Mountainfilm 2026 Festival Program

Never just a hike.

WELCOME TO MOUNTAINFILM’S 48TH FESTIVAL

Welcome friends, family and newcomers to Mountainfilm 2026! It has been 48 years since the projector flickered on in the historic Sheridan Opera House, illuminating the very first Mountainfilm screening. The vision Mountainfilm’s founders, Lito Tejada-Flores and the late Bill Kees, first dreamed up is still alive today. While the world looks different than it did in 1979, we are proud that Mountainfilm still reflects the spirit of the festival in its early days.

Mountainfilm remains a place to see awe-inspiring adventure and mountaineering films, hear brilliant minds speak on pressing issues of our time and experience courageous stories of people who take bold risks and put their lives on the line to fight for a better world for all of us. Some might call it a celebration of indomitable spirit.

We are ecstatic to welcome our 2026 Guest Director, Cristina Mittermeier, back to Mountainfilm. You will see her vision through this year’s symposium focused on evidence-based hope and throughout many more programs. At a time when the world can feel heavy, even a little dose of hopefulness can go a long way. Our goal is that you leave this festival energized, carrying forward a sense of purpose and hope for a brighter future.

We invite you to immerse yourself in the festival, taking a break from the noise and the fast pace of life. Slow down. Enjoy films on the big screen. Crack open your hearts and experience the shared joy of cinema, among the very best festival audiences in the world.

Thank you to the filmmakers who have chosen Mountainfilm to showcase their work, especially those who honored us with their World Premieres. Thank you to our sponsors, donors, staff and volunteers, and to our tour hosts who extend Mountainfilm into their communities. And thank you to all of you for being here and helping keep the spirit of Mountainfilm alive. This year’s festival is dedicated to you.

— THE MOUNTAINFILM TEAM

PRESENTING SPONSOR

SUMMIT SPONSORS NATIONAL MEDIA SPONSOR

NONPROFIT PARTNERS

CAMP III SPONSORS

CAMP II SPONSORS

CAMP I SPONSORS

IBEX EXPEDITIONS • ELINOFF GALLERY • ALPINIST & THE GOAT • FRINGE GALLERY • CHUMS AH HAA SCHOOL FOR THE ARTS • TELLURIDE SCIENCE & INNOVATION CENTER • ANIMAS CHOCOLATE COMPANY

BASE CAMP SPONSORS

LMNT • SAN MIGUEL POWER ASSOCIATION • SAN MIGUEL COUNTY • ECO-PRODUCTS • TELLURIDE ACADEMY • LA COCINA DE LUZ MOUNTAIN LIMO • ALPACKA RAFT • BASECAMP PROPERTY MANAGEMENT & VACATION RENTALS • GOODLIGHT CANDLES • BÖD BAR

ALPINE START • MOUNTAIN TRIP • TELLURIDE OUTFITTERS • TAILWIND NUTRITION • POWERFUL LADIES • SHĀR SNACKS • TELLURIDES LAST DOLLAR SALOON • BAKED IN TELLURIDE • TELLURIDE THEATRE • ZINQUE STUDIOS • OPUS HUT • OPEN ROADS • STRANG KARA DUFFY COACHING & CONSULTING • REWILD SAFARIS • THE ALIBI • OAK, THE NEW FAT ALLEY • BLACK TIE SKI & BIKE RENTALS

Mountainfilm is honored

to have Cristina Mittermeier as our 2026 Guest Director

Dear friends,

There is something about arriving in Telluride that rearranges your internal compass. The peaks rise like cathedral walls, the air thins and conversations sharpen. For nearly half a century, this festival has gathered climbers, scientists, poets, filmmakers and fierce dreamers around a simple belief: that stories can move mountains.

As your Guest Director for 2026, I come from another cathedral entirely. I come from the sea.

For many years, I have worked where science, storytelling and activism meet. I have seen glaciers break apart quietly and watched once-bleached reefs come back to life. Sometimes, entire ecosystems return because a few determined people took action. That is why our theme this year is evidence-based hope. I am keenly aware that in these trying times, hope has to be a discipline rooted in data, community and courage – one that allows us to re-orient ourselves away from fatalism and into positive action.

During our symposium, we will gather people who are building change. My friend Kris Tompkins, whose rewilding work has helped protect millions of acres in South America, will show that bold conservation can become policy. Alongside her, artists and changemakers like Benjamin Von Wong, Willow Defebaugh and Justin Pearson will explore how creativity fuels movements.

This year, I am bringing the ocean to the mountains. Because what happens in the deep blue affects the snowmelt in these valleys. Because climate, culture and courage are braided together. Because the tide that lifts one ecosystem can lift us all.

Mountainfilm is more than just a festival. It is a place to test new ideas and reconnect with others who care deeply. Let’s leave not just inspired, but also prepared and ready to act together in our communities and beyond.

The mountains are steady teachers, but so is the ocean. My goal for this festival is to bring the two together and, in doing so, enlarge and strengthen the global community of heroes fighting for the future of our planet, one story at a time.

With gratitude and resolve, Mitty

ANNA HEUPEL

19 Proud Years

For nearly two decades, we’ve been honored to support Mountainfilm. With stories unfolding against the iconic peaks of southwest Colorado, in the rugged backyard we’re lucky enough to share, this festival fuels the spirit of adventure that inspires everything we do.

HOW TO MOUNTAINFILM

We want you to have a wonderful festival experience! If you have questions, visit Hospitality, email help@mountainfilm.org or call 970-728-4123, option 1 .

HOSPITALITY

Hospitality and Lost & Found are located at Mountainfilm HQ, 122 S. Oak Street . Stop by if you need help, have questions or want the latest festival updates.

HOSPITALITY HOURS:

8 AM–8 PM

8 AM–8 PM

9 AM–7 PM

9 AM–7 PM

THE MOUNTAINFILM STORE

Official Mountainfilm apparel, gear and this year’s festival poster by Max Romey are available at Christy Sports, 150 W Colorado Ave.

MOUNTAINFILM APP

The Mountainfilm app is your go-to festival guide. Use it to view your reservations, browse the schedule, read film descriptions, check event details and follow real-time updates, including TBAs and program changes. Search “Mountainfilm” in the App Store or Google Play to download.

PRIMARY FESTIVAL VENUES

Palm Theatre

721 W Colorado Avenue, ADA accessible

High Camp (Telluride Conference Center) 580 Mountain Village Blvd, ADA accessible

Sheridan Opera House 110 N Oak Street

Masons 200 E Colorado Avenue

GETTING AROUND

You can get to Mountainfilm venues by foot, bike, bus or gondola.

The free Galloping Goose shuttle loops through Telluride every 15 minutes. (Check street signs or online for times and stops.)

High Camp (Telluride Conference Center) is located in Mountain Village. You can get there by the free gondola, which runs daily from 6:30 AM to 12 AM, with extended hours until 1 AM on Friday and Saturday during the festival.

RESERVATION INFORMATION

For guaranteed access to programs, reserve your spot through the festival schedule on the app or website. Reservations can be made up to 30 minutes before the start of a program, space permitting. If you can no longer attend a program you reserved, cancel your reservation.

Patron passholders do not need reservations and receive walk-up priority access. To receive priority entry, please arrive at the theater at least 30 minutes before showtime.

Additional venues and event locations are listed on the festival schedule and map

Base Camp (Town Park)

500 E Colorado Avenue, ADA accessible, though the site includes pavement, gravel and dirt

Wilkinson Public Library

100 W Pacific Avenue, ADA accessible

Ah Haa School for the Arts

155 W Pacific Avenue, ADA accessible

MELISSA PLANTZ

PROGRAM ACCESS: PASSHOLDERS

Arrive at the theater at least 30 minutes before the start of the program and wear your pass. If you have not arrived at least 30 minutes in advance, you may lose your reserved seat as we begin admitting the standby line. Once a program has started, late entry may not be permitted in order to minimize disruptions.

If you do not have a reservation, you may still join the standby line and be admitted if space is available after Patron passholders and passholders with reservations have been seated.

PROGRAM ACCESS: PUBLIC

If you are a Wasatch passholder and have already used your six tickets, you may join standby and purchase admission for $20.

If you do not have a pass, you may also join the standby line. If seats remain after all passholders have been seated, you may purchase a ticket for $20. Credit cards only.

THEATER ETIQUETTE

1. Arrive at theaters 30 minutes before showtime.

2. Do not save seats for people arriving late.

3. Do not arrive late, talk, shush others or otherwise disrupt screenings.

4. Silence your cell phone and watch, and refrain from using devices with lit screens.

QUIET SPACE

5. Remove hats or caps that may block another person’s view.

6. No unauthorized protests or signs.

7. Do not take photographs or recordings during screenings.

8. Pets are not allowed, except for service animals.

The second floor of Wilkinson Public Library offers multiple quiet areas where you can reset between programs.

TBA PROGRAMS

TBA screenings take place on Monday, May 25. Tickets can be reserved in advance, and a standby line will also be available. TBA programs will be announced Sunday evening, May 24.

ACCESSIBILITY

9. Please remove fidgety or crying children from the theater.

10. Stay for the entirety of programs and Q&As when possible.

11. Please clean up after yourself and take all of your belongings.

12. Remember to vote.

HOW TO VOTE

Mountainfilm passholders can vote for the Audience Choice Awards through the Mountainfilm app or Eventive account. Sign in, go to My Tickets and follow the prompts to vote for eligible feature and short films you’ve seen. Voting closes at 2 PM on Monday, May 25.

If you have questions, email help@mountainfilm.org or call 970-728-4123, option 1.

ADA accessible venues are indicated with an “ADA” icon. Films available with closed and open captions are listed on the Accessibility page.

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

Full accessibility information is available on the Mountainfilm website and in the app.

LODGING SPONSORS

SUMMIT LODGING SPONSORS

CAMP III LODGING SPONSORS

CAMP II LODGING SPONSORS

CAMP I LODGING SPONSORS

FAIRMONT HERITAGE PLACE FRANZ KLAMMER LODGE

NEW SHERIDAN HOTEL

BASE CAMP LODGING SPONSORS

VICTORIAN INN LODGING IN TELLURIDE WILD OAK

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

FEATURE FILMS

AANIKOOBIJIGAN [ANCESTOR/ GREAT-GRANDPARENT/ GREAT-GRANDCHILD]

Adam Khalil, Zack Khalil FRI, MASONS, 2:45 PM SAT, HIGH CAMP, 8:45 PM

Thousands of Indigenous ancestors have been removed from their burial places and are trapped in museum archives. History, spirituality, culture and law collide as tribal repatriation specialists fight to reclaim and rebury stolen human remains, revealing the worldviews which justified collecting them in the first place. Despite a 1990 federal law mandating repatriation, only a small percentage of eligible remains have been returned.

Aanikoobijigan lays bare this history and the courageous effort to bring the ancestors back home.

(USA, Denmark, 2026, 80 min.)

Colorado Premiere

THE ASCENT

Edward Drake, Scott Veltri, Francis Cronin FRI, PALM, 7:45 PM SUN, HIGH CAMP, 5:45 PM

In Person: Film Participants

Mandy Horvath’s goal to ascend Mt. Kilimanjaro isn’t just a climb; it’s a reckoning. A bilateral amputee attempting to crawl to Africa’s highest peak, Horvath’s journey is haunted by the mystery of the night she lost her legs. As she pushes her body to the absolute limit, she must confront a shattered past to reclaim her future. The Ascent is a raw exploration of the human spirit’s capacity to endure, heal and find the trust required to reach the summit.

(USA, 2026, 103 min.)

Colorado Premiere

This film includes mature and graphic content.

BURN, SCAR

Hillary Bachelder FRI, HIGH CAMP, 5:15 PM SUN, SHERIDAN, 9:15 AM

In Person: Film Participants

The practice of setting small burns to clear ecosystems of overgrowth by prescribed fire is a critical tool for climate resiliency and forest health. But in 2022, a burn set by the U.S. Forest Service in northern New Mexico escaped its fire lines, spiraling out of control to become the largest wildfire in the state’s history. Weaving together the stories of locals struggling to rebuild and the Forest Service’s efforts to resume stewardship after tragedy, burn, scar becomes a personal, nuanced story of conviction and connection to the land.

(USA, 2026, 90 min.)

World Premiere

CAPTURED

Katie Schuler, Nick Rogacki SAT, SHERIDAN, 5:45 PM SUN, PALM, 11:45 AM

In Person: Film Participants

Wildlife photos we often see in the media aren’t always what they seem. Captured is an investigative thriller that follows an unlikely alliance between two rivals: a former head trainer at a profitable wildlife game farm and the photographer who spent years trying to shut it down. Together, they uncover the hidden industry behind iconic and staged wildlife imagery, which can come at a cost to the animals we love.

(USA, 2026, 83 min.)

World Premiere

This film includes mature and graphic content.

THE [CONSERV]ATIVES

Nadia Gill, Dominic Gill FRI, SHERIDAN, 8:30 PM SUN, MASONS, 5:30 PM

In Person: Film Participants

In a fractured nation, four conservative climate activists risk alienation by crossing the aisle. The [Conserv]atives follows an evangelical scientist, a pragmatic farmer, a young leader and a Miami mayor as they defy party lines to champion climate action. From the high-stakes fight for the Inflation Reduction Act to the urgent defense of its progress, these unlikely advocates prove that our collective future cannot hinge on one party alone. It will take an act of unity, not Congress, to save our planet.

(USA, 2026, 85 min.)

Colorado Premiere

FROST: THE STORY OF A LIFETIME

Tom Seawell

THE DARK WIZARD (EPISODES 1–4)

Peter Mortimer, Nick Rosen

SUN, HIGH CAMP, 9 AM (EPISODES 1 – 2)

SUN, HIGH CAMP, 11:45 AM (EPISODES 3 – 4)

In Person: Film Participants

The Dark Wizard is a fourpart HBO documentary series created by Sender Films, telling the unbelievable life story of Dean Potter, one of the world’s most influential and controversial climbers. Potter was a pioneer in freesolo rock climbing, BASE jumping, wingsuit flying and highline walking — where the consequences of a single mistake could mean certain death. The Dark Wizard is an unflinching portrait of a brilliant but tortured athlete, who was unlike anything the world had ever seen.

(USA, 2026, 240 min.)

SAT, MASONS, 5:45 PM MON, PALM, 9 AM

In Person: Film Participants

Tracing the golden age of Yosemite big wall climbing, Frost: The Story Of A Lifetime uncovers the legendary life of Tom Frost. An ingenious engineer and visionary artist, Frost revolutionized climbing gear and documented historic first ascents through iconic photography. Beyond the granite, he was a fierce conservationist who spearheaded the “clean climbing” movement and challenged federal authority. Blending exclusive archival footage with Frost’s final reflections, the film reveals a humble man whose internal struggles matched his vertical feats, finally bringing a quiet titan of climbing history into the spotlight.

(USA, 2026, 107 min.)

World Premiere

JANE ELLIOTT AGAINST THE WORLD

Judd Ehrlich

FRI, MASONS, 11:45 AM

SAT, MASONS, 9:15 AM

In Person: Film Participants

For more than 55 years, Jane Elliott has challenged white America to confront racism head-on. After Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, her “Blue Eyes Brown Eyes” classroom exercise revealed how quickly prejudice takes hold, which launched her into a lifetime of activism. Now nearing 90, Elliott remains unflinching as backlash grows and censorship spreads. Through archival footage, former students and contemporary voices, the film traces her enduring impact and asks a pressing question: As history repeats itself, who will carry the fight forward?

(USA, 2026, 99 min.)

Colorado Premiere

K2 CHASING SHADOWS

David Arnaud, Hugo Clouzeau

THURS, BASE CAMP, 8:45 PM

In Person: Film Participants

After shattering the speed record on Broad Peak without supplemental oxygen, The North Face athlete Benjamin Védrines set out to break K2’s FKT (fastest known time), but was unable to achieve his goal. He returns again to fulfill the challenge that had come to define him and face the psychological scars of his earlier missions.

K2 Chasing Shadows is a journey of triumph and challenge, leading to a deeper understanding of connection to purpose.

KIKUYU LAND

Andrew H. Brown, Bea Wangondu

SAT, HIGH CAMP, 3:15 PM SUN, MASONS, 11:45 AM

In Person: Film Participants

The Kenyan tea fields carry contested histories. They are lands where families hold generational wounds and where community remains bound by both loss and determination.

When Nairobi journalist Bea Wangondu returns home to investigate the multinational corporation controlling tea fields, she and former plantation resident Mr. Mungai uncover a web of suppressed evidence, buried histories and family secrets that reshape how their community understands its past. Together, they search for justice to heal and restore lands and legacies.

THE LAST DIVE

Cody Sheehy

SAT, PALM, 3 PM SUN, BASE CAMP, 8:45 PM

In Person: Film Participants

A man burdened by a troubled past, Terry Kennedy’s life was transformed by an unlikely friendship with Willy, a 22foot manta ray. For nearly two decades, Willy would slap his wings against the hull of Kennedy’s sailboat to signal their next dive, and together they explored the ocean’s depths. Now in his 80s, Kennedy embarks on one final journey to a remote island in hopes of reuniting with his old friend. But he’s also searching for something deeper: peace, closure and a chance to say goodbye.

