Some of the top film festivals in the world are located right here in Colorado. Keep current with the wide variety of film festivals that are continuously happening throughout our state. Come witness some of the best independent films that people will soon be talking about!
Pikes Peak docuFEST stands as an extraordinary homage to the art of storytelling through film. Our ultimate goal is to spark inspiration, foster positive change, and deliver enthralling entertainment.
Set in the picturesque city of Colorado Springs, CO, our highly anticipated second annual event in 2024 is poised to be even more sensational. This year, we are thrilled to introduce live music, networking opportunities, engaging discussion panels, local art, and an electrifying after party to the experience.
The Annual Colorado Short Circuit Film Festival has expanded to 3 Days and returns for an 8th consecutive year September 6th through 8th 2024!
We have over 100 films we will be showing and we are back at the Ivywild School Event Center in Colorado Springs, CO.
Are you a Colorado based Filmmaker? Then this is the Film Festival for you!
This is a Shorts ONLY Festival and is designed to promote and showcase COLORADO-Based Filmmakers.
Join us in the beautiful mountains of Ouray, Colorado, for an intimate cinematic getaway. Experience the magic of the big screen in the historic Wright Opera House as we showcase transformative films from the best independent filmmakers in the world or watch a movie under the stars outside in Fellin Park. Engage with fellow film enthusiasts, filmmakers, and industry professionals in lively discussions, Q&A sessions, and parties. Immerse yourself in the world of storytelling and gain insights into the art of filmmaking. When not watching movies, enjoy a scenic hike or soak in Ouray’s natural hot springs.
Don’t miss this opportunity to be part of an unforgettable event that celebrates the power of cinema. Mark your calendars and join us at the Ouray International Film Festival for an incredible experience, because movies & mountains can change your life.
The Front Range Film Festival celebrates Colorado’s independent filmmakers and filmmakers from abroad. We love the diverse crafts involved behind the scenes and recognize the struggle to create independent cinema.
Each year, the Denver Short Film Festival selects a mix of short films to be part of a live screening in February. The live event showcases between 25 and 40 shorts, helping to support careers working in the short format while also discovering new talent in filmmaking. Every type of filmmaking style is welcome: animation, documentary, narrative, and experimental stories are chosen to reflect the diversity and range of each year’s pool of submissions. The DSFF accepts content that is 20 minutes or under from any country.
The Colorado Environmental Film Festival (CEFF) is an exciting, inspiring, and energizing event that includes world-class environmental films with representatives from local and national organizations. CEFF will screen features, shorts, films by foreign and local filmmakers and films by young filmmakers and for youth.
True to the spirit of Colorado, this event is supported and attended by people who value the natural world and share a passion for the power and beauty of film.
Durango Film an independent film festival is committed to developing film literacy and to being a welcoming, intimate, and unique film organization that screens global, innovative, and diverse films that connect independent filmmakers, their artistic process, and their vision to the community. People who have attended past festivals find Durango, Colorado to be one of the best venues for film and fun. With the spring ski season in full swing during the festival dates, there is no shortage of activity for film goers.
Named one of the “25 Coolest Film Festivals” in the world, The Boulder International Film Festival will again bring films and filmmakers from around the world to a four-day celebration of the art of cinema, right in downtown Boulder, Colorado. BIFF is your ticket to fun and thought-provoking films, parties, forums, workshops, and red-carpet galas. Past Festivals have featured special guests such as James Franco, Oliver Stone, Maria Bello and Alec Baldwin, lively filmmaker Q&A’s, panels, symposiums, special VIP events and much more!
No Man’s Land Film Festival is an adventure film festival based out of the Rocky Mountains of Colorado that meets a need and desire to highlight and connect women, transgender men, and non-binary individuals in pursuit of the radical. We are a collaboration and celebration of humans who are deeply engaged in enhancing the feminine presence in the adventure arena. The goal of this festival is to connect like-minded individuals who are action-oriented, wish to support a shared vision of gender equality, have a desire to experience their passions and environments through a uniquely feminine lens, and above all, love adventure.
Once again back in person, emphasizing creating community around live screenings, but still offering virtual options to give audience members as many opportunities as possible to view our stellar lineup of Jewish cinema.
We are so excited to offer all of our excellent films in person this year. Over 30 films will be shown between the The Elaine Wolf Theatre and The Pluss Theatre between March 11 – 19. Following our in-person festival, the majority of our films will be available virtually between March 20 – 29!
Recognized as one of the premier short film festivals in the world, this Oscar®-qualifying festival embraces diverse sensibilities and subjects that capture the zeitgeist of today’s world. Filmmakers from around the globe attend Shortsfest each spring to share their work, speak with audiences, and attend panel discussions about the art of filmmaking. Following in the tradition of Shortsfest official selections going on to Oscar® success, Bear Story (Chile) won the Oscar® for Best animated Short Film in 2016, and We Can’t Live Without Cosmos (Russian Federation) and Shok (Republic of Kosovo/UK) were nominated.
The StoryMode Independent Short Film Awards is an annual film festival that celebrates the power of indie film nationwide. With so much film festival competition out there, our mission is to provide a place for indie filmmakers to showcase their work in an environment that is like no other. Combining live stage elements and exciting films, SISFA is an event that takes film festivals to a whole new level.
Here at SISFA, we don’t just watch film, we Celebrate it… because we know that films hold the power to INSPIRE.
When Denver’s Holiday and Santa Fe theaters closed in the late 1970s, Denver’s access to Spanish-language films on the big screen (aside from the occasional art house run) essentially vanished.
Sensing the need of a growing Spanish-speaking and bilingual community to see themselves on screen and to hear their stories told, Su Teatro started the Chicano Independent Filmmaker’s Festival in 1999.
