe (NewFilmmakers LA) and Skye Fitzgerald (Filmmaker)

IMAGINING NEW OPPORTUNITIES: THE FILMMAKER TOOLKIT FOR THIS MOMENT

SUN, AH HAA, 1:30–3 PM

Today’s documentary filmmakers need more than just a compelling story — they need the right tools to bring their vision to life. From securing funding and maintaining editorial integrity to navigating production, editing and distribution, this panel dives into the nitty-gritty of getting a film made and seen. Filmmakers and industry professionals will share practical insights — from networking and working with sales agents to pitching corporate partners for theatrical runs — plus tips on what not to do along the way.

Panelists will also explore how to extend a film’s reach and impact through emerging media like podcasts and digital platforms. This session is designed to empower filmmakers with tools, connections and real-world advice.

Moderator: Megha Agrawal Sood (Doc Society).

Panelists: Ben Sturgulewski (Filmmaker), Brendan Leonard (Filmmaker), Chloë Walters-Wallace (Firelight Media), Jeff Orlowski-Yang (Exposure Labs) and Opal H. Bennett (POV)

HANNAH SOURBEER

AT THE WILKINSON PUBLIC LIBRARY:

IN THE WORKS: TEST SCREENING & FEEDBACK SESSION

SAT, LIBRARY, 5–7:30 PM

This special Doc Talk is designed to support filmmakers as they refine their films and gather valuable feedback before finalizing their projects.

Attendees will have the opportunity to engage in a Q&A with the filmmakers, offering direct insights and reactions. Additionally, audience members will provide written feedback, which filmmakers can review afterward to help shape their final edit.

Join us for this unique session and be part of the process to help filmmakers bring their stories to life.

TAKE ACTION IMPACT PITCH

SUN, LIBRARY, 10:30 AM–12:30 PM

We know Mountainfilm is more than just a festival. With its mission to inspire audiences to create a better world, it’s a call to action.

The Take Action Impact Pitch invites audiences to go beyond the screen and participate in this crowdfunding-and crowdsourcing-style experience, supporting filmmakers and organizations that are driving real-world change.

This special event spotlights films with active impact campaigns and purposedriven stories, each centered around urgent and powerful calls to action.

Made possible with generous support from the Borsecnik/Weil Family

EXPLORE WITH THE NORTH FACE

FREE RANGE PROGRAMS

The North Face is hosting our Free Range Headquarters in Elks Park, featuring world-class athletes Kaytlyn Gerbin, Emily Harrington, Thomas Bukowski, Nina Williams, Chantel Astorga, Christina Lusti, Conrad Anker, Jim Morrison, Andres Marin, Anna Pfaff and Matt Segal.

The North Face is also hosting Conversations That Matter: Happy Hour & Athlete Chats on Saturday and Sunday in partnership with Telluride Brewing Company, LALO Tequila and Shār Snacks.

All events are free and open to the public. Space is limited, so stop by and sign up.

FREE RANGE HEADQUARTERS: ELKS PARK 123 S. OAK STREET

FRIDAY: NOON–3 PM | SATURDAY & SUNDAY: 9AM–5 PM | MONDAY: 11 AM–1 PM

FRIDAY

1 PM–3 PM Hike Bear Creek with Kaytlyn Gerbin & Thomas Bukowski

8–9 AM Cold Plunge with Nelson Parrish & The North Face athletes

10–NOON Indoor Climb with Conrad Anker & Nina Williams

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

1–3 PM Hike for Hilaree on the Jud Wiebe with Jim Morrison & The North Face athletes

3–5 PM Happy Hour & Athlete Chat “The Future of Forests in the Western U.S.”

9–10:30 PM Dark Sky Storytelling with Craig Childs & The North Face Athletes

10–NOON Trail Run & Accessible Hike Legacy Trail with Kaytlyn Gerbin

10–NOON Inclusive Indoor Climb (for LGBTQIA+/BIPOC+Allies) with Conrad Anker & Thomas Bukowski

1–3 PM Meditative Forest Walk Led by filmmaker Michael Collins, Lindsay Branham & The North Face athletes

3–5 PM Happy Hour & Athlete Chat “Harnessing Collective Action: How Athletes & Scientists Can Work Together to Move the Needle on Climate Progress”

MONDAY

11 AM–1 PM Fun Trail Run with The Life We Have film team on the Legacy Trail

EVENTS | PARTIES & HAPPENINGS

PARTIES & HAPPENINGS

Along with the films, presentations, panels, hikes, book signings and art walks, Mountainfilm squeezes a few events, parties and special surprises into the mix. Special events are free and open to the public unless noted.

TOWN READ

THURSDAY, 5:30–7 PM

LIBRARY, 100 W PACIFIC AVE

Wilkinson Public Library hosts the annual Town Read, featuring author Cassidy Randall in a conversation about her book Thirty Below — the gripping true story of the first allwomen’s ascent of Denali in 1970, marking the first all-female summit of any of the world’s highest peaks. Copies of the book will be available at the library.