(USA, 2026, 88 min.)

(USA, 2025, 66 min.)

(Kenya, USA, 2026, 94 min.)

Colorado Premiere

This film includes mature and graphic content.

THE LOST CACHE

Todd Jones, Steve Jones FRI, SHERIDAN, 5:45 PM SUN, PALM, 9 AM

In Person: Film Participants

In 1937, legendary mountaineer and photographer Bradford Washburn made the first ascent of Mount Lucania, but had to abandon a cache of gear, including his prized large-format aerial camera, on the remote Walsh Glacier in the Yukon. More than 80 years later, a team of skiers and scientists ventures out to search for the answer to the question that nagged Washburn throughout his life: What if these treasures are still there? As skier Griffin Post and glaciologist Dora Medrzycka work together to track down the lost equipment, the film explores obsession, risk and the enduring power of an idea. It is a reminder that even with few guarantees, some questions are still worth chasing.

(USA, 2026, 63 min.)

World Premiere

NUISANCE BEAR

Jack Weisman, Gabriela Osio Vanden FRI, MASONS, 8:30 PM SUN, SHERIDAN, NOON

In Person: Film Participants

For thousands of years, polar bears have migrated along the shores of Hudson Bay in northern Canada. Today, that ancient rhythm collides with the modern human world. In an expanded version of an award-winning short, Nuisance Bear immerses viewers in the experience of a polar bear forced to navigate tourists, wildlife officers and hunters as climate change delays the freeze, and pushes bears closer to human settlements. When this sacred predator is branded a “nuisance,” it becomes unclear who truly belongs in this shared landscape.

(USA, Canada, United Kingdom, 2025, 90 min.)

Colorado Premiere

PAPERTOWN

Jeremy Seifert, Benjamin James Roberts

FRI, MASONS, 5:30 PM SAT, HIGH CAMP, 12:15 PM

In Person: Film Participants

When the paper mill that defined Canton, North Carolina, announced its sudden closure, a century of identity vanished in 90 days. Filmed in real time, this is a raw look at a town blindsided by corporate silence and suspicious profit. As shock turns to anger, the people of Canton must navigate the wreckage of an industry that shaped their past and now threatens their future. Papertown is a testament to community resilience in the face of uncertainty and a world in transition.

(USA, 2026, 88 min.)

World Premiere

Shop Stio Locally Christy Sports in Downtown Telluride Bootdoctors in Mountain Village

SHE RUNS THE WORLD

Perri Peltz, Matthew O’Neill

FRI, BASE CAMP, 8:45 PM SAT, PALM, 9:15 AM

At the peak of her career, Allyson Felix risked everything to outrun an industry. When her sponsorship pay was threatened for becoming a mother, the most decorated track athlete in history didn’t just walk away, she fought back. Refusing a private deal that left other women behind, Felix launched her own brand and ignited a global movement for maternal protections. Spanning 35 years of archival footage, She Runs the World demonstrates the power of standing your ground and redefining the finish line.

(USA, 2025, 85 min.)

STRENGTH TO WEIGHT

Jon Glassberg FRI, PALM, 5 PM SUN, SHERIDAN, 5:30 PM

In Person: Film Participants

At the peak of his career, world-class climber Ethan Pringle must shift his focus to become a caregiver to his father. Suddenly, the pressure of elite climbing is replaced by the round-theclock reality of supporting a loved one. Torn between two worlds, Pringle must break open emotionally to rise to the challenge and learn that grief is the path to love and his truest, strongest self.

(USA, 2026, 48 min.)

World Premiere

TEETH TO THE WIND

Drew Smith, Ben Knight SAT, PALM, 6 PM SUN, SHERIDAN, 8:15 PM

In Person: Film Participants

Documented primarily through self-capture, with visits from fellow climber and filmmaker Drew Smith along the way, Teeth to the Wind chronicles a season of climbing in Alaska, Wyoming and Nepal, with Mike Gardner and his longterm partner and friend, Sam Hennessey. They keep the cameras rolling as we get a glimpse into their singular, bold, endearing and mullet-denying approach to life. After Gardner’s death in 2024, his friends set out to finish the film as he had originally intended. “It’s not going to be a climbing film,” Gardner had insisted. “Maybe it’s a rom-com?”

(Canada, 2026, 51 min.)

World Premiere

TIME AND WATER

Sara Dosa

FRI, SHERIDAN, 2:30 PM SAT, HIGH CAMP, 9 AM

Facing the demise of Iceland’s glaciers and the loss of his beloved grandparents, writer Andri Snær Magnason transforms family archives into a time capsule — a record of an era when glaciers were still alive. Weaving his family’s history with the land around him, Magnason reflects that glaciers and memories both preserve what we stand to lose, but even geologic time can forget. Just as glaciers can hold memories of the past, this film records the universal power of home and what it means to be alive amid profound epochal change.

(USA, 2026, 93 min.)

TRADE SECRET

Abraham Joffe

SAT, MASONS, 3 PM SUN, HIGH CAMP, 8:30 PM

In Person: Film Participants

Polar bears are the global icons of the Arctic, yet a dark reality remains hidden from the public. Filmed over six years across nine countries, Trade Secret follows three unlikely allies as they expose the sanctioned commercial fur trade. The film reveals a collision of politics and profit and is an exposé of a world where the lines between endangered species protection and exploitation have blurred.

(Australia, United Kingdom, 2025, 100 min.)

This film includes mature and graphic content.

YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE

Sara Robin

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

In Person: Film Participants

As Big Tech’s “attention economy” co-opts our focus for profit, a resilient coalition of parents, Gen Z reformers and tech whistleblowers are swinging back. From Kristin Bride’s grief-driven fight for legislative change to Trisha Prabhu’s mission to code a kinder digital world, Your Attention Please pulls back the curtain on our screen-saturated reality. It’s an urgent exploration of digital autonomy, posing the ultimate question: Can we rebuild the tools of our time to serve humanity, or will we remain captive to the scroll?

(USA, 2026, 98 min.)

Colorado Premiere

This film includes mature and graphic content.

SHORTS PLAYING WITH FEATURES

1983

Adla Massoud

FRI, MASONS, 11:45 AM SAT, MASONS, 9:15 AM

Anne Dammarell was working for USAID in Beirut to rebuild schools and hospitals after the civil war, when the U.S. Embassy bombing left her with broken bones and a head injury. Four decades after surviving the 1983 bombing, the 86-year-old confronts the memories of the day that reshaped her life, transforming survivor’s guilt into a quiet, enduring mission for peace and moral clarity. Now, after 80% of USAID’s programs have been cancelled, Dammarell recommits to speaking up for democracy at a critical moment in history.

(USA, 2026, 8 min.)

Colorado Premiere

PLAYING WITH: JANE ELLIOTT AGAINST THE WORLD (p. 17)

This film includes mature and graphic content.

ALLIGATOR ALTAR

Leslie Ramos

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

In Person: Film Participants

Betty Osceola is a Miccosukkee elder and activist who has been organizing interfaith prayer vigils outside “Alligator Alcatraz” every Sunday since the government turned an old airstrip in the Everglades into a migrant detention center. She prays for the people who find themselves captive inside the center, and for the closing of the facility that never should’ve been opened in Big Cypress National Preserve. A prayer-turned-immersiveexperience, Alligator Altar follows Osceola as she speaks with the Creator, asking for guidance for those who have lost their way.

(USA, 2026, 4 min.)

World Premiere

PLAYING WITH: NUISANCE BEAR

(p. 21)

THE BETTER IT GETS Bria Light SAT, PALM, 3 PM SUN, BASE CAMP, 8:45 PM

In Person: Film Participants

Growing up, Scott Gates always knew he wanted to be a musician. As soon as he got a car and a mandolin, busking offered a way out of his hometown and a sense of freedom. Gates learns he can make a buck belting out bluegrass tunes, but it’s the connection with others, a shared processing of emotion through song, that gives his work meaning.

(USA, 2025, 5 min.)

Colorado Premiere

PLAYING WITH: THE LAST DIVE (p. 19)

BORROWED FROM THE EARTH

Zach Johaneson

FRI, MASONS, 2:45 PM SAT, HIGH CAMP, 8:45 PM

In Person: Film Participants

Borrowed From the Earth tells the story of the powerful connection between the Blackfeet people and horses, and how that life-giving relationship remains alive today. Throughout their histories, both horse and Indigenous people have been corralled — horses by fences and Indigenous people onto reservations. Yet centuries-long attempts to subdue both ultimately strengthened the bond between them.

(USA, 2025, 15 min.)

Colorado Premiere

PLAYING WITH: AANIKOOBIJIGAN [ANCESTOR/GREATGRANDPARENT/ GREAT-GRANDCHILD] (p. 13)

BRAVO LES FILLES (WELL DONE LADIES)

Chelsea Jackson

FRI, PALM, 5 PM SUN, SHERIDAN, 5:30 PM

In Person: Film Participants

World champion rock climber Sasha DiGiulian and her climbing partner Mariana “Mango” Ordoñez set out to complete a thrilling climb in Madagascar initiated in the 1990s by their female climbing idols. The film weaves fun presentday climbing action with archival footage of the original expedition led by the legendary Lynn Hill, highlighting the legacy of women pushing boundaries in a demanding sport with their own styles and personalities.

(USA, 2025, 19 min.)

World Premiere

PLAYING WITH: STRENGTH TO WEIGHT (p. 23)

THE BUTTERFLY LAB

Sean Grasso SAT, SHERIDAN, 5:45 PM SUN, PALM, 11:45 AM

In Person: Film Participants

Inside Oregon’s only women’s prison, a conservation program works to restore an endangered butterfly. As eggs are collected and caterpillars are fed by hand, each life stage is carefully protected. Carolyn, the lab’s first hire, grows host plants in the prison yards and reflects on how access to nature reshaped her 25 years inside. As metamorphosis nears, the film explores captivity, purpose and the natural world.

(USA, 2026, 18 min.)

Colorado Premiere

PLAYING WITH: CAPTURED (p. 15)

FILMS | SHORTS PLAYING WITH FEATURES

BUCKSKIN

Mars Verrone

SAT, HIGH CAMP, 3:15 PM

SUN, MASONS, 11:45 AM

Carroll B. Williams Jr. was the first African-American to receive a doctorate in forestry and entomology, the first African-American scientist to be hired by the U.S. Forest Service, and among the first AfricanAmericans to be a part of the environmental science and forestry faculties at both Yale and UC Berkeley. Buckskin explores the life and legacy of a groundbreaking scientist through intimate conversation with his daughter and grandchild. (USA, 2026, 17 min.)

Colorado Premiere

PLAYING WITH: KIKUYU LAND (p. 19)

BUILT TO MOVE

Ryan Suffern, Mallory Weggemann, Jay Snyder FRI, PALM, 5 PM SUN, SHERIDAN, 5:30 PM

In Person: Film Participants

Mike Schultz is a three-time medalist in snowboarding at the Winter Paralympics. After losing his leg in a snowmobile race in 2008, Schultz set out to make a better prosthetic leg in order to continue his athletic career. He would go on to launch his own company so that his designs could help other amputees. Training with his wife Sara in their hometown of Kimball, Minnesota, Schultz prepares for the upcoming MilanCortina Winter Games, his last before retiring from the sport.

(USA, 2026, 5 min.)

PLAYING WITH: STRENGTH TO WEIGHT (p. 23)

CONNECTED

Josh Fairmont, Oliver Smith

THURS, BASE CAMP, 8:45 PM MON, PALM, NOON

In Person: Film Participants

A short ski film shot across North America, exploring the deep connections between people, mountains and the communities shaped by winter. From British Columbia, Canada, to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, skiers forge a bond that bridges the silence.

(USA, 2025, 12 min.)

PLAYING WITH: K2 CHASING SHADOWS (p. 19)

GLADICE

David Garrett Byars

FRI, SHERIDAN, 2:30 PM SAT, HIGH CAMP, 9 AM

In Person: Film Participants

In the Arctic, wildlife photographer Florian Ledoux arrives to document a landscape he believes he understands. But the ice has not returned as it should, and small disruptions begin to surface: fractured sea ice, starving reindeer, a polar bear waiting too long at a breathing hole. As observation turns into unease, Ledoux is drawn into a deeper inquiry, one that challenges not just what he sees, but what it means to witness a world in decline.

(USA, 2026, 38 min.)

World Premiere

PLAYING WITH: TIME AND WATER (p. 25)

FILMS | SHORTS PLAYING WITH FEATURES

GOOD LUCK, KID

Renan Ozturk

FRI, SHERIDAN, 5:45 PM SUN, PALM, 9 AM

In Person: Film Participants

Taylor Shaffer is an emerging photographer and expedition cinematographer, who joins Alex Honnold and Tommy Caldwell on a 2,500-mile push into Alaska’s Tongass National Forest to attempt an audacious climb. The film traces Shaffer’s uncertain leap from student to storyteller, armed with a minimal kit and a restless curiosity. Good Luck, Kid asks what it takes to find a voice when everything is on the line, how risk tests character, how collaboration remakes ambition and how a single trip can redefine a life’s direction.

(USA, 2026, 22 min.)

World Premiere

PLAYING WITH: THE LOST CACHE (p. 21)

HAMM!

Tahria Sheather

FRI, PALM, 5 PM

SUN, SHERIDAN, 5:30 PM

In Person: Film Participants

Meet Lindsey Hamm: Texan “black sheep” who found her calling as a mountain guide at 25, dedicating her career to helping others achieve their dreams. Alongside mentor and best friend, climbing legend Katie Lambert, she heads to Yosemite Valley to tackle her first free-climbing project, Dream Team. This climb isn’t about making history: it’s a pursuit of self-expression. For Hamm, Lambert is a mirror: someone who sees her so clearly she can’t help but be her unabashed self.

(USA, 2026, 13 min.)

PLAYING WITH: STRENGTH TO WEIGHT (p. 23)

FILMS | SHORTS PLAYING WITH FEATURES

INVINCEBLE

HANDWOVEN

Dasha Levin, Mason Cazalet, Mihika Das, Matthew Wisdom

FRI, MASONS, 2:45 PM SAT, HIGH CAMP, 8:45 PM

In Person: Film Participants

Handwoven traces the story of Nikyle Begay (Diné), a non-binary shepherd and weaver, who preserves his cultural heritage through the ancestral art of weaving. Each day, they care for their livestock as they would a family. It’s a gesture that goes beyond fibers and motifs – it connects generations, circulates memory and perpetuates the art of a people in a form of gentle, patient and deeply anchored resistance. (USA, 2024, 9 min.)

PLAYING WITH: AANIKOOBIJIGAN [ANCESTOR/GREATGRANDPARENT/ GREAT-GRANDCHILD] (p. 13)

Beth Gage, George Gage FRI, BASE CAMP, 8:45 PM SAT, PALM, 9:15 AM

In Person: Film Participants

InVINCEble is Vince Iwuchukwu, a highly recruited, 7’1” NigerianAmerican college basketball player who suffered a cardiac arrest in the middle of his first university basketball practice. Coaches raced to him and shocked him back to life. At the hospital, doctors ensured his survival and informed him he could never play basketball again. But a new sports cardiologist gave Iwuchukwu reason to hope. Now, with new research, an implanted defibrillator and help overcoming depression, he is back, playing again with a renewed goal of reaching the NBA while supporting kids’ dreams.

(USA, 2026, 23 min.)

World Premiere

PLAYING WITH: SHE RUNS THE WORLD (p. 23)

THE MELONEERS

Brendan Young SAT, PALM, 6 PM SUN, SHERIDAN, 8:15 PM

In Person: Film Participants

The town of Rocky Ford, famous for its melons, was once an economic hub filled with opportunity. But the turn of the century brought population decline and lower school enrollment. Yet, the high school wrestling program has cultivated a legacy of winning wrestlers, consistently bringing home state championships. The Meloneers is a snapshot of youth sports and fatherhood in rural America as a high school coach helps kids understand what they can and can’t control in their lives.

(USA, 2026, 22 min.)

PLAYING WITH: TEETH TO THE WIND (p. 23)

A NEW INFERNO

Nita Blum-Reddick, Jonathan Pickett

FRI, SHERIDAN, 8:30 PM SUN, MASONS, 5:30 PM

In Person: Film Participants

Set during Phoenix’s historically hottest month of July, A New Inferno exposes what happens when record-breaking heat turns deadly and how it affects the most vulnerable: the unhoused. In 2024, 608 people in Maricopa County died from heatrelated illness, representing a staggering increase over the past decade. The crew at Arizona’s busiest firehouse race to save heatstroke victims using a radical new treatment. Against the backdrop of rising global temperatures, urban heat islands and under-resourced services, Phoenix has become a climate canary. (USA, 2026, 16 min.)

