Once again, the small but might Boulder Film Festival announced their impressive lineup of movies that have toured the festival circuit. From quirky narratives and captivating documentaries, the programmers know what makes their audience tick. Colorado cinephiles have a lot to look forward to when the 12th Annual Boulder International Film Festival runs from March 3-6, 2016. Some highlights to catch:
Opening and Closing Night
The Opening and Closing Night movies include fascinating non-fiction accounts about prominent cultural figures. Musician Sharon Jones in Miss Sharon Jones which played at the Toronto Film Festival opens BIFF and political thinker Norman Leer in Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You at this years Sundance closes the festival. Both earned strong recognition at those festivals so those will be more than worth checking out.
A Conversation with Bruce Dern
Fresh from his latest work in the Telluride shot Hateful Eight, Bruce Dern returns to Colorado to be honored with a Career Achievement award. The event takes place at the Boulder Theater on Friday, March 4th at 7PM. Individual tickets can be purchased on the website.
New locations! Broomfield and Longmont
BIFF isn’t the kind of film festival that embraces “the Boulder Bubble.” Broomfield and Longmont host satellite locations in a smart way to reach out to locals who may be intimated to make the journey out to Boulder. From inspiration true stories to timely documentaries, the programming seems to be a good fit for the towns hosting them.
Sundance Selections: From Park City to Boulder
Every year, Boulder Film Festival programs from the Sundance Film Festival. For 2016, 9 movies are directly from Sundance which include Low and Behold, Sonita, Under the Gun, Uncle Howard, and a Maya Angelou documentary among others. Boulder’s Film Festival is an ideal place for Colorado residents to check out movies from Sundance that premiere in the state. Last year’s best documentary Welcome to Leith played here making a stop between Sundance and SXSW.
Don’t Miss Viva!
For the same movie to play at a decent sized venue during the prime times of Friday and Saturday night is very significant. The crowd pleasing Viva deserves to be that movie. I caught it at the Telluride Film Festival and if that festival had an audience award either the Best Picture Oscar winner Spotlight or Viva would’ve won. Audiences adored both. Based on that comparison, don’t miss Viva at Boulder. It is your best bet that many might overlook.
For additional information about the 12th Annual Boulder Film Festival, please take a look at their website: http://biff1.com/