TWENTY(BY)TELLURIDE — MOUNTAINFILM EDITION

WEDNESDAY, 7–9 PM

THE ALIBI, 121 S FIR STREET

In collaboration with Telluride Arts, this fast-paced event brings five creatives to the stage to share their stories using 20 slides, each shown for just 20 seconds. Twenty(by) Telluride offers a dynamic glimpse into the lives and work of artists across all mediums.

WOODWELL PARTY

THURSDAY, 8–11 PM

SMUGGLERS BREW PUB, 225 SOUTH PINE ST

Join Mountainfilm’s partner, Woodwell Climate Research Center, to kick off the weekend celebrating 40 years of Woodwell’s collaborative, transformational research and education to combat climate change and safeguard the future of life here on earth.

THE INNER LENS: A CREATIVE RESET

FRIDAY, 9:30–10:30 AM

AH HAA SCHOOL LAUNCH PAD, 155 PACIFIC AVE

Before the weekend unfolds, take a moment to arrive. Through guided meditation, breath work and shared experience — rooted in the

timeless wisdom of the yogic tradition — you’ll gain simple practices to de-stress, re-center and bring balance to both your creative work and daily life.

MEET & GREET WITH DEB HAALAND

FRIDAY, 1:15–2:15 PM

MADELINE HOTEL TIMBER ROOM, 568 MOUNTAIN VILLAGE BLVD

After the symposium, join us in the Timber Room at the Madeline Hotel for a relaxed social hour and a chance to connect with Deb Haaland (Laguna Pueblo), gubernatorial candidate for Governor of New Mexico, former U.S. Secretary of the Interior, and other fellow attendees and guests.

AFFINITY GROUP MEETUP

BIPOC FILMMAKERS & FESTIVAL GUESTS

FRIDAY, 6–7:30 PM

THE ALIBI, 121 S FIR STREET

BIPOC filmmakers, festival guests and allies are invited to an evening of connection and networking.

COLD PLUNGE

SATURDAY, 8–9 AM

SAN MIGUEL RIVER, AT THE TOWN PARK FOOTBRIDGE

The Town Park Footbridge is located at the East Pacific Avenue entrance of Town Park. For the last decade, fine artist and Mountainfilm award maker R. Nelson Parrish has embraced the ritual of Misogi — a mental and spiritual challenge wrapped in a physical package — as a connecting ethos of his personal life and art practice: That most limits are self-imposed. He welcomes you to join him in a refreshing morning cold plunge in the San Miguel River as an introduction to the concept of Misogi, and to immerse yourself in a memorable Mountainfilm experience.

ICE CREAM SOCIAL

SATURDAY, 2–3:30 PM

COLORADO AVE (MAIN STREET)

It’s called the Ice Cream Social, but there’s much more than scoops of free frozen treats. This afternoon street party is a place to meet up with fellow Mountainfilmers and discuss which films have blown your mind. Make sure to stop by and say hello to our festival sponsors stationed along Main Street.

THE NORTH FACE HAPPY HOUR

SATURDAY, 3–5 PM

ELKS PARK

The North Face hosts Conversations That Matter: Happy Hour & Athlete Chats, featuring a panel discussion with The North Face athletes and The Nature Conservancy, live music and complimentary beverages.

AFFINITY GROUP MEETUP:

LGBTQIA+ FILMMAKERS & FESTIVAL GUESTS

SATURDAY, 6–7:30 PM

THE ALIBI, 121 S FIR STREET

LGBTQIA+ filmmakers, festival guests and allies are invited to an evening of connection and networking.

THE NATURE CONSERVANCY PARTY

SATURDAY, 7:30–9:30 PM

THE LAST DOLLAR SALOON

Join Mountainfilm partner, The Nature Conservancy in Colorado, for drinks and snacks to celebrate collaborative, sciencebased conservation work that helps create a world where people and nature thrive.

DARK SKY STORYTELLING

SATURDAY, 9–10:30 PM

MEET IN ELKS PARK

Join Craig Childs, author of The Wild Dark, for a special stargazing session inspired by his trip from Las Vegas to one of the darkest places in North America. Under the night sky, Childs will guide us to look both outward into the cosmos and inward into our own sense of wonder.

THE NORTH FACE HAPPY HOUR

SUNDAY, 3–5 PM

ELKS PARK

The North Face hosts Conversations That Matter: Happy Hour & Athlete Chats, featuring a panel discussion with The North Face athletes and Woodwell Climate, live music and complimentary beverages.

MOUNTAINFILM DANCE PARTY!

SUNDAY, 8 PM–LATE

THE ALIBI, 121 S FIR STREET

Come dance under the disco ball with DJ Jambalaya for our Sunday Night Party — enjoy great beats and good vibes as we wind down Mountainfilm 2025. Passholders only.

FREE RANGE: FUN TRAIL RUN WITH THE LIFE WE HAVE FILM TEAM ON LEGACY TRAIL

MONDAY, 11 AM–1 PM

ELKS PARK

Meet in Elks Park for an all-levels-welcome run with The Life We Have film team. Follow the gently climbing Idarado Legacy Trail toward the scenic east end of the box canyon and historic Pandora Mill. The run will end in Town Park for the festival’s Closing Picnic & Awards Ceremony.