Colorado Premiere

PLAYING WITH: THE [CONSERV]ATIVES (p. 15)

FILMS | SHORTS PLAYING WITH FEATURES

SHARP EDGES

Shara Zaia, Max Haimowitz FRI, SHERIDAN, 5:45 PM SUN, PALM, 9 AM

In Person: Film Participants

SEE WHAT I SAW: KARAKORAM

Boris Peters SAT, PALM, 6 PM SUN, SHERIDAN, 8:15 PM

See What I Saw: Karakoram reveals the stark contrasts between the overwhelming beauty of nature and human vulnerability. An 18-day glacier expedition through the Karakoram range in Pakistan forms the backdrop for a physically and mentally demanding journey, where a darker side of beauty emerges. Director Boris Peters creates visual contrasts by placing two perspectives side by side, mirroring the sensory overload the landscape evokes.

(The Netherlands, 2025, 17 min.)

North American Premiere

Writer and climber Shara Zaia is navigating identity, belonging and mental health within the Assyrian diaspora. Zaia reflects on growing up between cultures in the American Midwest and the quiet ways assimilation reshaped her relationship to her heritage, as she embarks on a journey of reckoning and reclamation through rock climbing. On the wall, where balance, fear and trust collide, Zaia confronts the cost of erasure and begins the diffcult work of returning to herself by deciding when to hold on and when to let go.

(USA, 2026, 7 min.)

PLAYING WITH: THE LOST CACHE (p. 21)

This film includes mature and graphic content.

PLAYING WITH: TEETH TO THE WIND (p. 23)

The planet we depend on, depends on us.

The Nature Conservancy in Colorado is a proud supporter of Mountainfilm.

SONIA

Sarah Colt, Emily Schuman

FRI, MASONS, 5:30 PM

SAT, HIGH CAMP, 12:15 PM

In Person: Film Participants

After escaping Nazi persecution, Sonia Pressman Fuentes found her purpose as a feminist activist. Anchored by a sit-down interview with Fuentes and a personal archive detailing her beginnings in Berlin, her childhood in the Catskills and Miami, her legal career and lifelong commitment to equality, the film weaves together her remarkable life. As she faces her final chapter at age 96, Fuentes reflects on her history, her mortality and her determination to be remembered.

(USA, 2026, 21 min.)

Colorado Premiere

PLAYING WITH: PAPERTOWN (p. 21)

FILMS | SHORTS PLAYING WITH FEATURES

STILL STANDING

Victor Tadashi Suarez, Livia Albeck-Ripka

FRI, HIGH CAMP, 5:15 PM SUN, SHERIDAN, 9:15 AM

The wildfire that tore through Altadena, California, in January 2025 was among the most destructive in history, destroying more than 9,000 homes and structures. Thousands more homes were left standing. But some are toxic. Despite the health risks, many insurance companies claim these homes are habitable. Still Standing follows residents grappling with an impossible question: Should they risk their health to return home?

(USA, 2026, 10 min.)

PLAYING WITH: BURN, SCAR (p. 15)

THAT ONE FRIEND

Sara Beam Robbins, Grant Robbins

THURS, BASE CAMP, 8:45 PM

In Person: Film Participants

Professional backcountry skier Sierra Schlag has built a career around focus, grit and always chasing the next big line. She takes her job and her skiing seriously. Her funky, freespirited best friend Waverly Chin, aka Waves, is the counterbalance to Schlag, showing up with snacks, silliness and a reminder not to take life (or skiing) too seriously. That One Friend is a fun and lighthearted look at friendship and the beauty of balance because, sometimes, we all need that one friend.

(USA, 2025, 9 min.)

PLAYING WITH: K2 CHASING SHADOWS (p. 19)

THE CHIMNEY SWEEPER

GLOBAL POV

THE GIFT OF SOUND

Jeremy Power Regimbal

In Person: Film Participants

Dev has never been able to hear. In Nepal, he has learned to move through life in silence at school, in sports and in relationships. Through a life-changing surgery organized by BlinkNow, he experiences sound for the first time. The Gift of Sound captures the joyful and overwhelming moment when quiet is replaced with cacophony.

(Nepal, 2025, 5 min.)

World Premiere

THE CHIMNEY SWEEPER

Jack Raese

Markus Füchtner, whose great-great-greatgrandfather invented the nutcracker doll, makes nutcrackers for a living, as did each of his forefathers who descended from the great inventor. Now the eighth generation of his family to painstakingly craft the wooden toys, Füchtner reflects on what he calls the best decision of his life.

(USA, 2025, 9 min.)

Colorado Premiere

Friday, Sheridan, 9 AM Sunday, Masons, 8:15 PM

GHOST LANDS

Zachary Garmoe

Follow herons, finches and snow geese though hazy marshes and moonlit forests to trace the footsteps of Harriet Tubman and explore what it means for us to physically dwell with the ghosts of our nation’s past.

(USA, 2025, 10 min.)

Colorado Premiere

THE GRANDFATHER PUZZLE

Ora DeKornfeld

In Person: Film Participants

When a jigsaw-puzzle-obsessed, Holocaust survivor grandfather refuses to discuss his past, his granddaughter travels to photograph the Hungarian castle where he grew up and turn it into a puzzle. What starts as a simple mission of a granddaughter trying to connect with her grandfather becomes a darkly comedic exploration of identity, belonging and the untidiness of historical memory.

(USA, 2026, 25 min.)

Colorado Premiere

PAUL’S PORTRAIT

Andrea Gonzalez Mereles

In Person: Film Participants

Paralyzed from the neck down, Paul relies on his grandmother for daily care. His disability may make it harder to do everyday tasks, but it doesn’t define him. Paul recently earned a doctorate, and now works from home helping others, with the knowledge that even small acts of care are meaningful.

(USA, Mexico, 2026, 2 min.)

Colorado Premiere

ROOM OF THE ABSOLUTE

Natalie Shirinian, Elizabeth Baudouin

After three years of relentless destruction to her homeland, Ukrainian painter Alla Hurenko (professionally known as “Pazza Pennello”) captures a diaristic portrait of daily life amid war. Hurenko’s canvas becomes a powerful act of resistance, a testament to perseverance and a quiet rebellion against those determined to erase her world and identity.

(USA, 2026, 19 min.)

Colorado Premiere

THE GIFT OF SOUND

MUD BELOW, SUN ABOVE

MUD BELOW, SUN ABOVE

Kate Villevoye

Amidst Hanoi’s suffocating pollution, an informal sector of elderly female recycling workers endure harsh working conditions and societal stigma to address the city’s growing waste crisis. Among them, 64-yearold Bể harbours precious insight into the hidden costs of Vietnam’s economic boom. Bể scrapes labels from bottles, haggles with customers and performs a necessary service as the backbone of the country’s waste recovery program.

(Vietnam, 2025, 15 min.)

North American Premiere

THE SOUND OF JAPAN

Finlay Woods

In Person: Film Participants

Captured in the mountains and cities of Japan, this film blends immersive visuals with an original soundtrack, composed of sounds recorded on location by musician Jackson Fester. An audio-visual exploration of pace, memory and creativity, each train station announcement and temple bell enhances the rhythm of snowboarding and emphasizes the cultural soundscape of this country.

(Japan, 2025, 7 min.)

GLOBAL INDIGENOUS STORIES

ARE YOU NATIVE?

Victoria Cheyenne

In Person: Film Participants

As a child in the ’90s, Shauna White Bear (MHA Nation: Arikara/Hidatsa) turned her family’s camcorder on herself, recording private thoughts about school, family and what it felt like to carry a name that made her stand out. Now a moccasin maker in her 40s, she revisits that footage and begins responding to the girl on tape. What unfolds is a conversation across time between a young girl trying to understand who she is and the woman she becomes.

(USA, 2026, 17 min.)

Colorado Premiere

Sunday, Masons, 2:45 PM Monday, Masons, 9 AM

A STORIED LANDSCAPE (HE MO’OLELO WAHI PANA)

Ku‘ulei Keakealani, Kapena Liu

In Person: Film Participants

He Mo‘olelo Wahi Pana (A Storied Landscape) breathes life into an ancient Hawaiian mo‘olelo, tracing the migration of two sisters, ‘Anaeho‘omalu and Puakō, from lush Puna to the arid shores of North Kona and South Kohala on Hawai‘i Island. Guided by their mother, a revered chiefess and kahuna (priest), the sisters seek husbands while confronting the forces of love, jealousy and legacy. The film explores how place names anchor identity and how ancestral stories shape the present.

(USA, 2026, 22 min.)

North American Premiere

TALLIYAH

TALLIYAH

Fritz Bitsoie

Indian Relay Racing is a sport that is fast, dangerous and rarely includes women. The riders leap from horse to horse bareback, racing at full speed around the track. It’s a coming-of-age experience that hinges on the bond between horse and rider. Talliyah Timentwa (Colville) is one of the best.

(USA, 2025, 4 min.)

Colorado Premiere

LISTEN

Malakye Tsosie

In Person: Film Participants

In Gallup, New Mexico, a local radio station is keeping Díne Bizaad (the Navajo Language) alive. DJs for KGAK broadcast news, sports and events in Navajo to thousands of listeners. Listen highlights language revitalization efforts helping future generations reclaim part of their cultural identity, with the knowledge that being able to navigate both the English and Navajo world is empowering.

(USA, 2025, 16 min.)

Colorado Premiere

DENEEGE LEŁ GHU KK’OTS’EEDENEEYH TE HEŁ HOOZOONH TS’E DENOTS’EDENEEYH (WE GET BETTER WHEN WE TAN MOOSE HIDES)

Brittany Woods-Orrison

In Person: Film Participants

The tradition of tanning hides with brains was once practiced by every Dené person in Alaska. An art that was nearly lost by assimilation, Kathleen Hildebrand works with a group of Dené women at her urban backyard hide camp in the heart of Chen’o (Fairbanks) to revive this tradition. Narrated in Denaakk’e, we learn alongside the women how the hides have healing.

(USA, Canada, Greenland, Norway, Finland, 2026, 5 min.)

Colorado Premiere

ARE YOU NATIVE?

FOR OUR RIGHTS

Johannes Vang

In Person: Film Participants

The Supreme Court in Norway has ruled that a wind farm in a reindeer grazing area violates the Sámi people’s rights, yet the wind turbines remain in place. With the land turned into an industrial area, Indigenous reindeer herders are forced to move, leaving behind customs, traditions and knowledge. In response, young Sámi activists protest in Oslo to compel the government to take action.

(Norway, 2025, 28 min.)

U.S. Premiere

WE GET BETTER WHEN WE TAN MOOSE HIDES

CINE DE LAS MONTAÑAS

AFTER THE SILENCE

Eliana Lafone

In Person: Film Participants

Living on the edge of the Amazon, Maria’s life is tied to the forest. She cut it down to grow coca as the drug trade and conflict gripped Colombia, but now she is restoring the forest she once cleared. After the Silence explores deforestation as a means of survival and a means of finding a way back to nature.

(United Kingdom, Colombia, 2025, 12 min.)

Colorado Premiere

SUDAKAS

Ricardo Tadeo Betancourt

BILINGUAL PROGRAM

FREE Friday, Library, 3 PM

SUEÑOS DE UNA MONARCA (DREAMS OF A MONARCH)

Julián Trejo Bax

In Person: Film Participants

Claudia Galeno-Sánchez spends the summer turning her Chicago home into a butterfly sanctuary and planting milkweed around the city. An environmental activist and community member in Pilsen, Chicago’s Mexican neighborhood, she is on a mission to save the Monarch butterfly, a species heavily under threat. Sueños de una Monarca brings viewers alongside Galeno-Sánchez’s relentless work to save the butterfly, which is a symbol of home, family and freedom.

(USA, 2025, 20 min.)

Colorado Premiere

More than eight million Venezuelans have fled the country in the largest displacement crisis in the Western Hemisphere. Many of these immigrants are highly educated, but are forced to work low-wage jobs in their new lives in the U.S., a phenomenon academics call “brain waste.” This film offers a snapshot in the life of the director’s mother, a Venezuelan lawyer, civil servant and painter, who now works a housekeeping job in New Orleans.

(USA, Venezuela, 2025, 13 min.)

Colorado Premiere

CHARCOBLOC

Pablo León, Benjamin Soto

Fer de la Mora is a young Mexican climber determined to take on one of the most iconic Psicobloc routes: Loskot and Two Smoking Barrels in Mallorca, Spain. Beyond the athletic challenge of climbing without a rope over the sea, the film is a portrait of the struggles of pursuing a dream where the true reward is not reaching the summit, but becoming the person you are in the process.

(México, 2025, 42 min.)

U.S. Premiere

MOVING MOUNTAINS BILINGUAL PROGRAM

MUJER SANTUARIO (SANCTUARY WOMAN)

Alan Domínguez

In Person: Film Participants

Mother and activist Jeanette Vizguerra took to living in a church basement in order to avoid deportation. Vizguerra and her family fled their home country over 20 years ago, and she has since advocated for those enduring the same situation. With the recent escalated ICE activity, she must choose between disappearing into silence or standing defiantly in the spotlight — risking everything to stay with her family.

(USA, 2026, 37 min.)

World Premiere

STALIN BOYS

Ora DeKornfeld, Bianca Giaever

In Person: Film Participants

Four middle school boys in a Texas border town have developed an unusual obsession: Joseph Stalin. When their teacher tells them about the Texas State History Fair, they write a play about the Soviet dictator and his efforts to destroy all who opposed him. As the boys write and rehearse their play about Stalin, they are forced to confront their own relationship with power and control.

(USA, 2026, 22 min.)

Colorado Premiere

Saturday, Sheridan, Noon Sunday, Palm, 8 PM

RUN IN BEAUTY

Devin Whetstone

In Person: Film Participants

Alexandria Staten (Diné) grew up feeling distant from her roots on the Navajo Nation. Now, as her grandmother grows older, she feels an urgency to reconnect. Through running the iconic Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run, Staten seeks belonging, knowledge and to reclaim her culture by running in ceremony as a Diné woman.

(USA, 2026, 15 min.)

World Premiere

LA TIERRA DEL VALOR (THE HOME OF THE BRAVE)

Cristina Costantini

In Person: Film Participants

This past summer, as ICE raids turned Los Angeles upside down, the singer NEZZA stepped out into Dodger Stadium on No Kings Day and did something both simple and defiant: She sang the national anthem in Spanish. It was a declaration of belonging for the city’s Spanish-speaking communities. NEZZA’s singing was a poignant act of protest that gave hope to immigrants when they needed it most.

(USA, 2026, 23 min.)

Colorado Premiere

This film includes mature and graphic content.

LA TIERRA DEL VALOR (THE HOME OF THE BRAVE)

ORIGINALS

PANTHER PAT

Ashley Brandon

In Person: Film Participants

In 1970, Pat Palinkas became the first woman to play professional football when she stepped onto the field for the Orlando Panthers. A schoolteacher with no playbook and everything to prove, her appearance shocked the nation and was quickly forgotten. Panther Pat resurrects this high-stakes moment in sports history, tracing how one woman challenged the gender barrier of America’s game.

(USA, 2026, 12 min.)

Colorado Premiere

Saturday, High Camp, 6 PM Sunday, Masons, 9 AM

THE BAKER’S HOTLINE

Emily Schuman, Dave Schuman

In Person: Film Participants

A dedicated team of passionate bakers work the King Arthur Flour call center, offering expert advice and answering perplexing baking questions from an eclectic array of callers. The Baker’s Hotline reveals the transformative power of baking and the unexpected longlasting connections it fosters.

(USA, 2026, 13 min.)

Colorado Premiere

ROCK FACED IT ALL

Clare Bennett, Isabela Zawistowska

In Person: Film Participants

When Teresa Bennett was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, she never imagined that a year later, she’d be scaling 60-foot walls with the grace and determination of a seasoned climber. With the knowledge that exercise helps improve symptoms, Bennett has been integral to the expansion of Upending Parkinson’s, a nonprofit that provides guided rock climbing for people with Parkinson’s. Bennett transforms her battle with the disease into strength and endurance.

(USA, 2026, 17 min.)

World Premiere

FLETCHER STREET

Jannat Gargi, David Darg

In Person: Film Participants

In the heart of North Philadelphia, where violence and instability are a daily reality, the Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club offers a safe haven. The club uses the power of horses to teach discipline, compassion and self-worth. But gentrification and development are closing in, threatening this sanctuary. Fletcher Street is a moving portrait of a community where love, mentorship and horses change lives.

(USA, 2026, 34 min.)

North American Premiere

DAYLIGHT

Jon Kasbe

In Person: Film Participants

Serving a life sentence, Joe Garcia finds an unexpected lifeline in the music of a pop superstar. From inside his prison cell, her songs reconnect him to the possibility that his life might still hold meaning. As he prepares for his first real chance at freedom in decades, Garcia goes into an emotional journey toward accountability, reconnection and redemption.

(USA, 2026, 19 min.)

World Premiere

ROCK FACED IT ALL

TRIP ZIGGURAT

FIRELIGHT: HOMEGROWN

JAPANTOWN: WHAT IS LOST, WHAT REMAINS

Kelyn Ikegami

In Person: Film Participants

Paul Iwasaki was raised in Salt Lake City’s Japantown, a vibrant enclave that became a refuge for Japanese Americans released from wartime incarceration. In the 1960s, the city razed the neighborhood for urban renewal, displacing families and leaving few sanctuaries standing. Japantown: What is Lost, What Remains is a portrait of memory as resistance and the story of a single voice trying to keep a vanished community alive.

