Attending a film festival is really fun for me as a big film nerd. Sure, the big ones are a blast because you could be watching next year’s biggest films before any of your friends, but sometimes a small festival can be fun too — You can see films that you might otherwise never have  a chance to see. And, obviously, Colorado is becoming a hotbed for film festivals, as evidenced by the recent announcement that the Sundance Film Festival, arguably the most prestigious film fest in the country, will be moving to Boulder, Colorado.

“Boulder is an art town, tech town, mountain town, and college town,” said the Sundance Institute’s acting CEO, Amanda Kelso, in a press release about the festival’s decision to relocate to Boulder. “It is a place where the Festival can build and flourish.”

Colorado governor Jared Polis echoed those sentiments in boasting about the city — and, by extension, Colorado as a whole — being a perfect fit for the festival, saying, “Here in our state we celebrate the arts and film industry as a key economic driver, job creator, and important contributor to our thriving culture.”

Still, it won’t be until 2027 that we’ll see Sundance take root in its new Colorado home. But there are still other great festivals that see Colorado and its surrounding states as the perfect home for a film fest. In that spirit, we put together a chronological guide of all the great film festivals taking place throughout the coming summer in Colorado and surrounding states. However, since we all know Colorado gets warm weather from late May through mid-October, we extended our definition of what constitutes a “summer” festival a little beyond the official start and end of the season. Below is our collection of 25 film festivals in Colorado and beyond, with a little bit about what makes each one special. Take a road trip to experience one of them for yourself, or pop in to one of the festivals that just happens to take place in your own backyard.

Mountainfilm, Telluride, CO, May 22-26

While it may not be the festival that Telluride is renowned for, the Mountainfilm documentary film festival has been highlighting outstanding documentaries since 1979. Plus, as of this year, Mountainfilm is a qualifying festival for the Academy Awards’ short film category, making it an important destination if you really value the brilliance of the documentary art form.

Women+Film Festival, Denver, CO, May 30 – June 1

Put on by Denver Film — the same organization behind the Denver Film Festival — the Women+Film Festival is one of their smaller, themed, offshoot festivals focusing on films by and about women. This year they’ll be giving the Barbara Bridges Inspiration Award to Julia Stiles for her directorial debut, “Wish You Were Here.”

deadCenter Film Festival, Oklahoma City, OK, June 11-15

Boasting the title of being the largest and only Oscar-qualifying festival in Oklahoma, deadCenter is one the best festivals to see if you’re looking to take a road trip to neighboring Oklahoma. Of particular interest is the fact that, in addition to the typical prize categories like Best Narrative Feature and Best Documentary Short, they have special awards like Best Pride Feature, Best Indigenous Feature, and Best High School Short.

Arizona Short Film Festival, Tucson, AZ, June TBA

If you happen to be traveling to Tucson, Arizona in June, you might just be able to catch the Arizona Short Film Festival which prides itself on screening the best shorts from around the world one night at The Screening Room. This year’s date hasn’t been announced, but having taken place on June 18 last year, it seems safe to expect an announcement soon.

Ouray International Film Festival, Ouray, CO, June 19-22

Though it often feels like summer starts sometime in May, the first official day of summer is June 20th, and what better way to celebrate the official start of the season than watching movies in the beautiful mountain community of Ouray, Colorado which is known for its pristine mountain views?

ABQ Indie Film Festival, Albuquerque, NM, June 19th

What makes an indie film “indie” enough for the ABQ Indie Film Festival? Apparently, the festival defines indie as “a state of mind,” and one that seems almost endangered today. The festival seeks to “re-create a nostalgic space for that state of mind.” Its Instagram says that the 2025 edition of the festival is in the works, so expect it to take place somewhere around June 20, which is when it was held last year.

Doc Sunback Film Festival, Mulvane, KS, June 27-28

This smaller festival in the unassuming town of Mulvane, Kansas is named after a beloved veterinarian born in that town in 1879 who, over a century later, is still warmly remembered by the locals. Priding itself on covering all genres of independent film, this is a small festival with a big heart.

Fear No Film Festival (Part of Utah Arts Festival), Salt Lake City, UT, June 28-30

Fear No Film is part of the larger Utah Arts Festival in Salt Lake City, Utah. So, while it’s a small, short-film festival, there’s still plenty more to do if you decide to make the trek out to SLC. Fear No Film is one of the festival’s no-ticket-required events too, so tie it into a larger experience at the arts festival.

Wyoming International Film Festival, Cheyenne, WY, July 9-13

Not only is the Wyoming International Film Festival one of the biggest and best festivals in the region featuring films from all over the world, it also features the added bonus of a 48 Hour Film Festival in which filmmakers have to shoot, edit, and turn in a completed film within 48 hours, with the films being screened on the last day of the festival. It’s always a fun experience to see what creatives can pull off in such a short amount of time.