CLOSING PICNIC & AWARDS CEREMONY

MONDAY, 1–4 PM

TELLURIDE TOWN PARK

Wrap up the festival with a delicious vegetarian lunch from La Cocina de Luz and the festival awards. Be sure to cast your vote for the Audience Choice Award for your favorite feature and short. The picnic is free for all passholders, except Wasatch. Individual tickets will be for sale at the entrance for $30.

MOUNTAINFILM DOWNLOW

MONDAY, 7–9 PM

SHERIDAN OPERA HOUSE

This live storytelling event organized through Telluride Theatre features ingenious, hilarious, outrageous and moving tales by Mountainfilm guests and local performers.

AWARDS

Festival awards are announced at the Closing Picnic and Awards Ceremony which takes place in the Telluride Town Park on Monday from 1–4 PM

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE: $5,000

This juried award celebrates exceptional filmmaking for feature films (over 40 minutes in length). Funded in part by Tully & Elise Friedman

BEST SHORT FILM: $1,000

This juried award celebrates exceptional filmmaking for short films (under 40 minutes in length). Mountainfilm is an Academy Award® Qualifying Festival in this award category.

JAMES BALOG

CREATIVE VISION AWARD: $5,000

This award honors a film with innovative imagemaking or ideas that expand our understanding of the relationship between people and the rest of nature. Funded by James & Suzanne Balog

CHARLIE FOWLER

BEST ADVENTURE FILM: $2,500

Charlie Fowler was a world-class climber and Telluride crag pioneer who died on a 2006 expedition in China with his partner Christine Boskoff. This juried award goes to the best adventure film. Funded by the Fowler family

MOVING MOUNTAINS: $2,500

This award honors films that focus on impact, and supports both the filmmaker and the film’s associated nonprofit.

Funded in part by Tully & Elise Friedman

WOMEN IN FILM: $2,500

This award is presented to an outstanding woman in the film industry who shows excellence and indomitable spirit either in front of or behind the camera.

Funded by Riccarda de Eccher & Bill Goldston

AUDIENCE CHOICE: FEATURE $5,000

The winner of this award will be decided by Mountainfilm attendees who can vote for their favorite feature film during the festival. Funded in part by Tully & Elise Friedman

AUDIENCE CHOICE: SHORT $1,000

Mountainfilm attendees vote for their favorite short film to determine the winner of this award.

Funded in part by Tully & Elise Friedman

FIRST PEOPLES AWARD $1,500

This award honors an outstanding Indigenous-made film that highlights underrepresented stories, perspectives and cultures.

Funded by Riccarda de Eccher & Bill Goldston

STUDENT CHOICE: $2,000

High school students from the immersive Mountainfilm for Students program select the film they think will best inspire their generation.

Funded by Telluride Academy & Alpine Bank

2025 AWARDS ARTIST: R. NELSON PARRISH

Alaskan sculptor R. Nelson Parrish’s tactile, dynamic pieces represent a fusion of natural and synthetic sculpture and painting. His work aims to disengage the viewer from the peripheral and focus on the present moment, eliciting a calm that is rare in today’s chaotic world.

MELISSA PLANTZ

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

SUZAN BERAZA

Suzan Beraza was born and raised in the Caribbean. Her films have been shown on Netflix, Independent Lens, PBS and Lincoln Center. Bag It (Mountainfilm 2010) was the winner of the Britdoc Impact Award, televised in over 50 countries. Her film Uranium Drive-In (Mountainfilm 2013) was broadcast on Independent Lens, awarded the Big Sky Award and honored for documentary excellence by the Alliance of Women Film Journalists. Her film Massacre River (Mountainfilm 2019) aired on PBS, BBC and FranceTV. Beraza was the Mountainfilm festival director from 2017 to 2024.

BETH OSISEK

ASAD MUHAMMAD

Asad Muhammad is an impact strategist, organizational leader, public media executive and father. As vice president of impact and engagement strategy at American Documentary | POV, he extends the impact of nonfiction films through community engagement, education and event production work with noncommercial television stations. With 20 years of service in public education, nonprofit leadership, restorative justice and community development, Muhammad is a passionate witness to how nonfiction storytelling connects to the hearts and minds of underserved communities, policymakers and leaders, inspiring folx to better focus their power and fight for change.

Beth Osisek is a vice president of content development at Hulu Originals, focused on documentary and limited series. She brings decades of experience as an award-winning filmmaker to the position. Since joining the Hulu team she has worked on I Am Greta, Framing Britney Spears, Padma Lakshimi’s Taste The Nation, Hillary, Captive Audience and Victoria’s Secret: Angels and Demons. Before joining Hulu, she executive produced the three-part Netflix documentary series “Inside Bill’s Brain: Decoding Bill Gates.” Other work includes CNN Films We Will Rise with Michelle Obama and the PBS documentary Makers: Women Who Make History.