(USA, 2026, 11 min.)

Colorado Premiere

BACK TO BLACKDOM

Zoë Colfax

In Person: Film Participants

In 1903, 13 Black men and their families fled the violence of the Jim Crow South and traveled west to southern New Mexico, where they founded the state’s only allBlack town. More than a century later, the town has vanished, its land fragmented and landlocked by private property owners, and its story largely erased from public memory. Back to Blackdom excavates a buried history and challenges the narrative that labeled the community a failure.

(USA, 2025, 15 min.)

Colorado Premiere

Saturday, Sheridan, 3 PM

TRIP ZIGGURAT

Usama Alshaibi

In Person: Film Participants

Filmmaker Usama Alshaibi embarks on a road trip to Crestone, Colorado, a spiritual center for many, searching for a piece of his home in Iraq. There he finds a Ziggurat, a tower that serves as a place to pray, ponder and meditate, and which symbolizes the connection between heaven and Earth. Alshaibi’s personal pilgrimage is intertwined with the stories of other Arabs living in Boulder and how they maintain connection with their homelands.

(USA, 2025, 14 min.)

INTERNAL PEAKS

Jr Rodriguez, Vanessa Chavarriaga Posada

In Person: Film Participants

Jr and Vanessa are professional athletes on a mission to highlight the intersectional relationships between their outdoor pursuits, climate change and who belongs in these spaces. As children of immigrants, they know what it feels like to be the bridge between different worlds. They recognize that shining a light on disappearing glaciers far away starts at home in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

(USA, 2026, 14 min.)

World Premiere

INDOMITABLE SPIRIT

YU & ME

Esther Chan, Claudine Cho

In Person: Film Participants

When a fire destroys a beloved community bookstore, its hyper-independent owner, Lucy, is forced to do the very thing she was taught not to do: ask for help. In doing so, Lucy grapples with her ingrained belief that we can only rely on ourselves to survive. The overwhelming support forces her to realize that community is necessary for our survival.

(USA, 2026, 25 min.)

Colorado Premiere

SUBMITTING TIGERS

Luke Kellerhouse

In Person: Film Participants

After surviving childhood trauma and rising as a professional MMA fighter, Julija Pajic faces a crossroads when instability threatens her career. She finds unexpected healing, connection and purpose among the street fighters and orphanages of Tanzania. A fighter in the ring and in life, Pajic finds what it means to feel strong and safe in her own body.

(Germany, Tanzania, 2026, 26 min.)

Colorado Premiere

This film includes mature and graphic content.

Friday, High Camp, 2:30 PM Saturday, Masons, 12:15 PM

OXBOW

Greg Kohs

In Person: Film Participants

From skateboarding the sprawling intersections of Tokyo to a tenure as a ski bum in the Rockies, Tim Adams’ path was never a straight line. When an injury forced a return to his Maine roots, he surrendered to the oxbow: that horseshoe bend where the current slows, the water deepens and life becomes most interesting. Oxbow celebrates the long way around, proving that we can find home at the confluence of craft, culture and community.

(USA, 2026, 22 min.)

World Premiere

RAINBOW RIDER

Georgia Krause

In Person: Film Participants

Shelle Lichti, a long-haul trucker and an unapologetically lesbian woman, drives the “Rainbow Rider,” a towering 18-wheeler wrapped in a blast of rainbow colors that can be spotted from miles away. On the open road, that visibility is powerful and dangerous. From slurs on the radio to tirestabbings, sabotage and gunfire, Lichti has seen what hate can do. But she also knows what visibility can spark.

(USA, 2026, 25 min.)

World Premiere

This film includes mature and graphic content.

TERRA

REPLANTING A GARDEN

Anthony William Wallace

In Person: Film Participants

After a devastating coral bleaching event, Jamaican fishers, scientists and sanctuary wardens search for resilient coral to restore their reef. As they replant and rebuild underwater nurseries, their efforts reveal how conservation can strengthen both ecosystems and the coastal community that depends on them for survival.

(Canada, 2026, 15 min.)

Colorado Premiere

Friday, Masons, 9 AM

Sunday, High Camp, 3 PM

LESTER

Paul Collins

In Person: Film Participants

“The faster you go the less that you see. Why don’t you slow down and cruise like me?”

At 83 years old, Lester still lives his passions as an artist, surfer and craftsman. The film celebrates an appreciation for strolling, reading, making music and painting – the antithesis of the mainstream American ethos to go faster and get more. See the world anew as you walk with Lester through an inspiringly and intentionally slow-paced life.

(USA, 2026, 11 min.)

Colorado Premiere

GUARDIANS OF ANATOLIA

Elif Koyutürk Hazen

In Person: Film Participants

Guardians of Anatolia follows a Sarıkeçili Yörük family, one of the last female-led nomadic communities in Türkiye. Across a 600-kilometer seasonal migration through the Taurus Mountains, women sustain a rhythm of movement that binds labor, land and memory, and inhabit a philosophy of belonging without possession. As pressures toward settlement intensify, a way of life persists that is embodied, interdependent and defiantly present.

(USA, 2026, 20 min.)

World Premiere

SOUND GUARDIANS

Leah Varjacques

In Person: Film Participants

Jakarta is the world’s fastest-sinking city. In response, Indonesia is building a new capital city in Borneo, home to the Indigenous Balik people. Abidin, a Balik elder, teams up with scientists to document through sound the impacts of the city’s construction on endangered species. With his tribe’s survival at stake, recording the sounds of the forest is a way for Abidin to preserve knowledge and pass it on to future generations.

(USA, Indonesia, 2025, 18 min.)

Colorado Premiere

DANCING ROOTS

Nikki Hausherr

In Person: Film Participants

Joshua White is a celebrated international dancer whose artistry bridges continents and cultures. For most of his life, White’s core influence came from his mother’s Latin and Caribbean roots. But when he was chosen to participate in a leadership development fellowship program that included an extended river trip in Utah’s remote wilderness, he discovered an entirely new connection to his dancing roots.

(USA, 2026, 4 min.)

World Premiere

PLANT LIFE

Josh Izenberg, Brett Marty

Dr. Joanne Chory pursued a question bordering on scientific heresy: What if plants didn’t need light to grow?

A scientist who rewrote the rules of plant biology, Chory faces her own mortality as she turns her attention to one last big, urgent experiment: harnessing plants to fight for the planet.

(USA, 2026, 24 min.)

Colorado Premiere

GUARDIANS OF ANATOLIA

WILD

A MYSTICAL ORNITHOLOGY

Jeremy Seifert, Benjamin James Roberts

In Person: Film Participants

Immersed in the songs of blue jays, yellowthroated warblers and red-shouldered hawks on his 46-acre farm in rural South Carolina, acclaimed poet and ornithologist J. Drew Lanham exchanges calls with the birds that stop over during their seasonal migrations. For Lanham, these creatures are transcendent beings who summon a feeling of reverence. A Mystical Ornithology weaves the paradox of love and grief within the changing nature of the seasons.

(USA, 2025, 11 min.)

Saturday, Masons, 8:30 PM

Monday, High Camp, 9 AM

THE BOYS AND THE BEES

Arielle Knight

On an idyllic farm in rural Georgia, young parents tenderly share their knowledge of life, love and nature with their sons while teaching them the art of beekeeping. The scope of The Boys and the Bees is both quotidian and profound: Boys learn how to tend a beehive, and a family uses their love of nature to repair the bonds of Black fatherhood and teach stewardship of the land.

(USA, 2025, 19 min.)

FISH FOR THE FUTURE

OH WHALE

Winslow Crane-Murdoch

In Person: Film Participants

When news anchor Paul Linnman arrived in Florence, Oregon, he had no idea that the story he was about to tell would forever define his career. Chronicling a small Oregon town, an exploding whale, and the man who made the story famous, Oh Whale is about how we don’t get to choose our fate, only what we make of it.

(USA, 2025, 26 min.)

Colorado Premiere

This film includes mature and graphic content.

FISH FOR THE FUTURE

Matthew Benton

In Person: Film Participants

At the beginning of 2025 the Palisades fire ravaged the Santa Monica Mountains in Los Angeles. In the aftermath, conservation biologists and volunteers scramble to rescue one of the last endangered steelhead trout populations in the region before an upcoming rainstorm. The team has a short window to save as many fish as possible as mudslides threaten to wipe out their habitat.

(USA, 2025, 5 min.)

THE MOUNTAIN ARK

Ken Bailey

In Person: Film Participants

The Mountain Ark follows one of Telluride, Colorado’s most beloved characters, Lissa Margetts, through a single day at her wildlife rehabilitation sanctuary. Fiercely independent and deeply connected to animals, she navigates moments of rescue, loss and unexpected joy — revealing a life devoted to healing, community and the fragile bond between humans and the wild.

(USA, 2026, 37 min.)

World Premiere

OH WHALE

THE BOYS AND THE BEES

RODEO ON ICE

WATER & ICE

RODEO ON ICE

Lindsey Hagen

In Person: Film Participants

With skijoring poised to become a potential addition to the 2030 Winter Olympics, lifelong equestrian Britta Nancarrow assembles a team to push her skijoring to the next level. Rodeo on Ice follows Nancarrow as she trains with skier Mike King and snowboarder Sandra Hillen, taking their on-snow skills to their very first competition.

(USA, 2026, 6 min.)

SHAPED BY LAND

Emily Sullivan

In Person: Film Participants

Greenlandic ski guide Adam Kjeldsen is one of the only Inuit ski guides in Greenland. Building a career that bridges world-class guiding with deep local roots in a destination dominated by foreign operators, Kjeldsen pursues a more sustainable vision for ski tourism, one that is steeped in rich connection to land, community and culture.

(USA, Greenland, 2025, 17 min.)

Colorado Premiere

Friday, Sheridan, 11:45 AM Saturday, Palm, 8:45 PM

MOUNTAIN GUIDES: BAROMETERS OF CHANGE

Chris Shane

In Person: Film Participants

As mountain guide Angela Hawse goes into the Arctic, her life’s work collides with a rapidly warming planet. She’s spent decades leading people into Earth’s most awe-inspiring places, and her story highlights how firsthand connection to threatened landscapes can turn us into lifelong ambassadors for the places we love.

(USA, 2025, 7 min.)

THE ARCHITECTS OF WINTER

Tamara Susa

In Person: Film Participants

As climate change pushes winter’s arrival later each year, snowmakers are on the front lines of fighting for snow. After an injury prevents Zack Saiz-Hawes from teaching snowboarding, he switches to working nights at Aspen Snowmass Ski Resort to bring the ski season into being. Always adjusting for the perfect ratio of water and air pressure to produce snowflakes, the job is cold, wet, potentially dangerous, but an ultimately rewarding and crucial part of the mountain community.

(USA, 2025, 6 min.)

AMERICAN RIVER

Dara Horenblas

In Person: Film Participants

Six whitewater boats of formerly incarcerated individuals float down the middle fork of the American River on a life-changing, three-day rafting trip. It’s a wild opportunity to trade cell walls for canyon walls, concrete for cold water and constant vigilance for the radical possibility of peace. Fed by the snowmelt of the Sierra Nevada mountains, the river is an integral player in a weekend of self-discovery, connection and community-building.

(USA, 2026, 19 min.)

World Premiere

FIFTY-FIFTY

Angela Perceival

In Person: Film Participants

Tying in with a climbing partner means more than just sending the crux together. For renowned alpinists Ines Papert and Sarah Hueniken, the peak of their aspirations comes as they both climb past the age of 50 — pushing themselves harder while learning more about each other, as well as themselves.

(Canada, 2025, 10 min.)

MOUNTAIN

LE MOULIN DES ARTISTES –A HOME FOR FREE SPIRITS

Pierre Cadot

In a 16th-century mill in the Chamonix valley, Peter and Anati run Le Moulin des Artistes: a ski workshop, art space and gathering place for like-minded free spirits. Whether it’s through Peter’s handmade wooden skis or Anati’s paintings and music, Le Moulin des Artistes shows how creative expression can bring purpose, build lasting community and even help overcome disaster.

(France, 2025, 25 min.)

Colorado Premiere

DIRT & ROCK

HELLO, BEAUTIFUL

Darcy Hennessey

In Person: Film Participants

While training for the Paris Olympics, professional climber Alannah Yip’s hair suddenly starts to fall out. Within weeks, she’s diagnosed with alopecia universalis, an autoimmune condition that causes complete hair loss. As Yip grapples with the sudden change to her physical appearance and the fact that she might not qualify for Paris, she confronts deeply held assumptions about beauty, identity and self-worth.

(Canada, 2025, 13 min.)

Friday, High Camp, 8 PM Sunday, Palm, 2:30 PM

RIGHT TO RISK

Daniel Fickle

In Person: Film Participants

Held in the Red River Gorge, the Adaptive Climbers Festival is a rock climbing event for climbers with disabilities, forged on the premise that everyone, disability or not, can become a climber. Three climbers share their perspectives across the festival as they foster community, climb hard and embrace their fundamental right to risk.

(USA, 2026, 11 min.)

World Premiere

DICK’S-A-THON

Dylan Young

In Person: Film Participants

Conceived as a challenge between twin brothers, the Dick’s-A-Thon has grown into Seattle’s premiere marathon event. Participants must run to five different locations of the iconic Dick’s Drive-In and eat something off the menu, like burgers, fries or shakes, at each stop. Dick’s-A-Thon is the origin story of a wacky run that has evolved into a beloved race with 650 participants, a fundraiser and a memorial to one of its mountaineering founders.

(USA, 2025, 18 min.)

Colorado Premiere

BUCKWILD

Cameron Doherty

In Person: Film Participants

Nate Nieslanik, a Carbondale, Colorado rancher and bronco rider is marked by a troubled past. After legal trouble and a near-fatal crash, Nieslanik fights to rebuild his life through family, faith and rodeo — all while carrying forward the multi-generational ranching legacy of his family.

(USA, 2026, 7 min.)

BEST DAY EVER

Ben Knight, Berne Broudy

In Person: Film Participants

In the rugged hills of Vermont, adaptive riders Greg Durso and Allie Bianchi aren’t just navigating disabilities; they’re rewriting the rules of the trail. Through grit, humor and a heavy dose of attitude, they dismantle ableism one berm at a time. Supported by a relentless grassroots community, their journey turns mountain biking into a blueprint for independence and belonging. This isn’t just about the ride — it’s about proving that when we build for everyone, every day can be the best day ever.

(USA, 2025, 48 min.)

DICK’S-A-THON

BUCKWILD

PRESSURE DROP: VALDEZ SEGMENT

ADRENALINE

Saturday, Base Camp, 8:45 PM

Bring warm layers, blankets and low-backed chairs for this free outdoor screening of extreme-sports shorts at Base Camp.

NOW DAYS - CAITY SIMMERS

Elley Norman

In Person: Film Participants

From the Now Days film, Simmers’ segment explores the intersection of surfing and dance — where flow, rhythm and instinct blur into pure expression. (USA, 2026, 4 min.)

Colorado Premiere

AIRTIME

Alex Clapin, Griffin Elsley

In Person: Film Participants

Airtime explores the intersection of winter sports, flight and freedom. Blending skiing, snowboarding, speedflying and paragliding, this film captures the beauty of the Sea to Sky region of British Columbia, and the spirit of athletes pushing creative and physical boundaries. (Canada, 2025, 6 min.)

U.S. Premiere

STRATA

Jim Craven

Shot on the Maltese island of Gozo, Strata reconfigures the connection between skateboarder and terrain. Taken out of its traditional urban context, skateboarding becomes a means of relating to one’s environment. Gozo’s tide-sculpted limestone waves and the coastline’s stark, almost lunar geography bear an uncanny resemblance to human-built structures in skateparks and city streets.

(United Kingdom, 2024, 6 min.)

ONLOOKER

Garrett Creamer

Set within the restless rhythm of Manhattan, Onlooker follows a professional BMX biker moving through parks, streets and dense urban corridors as he navigates the sensory overload of New York City. A simple ride through the city is transformed into a meditation on presence and attention.

(USA, 2025, 3 min.)

FEEDING THE RAT (AND KNOWING WHEN TO STOP)

Dominic Gill

In Person: Film Participants

Feeding the Rat follows elite cyclist Pete Stetina as he takes on one of the toughest hillclimbs in the U.S.: the legendary Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb. With the record in sight, he grapples with the same relentless drive that shaped his career as he begins a new chapter.

(USA, 2025, 16 min.)

Colorado Premiere

EVENING IN CHILE

Bobby Brown

In Person: Film Participants

An August trip provided, as Colorado freeskier Bobby Brown and crew went south for the first mission of the season. Between the villages of Valle Nevado and La Parva they were greeted with amazing conditions from a massive storm. This is the highlight reel from five days of skiing in Chile.

(USA, 2026, 4 min.)

