Report on the Breckenridge Festival of Film

What a jam-packed weekend the Breckenridge Festival of Film put on last weekend! My husband and I had a blast, going our separate ways and meeting for parties. We wanted to see different films, and he was a Film Liaison volunteer, so he had to introduce his filmmakers' films. I, on the other hand, was interested in meeting as many Short Drama filmmakers as possible, to let them know I was responsible for selecting their films (as Short Drama lead on the Program Committee) and to tell them how much I enjoyed their films.

The festival kicked off Thursday evening with three parties and a film: The Filmmaker Welcome Party at The Warming Hut, the VIP Party at the Riverwalk Center, the Opening Night Film, It's Not You, It's Me, and a late Opening Night Party at the River Mountain Lodge. The first photo below is me with Robb Woulfe, CEO of Cultural Arts of the town of Breckenridge, and his wife at the VIP Party. The second is of me with hubby and friends at the Opening Night Party.

Friday, I went to see the High School films in the afternoon and was pleasantly surprised by the creativity shown by these young filmmakers. After the late afternoon Industry Party at Montana's Cantina, I watched the Adventure Reel of high-energy, outdoor action sports and exploration films, headlined by Roraima -- Climbers of the Lost World, then went to the late night Official After Party at Cecilia's Martini Bar and Nightclub.

Saturday afternoon, I sat through all three Filmmaker Forum panels of 8-9 filmmakers each, then chatted with those I wanted to meet after each panel. Then I watched a full-length slapstick comedy film set in Turkey, Dugan Dernek. After a quick sandwich at The Crown Cafe, I watched the second half of the Adventure Reel selections at the Riverwalk Center, headlined by Higher, an extreme backcountry snowboarding movie. Then I attended the Blue Stag Saloon Party to "come down" from the adrenaline high produced by the Adventure Reel. The photo below shows my husband and me with Town Council member Erin Gigliello at the party.

I spent Sunday running from one overlapping film to another, starting with Flying the Feathered Edge, a documentary of aviation legend Bob Hoover's life. I left before the final minutes of this excellent film to catch a showing of BFFs, a full-length comedy about two women friends going to a couples retreat. Then I ran over to a showing of Life Itself, a documentary about film critic Roger Ebert. I missed the first half hour of the film, but the rest was wonderful!

Hubby and I had a quick dinner at Rita's, then we watched the Awards Ceremony followed by Una Vida, the Closing Night film. It is a drama about Alzheimer's disease that is set in New Orleans. Finally, we went to the Wrap Party at the Blue River Bistro. The photo below shows us with other partiers, including the Emma movie filmmaker, an enthusiastic young man who starred in his film and won our Best Actor award.

I can't wait for the 2015 Breck Film Fest!