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT

TAYLOR REES

A filmmaker, photojournalist and avid explorer, Taylor Rees brings deeper public understanding to the complexities of climate change, conservation, Indigenous rights, environmental justice and extractive industries. Rees received a master’s degree from the Yale School of Forestry where she led the Yale Environmental Film Festival for two years before moving into a career as a fulltime director, producer and shooter. She directed Ashes to Ashes (Mountainfilm 2019), From Kurils With Love and co-directed The Ghosts Above (both Mountainfilm 2020) with Renan Ozturk. She has shot and directed pieces for National Geographic, The North Face, United Nations and is a Sony Artisan photographer.

LARRY LABOE

CHLOE WALTERS-WALLACE

Chloë Walters-Wallace is the director of regional initiatives for Firelight Media. She heads up Firelight’s Groundwork Regional Lab, which aims to expand the pipeline of emerging diverse makers from the South, Midwest and U.S. Territories. Previously, Walter-Wallace led the New Orleans Film Society’s Emerging Voices Mentorship Program and the Southern Producers Lab. She has worked for the Tribeca Film Institute, Clinica Estetico (under the late Jonathan Demme), and Article 19 Films. In 2017 she produced Woke and the feature documentary Back Story. She lives between New York and New Orleans and is on the board of Court 13 Arts.

Larry Laboe is executive director of NewFilmmakers Los Angeles, an organization championing filmmakers worldwide. He is a member of the Producers Guild of America and served as a faculty member at the San Francisco Art Institute. Laboe is a board member of the BRIC Foundation and Film Festival Alliance and is a committee member of SAGindie. He has produced content directed by James Franco and Joseph Gordon Levitt for top networks and studios. Many of these productions have been official selections at festivals such as South by Southwest and have won awards including a Banff World Media Festival Rockie Award.

CHARLIE FOWLER BEST ADVENTURE FILM

MALIK MARTIN

Malik Martin is a visionary filmmaker and storyteller, renowned for his ability to weave narratives that explore culture, identity and the human spirit. In 2020, he gained widespread recognition for his critically acclaimed documentary Black Ice (Mountainfilm 2021), which delves into the intersections of race, resilience and passion within the ice climbing community. With a background in communication studies and extensive experience in photojournalism, he blends cinematic artistry with socially impactful themes. Beyond filmmaking, Martin is an outdoor enthusiast and advocate for diversity in nature, working to make outdoor spaces more inclusive and accessible.

BRENDAN LEONARD

Brendan Leonard is the creator of Semi-Rad.com and author of The New American Road Trip Mixtape. He has written for Climbing, Backpacker, Men’s Journal, National Geographic Adventure, “The Dirtbag Diaries” podcast, Adventure Journal, High Country News and other publications. Leonard has published the books Sixty Meters to Anywhere and Make It Till You Make It, and co-directed the film Ace and the Desert Dog (Mountainfilm 2016). Leonard is the director of Chocolate Spokes (Mountainfilm 2017), a film about a bike shop in Denver’s Five Points neighborhood, The Time Travelers (Mountainfilm 2017) and How to Run 100 Miles (Mountainfilm 2018).

HADLEY HAMMER

Hadley Hammer is a skier, writer and storyteller born and bred in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. She spent the last 13 years skiing professionally and has ridden in competitions on the Freeride World Tour and in front of a camera for Teton Gravity Research and Sherpas Cinema. Hammer currently lives in Chamonix, France, and sustains herself on croissants, nature and books.

FIRST PEOPLES AWARD

ERNEST HOUSE JR.

Ernest House Jr. works for the Keystone Policy Center in tribal consultation, energy, conservation, agriculture, healthcare, education, cultural resource management and cultural repatriation. He currently serves on the Fort Lewis College Board of Trustees, Gates Family Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, National Western Center Authority Board and the Colorado Interbasin Water Compact Committee. House is an enrolled member of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe in Towaoc, Colorado. He is the son of the late Ernest House, Sr., a long-time tribal leader for the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and great-grandson of Chief Jack House, the last hereditary Chief of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe.

JADE BEGAY

Jade Begay (Diné and Tesuque Pueblo), is an Indigenous rights and climate policy expert, organizer and filmmaker. She has partnered with nonprofit organizations and tribal nations around issues like climate change, Indigenous self determination and environmental justice. Begay is the climate justice campaign director at NDN Collective and serves on the board of Amazon Watch and Native Conservancy. In 2021, she was appointed by President Biden to serve on the first White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council. She is the director of Mi Mamá (Mountainfilm 2019).

IZABELLA RUFFINO

Izabella Ruffino is from the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe in Michigan. She serves as The Nature Conservancy Colorado’s Tribal and Indigenous Engagement Program Manager and is based outside of Denver. In this role, Ruffino serves as a liaison with tribal nations, Indigenous communities and organizations. She guides TNC Colorado’s efforts to build cultural awareness and humility for meaningful and ethical tribal and Indigenous engagement, while supporting the co-creation of mutually beneficial conservation projects. In her free time, she enjoys travelling, hiking, camping and snowboarding in the winter.