JAUNT

Daniel Mitchell

In Person: Film Participants

In a stark warehouse office, Justice is weighed down by mounting deadlines and an endless to-do list. But every day for one hour, he trades spreadsheets for speed and hits the trails. It’s more than a break — it’s his therapy, his freedom and his daily dose of peace.

(USA, 2025, 4 min.)

NOW DAYS - MOLLY PICKLUM

Elley Norman

From the Now Days film, Picklum’s segment captures the full spectrum of her personality — joyful, unpredictable and fiercely competitive — on land and in the water. (USA, 2026, 3 min.)

Colorado Premiere

ZAHIR

Julien Nadiras

Katherine and Eline bike to the Swiss Alps to climb one of its hardest routes: the limestone face of Zahir. The pair have moments of shared euphoria and disappointment as they dig deep to motivate each other for one last try to send the crux. With every hold and heartbeat, they chase a dream where adventure meets purpose.

(Switzerland, 2025, 29 min.)

U.S. Premiere

FINDING FLOW

Keenan DesPlanques

In Person: Film Participants

Finding Flow follows Christopher Blevins as he navigates elite short-track mountain bike racing and the pursuit of flow. Blending competition with the natural world, the film uses water as a metaphor for ambition and the nonlinear experience of racing at the highest level. (USA, 2026, 6 min.)

World Premiere

PRESSURE DROP: VALDEZ SEGMENT

Todd Jones

In Person: Film Participants

From Norway to Jackson Hole, Pressure Drop follows the world’s top skiers and snowboarders through deep powder, huge cliffs and iconic lines. Born from a dream and forged on the edge, this is TGR’s 30th annual film — a tribute to the fleeting moment when breath slows, gravity takes over and everything else fades.

(USA, 2025, 5 min.)

PROJECT TOMBSTONE

Max Haimowitz

Allie races herself up and down the iconic Tombstone in Moab, Utah. One version runs the full ascent and descent, relying on speed. The other sprints up and BASE jumps off. Ultra Runner Allie faces BASE Jumper Allie. Human power versus gravity...who wins?

(USA, 2026, 5 min.)

PRESSURE DROP: KAI JONES SEGMENT

Todd Jones

In Person: Film Participants

In Pressure Drop, Kai Jones pushes the limits of modern freeride skiing, blending creativity, speed and style. His segment captures a new generation redefining big mountain riding — fearless, fluid and boundary-breaking — while showcasing his evolution from prodigy to one of the sport’s most dynamic and progressive athletes.

(USA, 2025, 6 min.)

NOW DAYS - SIERRA KERR

Elley Norman

From the Now Days film, Kerr’s segment reflects her versatility, using golf as a lens into the precision, control and discipline that define her surfing.

(USA, 2026, 3 min.)

Colorado Premiere

WHEELCHAIR MAFIA

KIDS KINO

Monday, Palm, NOON

Mountainfilm’s program of short, family-friendly films is 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 passholders. $10 tickets are available to the public.

TOUR DE DURANGO

Amy Haggart

In Person: Film Participants

Tour de Durango is about a new generation of kids learning to bike, which I think is awesome and fun. You should watch this movie and then go biking. —Cyrus Kelly, age 7 (USA, 2025, 6 min.)

WHEELCHAIR MAFIA

Cade Martin, Malvina Martin

This film is about Michael Banes, a dog rescuer in Thailand. He builds wheelchairs for paralyzed dogs. At first, I felt sad for the dogs because being paralyzed seems hard, but then I was happy because I realized the dogs got a second chance at life. This is probably the best movie I’ve ever seen! —Foster Jon Nagl, age 7 (USA, 2025, 2 min.)

RODEO ON ICE

Lindsey Hagen

In Person: Film Participants

The sport of skijoring was first started in the 1900s in Scandinavia where they pulled skiers with reindeer. This movie follows horseback rider Britta Nancarrow and two people who are doing skijoring for the first

time. The track is full of jumps and wild turns. What’s great about skijoring is that people from different sports — skiing, snowboarding, and horseback riding come together and try new things. —Avery Orintas, age 10 (USA, 2026, 6 min.)

TALLIYAH

Fritz Bitsoie

This is a story about a really talented horse racer. She thinks that if she can do this she can do plenty of other things. Don’t give up even when things are tough. The more you practice the better you get. —Leslie Jorge Marcos, age 10 (USA, 2025, 4 min.)

Colorado Premiere

CONNECTED

Josh Fairmont, Oliver Smith

In Person: Film Participants

A short ski film by Caution Media, shot across North America, exploring the deep connections between people, mountains and the communities shaped by winter. From British Columbia to Jackson Hole, skiers forge a bond that bridges the silence.

(USA, 2025, 12 min.)

THE YOUNGEST RANGER

Aaron Kalischer-Coggins

In Person: Film Participants

When Domtilah Wakesho was a kid, her grandma told her about the rhinos that used to roam in Africa. She became the youngest ranger in her town. Her goal is to help protect the wildlife population.—Willa Waring, age 9 (USA, 2025, 5 min.)

Colorado Premiere

PANTHER PAT

Ashley Brandon

In Person: Film Participants

Panther Pat is a short-story film about a woman who grew up in Chicago who loved all sports, but most of all football. At a young age, she was never allowed to play, but after meeting her husband, a kicker with promise, she was able to live out her dream as the holder for a professional football team, the Orlando Panthers. She played in many games until her husband had an unfortunate injury, and the Panthers folded in the finals. She was offered a new future with other professional teams, but instead chose to start a family. Patricia was a staple for women in football forever.

—Juno Bubolo, age 17 (USA, 2026, 12 min.)

Colorado Premiere

NOW DAYS - SKY BROWN

Elley Norman

In Person: Film Participants

From the Now Days film, Sky’s segment moves through the city — skating through downtown before channeling that same creativity into her dual-sport performance. (USA, 2026, 3 min.)

Colorado Premiere

LITTLE ROAD TRIPPERS

Greg Sunmark

In Person: Film Participants

His dad was born in Montana and when he was ready to drive he drove his parents around to National Parks. When he and his sister were born, his dad had more people to drive around. He wanted to visit Grand Teton National Park again to explore more. In May, you have to wear

special shoes to hike because there is snow on the paths and there aren’t a lot of people, so you can see wildlife.

—Cali Barragan, age 11

(USA, 2025, 4 min.)

PRESSURE DROP: KAI JONES

Todd Jones

In Person: Film Participants

In Pressure Drop, Kai Jones pushes the limits of modern freeride skiing, blending creativity, speed, and style. His segment captures a new generation redefining big mountain riding — fearless, fluid, and boundary-breaking — while showcasing his evolution from prodigy to one of the sport’s most dynamic and progressive athletes.

(USA, 2025, 6 min.)

MY GRANDMOTHER’S SKETCHBOOK | UNDER MONT BLANC

Max Romey

In Person: Film Participants

This wholesome art-adventure short follows Max Romey in his journey of tracing his grandmother’s footsteps using her sketchbook, and recreating these breathtaking views in his own style. This film, expressing a powerful homage to a loved one, is sure to remind us, as viewers, of the true, simple beauties of nature. —Caroline Merritt, age 16 (USA, 2025, 13 min.)

TOUR DE DURANGO

FILMS | SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS

SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS

Special presentations 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.

Mountainfilm welcomes filmmaker Khashem Gyal from the Amdo region of Tibet. Gyal is currently an Asia in Action Fellow at the Weatherhead East Asian Institute at Columbia University and teaches cinema at the School of the Arts.

This program features the World Premiere screening of Daughters’ Courage, along with a comprehensive conversation following the film. The talk is moderated by Dr. Tashi Rabgey, research professor of international affairs at George Washington University and cofounder of Machik.

DAUGHTERS’ COURAGE

SATURDAY, LIBRARY, 11:30 AM

Khashem Gyal

In Person: Film Participants

Across the Tibetan plateau, the rapid spread of digital connectivity is reshaping intimacy and fracturing nomadic families, leading to unprecedented rates of separation and divorce. In the wake of this cultural shift, 13-year-old Metok Karpo leaves her orphanage to find the father she has never known. Alongside her, young Shukzom navigates a silent longing for her own absent mother. Through their parallel emotional landscapes, the film captures a poignant search for belonging in a world where ancestral traditions and modern realities collide.

(China, Japan, 2018, 52 min.)

World Premiere FREE PROGRAM

OCEAN SYMPHONY

Andy Mann

FRI, HIGH CAMP, 11 AM

In Person: Film Participants

Standing in a small fishing boat, Garth Stevenson plays bass for humpback whales in Mexico. Stevenson’s bass was connected to an underwater speaker while two hydrophones were submerged, recording humpback sounds and playing them live through his headphones. It created an environment where he could hear the whales and, in theory, they could hear him, opening the possibility of a real call-and-response with this amazing species.

(Mexico, 2026, 10 min.)

PLAYING WITH: SPEAKER SERIES: EVIDENCE-BASED HOPE (p. 69)

FILMS | SHORTS PLAYING WITH PRESENTATIONS

PADDLING UNDER GIANTS

Griff Washburn

SAT, PALM, 12:15 PM

In Person: Film Participants

Musician and conservationist, Griff Washburn (aka Goth Babe) explores the Tongass National Forest in Southeast Alaska, which currently faces a major threat from a proposed federal rule to rescind the Roadless Rule. Never having paddled a sea kayak before, Washburn sets out to find purpose and perspective, a tiny speck in a massive landscape. Paddling Under Giants showcases the natural beauty of the land, and why these sacred places connect us to nature and to ourselves.

(USA, 2025, 22 min.)

PLAYING WITH: SPEAKER SERIES: WILD BEYOND BORDERS (p. 71)

THE CORAL GARDENERS

Cristina Mittermeier, Paul Nicklen

SUN, SHERIDAN, 2:45 PM

In Person: Film Participants

The Coral Gardeners traces the origin story of a youthled movement fighting to save the world’s reefs. In Mo’orea, French Polynesia, teenage surfer Titouan Bernicot witnesses his home reef turn white from coral bleaching, an experience that sets him on a new path. Determined to make conservation resonate with his generation, Bernicot transforms the effort into something bold, visual and culturally relevant, growing into a global voice for reef conservation. But as the movement expands, so does the urgency. Saving coral reefs will take more than attention; it will take action.

(Canada, 2026, 16 min.)

World Premiere

PLAYING WITH: SPEAKER SERIES: BRINGING THE OCEAN TO THE MOUNTAINS (p. 72)

11 AM–1 PM SPEAKER SERIES: Symposium: Evidence-Based Hope (p. 69) 2:30–5 PM Time and Water (p. 25) 11:45 AM–1:45 PM WATER & ICE (p. 50) 9–11 AM GLOBAL POV (p. 36) 5:15–7:15 PM burn, scar (p. 15) 2:30–4:30 PM INDOMITABLE SPIRIT (p. 45) 5:45–7:45 PM The Lost Cache (p. 21) 7:45–9:45 PM The Ascent (p. 13) 8–10 PM DIRT & ROCK (p. 52) 8:30–10:30 PM The [Conserv]atives (p. 15) 5–7 PM Strength to Weight (p. 23)

9–11 AM TERRA (p. 46)

9:30–10:30 AM The Inner Lens: A Creative Reset Free (p. 84)

11:45 AM–1:45 PM Jane Elliott Against the World (p. 17) 3–5 PM LIBRARY ADA CINE DE LAS MONTAÑAS Free (p. 40) 5:30–7 PM ALIBI Community Meetup BIPOC Free (p. 84)

2–3:30 PM DOC TALK #1 (p. 80)

2:45–4:45 PM Aanikoobijigan [ancestor/greatgrandparent/ great-grandchild] (p. 13)

5:30–7:30 PM Papertown (p. 21) FRIDAY 8:45–10:45 PM BASE CAMP K2 Chasing Shadows Free (p. 19) THURSDAY 1–3 PM ELKS PARK FREE RANGE: Hike Free (p. 83) 4–7 PM ART WALK (p. 74)

8:30–10:30 PM Nuisance Bear (p. 21)

8:45–10:45 PM BASE CAMP She Runs the World Free (p. 23)

9:15–11:15 AM She Runs the World (p. 23)

3:15–5:15 PM Kikuyu Land (p. 19) 9–11:30 AM Time and Water (p. 25) 8:45–10:45 PM WATER & ICE (p. 50) 12:15–2:15 PM SPEAKER SERIES: Wild Beyond Borders (p. 71) 8:45–10:45 PM Aanikoobijigan [ancestor/ great-grandparent/greatgrandchild] (p. 13) 6–8 PM ORIGINALS (p. 42) 6–8 PM Teeth to the Wind (p. 23)

3–5 PM The Last Dive (p. 19)

12:15–2:15 PM Papertown (p. 21)

NOON–2 PM MOVING MOUNTAINS (p. 41) 3–5 PM FIRELIGHT: HOMEGROWN (p. 44) 9:15–11:15 AM SPEAKER SERIES: Beyond the Summit (p. 70) 5:45–7:45 PM Captured (p. 15) 8:30–10:30 PM Your Attention Please (p. 25)

8–9 AM COFFEE TALKS (p. 77)

9:15–11:15 AM Jane Elliott Against the World (p. 17)

12:15–2:15 PM INDOMITABLE SPIRIT (p. 45)

3–5 PM Trade Secret (p. 25)

5:45–7:45 PM Frost: The Story Of A Lifetime (p. 17) 12:30–2 PM

DOC TALK #3 (p. 81) 10–11:30 AM

10 AM–NOON ELKS PARK FREE RANGE: MTB Ride + Indoor Climb Free (p. 83) 1–3 PM ELKS PARK FREE RANGE: Hike for Hilaree Free (p. 83) 3–5 PM ELKS PARK FREE RANGE: The North Face Happy Hour Free (p. 83)

DOC TALK #2 (p. 80) 11:30–1 PM LIBRARY ADA Special Presentation Daughters’ Courage Free (p. 58) 5:30–7 PM ALIBI Community Meetup LGBTQ+ Free (p.85) 2–3:30 PM ICE

8:30–10:30 PM WILD (p. 48) 8:45–10:45 PM BASE CAMP ADRENALINE Free (p. 54)

(p. 84)

9–10:30 PM ELKS PARK Free Range: Dark Sky Storytelling Free (p. 83) 7:30–9:30 PM LAST DOLLAR SALOON The Nature Conservancy Party Free (p.85)

9–11 AM The Lost Cache (p. 21) 9:15–11:15 AM burn, scar (p. 15)

9–11:15 AM The Dark Wizard (Episodes 1-2) (p. 17)

11:45–1:45 PM Captured (p. 15) NOON–2 PM Nuisance Bear (p. 21)

2:30–4:30 PM DIRT & ROCK (p. 52)

5:15–7:15 PM Your Attention Please (p. 25) 8–10 PM MOVING MOUNTAINS (p. 41)

3–5 PM TERRA (p. 46) 11:45–2 PM The Dark Wizard (Episodes 3-4) (p. 17)

5:45–7:45 PM The Ascent (p. 13)

2:45–4:45 PM SPEAKER SERIES: Bringing the Ocean to the Mountains (p. 72) 5:30–7:30 PM Strength to Weight (p. 23)

8:30–10:30 PM Trade Secret (p. 25)

8:15–10:15 PM Teeth to the Wind (p. 23)

9–11 AM ORIGINALS (p. 42)

11:45 AM–1:45 PM Kikuyu Land (p. 19)

2:45–4:45 PM GLOBAL INDIGENOUS STORIES (p. 38)

10 AM–NOON ELKS PARK FREE RANGE: Accessible Hike + Indoor Climb Free (p. 83) 3–5 PM ELKS PARK FREE RANGE: The North Face Happy Hour & Athlete Chat Free (p. 83)

8–9 AM ELKS PARK FREE RANGE: Cold Plunge Free (p.83) 4–6 PM ALIBI DOC TALK #5 Take Action Free (p. 81)

5:30–7:30 PM The [Conserv]atives (p. 15) 8–9 AM COFFEE TALKS (p. 79)

8:15–10:15 PM GLOBAL POV (p. 36)

10–11:30 AM DOC TALK #4 (p. 81) 8 PM–LATE ALIBI DANCE PARTY (p. 85)

8:45–10:45 PM BASE CAMP The Last Dive Free (p. 19)

Sutcliffe Vineyards

Sutcliffe Vineyards has been growing grapes and crafting exceptional wines in McElmo Canyon, just west of Cortez, Colorado, since 1998. With multiple 90+ point ratings from Wine Enthusiast, the vineyard is proud to have crafted wines for Telluride Ski & Golf, Dunton Hot Springs, and Amangiri, and featured in celebrated restaurants nationwide. Open year-round for tastings and unforgettable vineyard experiences. info@sutcliffewines.com 970-565-0825 sutcliffewines sutcliffevineyards

McElmo Canyon, Colorado

Photography from @Allisonragsdale

MINDS MOVING MOUNTAINS SPEAKER SERIES

MINDS MOVING MOUNTAINS SPEAKER SERIES

SYMPOSIUM

EVIDENCE-BASED HOPE

At the Peak of What’s Possible

FRIDAY,

HIGH CAMP, 11 AM

What does real progress look like in a world hungry for solutions?