Circle Cinema Film Festival, Tulsa, OK, July 11-14

This Oklahoma film festival stands out from the crowd in that they show a unique commitment to local filmmaking by only allowing films made in Oklahoma. It makes the festival a great platform for filmmakers who eschew the traditional Hollywood route to stardom in favor of building a local film industry.

Prescott Film Festival, Prescott, Arizona, July 16-20

The Prescott Film Festival in Prescott, Arizona is a small but quirky little festival on and around the Prescott campus of Yavapai College. There are five days of films and workshops and even a sing-along to “The Wizard of Oz,” which is a favorite of festival-goers.

CinemaQ Film Festival, Denver, CO, August 8-10

A personal favorite, this small festival, also from Denver Film, focuses on films by and about the LGBTQ+ community. In recent years, opening night films have given festival-goers early opportunities to see movies like “Bottoms” and “My Old Ass,” which went on to become big, queer cult flicks.

Mesa International Film Festival, Mesa, AZ, August 20-24

Billing itself as Arizona’s premiere film festival, the Mesa International Film Festival not only offers an opportunity to watch great films every year, but it also offers great opportunities to learn from filmmakers through workshops and one-on-one mentoring sessions.

Telluride Film Festival, Telluride, CO, August 28-September 1

Easily the biggest festival on our list, Jeffrey Ruoff of HuffPost wrote in 2015, “Early buzz at Telluride opens the fall season of North American award speculation that climaxes with the Oscars.” The 2024 lineup included several films that were nominated for Oscars, including the brilliant comedy and Best Picture winner “Anora.”

307 International Film Festival, Laramie, WY, August 30-31

The 307 International Film Festival, as its name suggests, has films from all over the world, but the festival gives back to its local filmmaking community by having specific categories amongst its Jackalope Awards for Best Wyoming Film and Best Wyoming Documentary for films by Wyoming filmmakers that capture the spirit of the state.

Arizona Underground Film Festival, Tucson, AZ, September TBA

Focusing on filmmakers with “defiantly independent visions,” the Arizona Underground Film Festival prides itself on bringing the best of genre cult films to the state. With award categories including Horror, Experimental, and even Exploitation, it really honors genres that are not always highlighted in bigger festivals.

Breck Film Festival, Breckenridge, CO, September TBA

Started in 1981 as the Breckenridge Festival of Film, the festival morphed in 2020 into a year-round nonprofit that even purchased the local art house, The Eclipse Theater. Still, the Breck Film Festival remains the focal point as it approaches its 45th anniversary in 2026.

Aspen Filmfest, Aspen, CO, September TBA

Back in 1979, founder Ellen Kohner Hunt passed a note to a friend at an Aspen Arts Council meeting saying, “How about having a film festival?” Since then, Aspen Filmfest has become one of Colorado’s biggest festivals, celebrating its 45th anniversary in 2024. Last year’s lineup included Oscar-nominated films like “A Real Pain,” “Memoirs of a Snail,” and “The Wild Robot.

918 Film Fest Tulsa Shorts, Tulsa, OK, September 18

Moving from the big name festivals to one of the smaller, more local festivals on the list, the 918 Film Fest in Tulsa offers up eight of the best short films from Oklahoma filmmakers in one night. If you happen to be in Tulsa, this is a great way to celebrate the end of summer.

Crested Butte Film Festival, Crested Butte, CO, September 24-28

At this point in our list, we’re technically getting into the first few days of fall. But it’s a great opportunity to celebrate the passing of the seasons with a festival in beautiful Crested Butte, Colorado. Not only is the festival full of great films, but there’s the added bonus of the amazing scenery and fall foliage.

Albuquerque Film + Music Experience, Albuquerque, NM, September 24-28

The Albuquerque Film + Music Experience festival is another great way to celebrate the passage from summer into fall with its celebration of the dual art forms of film and music. In addition to showcasing great films, the festival also gives a platform to independent music artists with a particular focus on local musicians.

Flatwater Film Festival, Seward, NE, September 26-28

The Flatwater Film Festival in Seward, Nebraska prides itself on creating a non-competitive space specifically for Nebraska filmmakers to showcase their work. Plus, this film festival has its own 48-Hour Film Challenge (last year’s challenge included a required prop — a slice of toast — and required dialogue — “Why is that wet”), which is always a good time.

Peoria Film Fest, Peoria, AZ, October TBA

The Peoria Film Fest in Peoria, Arizona is put together by the same people who put together the Phoenix Film Festival. In 2024, the Peoria Film Fest took on a new focus: family-friendly films. The schedule hasn’t been announced yet for 2025, but assuming it keeps the same family-friendly focus for this year, it would make for a great family road trip.

Telluride Horror Show, Telluride, CO, October 10-12

Who doesn’t love a good scary movie? Featuring films that range from smart, psychological thrillers to campy horror romps, the Telluride Horror Show is known for being one of the best specialized festivals around.