BOOK SIGNINGS

THURSDAY

LIBRARY - 5:30 PM (AFTER THE TOWN READ PROGRAM)

In partnership with Between the Covers Bookstore

Cassidy Randall – Thirty Below: The Harrowing and Heroic Story of the First AllWomen’s Ascent of Denali

SATURDAY

CAMEL’S GARDEN - 9 AM (AFTER THE COFFEE TALK)

Peter Hessler – Other Rivers: A Chinese Education

HOTEL TELLURIDE - 9 AM (AFTER THE COFFEE TALK)

Cassidy Randall – Thirty Below: The Harrowing and Heroic Story of the First All-Women’s Ascent of Denali

*Cheryl Strayed – Wild

Leslie Chang – Egyptian Made: Women, Work, and the Promise of Liberation

Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer – The Unfolding

Shelby Stanger – Will to Wild: Adventures Great and Small to Change Your Life

HI GH CAMP - 12 PM (AFTER THE PRESENTATION)

Edmund Stump – Otherworldly Antarctica: Ice, Rock, and Wind at the Polar Extreme

SUNDAY

BETWEEN THE COVERS - 9:30 AM

Hampton Sides – The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook

Craig Childs – The Wild Dark: Finding the Night Sky in the Age of Light

BETWEEN THE COVERS - 11:45 AM

Abe Streep – Brothers on Three: A True Story of Family, Resistance, and Hope on a Reservation in Montana

Edmund Stump – Otherworldly Antarctica: Ice, Rock, and Wind at the Polar Extreme

IN MEMORIAM

ALEX PASHLEY

ALICE MARTIN

ANDRE SCHWARTZ

DICK UNRUH

ERIN LARSEN

GEORGE WISLOCKI

DR. GEORGE M. WOODWELL

GRIZZLY NO. 399QUEEN OF THE TETONS

HEIDI HANSSEN

JASON MARSDEN

JASON REMPLE

JEFF KEENAN

JOHANNE MACKENZIE

JOHN MIDDENDORF

JOHN WALLER

JOYCE ALLRED

KURT BLAIR

LUIGI CHIARANI

MAX SANTEUSANIO

MICHAEL GARDNER

MORGAN SPURLOCK

MURRAY MCCORY

PETER HAZARD

PETER YARROW

PRISCILLA MILLER

RICHARD TEERLINK

ROSS MARTIN

WANDA TAYLOR

We send our sincerest thanks to all of our generous donors and supporters.

LEGACY CIRCLE

Anonymous • pattie adler • Ruth E. Bender

Arlene Burns • Cathe & Chip Dyer

Dr. Hill & Bettie Hastings

Sage & Alex Martin • Ellen Yarrell

CHOMOLUNGMA

Anonymous (5) • Katherine Borsecnick & Gene Weil • Suzanne & James Balog

Joanna & Stuart Brown • The Dalton Family Foundation • Nancy Donohue & Diane Elam

Bridgitt & Bruce Evans • Erik & Josephine Fallenius • Tully & Elise Friedman, Honorary Trustees • The Kelly Family • Casey & Megan McManemin • High Meadows Group

Michelle & Anand Parekh • Debbie & Jeff Resnick • Dick & Susan Saint James Ebersol, Honorary Trustees • Torri & Mark Savoff

Jim & Joanne Steinback • Ann Teerlink, Honorary Trustee • Victoria Teerlink & Jeff Drope • Sheryl & Daniel Tishman

Mary & Howard Yancy

K2

Michael Goldberg & Ashley Hayward

Bill Goldston & Riccarda de Eccher

Celebrating the life of Isabella de la Houssaye • The Mannion Family

DENALI

Anonymous (3) • Blanche C Hill Foundation

Steve & Kendall Cieciuch • Cathe & Chip Dyer

Elizabeth Farrar & Craig Echols • Lisa Hogan

Johnson Family Foundation • Karess Foundation

Kimberly Johnson & Donald Novak • Yale & Shanti

Jones • Richard & Charlotte Jorgensen

Lisa & Peter Kraus in Honor of Katherine Borsecnick & Gene Weil • Nelson Family Foundation • Dinny Sherman • Gwendolyn Sontheim • The Spitzer Family

Spencer Stewart & Stephanie Ansin • Terry Tice

EIGER

Anonymous • Darlene & Jeff Anderson

Patty & Chris Arndt • Richard & Kerri Bartlett

Ruth Bender & Dan Sheline • Dr. Hill & Bettie

Hastings • Jim Johnson & Paul Hokemeyer

Linda & David Lange • John & Bridget Macaskill

Casey & Margaret Olson • Jay & Becca Markley

Beth McLaughlin • Howard & Debra Schiller Foundation • Elliot Steinberg • Tom & Donna Stone • Zelda & Sheldon Tenenbaum • Ellen Yarrell

EL CAPITAN

Anonymous (2) • Lee Anderson • Ken Bailey & Jacquelyne Denuyl • Bonnie & Lou Cohen