The philosophy of evidence-based hope opens Mountainfilm with a dynamic conversation featuring visual activist Benjamin Von Wong; climate storyteller Willow Defebaugh; environmental justice leader Justin J. Pearson; conservationist Kristine Tompkins; and Mountainfilm’s 2026 Guest Director Cristina Mittermeier.

This panel explores what is working in conservation and reframes the narrative: Hope is not abstract. It is strategic, evidence-driven and unfolding all around us — if we choose to see it, support it and scale it.

The program begins with a screening of Ocean Symphony (p. 59), directed by Andy Mann, with a live performance by Garth Stevenson.

BEYOND THE SUMMIT

SATURDAY, SHERIDAN, 9:15 AM

Two accomplished mountaineers will share their experiences of scaling the world’s tallest peaks and reflect on the resilience, preparation, patience and teamwork it takes to succeed as an elite climber.

Jim Morrison is an American ski mountaineer and The North Face athlete, who, along with Hilaree Nelson in 2018, completed the first ski descent from the summit of Lhotse, the world’s fourth-highest mountain. After losing Nelson in 2022 on Manaslu, Morrison returned to Everest’s North Face to complete a vision they once shared, a descent that became both an athletic milestone and a personal reckoning.

Nima Rinji Sherpa is a mountaineer whose journey is rooted in his passion and deference for the mountains, and a commitment to redefining the legacy of his people. At 18, he became the youngest person to summit all 14 of the world’s 8,000-meter peaks. His work reflects a broader mission to highlight the strength and professionalism of the next generation of Sherpas.

NIMA RINJI SHERPA

JIM MORRISON

WILD BEYOND BORDERS: A Continental Vision

SATURDAY, PALM, 12:15 PM

“Wild Beyond Borders: A Continental Vision” explores rewilding with one of the world’s most successful conservationists as we face the dual crises of climate change and biodiversity loss.

President and co-founder of Tompkins Conservation and former CEO of Patagonia, Inc., Kristine Tompkins has helped create national parks, build local communities and bring back species. This shared legacy with her late husband Doug Tompkins continues through the organizations Rewilding Argentina and Rewilding Chile.

Their story was told in the documentary film Wild Life by the Oscarwinning directors Jimmy Chin and Chai Vasarhelyi (Mountainfilm 2023). This program features a live musical performance by singer-songwriter Goth Babe and a screening of Paddling Under Giants (p. 59).

ROBBY KLEIN

KRISTINE TOMPKINS

GRIFF WASHBURN

THE CORAL GARDENERS

BRINGING THE OCEAN TO THE MOUNTAINS

SUNDAY, SHERIDAN, 2:45 PM

Mountainfilm’s Guest Director Cristina Mittermeier gathers friends, colleagues and fellow storytellers to reflect on a life shaped by wild places. Mittermeier traces her journey from marine biologist to artist-activist, sharing moments of loss, resilience and unexpected recovery. Through images and personal stories, she explores the braided relationship between mountains and sea, science and art, grief and courage.

This is a conversation among kindred spirits and a reminder that storytelling remains one of our most powerful tools for cultural change. It will also celebrate the International League of Conservation Photographers (ILCP), an organization she founded in 2005, and its new leadership and visionary mission. Mitty invites the Mountainfilm community to look closely, listen deeply and leave recommitted to protecting the places that shape us all.

This program features a screening of The Coral Gardeners (p. 59).

CRISTINA MITTERMEIER

WHAT NOW?

MONDAY, SHERIDAN, 8 AM

After a weekend of moving documentaries and captivating conversations, cap off your festival experience with “What Now?” Hosted annually by Tom Shadyac and Cheryl Strayed, this beloved closing conversation is about turning motivation into action. This year, Shadyac is joined by Maggie Doyne and Jedidiah Jenkins.

Shadyac is a Hollywood filmmaker, writer and director of blockbuster comedies including Ace Ventura, The Nutty Professor and Bruce Almighty, as well as the documentary I Am (Mountainfilm 2010). Doyne is a humanitarian who co-founded the BlinkNow Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering Nepal’s youth, and was named CNN Hero of the Year in 2015. Her story was featured in Between the Mountain and the Sky (Mountainfilm 2024). Jenkins is The New York Times bestselling author of To Shake the Sleeping Self, Like Streams to the Ocean and Mother, Nature. He began his career with the nonprofit Invisible Children, working to end the use of child soldiers in central Africa, and has been featured in several Mountainfilm films including If I Disappear (Mountainfilm 2025).

MARGARITA

ART WALK

Friday, 4–7 PM

Mountainfilm partners with Telluride Arts to celebrate and showcase the work of photographers, activists and artists through the annual Mountainfilm Art Walk. Artist talks take place at 6 PM at Fringe, Ah Haa and Telluride Arts.

CRISTINA MITTERMEIER

Hope

FRINGE

“Hope” is a quiet act of devotion. Cristina Mittermeier’s images do not shout; they invite. Rooted in decades spent listening to wild places, this body of work transcends documentation to become a meditation on belonging, reciprocity and our shared breath with the living world. Hope carries the ocean’s pulse inland. It asks not for admiration, but for reverence and reminds us that beauty, when truly seen, can still change us.

MAX ROMEY

Together We Are

AH HAA

Join Mountainfilm’s poster artist and filmmaker Max Romey for “Together We Are,” an interactive, multimedia exhibition. Romey has created a series of tiny paintings that embrace all the personalities, people and ethos of Mountainfilm. Visitors to the exhibition are invited to add their own tiny paintings to a growing grid of Mountainfilm images, culminating in a giant, interactive mosaic of the festival. Romey will livestream his own Mountainfilm experience, welcoming everyone to share in his Telluride adventure.

You can purchase a Mountainfilm poster by Max Romey at the Mountainfilm Gear Store (Christy Sports).

THE NATURE OF HOPE

Celebrating Jane Goodall

TELLURIDE ARTS

“The Nature of Hope: A Celebration of Jane Goodall and the Women She Inspired” honors generations of women photographers who carry Goodall's legacy forward.

At its heart are iconic images by leading women photographers, including a rare self-portrait by Goodall herself. Originally created and curated by Ami Vitale, the exhibition brought together 90 women photographers to celebrate Goodall’s 90th birthday. Today, the exhibition returns to inspire a new wave of hope and action for our planet.

LINDSAY BRANHAM — VR EXPERIENCE

Ocean Keepers

TELLURIDE ARTS

In the turquoise waters off the coast of Belize, a manatee named Kat is in crisis. Conservationist Jaimilee Cruz and rescue specialist Jamal Galves, supported by The Nature Conservancy, work through sleepless nights to bring Kat back from the edge. Narrated by Meryl Streep, “Ocean Keepers” is a story of the devotion of a community determined to prove that when conservation finally has the resources it needs, life finds a way back.

Open Friday: 4–7 PM • Saturday & Sunday: 11 AM–4 PM

AMI VITALE — MURAL

Well

TELCO

Ami Vitale is a National Geographic Explorer at Large, awardwinning photographer, writer, documentary filmmaker and founder of Vital Impacts. “Well,” photographed in the arid landscape of Rajasthan, India, captures an ancient stepwell that once sustained entire villages. These structures were not only sources of water but also community gathering places. Today, many stand dry as climate change reshapes water availability. As wells disappear, villagers travel farther for water, with the burden falling largely on women.

JOHN COLETTE PORTAL EXPERIENCE

TELLURIDE SCIENCE & INNOVATION CENTER

John Colette is a media artist, educator and curator. His work spans teaching, research, digital production and the development of largescale public display systems, with an emphasis on immersive spatial experience and critical approaches to contemporary media culture. Colette’s work, “Portal,” is a location-based arboreal projection that explores the transformation of existing space with light.

Located on the back patio. Friday, Saturday & Sunday: nightfall 8:30 - 10 PM

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 festival guests, film participants and long-time friends of the festival 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

If space allows, members of the public will be seated after passholders.

LOCATIONS & HOSTS

Hotel Telluride

Laura Colbert

Ah Haa School

Jedidiah Jenkins

Coffee Cowboy

General Store

Julia Caulfield & Langstyn Williams

Mountain Lodge

Jon Tukman

Library

Julia Caulfield & Art Goodtimes

SATURDAY

#1 FIRE, FARMING & ADAPTATION

MOUNTAIN LODGE

As water shortages and wildfires become ever-present environmental pressures, adaptation is no longer optional. Join panelists who are farmers, scientists and community leaders, working to find innovative solutions for living more harmoniously with the land. From regenerative farming to fire preparedness, they’ll share what solutions are working globally and how communities can better anticipate what comes next.

PANELISTS: Brenna St. Onge, Ray Gaesser, Angie Krall, Len Necefer, Jenny Watts

#2 SEARCHING FOR THE CENTER

HOTEL TELLURIDE

It’s an age-old question we still need to ask ourselves: How do we find meaning and balance in the midst of busy, complicated lives? Authors and creatives who have found answers in nature will discuss their philosophies, perspectives and experiences sharing what it means to feel grounded and how to get back there when we feel lost.

PANELISTS: Lindsay Branham, Michael Collins, Bridget Crocker, Shannon Nering

#3 CURRENT CURRENTS — SEAS OF CHANGE

AH HAA

Marine conservationists, biologists, seafarers and surfers who have dedicated their lives to our seas discuss their work and commitment to our big blue oceans. They all share similar guiding missions to protect marine life, advocate for healthy ocean habitats and coastal communities, and preserve the largest ecosystem on the planet.

PANELISTS: Gabriela Gomez, Terry Kennedy, Andy Mann, Sara Mascola, Jodie Nelson

#4 ARTISTS, ACTIVISTS & ICONOCLASTS

LIBRARY

This group of artists, iconoclasts and activists explore how creativity and a willingness to step out of the box, can help us make sense of the world and give us hope for a better one. They challenge the status quo and share what we can learn from those who dare to see the world differently.

PANELISTS: Dr. Adam Cruise, John Colette, Aaron Huey, Elif Koyutürk Hazen, Faridah Gbadamosi

#5 WOMEN OF THE MOUNTAINS COFFEE COWBOY

GENERAL STORE

Women have been making history in climbing, but their achievements have often been overlooked in historical records. In author Joanna Croston’s new book, Mountaineering Women, she gives recognition to the accomplishments of 20 pioneering female mountaineers from around the world. Croston will be joined by local and legendary climbers for a conversation about how they continue to push the sport forward.

PANELISTS: Joanna Croston, Sasha DiGiulian, Riccarda de Eccher, Lindsey Greer, Sarah Lee Steele

SUNDAY

#6 UNITED BY MOUNTAINS

MOUNTAIN

LODGE

The mountains have brought us all here together in Telluride. They are a source of community, recreation and a place of connection. Meet mountaineers and adventurers who find solace and a sense of freedom in the peaks, and who work to make these spaces more welcoming and accessible to those who are called to them.

PANELISTS: Philip Henderson, Miriam Horn, Malik Martin, Nima Rinji Sherpa, Nikki Smith

#7 THIS MOMENT MATTERS

HOTEL TELLURIDE

Our attention has become one of the most valuable and exploited resources of our time. Hear from panelists as they discuss the real harms of unfettered technology, creating safeguards for our youth and why stepping away from screens and showing up fully to the present moment may be the most radical action we can take right now.

PANELISTS: Kristin Bride, Dianne Cox, Khashem Gyal, Trisha Prabhu

#8 BRIDGING THE (POLITICAL) DIVIDE

AH HAA

We all want a healthy, livable planet for future generations, right? Meet the changemakers who are working to develop collaborative climate solutions and helping the public understand that climate affects us all. Reaching across political lines, these leaders believe that working together is the only way to improve quality of life for people and the planet.

PANELISTS: Benji Backer, Florian Ledoux, Jessica Moerman, Justin J. Pearson, Laura Uttley

#9 OUR PUBLIC LANDS, OUR ACCESS LIBRARY

Public lands belong to the people. In the West we know how vital access to public lands is. This panel discusses the progress in expanding access, including adaptive trails and inclusive infrastructure, as well as the critical importance of safeguarding our national parks, public lands and rivers as shared resources for generations to come.

PANELISTS: Berne Broudy, Greg Durso, Kevin Fedarko, Dillon Osleger, Griffin Post

#10 STORIES OF THE WEST

COFFEE COWBOY GENERAL STORE

This panel brings together filmmakers and creators to explore the importance of lifting up regional stories and amplifying BIPOC filmmakers. The discussion examines why sharing underrepresented stories matters now more than ever, particularly in the Mountain West and rural communities, and highlights the BIPOC filmmakers and groups who have long been part of this region’s history.

PANELISTS: Zoë Colfax, Alan Domínguez, Kelyn Ikegami, Jr Rodriguez, Loren Waters

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. If space allows, members of the public will be seated after passholders.

#1 THE DOC INDUSTRY DISCUSSION

FRIDAY, AH HAA, 2–3:30 PM

This opening session of the Doc Talk series brings together industry leaders for a wide-ranging conversation on the state of documentary filmmaking: where it stands today, where it’s heading and what filmmakers can take away. The conversation spans evolving audience behaviors, emerging platforms, festival programming strategies, distributor priorities, how AI is reshaping the landscape and expanding the creative tools available to filmmakers and everything in between.

MODERATOR: Megha Agrawal Sood (Project Junglee)

PANELISTS: Carrie Lozano (ITVS), Christie Marchese (Kinema), Claudia Puig (Santa Barbara International Film Festival), Sav Rodgers (Transgender Film Center), David Turner (StorySense)

#2 CONSERVATION FILM FUNDING & DISTRIBUTION

SATURDAY, AH HAA, 10–11:30 AM

Conservation films are among the most important stories being told today. This panel discusses challenges filmmakers face in getting these projects made and seen, explores new models for funding and distribution, and asks how we shift the conversation with funders toward a different kind of return on investment, one measured not in dollars but in the prosperity of our planet.

MODERATOR: Christopher Gebhardt (RandomGood)

PANELISTS: James Balog (Extreme Ice Survey & Earth Vision), Tim Horsburgh (Nat Geo Doc Films), Cristina Mittermeier (SeaLegacy), Katie Schuler (Captured), Sam Sutaria (Oxbow)

MORGAN BRADLEY

#3 EXPANDING PATHWAYS FOR INCLUSIVE STORIES

SATURDAY, AH HAA, 12:30–2 PM

This panel highlights organizations and individuals that are making an impact in the industry by supporting inclusive storytelling and diverse documentary filmmakers. Panelists will share what’s currently happening in the industry, different models of support, sustainability and funding ecosystems while offering insights into nonextractive approaches to filmmaking.

MODERATOR: Dani Reyes-Acosta (Afuera Productions)

PANELISTS: Usama Alshaibi (Filmmaker), Vanessa Chavarriaga Posada (Color Vérité), Shahrzad Dadgar (Filmmaker), Raúl O. Paz-Pastrana (Mountain Media Arts Collective), Chloë Walters-Wallace (Firelight Media)

#4 THE ETHICS OF WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY & FILMMAKING

SUNDAY, AH HAA, 10–11:30 AM

Sony brings together leading conservation photographers, filmmakers and Sony Artisans to explore the ethics of wildlife photography, examining where the balance lies between creating striking images and prioritizing animal welfare, environmental integrity and authenticity. The conversation will tackle best practices, ethical pitfalls such as the use of game farms and the growing role of AI in conservation photography.

Made possible by Sony

MODERATOR: Cristina Mittermeier

PANELISTS: Andy Mann, Pete McBride, Melissa Groo, Morgan Heim, Katie Schuler

#5 TAKE ACTION: THE IMPACT PROGRAM

SU NDAY, THE ALIBI, 4–6 PM

Mountainfilm’s Take Action Impact Program invites audiences to go beyond the screen and participate in a fun social experience that supports filmmakers and associated organizations that are striving for real-world change. This special event spotlights films with active impact campaigns and purpose-driven stories centered around urgent and powerful calls to action.

Made possible with generous support from the Borsecnik/Weil Family.

HALLIE KOHLER

EXPLORE WITH THE NORTH FACE

FREE RANGE PROGRAMS

The North Face is hosting our Free Range headquarters in Elks Park, featuring world-class athletes Olivia Amber, Anna Fisher, Mo Beck, Jim Morrison and Conrad Anker.

The North Face is also hosting a happy hour on Saturday with live music by local singer-songwriter duo LVDY, and a panel discussion on Sunday in partnership with Woodwell Climate Research Center, The Nature Conservancy and The North Face athletes.

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 ST.

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

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

1–3 PM Hike with Anna Fisher and Olivia Amber

10–NOON MTB Ride with Best Day Ever and TASP on Breckenridge Trail (adaptive-optimized), weather permitting.

