Crested Butte Film Festival

The 15th annual Crested Butte Film Festival runs September 24-28 bringing 80 films and 40 visiting filmmakers and actors to town. The full schedule is available at cbfilmfest.org (and see the ad on the next page). Here is a taste of some of the biggest events, some hidden gems and some of the most topical, important films.

Six events not to miss at the CB Film FestIVAL

The annual CBFF Bike Parade Thursday, September 25, 3 p.m. Second and Elk Avenues

Join us for this annual tradition: a musical, winding, fun-filled ride down the streets and alley of Crested Butte, this year celebrating 15 years of film festival. Townies, costumes and exuberance encouraged.

Crested Butte Film Festival Fundraiser Friday, September 26, 6-8 p.m. Center for the Arts 

Mingle with visiting filmmakers, talk over the wonderful films at the festival and say hello to Ed Zwick as CBFF offers great items in its Silent Auction and wheels out fabulous things to bid on. Tickets are $50 and are available at cbfilmfest.org

Reception for the CBFF film, The Power Of Small September 27, 6-8 p.m. Crested Butte Museum 

In T.C. Johnstone’s latest film, a diverse group of people are endowed with unexpected funds and tasked with a single mission: use that money to spread kindness. The film plays before the reception in the Colorado Film Showcase, September 27, 4 p.m., The Majestic Theatre.

Lost Wolves Of Yellowstone Saturday, September 27, 1:30 p.m. Center for the Arts 

Join us for this incredible film about Mollie Beattie and the first reintroduction of wolves at Yellowstone National Park, and stay for a special Q&A with Mollie’s husband, Rick Schwolsky, and perhaps, some other… very special guests.

“An Evening with Ed Zwick” September 27, 7:30 p.m. Center for the Arts

Crested Butte Film Festival gives its first ever Lifetime Achievement Award to Crested Butte resident Ed Zwick for his “Fortysomething Years in Hollywood.” Ed will speak about his filmmaking career and his experiences in Hollywood, and then host a free showing of his film, The Siege, and hold a Q&A afterward. 

Closing Night Films: 

Middletown and Don’t Let’s Go To The Dogs Tonight

Wrap up your festival experience with one of these two great films: the first about a rebellious group of high school kids and their teacher who sent them out with cameras to discover the world around them, and the second, based on the novel memoir of Alexandra Fuller about the transition of Rhodesia to Zimbabwe told through the eyes of a precocious, eight year-old girl.

Film programs to put on your CB Film Fest calendar

There is Another Way – The Palestinian/Israeli conflict (in its latest incarnation) has raged on for nearly two years and been responsible for the deaths of 65,000 human beings. Crested Butte Film Festival is committed to highlighting, and having conversations about, the most critical issues of our time. Please join us for one of the more balanced films on the conflict available, one that states, “this is not a Palestinian/Israeli problem, it’s a human problem.” Join festival director Michael Brody and human rights advocate, Devon Cone, for a talkback about the film afterward. 

Ukraine Under Fire – It’s been four years since Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine. Numerous films have been made on the subject, but never one by a Crested Butte Film Festival alumni and a Colorado filmmaker. Journalist Jordan Campbell and Ukrainian newspresenter, Olga Butko, embark on a series of interviews, chronicling resistance, war crimes, and acts of genocide. Jordan Campbell will introduce the film and speak at a Q&A afterwards. 

The Siege: “An Evening with Ed Zwick” – Ed Zwick has been part of the Crested Butte community for nearly forty years. During that time, when he was out of our beautiful valley, he was making films such as The Last Samurai, Blood Diamond, Love and Other Drugs and Legends of the Fall. At our 15th annual festival, it is a pleasure to highlight and award Ed Zwick’s incredible career and the films that are part of our lives. CBFF will present its first-ever Lifetime Achievement Award to Ed Zwick on September 27, 7:30 p.m. at The Center for the Arts. Following the award presentation and comments by Mr. Zwick, CBFF is proud to present the film Ed Zwick most wanted to show at this moment in time, The Siege, with a Q&A afterwards.

“Profiles In Courage” Documentary Shorts Program – We have never programmed such different films into one shorts program. The first, Who is Michael Jang? asks a question about an unknown, Chinese-American artist living in San Francisco. Michael Jang is Banksy, The Talking Heads and punk music all thrown together in one kind, unassuming, and prolific artist. The film is pure energy and after it, we will all know who Michael Jang is. The second film, Death by Numbers, is an Academy Award nominee that takes us into the life of Samantha “Sam” Fuentes, a prominent survivor of the 2018 Parkland High School shooting as she confronts her assailant in the courtroom and advocates for gun control in the beautiful, emotional, poetic journey toward empowerment.

Visiting Filmmakers Showcase – Filmmaking is an expensive endeavor. A short film can easily cost $50,000. These filmmakers raised the capital for these films then travelled out to Crested Butte, on their own dime, to present their films to you. CBFF wants to reward such spunk and artistry so we’ve given these filmmakers a second showing of their films. Please come meet them – the filmmakers of the future and those whose works we endeavor to show throughout our run at Crested Butte filmmaker. Feel free to introduce yourself to them, talk about their film, and buy them a coffee or a beer or a burger. They deserve it for the films they’ve made and their generosity in coming to Crested Butte.

Hidden gems at the CRESTED BUTTE Film Fest

Dahomey (Benin) and How to Build a Library (Kenya) – When do we ever get to see films by Africans, about Africans? CBFF is proud to present these postcolonial films that imagine a new future to our Crested Butte audience.

Slanted – A film CBFF loved coming out of SXSW, was scheduled to show, lost when the film found distribution, was fought for and won back (all in a day’s work) and now we’re delighted to show. A comedy drama about a young Chinese American girl who beholds an American prom and years later, undergoes an experimental ethnic modification surgery to become white and fit in at school. A must see.

The History of Sound – The latest film from Crested Butte-born, producer Sara Murphy, History played at both the Cannes and Telluride film festivals. It’s been called “a cinematic romance for the ages” and “it reminds us of the enduring nature of love and the power of song” and it’s by our favorite, Sara Murphy.

Middletown – For festival programmer Michael Brody, Middletown is the most complete, emotional, and satisfying documentary in its program. In it, high school kids, armed with VHS cameras and their teacher’s unwavering support, smell something afoul at the local town dump and follow the stink past city hall all the way through to the Mafia – and live to tell the story!

What Marielle Knows – A teenager gets slapped at school and with it, she gains telepathic powers, capable of hearing and peering into every aspect of her parents’ lives. Lies, insecurities and hypocrisies are soon exposed, and as the parents try to regain a sense of normalcy, they learn there’s no way to simply beat it out of her. A family love story for the surveillance age.

Two Women – It’s 2025, and Women’s Liberation and The Sexual Revolution hit Quebec hard. Florence and Violette are neighbors in a suburban apartment block. They’re also mothers grappling with unfulfilled expectations and societal pressures and the walls are crumbling in around them. They begin to reevaluate their priorities as wives and professionals (and have a whole lot of fun) after Florence engages in an extramarital affair and encourages Violette along. This Canadian sex comedy is remarkable for its full-bodied, high-octane focus on female desire. These girls just wanna have fun. Sex positive? Mais, oui!