Jeff & Allison Goldberg • Gregg & Molly Martin

Carli Zug & Steve Szymanski • John Tinker

Laura Welch & Mike Lundgren

AJAX

Anonymous • Durfee Day • Jon Jones & Laurie

Segall • Kyle Koehler • Raynier Institute Foundation

Duncan & Anne Hamilton Lee • Reese Henry & Company • Todd Hoffman • Liz Korman

The LaRue Family • Diane Max • Vin Singh

Cody Smith • Rohan & Megha Sood

WILSON

Anonymous (2) • Betty Bechtel • David Craige

Jennie Dear & Tom Bartels • Bruce Derrick

Mr. P. Zachary Egan • Kathy Green • Ellen M Greubel

Tim & Nancy K Johnson • Jennifer & Travis Julia

Charlotte & Patrick Ledwith • The Lehman-Stamm

Family Fund • Mitchell “Mishke” Pritchard • Susan

Sarofim • Betsy Schreiber • Jackie & Doug Scott in Honor of Bridgitt & Bruce Evans • Tamara Spinks

The DuBose Foundation • Lindsey Walker • Suzanne Dyer Wise • Chris Zieve • Paul & Aleta Zoidis

EL DIENTE

Anonymous • Robert Armstrong • Paul Beckett

Michael Brown • Jordan Campbell • Bev Chapman & Steve Hall • Angela Dye • Rose & Peter Edwards

Rube Felicelli • Charles Fenn • Leslie & Jeff Fox

Marla Hodes • Elyn Kronemeyer • Kate LapidesBlack • Sage & Alex Martin • Matt Matthews

Susie Meade • Crystal Merrill • Leslie & Widge

Merrill • The Newmyer Family • Lisa & Victor

Neneroff • Lori & Tony Petosa • In memory of Allen

D. Wilson • Barry Winer • Keri Yoder & Kevin Geiger

SNEFFELS

Anonymous • Lisa Allee • Diane Altieri • David

Barmak • Joanna Bates • Remy Bernier • Elaine Block

Jeffrey Boyd • Sally & Walter Bradley • Liliane Brantes

MacKenzy Brewer • Anne & Tobin Brown • Sara Bruya

Harold Campbell • Wendy & Mike Carey

Patricia Chandler • Laura Colbert & Lance Waring

Bonnie & Lou Cohen • Rod Colburn • Patricia Cornejo

Colorado Gives Foundation • Ellen Dempsey • Margo

Donnelly • Kelli & Peter Duprey • Angela Dye • Jim

Elliot • Lindsay Caron Epstein • Tim Erdman • Janice

Finder • The Fortenberry Family • Susan Fox • Robert Friedberg • Caroline Gehan • Allyson Goto • Lea & Rian Grisemer • Marry Ann Guilinger • Francesca

Hanen • Janet Hardy • Catherine Harris & Tom Greene

Nancy Hasani • Mark Hechtman • Laura Hoover

Lauren Howie • Paula Hyman • Evan Iverson • Joel

Kaufman • Jordana Kier • Gail Kittler • Oza Klanjsek

Brenda Lanza • Tracy Lee • Jim & Sue Lincoln

Hope Logan • Bruce MacIntire • Christin Marcos

Wight Martindale • Pedro McMillan • Bill Merrill and Mary Kay Hughes • Gloria Miller • Cristine Mitchell