10–NOON Indoor Climb with Mo Beck and Conrad Anker

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

3–5 PM Happy Hour featuring live performance by LVDY

9–10:30 PM Dark Sky Storytelling with Craig Childs and The North Face athletes

8–9 AM Cold Plunge with R. Nelson Parrish and The North Face athletes

10–NOON Trail Run and Accessible Hike on Legacy Trail with Anna Fisher and Olivia Amber

10–NOON Indoor Climb with Mo Beck and Conrad Anker

3–5 PM Happy Hour and Athlete Chat with The North Face athletes, Woodwell Climate and The Nature Conservancy

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 unless noted.

TWENTY(BY)TELLURIDE: MOUNTAINFILM EDITION

WEDNESDAY, 7–9 PM

THE ALIBI

In collaboration with Telluride Arts, this fastpaced 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.

TOWN READ

THURSDAY, 5:30–7 PM

WILKINSON PUBLIC LIBRARY

Wilkinson Public Library hosts the annual Town Read, featuring author Bridget Crocker and her book The River’s Daughter, a vivid and propulsive memoir about finding meaning in a life outdoors, from the perspective of a worldclass whitewater rafting guide.

Copies of the book will be available at the library.

WOODWELL PARTY

THURSDAY, 8–11 PM

SMUGGLERS BREW PUB

Join Mountainfilm’s partner, Woodwell Climate Research Center, to kick off the weekend celebrating 41 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

Before the weekend unfolds, take a moment to arrive. Through guided meditation and breath work, you’ll gain simple practices to de-stress, re-center and bring balance to both your creative work and daily life.

SOCIAL HOUR WITH OUR GUEST DIRECTOR

FRIDAY, 1:15–2:15 PM

MADELINE HOTEL TIMBER ROOM

After the symposium, join us in the Timber Room at the Madeline Hotel for a special book signing and social hour with Mountainfilm’s Guest Director Cristina Mittermeier.

COMMUNITY MEETUP

BIPOC FILMMAKERS & FESTIVAL GUESTS

FRIDAY, 5:30–7 PM

THE ALIBI

BIPOC filmmakers, festival guests and allies are invited to an evening of connection and networking. This event is hosted in partnership with Firelight Media, Mountain Media Arts Collective and Color Vérité. DJ DAGHE spins the beats.

BEST DAY EVER MOUNTAIN BIKE RIDE

SATURDAY, 10–NOON SIGN UP IN ELKS PARK

Join participants from Best Day Ever and Telluride Adaptive Sports Program for a fun mountain bike ride on the new Breckenridge Trail (aMTB), weather permitting.

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 our festival sponsors stationed along Main Street.

THE NORTH FACE HAPPY HOUR

SATURDAY, 3–5 PM

ELKS PARK

Connect with festival friends and The North Face team at their annual Happy Hour, featuring a live performance by LVDY and complimentary beverages.

COMMUNITY MEETUP

LGBTQ+ FILMMAKERS & FESTIVAL GUESTS

SATURDAY, 5:30–7 PM

THE ALIBI

LGBTQ+ filmmakers, festival guests and allies are invited to an evening of connection and networking. This event is hosted in partnership with TelluPride and Ouray Pride. DJ Leaux spins the beats.

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

ELKS PARK

Join author Craig Childs for a special stargazing session. Under the night sky, Childs will guide us to look both outward into the cosmos and inward into our own sense of wonder.

COLD PLUNGE

SUNDAY, 8–9 AM

SAN MIGUEL RIVER, 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: That most limits are selfimposed. Take a dip in the San Miguel River and immerse yourself in refreshing river waters.

BAKE WITH THE CHANGEBAKER

SUNDAY, 8:30 & 11:30 AM

AH HAA CULINARY CLASSROOM

Known as “the changebaker,” Manolo Betancur will teach two special baking courses. The first is at 8:30 AM and is open to passholders

by reservation only. Manolo will also teach a course in Spanish, which is open to families, at 11:30 AM as part of the Bilingual Kitchen program, hosted in partnership with Wilkinson Public Library and Ah Haa.

Space is limited.

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, Woodwell Climate Research Center and The Nature Conservancy, live music and complimentary beverages.

MOUNTAINFILM DANCE PARTY!

SUNDAY, 8 PM–LATE

THE ALIBI

Come dance under the disco ball with DJ DAGHE and Goth Babe for our Sunday Night Party — enjoy great beats and good vibes as we wind down Mountainfilm 2026.

Passholders only

HOW TO MOUNTAINFILM ON TOUR

MONDAY, 8–9:30 AM

AH HAA ROOFTOP

Mountainfilm on Tour travels year-round and worldwide. Learn more about hosting an event, our free K-12 programs or where to catch us on the road.

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 passholders. 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.

BOOK SIGNINGS

THURSDAY

WILKINSON PUBLIC LIBRARY - 5:30 PM

Bridget Crocker — The River’s Daughter

FRIDAY

MADELINE HOTEL - 1:15 PM (AFTER THE SYMPOSIUM)

Cristina Mittermeier — Hope

SATURDAY

In partnership with Between the Covers Bookstore

COFFEE COWBOY GENERAL STORE - 9 AM (AFTER THE COFFEE TALK)

Joanna Croston — Mountaineering Women: Climbing Through History

HOTEL TELLURIDE - 9 AM (AFTER THE COFFEE TALK)

Lindsay Branham — Heartwood: The Wisdom and Healing Kinship of Trees

Bridget Crocker — The River’s Daughter

Shannon Nering — The Mother Vine: How I Healed My Heart With Ayahuasca

SUNDAY

MOUNTAIN LODGE - 9 AM (AFTER THE COFFEE TALK)

Miriam Horn — Homesick for a World Unknown: The Life of George B. Schaller

LIBRARY - 9 AM (AFTER THE COFFEE TALK)

Dillon Osleger — Trail Work: Restoring the Paths and Stories of America’s Public Lands

Kevin Fedarko — A Walk in the Park

AH HAA - 11:30 AM (AFTER THE DOC TALK)

Pete McBride — Witness to Water: One Photographer’s Mission to Defend the Colorado River

FRINGE GALLERY - 5 PM

Cristina Mittermeier — Hope

AWARDS

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

AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD: $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 AWARD: $1,000

The winner of this award will be decided by Mountainfilm attendees who can vote for their favorite short film during the festival.

Funded in part by Tully & Elise Friedman

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE: $5,000

This juried award celebrates exceptional filmmaking for feature films (films over 40 minutes in length).

Funded in part by Tully & Elise Friedman

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT: $5,000

This juried award celebrates exceptional filmmaking for short films (films under 40 minutes in length). Mountainfilm is an Academy Award® Qualifying Festival in this award category. Funded in part by Tully & Elise Friedman and Megha & Rohan Sood

CHARLIE FOWLER

BEST ADVENTURE FILM AWARD: $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 AWARD: $2,500

This award honors films that focus on impact and supports both the filmmaker and the film’s associated nonprofit — the film receives $1,500 and the nonprofit is given $1,000.

Funded in part by Tully & Elise Friedman

WOMEN IN FILM AWARD: $3,500

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

STUDENT CHOICE AWARD: $2,000

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

Funded by Telluride Academy & Alpine Bank

JAMES BALOG

CREATIVE VISION AWARD: $5,000

This award honors a film with innovative image-making or ideas that expand our understanding of the relationship between people and the rest of nature.

Funded by James & Suzanne Balog

FIRST PEOPLES AWARD: $2,500

This award honors an outstanding Indigenous-made film that highlights underrepresented stories, perspectives and cultures. Funded by Riccarda de Eccher & Bill Goldston

LGBTQ+ IMPACT AWARD: $3,000

This award is presented to a film or filmmaker that uplifts LGBTQIA+ stories. Funded by The Taylor Family & The Robinson Family

HILAREE NELSON

LIFETIME ADVENTURE AWARD

This award honors a distinguished mountaineer or adventurer who has inspired generations through extraordinary leadership, skill and courage, and who has deep respect for mountain communities and the support teams that make expeditions possible. Established in memory of the late, beloved mountaineer Hilaree Nelson.

2026

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.

BEN ENG

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

CARRIE LOZANO

Carrie Lozano is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, journalist and media executive. She is currently president and CEO of ITVS. Prior to ITVS, she was director of the Sundance Institute’s Documentary Film and Artist Programs, launched and directed the International Documentary Association’s Enterprise Documentary Fund, and was a documentary executive and senior producer at Al Jazeera America. In addition to serving on ProPublica’s board of directors, Lozano is on the advisory boards of UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism and PBS’s “Frontline.” She is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

CLAUDIA PUIG

Claudia Puig is a nationally recognized film journalist, critic and film festival curator. She is director of programming for the Santa Barbara International Film Festival and program director for Cascadia International Women’s Film Festival in Bellingham, Washington. In 2020 Puig won the Excellence in Entertainment Journalism award from the National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP). Puig has been a film critic on National Public Radio’s “Film Week” and the lead movie critic at USA Today. Before that she was a staff writer at the Los Angeles Times and part of a Pulitzer prize-winning team for coverage of the 1992 Los Angeles uprising.

RAÚL O. PAZ-PASTRANA

Raúl O. Paz-Pastrana is a Mexican immigrant filmmaker and MMAC member based in Denver. His work intersects experimental nonfiction, participatory filmmaking and visual ethnography to explore themes of belonging, alienation and the concept of home. His films have screened worldwide, including at Tribeca, Sheffield, the Aspen ShortFest and the Morelia International Film Festival. His work has received support from the Princess Grace Foundation, The Ford Foundation, the LEF Foundation, ITVS, Catapult and the Sundance Institute. Paz-Pastrana is a Firelight Documentary Lab Fellow, a New America National Fellow, a Creative Capital Awards Artist Fellow and a Guggenheim Fellow.

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT

CHRISTIE MARCHESE

Christie Marchese is the founder and CEO of global streaming and event platform Kinema, and executive vice president of Entertainment Partnerships at Publicis Media. She was the founder of Picture Motion, led impact efforts for Righteous Pictures, developed digital strategies at Participant Media, and managed program coordination and social media for Norman Lear’s nonprofit, Declare Yourself. Marchese is also the co-author of The Distribution Playbook and was named one of Fortune’s Rising Female Founders in 2023 and Fast Company ’s Most Creative People in 2021. She’s currently on the boards of Subject Matter, The Redford Center and The Reinvent Stockton Foundation.

TIM HORSBURGH

FARIDAH GBADAMOSI

Faridah Gbadamosi is a film programmer, working to make the space more inclusive in whose stories get told and who gets to be the author of those stories. She has worked at organizations like Frameline, the California Film Institute, Athena Film Festival and SIFF. Gbadamosi was director of distribution for the Peabody Award-winning film Mr. Soul!. She is chair of the Anarchist United Foundation, an organization founded by Lily Wachowski that provides grants and development opportunities for filmmakers from historically excluded communities, and is also on the board for Baldwin for the Arts. She currently works at Tribeca Enterprises as a senior programmer.

Tim Horsburgh is vice president of Nat Geo Doc Films. His work covers the acquisition, production and distribution of feature documentaries such as Time and Water, The Tale of Silyan, and Ghost Elephants, and Oscar® nominees Sugarcane, Bobi Wine: The People’s President, and Fire of Love. Horsburgh worked at Kartemquin Films during a period in which the organization received three Oscar® nominations, and won five Emmys and two Peabody Awards. He has taught documentary filmmaking at Northwestern University and at Columbia College Chicago. Horsburgh was born in India, raised in England, and currently lives in Santa Monica, California.

CHARLIE FOWLER BEST ADVENTURE FILM

JODIE NELSON

Jodie Nelson is a content executive and former professional surfer who has built her career at the intersection of sport, culture and storytelling. She leads the strategy and execution of high-impact live broadcasts and athlete-driven programming, shaping moments that resonate far beyond competition. With a background in elite sport and on-camera hosting, Nelson brings instinct and creative precision to every production. She has produced global action sports events, multi-platform campaigns and culturally defining experiences that reach mass audiences. Known for blending competitive grit with strategic vision, she builds stories designed not just to capture attention, but to move culture forward.

PHILIP HENDERSON

NIKKI SMITH

Nikki Smith is a professional climber with more than 30 years of experience, working in the outdoor industry and climbing world since 1998. Her photography has been featured in many outdoor publications, and she is a National Geographic Adventure photo contributor. Smith has authored five climbing guidebooks and has written many feature articles for major climbing magazines. She has completed over 200 first ascents of sport, trad, mixed and ice climbs, and another 200 bouldering first ascents. Smith is an advocate for the outdoors and represents many outdoor brands and organizations. She is also an illustrator and painter.

A native of San Diego, Philip Henderson’s career spans three decades, including 21 years with the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), six years with Osprey packs and many volunteer hours. Henderson is a mentor and celebrated pioneer in his community, with ascents of Denali and Kilimanjaro. He led a 2012 North Face and Nat Geosponsored Everest expedition and was a 2022 Full Circle Everest Expeditions leader. Now a 10-year resident of Cortez, Colorado, Henderson is the executive director of the nonprofit Full Circle Expeditions, a board member at POW (Protect Our Winters) and The Alzar School in Cascade, Idaho.

FIRST PEOPLES AWARD

INUK JØRGENSEN

Inuk Jørgensen is an award-winning short film writer and director, who has been making home movies and short animations since his childhood in Greenland. As an adult Jørgensen has been involved in several documentary and short film productions as well as being an active member of the filmmaking community of Greenland. As an Indigenous filmmaker, he has a focus on aesthetic images and personal stories that touch upon the identity, history and culture of the Greenlandic Inuit people. He is also the director of Entropy (Mountainfilm 2025).

LEN NECEFER

Len Necefer ( Diné) is a filmmaker, photographer and public writer on water, energy and the politics of the West, based in Tucson, Arizona. He founded NativesOutdoors, a media company telling Indigenous environmental stories across the Colorado River Basin and beyond. His reporting has shaped national conversations on aridification and tribal water rights. Necefer holds a Ph.D. in Engineering and Public Policy from Carnegie Mellon, has worked with NASA, writes the Substack newsletter “All At Once” and is a member of the Explorers Club EC50 Class of 2026. His film credits include Welcome to Gwichyaa Zhee (Mountainfilm 2019), The Spirit of the Peaks (Mountainfilm 2022) and The American Southwest (Mountainfilm 2025).

LOREN WATERS

Loren Waters (Cherokee/Kiowa) is an award-winning filmmaker and founder of Waters Media, where her work spans directing, producing and casting. She has been recognized on prestigious lists, including Forbes 30 Under 30 and Filmmaker Magazine’s 25 New Faces, and she currently serves as the executive director of the Lindy Waters III Foundation. Her short documentary film, Tiger (Mountainfilm 2025), received the Short Film Special Jury Award for Directing at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival.

DONORS

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

LEGACY CIRCLE

Anonymous • pattie adler

Ruth E. Bender Arlene

Burns • Cathe & Chip Dyer

Dr. Hill & Bettie Hastings

Sage & Alex Martin

Ellen Yarrell

BEYOND THE SUMMIT

Anonymous (1) • Katherine Borsecnik & Gene Weil

Joanna & Stuart Brown

Nancy Donohue & Diane

Elam • Bridgitt & Bruce

Evans • The Kelly Family

Michelle & Anand Parekh

Spencer Stewart & Stephanie Ansin

Sheryl & Daniel Tishman

CHOMOLUNGMA

Anonymous (1) • Suzanne & James Balog • Samuel S. Britton • The Dalton Family Foundation • Erik & Josephine Fallenius

Tully & Elise Friedman, Honorary Trustees

Larry Hopkins Fund • The Mannion Family • Casey & Megan McManemin • High Meadows Group • Debbie & Jeff Resnick • Dick & Susan Saint James Ebersol, Honorary Trustees • Torri & Mark Savoff • Ann Teerlink, Honorary Trustee • Victoria Teerlink & Jeff Drope

Mary & Howard Yancy

K2 Bill Goldston & Riccarda de Eccher • Celebrating the life of Isabella de la Houssaye

DENALI

Anonymous (1)

Blanche C Hill Foundation • The DuBose Foundation • Cathe & Chip Dyer • Elizabeth Farrar & Craig Echols • Todd Ferguson & Paula Froehle • Johnson Family Foundation • Fred & Allison Harman • Yale & Shanti Jones

Richard & Charlotte Jorgensen

Lisa Ritter-Kahn & Allan Kanner

Lisa & Peter Kraus • Duncan & Anne Lee • Nelson Family Foundation • Dinny Sherman

The Spitzer Family

Jim & Joanne Steinback

Elliot Steinberg • Terry Tice & Rita Robinson • Ellen Yarrell

EIGER

Anonymous • Patty & Chris Arndt • Richard & Kerri Bartlett • Ruth Bender & Dan Sheline • Steve & Kendall

Cieciuch • Dr. Hill & Bettie

Hastings • Kimberly Johnson & Donald Novak • Kyle Koehler

Linda & David Lange • John & Bridget Macaskill • Jay & Becca

Markley • Beth McLaughlin

Casey & Margaret Olson

Tess Peters • Raynier Institute

Foundation • Cody Smith

Gwendolyn Sontheim

Megha & Rohan Sood

Tom & Donna Stone • Zelda & Sheldon Tenenbaum

EL CAPITAN

Anonymous

(1) • Jan Avent • Ken Bailey & Jacquelyne DenUyl • Bonnie & Lou Cohen • Jeff & Allison