Rocky Mountain Women’s Film Festival, Colorado Springs, CO, October 17-19

Closing out our list is a great specialized festival that, like Denver’s Women+Film Festival, focuses on the importance of women in film. Held on the campus of Colorado College in Colorado Springs, the festival was sparked by an idea from founders Donna Guthrie and Jere Martin on a car ride back from the Telluride Film Festival in 1987.

If one were to make it to every festival on our list over the coming months, well that would make for an epic summer adventure. But more realistically, maybe you’ll want to take a day trip to one of these festivals and catch some films you wouldn’t otherwise find at your local Cineplex. If you do, I hope it makes your summer months a little sweeter and gives you an experience you’ll never forget.

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The post 25 Summer Film Festivals in Colorado and Beyond appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

The home of the Rocky Mountains might not necessarily seem like the place where homage would be paid to this particular form of entertainment. However, Colorado has served lovers of this particular niche for years and today hosts more than 30 film festivals every year. Whether you’re a fan of action, suspense, romance, gore or just the plain absurd, the abundance of film festivals each year offers something unique for those looking to indulge in the summer festival season.

Boulder County’s Lyons International Film Festival, in its third year, kicks off the summer festival season the weekend of June 9-11. This down-home, cozy festival in a spectacular small town setting, “Celebrates Colorado Craft Cinema,” showcasing two Longmont and four Boulder-based filmmakers, in addition to talent from Denver, Greeley, Cortez and elsewhere. But it’s about more than local film, according to festival producer and film curator Jill Brooke, it’s about local community – reflecting the culture and needs of the Lyons audience.   

“If you’re in Lyons, you will see that it isn’t just a community of music lovers and trailblazers and renegades – but there are also lots of families and seniors, so we want to have programming which appeals to folks there in the community,” Brooke said.

With its “Join the Trailblazers” theme, outdoor adventure film lovers won’t be disappointed. But there is truly something for the proverbial everyone, including programs for families and seniors, films on the environment, on cannabis, varied shorts programs, and Saturday evening’s event – dinner and dancing under the stars and a screening of Nathan East: For the Record, a music documentary by Emmy award-winning, Grammy-nominated director Chris Gero.

“In music circles, East is known as the best living bass player in the world. I personally just love that film, he himself, the man, is such a dynamic, warm, wonderful person, and I just think it’s just a film that not many people have seen,” Brooke said.

Lyons International
Film Festival isn’t just about film; it showcases the music and
culture of Lyons
Photos courtesy of Lyons International Film Festival

June’s film riches continue with the Intendence Film Festival, June 23-24, at the Open Media Foundation in Denver’s Santa Fe Art District. According to the website, the festival is an “Annual community-focused international film experience.” The festival highlights local filmmaking while also showcasing top talent from other states and several foreign countries. An awards ceremony at a local restaurant concludes the festival on Sunday the 25th.

Series Fest, an award-winning, independent, international episodic pilots festival from June 27 to July 2, at the Denver Film Society’s Sie Film Center, wraps up the month on a rather unusual note. These are pilots for “episodic storytelling”– a newfangled name for what was once called a network or cable television series, or mini-series. Now these types of shows are available across an increasing number of platforms, including Netflix, Amazon, and others.

Series Fest features a range of content from reality TV to fiction, docudrama, digital shorts and more, everything from a CNN “The Nineties” pilot, to independent producers showcasing homemade creations, hoping to hit the big time.

“It is a full spectrum of what’s out there in episodic storytelling,” Britta Erickson, Denver Film Society festival director said. “Some of the independent pilots have gone on to full production. Having a format where they can connect with distributors is a really big deal.”

Hosting Series Fest in the metro area is also a big deal. With opening night at Red Rocks and five full days of competitions, panels, sneak previews and more, Series Fest is uniquely Denver (the birthplace of cable television). It is a one-of-a-kind festival not to be missed.

Denver Film Society also presents the CinemaQ Film Festival, July 20-23 at Sie Film Center, a mini-fest in its ninth year, and the famed Film on the Rocks, at Red Rocks amphitheater in Morrison.

“CinemaQ is just a real celebration of the LGBTQ community. It’s a nice way to have the community come together and watch some great film,” Erickson said. The program is currently being finalized.

Photo courtesy of the Denver Film Society

Film on the Rocks features ten events from May 15 to September 11. For a $15 ticket, you get a local comedian, a live concert, and the feature film – not a bad deal.

“It’s the 18th season, Film on the Rocks does sell out – people are surprised because it’s such a large venue. Buy tickets early, at least a week in advance,” Erickson advised.

Buying early is good advice for all festivals. While Film on the Rocks doesn’t offer passes, most festivals do, and they’re cost-effective options.

Heading to the high country in the fall, there’s the Telluride (September 1-4) and Crested Butte (September 28- October 1) film festivals to look forward to.

Road trip anyone?

The post Independent Film Festivals & Red Rocks Viewing Parties Lead the Way in Summer Colorado Cinema. appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.