Bernard Mont-Reynaud • David Orloff • Holli Owen

Chris Paine • Maddie Pistono • Dr. Losang Rabgey

Peggy Raible • Brenda Ramlo • Kimmy Randolph

Danielle Robben • David Roland • Laura Ruiz

Melinda Sallyards • Audrey Schaus • Tom Schenk

Peter Scheu • Ken Sheldon • Mike Shimkonis • Jeff

Smith • Jack Sperber • Marya Stark • Adam Steinback

Sara Steinfeld • Judy Stjernholm • Lori Swann

Jessica Taylor • Elaine Tholen • Steven Traub • Tara

Trujillo • Peter Vanicek • Jenn Visich • Lori Volding

Lynn P Wailes • Jonathan Weinberger • Kendra

Wilcox • Elizabeth Williams • Felicia Wong • Christina

Wood • Edwin Yeary • Lindie Zerger • Bradley Zeve

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Jon Jones, President

Dylan Hoos, Co-President

Michael Collins, Vice President

Bridgitt Evans, Treasurer

Debbie Resnick, Secretary

Joanna Brown, At-large

Erik Fallenius

Tamara Banks

Jordan Campbell

Michael Collins

Juan D. Martinez-Pineda

Dr. Losang Rabgey

Megha Agrawal Sood

Cheryl Strayed

Conrad Anker

James Balog

Josh Berstein

Arlene Burns

Jimmy Chin

Wade Davis

Lynn Hill

ADVISORY BOARD

Aaron Huey

Pico Iyer

Chris Jordan

Ben Knight

Ace Kvale

Frans Lanting

Maya Lin

EMERITUS BOARD MEMBERS

Susan Dalton

Beth Gage

Mike Shimkonis

Rick Silverman

Rebecca Martin

Jeff Orlowski-Yang

Doug Peacock

Louie Psihoyos

Chris Rainier

Chip Thomas

Beth Wald

HONORARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Dick & Susan

Saint James Ebersol

Tully & Elise Friedman

Ann & Rich Teerlink

STAFF

STAFF

Sage Martin - Executive Director

Crystal Merrill - Festival Director

Hope Logan - Tour Director

Stash Wislocki - Technical Director

Lauren Howie - Program Manager

Luke KellerhouseFestival Producer

Vika Petrova - Operations Manager

Natalie WirsingMarketing Manager

Laura Hoover - Development Manager, Festival Guest Coordinator

Bella Hines - Tour Program Manager

Paul Phillips - Programming Coordinator

Robin RobinsonSenior Programmer

MacKenzy BrewerBookkeeper & Accountant

FESTIVAL MANAGERS

J. Meehan Fee - Events Manager

April BindockOperations Coordinator

Hayden PeckVolunteer Coordinator

Heather Sackett - Content Manager

Tim “Stuntman” TerritoProduction Manager

Brady RichardsCommunications Manager

Dawn Katz - Hospitality Manager

Jessica GalboFestival Guest Hospitality Manager

Erica DoemlandAssistant Hospitality Manager

Greg Babush - Film Inspection & Media Manager

Ian Manson - Master Rigger

Kelli Fox - Lighting Manager

Karl K2 Mehrer - K2 Imaging

Gypsie FrankAudio Technical Director

Stephen BurnsTechnical Production Manager

Alex Ferrari - Gallery Manager

Ian McMullen - Doc Talk Producer

Mariah Grover - Events Coordinator

Tom WardaszkaPresentation Manager

Emily CatronFree Range Program Manager

MEDIA

Caroline Clark - Poster Design

Tor Anderson - Designer & Program

Emma Troy - Signage Coordinator

VentureWeb -

Web Design & Development

Eventive - Online Platform & App Development

TECHNICAL PRODUCTION

Cassy Babb • Colin Casanova

Dean Rolley • DJ Babb • Jeremy

Knickerbocker • Mike Babb

Vicki Phelps • Wanashe Frank

Andrew Dougherty

Marc Froehlich • Tree Priest

THEATER MANAGERS

John Rosenberg • Kimberly Collins

Erin Cain • Ben Kerr • Ron Borrego

Sherry Brieske • Casey Cornelius

Susan Ensor • Michael Kirby

Emma Troy • Sandy McLaughlin

Trisha Bonthu • Caleigh Gearheart

Takeo Hiromitsu • Daniela

Weinreich • Mitchell “Mishke”

Pritchard • Sadie Steinberg

BOX OFFICE COORDINATORS

Steve Buchanan • Emilia Whitmer

Daniel Duran • Hugh Finnerty

Hallie Geise

STAGE MANAGERS

Erika “EK” Kae • Peter Lundeen

Quillen Kimleigh • Rowen Warren

Wyatt O’Brien • Elena Levin

PROJECTIONISTS

Brandon Theige • Peter Halter

May Schaefer • Kirk Futrell

Jeremy Spracklen • Alex Fountain

Chris Bredenberg • Matt Jones

Travis Bird • Talia Kopecki • Michael

Edwards • Kelly Youngstrom

RIGGING

Erik Viking Cooper • Ian Manson

Scott Upshur • Dave Nesis

EMCEES

Julia Kipnis • Sean Volk • Claudia

Garcia Curzio • Ashley Boling

Brendan Madigan • Cameron Kelly

Josh Bernstein • Rory Cowie

Kristen Milord • Jessica Galbo

Sasha Cuccinello • Catherine

Cypher • Vickie Hormuth

Beth Kelly • Jason Merritt

Jason Corzine • Shelby Stanger

Langstyn Williams • Stash Wislocki

Hayley Nenadal • Robin Robinson

Seth Berg • Julia Caulfield

Matt Hoisch • Elena Levin

Dominique Bruneau

PROGRAMMERS & ASSOCIATE PROGRAMMERS

Brenda Avila-Hanna • Claudia Garcia

Curzio • Lucy Lerner • Emily Long

Gus Gusciora • Jane Julian

John Biaggi • Julia Kipnis

Kelly Youngstrom • Paul Phillips

Robin Robinson • Sally Rowe

Sarah Melendez • Sean Volk

ADRENALINE:

Ben Knight & Stash Wislocki

GLOBAL INDIGENOUS STORIES:

Tracy Rector

WEBSITE & PROGRAM WRITERS

Natalie Reiter • Brooke Warren

Jennifer Julia

SCREENING COMMITTEE

Amy DeLuca • Beth Gage • Daniela Weinreich • Lane Scarberry • Judy

Kohin • Davene Kaplan • Andrea

Estevam • Sabrina Davis • Jim

Womeldorf • Jenna Cichanski

Maya Ochoa Montes • Chase Dyer

Ben Kerr • Mark Plantz • Karen Holt

Talitha Wall • Mayrah Udvardi • Nadia

Steinbrecher • Ishael Ananda • Carlo

Nasisse • Hilary Lewkowitz • Sarah Oehler • Magdalena Wosinska

Lexi Tuddenham • Max Owens

Hannah Knudsen • Esme Fahnestock

Leah Coe • Jeff Hauser

John Rosenberg • Sawyer Grieske

FESTIVAL HOSTS

Claudia Garcia Curzio • Jane Julian

Seth Berg • Lance Waring • Kris Kwasniewski • Betsy Rowbottom

Candice Good • Shae LaPlace

Hayley Nenadal • Daiva Chesonis

COFFEE TALK MODERATORS

Jon Tukman • Laura Colbert

Laura Shaunette • Jedidiah Jenkins

Julia Caulfield

DOC TALK MODERATORS

Brian Newman • Michael Collins

Shahrzad “Sherry” Dadgar

Suzan Beraza • Megha Agrawal

Sood • Robin Robinson

SPEAKER SERIES MODERATORS

Josh Bernstein • Julia Caulfield

Max Holmes • Matt Hoisch

Jade Begay

PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS

Jake Martin • Paige Duffy

SPECIAL EVENT STAFF

Dennis Green

FESTIVAL PHOTOGRAPHERS

Tatiana Alexandra • Margarita

Depagter • Ben Eng • Bash Jelen

Hallie Kholer • Raven Klement

Melissa Plantz • Hannah Sourbeer

MOUNTAINFILM HOUSE BAND

Douglas Chard • Heather Flaker

John Fitzgerald • Patrick Hiester

2025 FESTIVAL AWARDS

R. Nelson Parrish

INTRO EDITORS

Bella Hines • Lily MacDonald

Carly Latcham • Jordan Fatke

Luke Kellerhouse

SPONSOR REEL CREATOR

Dallas Lillich - Tiny Empire Media

Ann A Mason

Dometellia A Schafluetzel

Christian Adiabo

pattie adler

Genneveve Alarid

Joy Amulya

Abigail Anderson

Andrea Araiza

Alan Arellano

Jami Ascherman

Catherine Avery

Sam Bammes

Lucja Marjorie

Barker

Eileen Barrett

Ryan Barton

Kristin Bergman

Erika Berkland

Eduardo Bernal

Sriya

Bhattacharyya

Justin Blair

Caitlyn Borosak

Liliane Brantes

karen Brown

Alexa Calvo

Tula Carter

Lily Chaffee

Henry Chamberlin

Katherine Charbonneau

Belen Clementis

Wade Davis

Alexis Delisle

Camille Doherty

Brad Donaldson

Candice DuPont

Maggie Duval

Dana Egleston

Lindsay Caron Epstein

Julie Evans

Morgan Evans

Stephanie Feinman

Rube Felicelli

Forest Fene

Jeff Fox

Leslie Fox

Susan Fox

Thomas Fox

Michael Fraenkel

Robert Friedberg

Angelina Garcia

Ellen Geldbaugh

Amanda Gentry

Liz Gertz

Kelli Gleason

Claire Going

Claire Gomba

Allyson Goto

Jessica Grand

Dana Grantham

Jim Gribin

Rosalinda Guzman

Francesca Hanen

Chloe Heath

Brian Hedden

Bart Hero

Charlene Hovey

Catherine Hyde

Dani Wise

Johnson

Virginia Johnson

Benjamin Kalish

Paul Kallmes

Jessi Kauffmann

Blake Kees

Tava Kessler

Michael Klonowski

Gregory Walter Klumpp

Nichoel Kneeland

Kendall Kozlowski

kelly lacy

Erin Leosz

Caroline Locke

Tiffanny Logan

David Long

Ashley Loveless

Jessie Lund

Brooklyn Maestas

Sarah Markley

Jane Mattson

Shapiro

Timothy McGovern

Patty McIntosh

Edie McRoberts

Belle McTigue

Callie Mejia

Kaedyn Mingle

Ellie Moller

Bernard MontReynaud

Mara MontReynaud

Marion Morrissey

Jillian Murphy

Keith Nichols

Kristen Nostrand

Deborah Ozaki

Soraya Padilla

Clifford Pastor

Taylor Paterson

Shawn Peck

Victoria Pena

Grant Piering

Jeans Pineda

Madeleine Pistono

Polina Pivovarova

Itzel Pizarro

Brenda Ramlo

Alan Ream

Jennifer Ream

Amy Reitan

Mark Rigler

Michael Roche

Alexandria Rodgers

Enrico Romero

Betsy Rowbottom

Laura Ruiz

Lillian Ruiz

Caroline Ryder

Jacky Salazar

Samantha Sanchez

Erin Schmitt

Phil Schmitt

Finnegan

Schneider

Kaiulani Schuler

Derya Senol

Tanya Shenk

Justin Smith

Nancy Sojka

Grace Sorensen

tamara spinks

AJ Swenson

Meg Taylor

Lila Thomasson

Holly Tripp

Evan Tueller

Caitlin Van Buskirk

James Van Hooser

Jack Vance

Peter Vanicek

Ellie Vargas

John Verbeck

kerri vise

Peter Walker

Michael Waters

Jess Wedel

Jennifer Wells

Jacquie Whitmore

Michele Worm

Nancy Youell

Joanne Young

Lindie Zerger

Alicia Zimmel

MELISSA PLANTZ

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SATURDAY, MAY 31 SUNDAY, JUNE 1

KHRUANGBIN SYLVAN ESSO