Goldberg • Molly Maguire

Gregg & Molly Martin • Carli Zug & Steve Szymanski • John Tinker

Laura Welch & Mike Lundgren

AJAX Anonymous • Ann Daw

Durfee Day • Jon Jones & Laurie

Segall • Kyle Koehler • Dan & Marla Hodes • Todd Hoffman

Diane L. Max

WILSON

Anonymous (2)

Theresa & Jeffrey Artis • George & Lydia Bubolo • Terri Bullock

Bev Chapman & Steve Hall • Eric d’Arbelhoff & Howard Cohen

Michael Collins • Rose & Pete

Edwards • Mr. P. Zachary Egan

John & Jeanne Esler • Kathy

Green • Brooke Larson • The Lehman-Stamm Family Fund

Jeffrey Nelson & Lisa Hay

Clifford Pastor • Francesca

Perry • Kim Perutz • Mary Lee

Pinkerton • Tamara Spinks

Scott & Beth Daily Ullem

William Valaika • Lynn P Wailes

EL DIENTE

Anonymous (2)

Judy & Paul Beckett • donnie i. betts • Laura Cattell Brown

Jordan Campbell • David Craige

Jennie Dear & Tom Bartels

Scott Holland • Elyn Kronemeyer

Kate Lapides-Black • Drew

Ludwig • Steve & Janice Martin

Susie Meade • Jason & Kathleen

Merritt • Crystal & Andrew Merrill

Leslie & Widge Merrill • William

Merrill • Lisa & Victor Neneroff

Joy & John O’Malley • Lori & Tony Petosa • Jack Sperber • Leigh

Tucker • Irene Tuddenham • Kate

Wadley • Barry Winer • Suzanne

Dyer Wise • Edwin Yeary • Keri

Yoder & Kevin Geiger • Chris Zieve

SNEFFELS

Anonymous

Joanna Adler • Paul Aguirre

Celia Alario • Anne Allison • Diane & Mike Altieri • Tamara Banks

Alex Bates • Joanna Bates

David Barmak • Davison Bartley

Jennifer Bassignani • Elif Beall

Tricia Blank • Elisabeth Bohlen

Jeffrey Boyd • MacKenzy Brewer

Barksdale Brown • Lisa Kleiner

Chanoff • Julie Chase

Cameron Clark • Kim Clary

Laura Colbert & Lance Waring

Rod & Allison Colburn • Colorado

Gives Foundation • James Colt

Rebecca Cook • Dorothy Cooper

Joanna Culbertson

Catherine Davies • Elizabeth Dear

Robert Donaldson • Angela Dye

Henry H Ebersol • Julia Edwards

Virginia Egger • Suzy Elmiger

Tim Erdman • Rube Felicelli

Arian Finch • Susan Fox

Robert Friedberg • Nancy & Doran Geise • Robin Germansen

Allyson Goto • Joanne Grace

Janet Hardy • Benjamin Hearon

Mark Hechtman • Samantha

Hemler • Adar Higgs • Marianna

Hochreutener • Laura Hoover

Robyn & Josef Jaureguiberry

Jonathan Howie • Tim Johnson

Deborah & Jim Kauffman

Joel Kaufman • Jordana Kier

Michelle King • Gail & Fred Kittler

Oza Klanjsek • Meghan Knowles

Tracy Kurek • Kate LaCroix

Amy Levek • Jim & Sue Lincoln

Hope Logan • Deirdre Lord

David Long • Rebecca Martin

Lisa Mazzocchi • Patty McCord

Claire Marie McCullough

Terry McGovern & Carol PaineMcGovern • Bernard Melone & Marcia Brady • Melanie Kuhr

Meyers • Ursula Miller • Cristine & Matthew Mitchell • Jonathan Moore • Diana & Sean Mulligan

Shauna Naf • Ralph Norton

Kristen Nostrand • Virginia Olson

Jonathan Peacock • Kelli Petersen

Vika Petrova • Meg Piper

Charles Pitcher • Corinne Platt

Peggy Porter • Maureen Reese

Jeff Reynolds • Leonard Roseman

Laura Ruiz • Dan Sadowsky

TC Schultz • Miriam & Gerry

Scully • Tom Seawell • Lindsay

Selin • Lisa Pike Sheehy • Ken

Sheldon • Mike Shimkonis • Rusty

Sowers • Erin Spillane • Jocelyn

Subberwal • Elaine Tholen

Steven Traub • Colleen Trout

Taunya van der Steen Mizel

Peter Vanicek • John & Jennifer

Vogel • Lori Volding • Erin Wallace

Stash Wislocki • Richard Young

IN MEMORIAM

TERI SAVELLI

LOUIE ERDMAN

JARMOND JOHNSON

PETER MUCKERMAN

JAY PREGENT

ROBERT REDFORD

JANE GOODALL

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Jon Jones, President

Michael Collins, Vice President

Bridgitt Evans, Treasurer

Megha Agrawal Sood, Secretary

Joanna Brown, At-large

Tamara Banks

Jordan Campbell

Nancy Donohue

Erik Fallenius

Juan D. Martinez-Pineda

Jason Merritt

Cheryl Strayed

Ruth Bender

Josh Bernstein

Maggie Doyne

JOYCE ALLRED

BALIN MILLER

PETE CLEVELAND

FILIPE “PIPPO”

ORDONEZ PABLO

BETTY REID SOSKIN

ROBERT “RUSTY”

BAILLIE

Conrad Anker

James Balog

Josh Bernstein

Arlene Burns

Jimmy Chin

Wade Davis

Skye Fitzgerald

Aaron Huey

HARMON BROWN

BEE REICHEL

TIERNEY THYS

TATIANA

SCHLOSSBERG

JIM WHITTAKER

LYN BALL WHITE

WILL STANHOPE

ADVISORY BOARD

Lynn Hill

Pico Iyer

Chris Jordan

Ben Knight

Ace Kvale

Frans Lanting

Maya Lin

Rebecca Martin

EMERITUS BOARD MEMBERS

Susan Dalton

Beth Gage

Mike Shimkonis

Rick Silverman

AMBASSADORS

Brendan Goetz

Shae LaPlace

Shane Matthews

Emily Nuchols

Louie Psihoyos

Tom Shadyac

Jeff Orlowski-Yang

Doug Peacock

Louie Psihoyos

Chris Rainier

Mandip Singh Soin

Chip Thomas

Beth Wald

HONORARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Dick & Susan

Saint James Ebersol

Tully & Elise Friedman

Teerlink Family

Lisa Pike Sheehy

Mandip Singh Soin

Felicia Wong

STAFF

STAFF

Sage Martin

Executive Director

Crystal Merrill Festival Director

Drew Ludwig

Tour Director

S tash Wislocki Technical Director

Lauren Howie Program Manager

Luke Kellerhouse Festival Producer

Vika Petrova Operations Manager

Natalie Wirsing Communications and Marketing Manager

Laura Hoover Development Manager, Festival Guest Coordinator

Bella Hines Tour Program

Manager

Paul Phillips Programming Coordinator

Robin Robinson Senior Programmer

MacKenzy Brewer Bookkeeper & Accountant

FESTIVAL MANAGERS

J. Meehan Fee Events Manager

April Bindock Operations Coordinator

Hayden Peck Volunteer Coordinator

Heather Sackett Content Manager

Tim “Stuntman” Territo Production Manager

Brady Richards Communications Manager

Dawn Katz

Hospitality Manager

Jessica Galbo

Hospitality Manager

Erica Doemland Hospitality Coordinator

Brigitte DePagter Kusuno

Hospitality Assistant

Evan Tueller

Hospitality Assistant

Shawn Peck

Hospitality Assistant

Gracey Ringstad

Kaitlyn James

Hospitality Assistant

Larkin Brodie

Hospitality Assistant

Greg Babush

Film Inspection & Media Manager

Ian Manson

Master Rigger

Kelli Fox

Lighting Manager

Karl K2 Mehrer

K2 Imaging

G ypsie Frank

Audio Technical Director

Sam Walker Technical Production Manager

Alex Ferrari

Gallery Manager

Mariah GroverEvents Coordinator

Tom Wardaszka Presentation

Manager

Camile Doherty

Free Range Program Manager

Kelsey Brax Communications Coordinator

Bianca Darby

Mattedo

Doc Talk Guest Coordinator

PROGRAMMERS & ASSOCIATE PROGRAMMERS

Brenda Avila-Hanna

Nora Bernard

John Biaggi

Lindsey Campbell

Jenna Cichanski

Claudia García Curzio

Amy DeLuca

Zegan Doyle

Esme Fahnestock

Ernest House Jr.

Jane Julian

Julia Kipnis

Shae LaPlace

Essence London

Emily Long

Sarah Melendez

Tracy Rector

Colleen Thurston

Sean Volk

ADRENALINE PROGRAMMERS

Paul Phillips

Stash Wislocki

SCREENING COMMITTEE

Antonieta Bocxe

Cameron Brooks

Beth Gage

Sawyer Gieseke

Jeff Hauser

Sarah Hughen

Davene Kaplan

Ben Kerr

Jen Knopp

Hannah Knudsen

Judy Kohin

Hilary Lewkowitz

Max Owens

Hayden Peck

Mark Plantz

Lane Scarberry

Nadia Steinbrecher

Lexi Tuddenham

Mayrah Udvardi

Daniela Weinreich

Jim Womeldorf

Ellen Yarrell

WEBSITE & PROGRAM WRITERS

Heather Sackett

Sabrina Davis

Natalie Reiter

Brooke Warren

COPY EDITORS

Susan Entsminger

Hallie Geise

MEDIA

Tor Anderson

Program Design

Eventive Online Platform & App Development

Sawyer Gieseke

Reel Editor

Robert Hope

Videographer

Max Romey

Poster Design

Emma Troy

Signage

Coordinator

VentureWeb

Web Design & Development

INTRO EDITORS

Jordan Fatke

Bella Hines

Lauren Howie

Luke Kellerhouse

Carly Latcham

STUDENT INTRO EDITOR

Lily McDonald

SPONSOR REEL EDITOR

Dallas Lillich

TECHNICAL PRODUCTION

Cassy Babb

DJ Babb

Mike Babb

Andrew Dougherty

Kelli Fox

Sammy Frank

Wanashe Frank

EVENT AUDIO

Colin Casanova

Vicki Phelps

Dean Rolley

PROJECTIONISTS

Travis Bird

Chris Bredenberg

Michael Edwards

Alex Fountain

Kirk Futrell

Peter Halter

Matt Jones

Talia Kopecki

May Schaefer

Jeremy Spracklen

Brandon Theige

Kelly Youngstrom

RIGGING

Erik Viking Cooper

Rhee Synder

Scott Upshur

THEATER MANAGERS

Ron Borrego

Erin Cain

Casey Cornelius

Paige Duffy

Susan Ensor

Takeo Hiromitsu

Ben Kerr

Michael Kirby

Ben Marshall

Sandy McLaughlin

Mitchell “Mishke”

Pritchard

John Rosenberg

Josie Strick

Emma Troy

Caitlin Van Buskirk

Ellie Vargas

Daniela Weinreich

STAGE MANAGERS

Peter D’Jay

Erika “EK” Kae

Quillen Kimleigh

Elena Levin

Wyatt O’Brien

Rowen Warren

BOX OFFICE

COORDINATORS

Steve Buchanan

Hugh Finnerty

Caleigh Gearheart

Gavin Wiesen

Emilia Whitmer

PRODUCTION

ASSISTANTS

Camilla Choa

Samuel Sebree

EMCEES & MODERATORS

Seth Berg

Ashley Boling

Julia Caulfield

Ernest House Jr.

Lindsey Campbell

Laura Colbert

Jason Corzine

Catherine Cypher

Jessica Galbo

Christopher Gebhardt

Art Goodtimes

Matt Hoisch

Max Holmes

Vickie Hormuth

Jedidiah Jenkins

Jennifer Nyman Julia

Beth Kelly

Cameron Kelly

Elena Levin

Jason Merritt

Kristen Milord

Cristina Mittermeier

Tashi Rabgey

Jacob Reuter

Dani Reyes-Acosta

Ed Roberson

Robin Robinson

Megha Agrawal Sood

Jon Tukman

Sean Volk

Lance Waring

Langstyn Williams

Stash Wislocki

FESTIVAL HOSTS

Betsy Rowbottom

Candice Good

Claudia García Curzio

Gus Guscoria

Hallie Geise

Hayley Nenadal

Hope Logan

Jane Julian

Kris Kwasniewski

FESTIVAL

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Rhianon Brown

Ben Eng

Lauren Hartmann

Hallie Kohler

Margarita De Pagter

Melissa Plantz

Sarah Schwab

MOUNTAINFILM

HOUSE BAND

Douglas Chard

John Fitzgerald

Heather Flaker

Patrick Hiester

LIVE INTRO

PERFORMANCE

Lily Akers

Anneke Dean

Brendan Forrest

Annie Foxen

SPECIAL EVENT STAFF

Dennis Green

Hospitality Assistant

Chase Dyer

Andrea Estevam

Jeremy Knickerbocker

Tree Priest

Rory Cowie

Sasha Cuccinello

Claudia García Curzio

2026 FESTIVAL

AWARD ARTIST

R. Nelson Parrish

Abigail Zamora

Adar Higgs

Adele Spencer

Alexandra Howser

Alexis Delisle

Alexis Rhyner

Allison Elliot

Allison McGrath

Allyson Goto

Amanda Galloway

Andrea (Drea) Araiza

Andreas Peschke

Angela Dye

Angela Pomponio

Angelina Shenandoah

Ann A Mason

Anneke Padmos

Audrey Gregg

Averie Ogden

Bailey Nuutinen

Balloch Schneider

Belle De Castro

Benjamin Utz

Brad Donaldson

Brooks Upham

Caitlyn Borosak

Callie Mejia

Camilla Szabo

Candice DuPont

Chance Leuphold

Charlene Hovey

Clifford Pastor

Colleen A. Trout

Dana Egleston

Dana Smith

Dani Wise Johnson

Daniel Luksa

Danielle Nguyen

Danny Gonzales

David Long

Debbie Bousquet

Dorothy Cooper

Dorothy Norbie

Doug Ford

Edie McRoberts

Eileen Barrett

Elika Dadsetan

Elizabeth Clark

Emily Nguyen

Eric Black

Erin Leosz

Felicity Shallan

Finnegan Schneider

Forest Fene

Franky Hanen

Gloria Miller

Greta Danelutti

Guru kumara

Hannah Ledesma

Heather Pollard

Heidi Ridlon

India Hilburn

Isabelle Szabo

Isaiah Galante

Jack Gardner

Jack Hagenbuch

Jalen Smith

James Van Hooser

Jeff Fox

Jennifer Aldeguer

Jennifer Margoles

Jennifer Nahas

Jennifer Ream

Jessica Grand

Jessica Raines

Jim Gribin

Jina Every-Clayton

John Paul Graham

John Verbeck

Jonathan Moore

Jordan Perrotti

Joseph Czajka

Judi Mandl

Jula Cieciuch

Julie Edwards

Julie Evans

Justin Blair

Kaedyn Mingle

Kara Skowlund

Karen Brown

Kate Charbonneau

Kate LapidesBlack

Katharine Hobart

Katherine Dennen

Kathryn Vajda

Katie Pharo

KayDence Low Dog

Kayja Mann

Keith Nichols

Kerri Vise

Kim Clary

Kristen Nostrand

Kristen Plonsky

Kristin Bergman

Kristin Davis

Laura Ruiz

Laurel Robinson

Leslie Fox

Leslie Stephens

Lexie Gardner

Lillian Potts

Linnea Dobay

Liza Cooney

Lorenzo Lopez

Maggie Duval

Marielle Scott

Marion Morrissey

Mary Adkisson

Matt Cinelli

Michael Bauman

Michael Fraenkel

Michael Waters

Mike Dion

Misty Lahti

Molly Nance

Molly Reese

Moss Stahl

Nancy Haecker

Pablo Mireles

pattie adler

Patty McIntosh

Paul Reich

Paul Villa

Peter Walker

Pollyanna Macchiano

Purva Shivaguru

Robert Mather

Rose LeCompte

Rosemary Dupray

Rozlyn Wilder

Rube Felicelli

Ruby Linkhart

Ryan Barton

Samantha Sanchez

Sara Bruya

Sara Murphy

Sarah Stogner

Shelagh Beckman

Shiva Saalai

Sonja Allen

Sophia KusumotoPuryear

Soraya Padilla

Sriya

Bhattacharyya

Susan Fox

Suzanne Carlson

Tanya Shenk

Tava Kessler

Thea Dieter

Thomas Fox

Thomas Melina Raab

Timothy McGovern

Tony Senatore

Trey Brown

Uschi Hall

Valerie Child

Virginia Johnson

Virginia Olson

Wade Davis

BEN ENG

TELLURIDE VENUES

Madeline Hotel, Mountain Lodge and High Camp are located in Mountain Village

MOUNTAIN VILLAGE VENUES