Now, in it’s 25th year, the XicanIndie FilmFest has surpassed its original inception, reaching over 500 patrons annually. Although the festival still highlights the work of local and national Chicano independent filmmakers, the four-day event also includes Mexican classics and cutting edge new films from throughout Latin America.
Set in an idyllic Colorado town on your way into the Rocky mountains National Park just north of Denver and Boulder. The Lyons Film Festival will show case well know films and that of the independent film makers while hosting film maker panels so any of those die hard film makers or just those curious about this creative art can understand how such a task as creating a film from conception to screen is possible. This festival like the town is a close knit event, it will encompass the entire town and and the many hidden gems it has to offer. All of the venues are within walking distance of one another.
The Denver Silent Film Festival was established in September of 2010. The Denver Silent Film Festival presents a broad spectrum of silent film by programming a lively and thought-provoking mix of educational and entertaining films. American and foreign classics, as well as lesser-known rare and restored films will be presented.
The Denver Silent Film Festival is dedicated to celebrate and increase appreciation of worldwide silent film, both through its annual festival and year-round programming.
Launched in 1999, the festival will feature over 50 films created by filmmakers from around the world. The 3-day event will include workshops and private consultations with film producers, writers, musicians and others. Elizabeth English the festival’s founder and Executive Director explains “The vision of Moondance is to preserve and revitalize our intangible heritage and develop an intercultural dialogue through film. We recognized artists who encourage non-violent conflict resolution, environmental preservation and the advancement of women in the international film industry.”
We believe that the world is filled with individuals and communities practicing skillful actions that benefit others in kind and loving ways. As we turn our attention to the love and compassion that surround us, we can become inspired to nurture these qualities within ourselves. In the interest of welcoming our Latino community, we encourage Spanish language films (with English subtitles, please).
Mountainfilm takes place every Memorial Day weekend in Telluride, Colorado. Mountainfilm on Tour travels around Colorado the rest of the year, with another notable festival the last weekend of August in Aspen, Colorado, at the Wheeler Opera House called MountainSummit. Our mission: Mountainfilm is dedicated to educating and inspiring audiences about issues that matter, cultures worth exploring, environments worth preserving and conversations worth sustaining. Mountainfilm: The Festival Started in 1979, Mountainfilm in Telluride is one of America’s longest-running film festivals. Through the years, in and out of trends and fads, the festival has always been best described by one unchanging word: inspiring. Far more than any other adjective, that’s how festival audiences describe their experience. In addition to screening leading independent documentary films from around the world, the festival includes a full-day symposium on a critical contemporary issue, art and photography exhibits, early morning coffee talks, a book signing party, an ice cream social, student programs and a closing picnic/awards ceremony. Presentations and panels are scheduled throughout the Memorial Day weekend event with a wide diversity of special guests, ranging from artists to adventurers and academics to activists.
Each year, for one weekend, the Ouray International Film Festival invites filmmakers, cinema scholars, and audiences to the “Little Switzerland of America” in the heart of the Colorado Rockies.
It began at the Wright Opera House, a historic 19th century concert hall in the San Juans Mountains. Hollywood veteran Terry Kiser had just shot a pair of short films with filmmakers Jared LaCroix and Jacob Abell. Shooting in the San Juan range convinced the trio that Ouray was a place where leaders in cinema, film studies, and audiences could come together for a vibrant weekend of movies. The Wright Opera House is a film festival’s dream. The original wooden beams still frame the concert hall where we screen films in the shadow of snow-capped peaks. Come watch films, hear from filmmakers, and soak in Ouray’s natural hot springs.
The Indie Spirit Film Festival is an annual event for filmmakers and film lovers alike, with a superb program of feature films, shorts, in both narrative and documentary formats from around the world. The Indie Spirit Film Festival (ISFF) showcases the work of independent filmmakers amidst the mountainous backdrop of Colorado Springs, Colorado and is about filmmakers, audiences, and film professionals establishing a relationship and supporting independent film.
The festival has quickly become one of Colorado Springs’ largest film festivals, with numerous filmmakers and film fans attending screenings, Q&A sessions, filmmaker panels, parties and receptions.
The 48 Hour Film Project is a wild and sleepless weekend in which you and your team have a blast making a movie. All writing, shooting, editing and scoring must be completed in just 48 hours. The first night, you are assigned a character, a prop, a line of dialogue and a genre, that must be included in your movie. 48 hours later, you must submit your film. FACEBOOK Registration for the 48 Hour Film Project Denver is OPEN! Join the community of filmmakers that immerse in the event, make a 4-7 minute film and see it up on the big screen to cheering crowds.
Horsetooth Fest was founded with the intent to establish Northern Colorado as an international destination where progressive thought and action are celebrated through the art of filmmaking and other forms of creative expression.
The mission of Horsetooth Fest is to inspire and engender passionate artistic creations and positive changes to our way of life by providing an international platform to spread knowledge and creativity.
Each Labor Day weekend, the tiny mountain village of Telluride, Colorado triples in size. Swells of passionate film enthusiasts flood the town for four days of total cinematic immersion, embarking on a viewing odyssey, blissfully spending entire days in flickering dark rooms. With only an appreciation of celluloid to guide them, these devotees flock to the show, year after year. We take great pains to remain not a competition, but a celebration of the best in film — past, present and future — from all around the world. This is one weekend immersed in an unabashed carnival of film: viewing, breathing, eating, and talking cinema. This is The SHOW.
The Breckenridge Film Festival was established in 1981, making it one of the oldest film festivals in the country. Each spring a unique and varied array of independent films, premieres, receptions, educational programs and retrospectives honoring featured guests takes place high in the Colorado Rockies. The mission of the Breckenridge Film Festival is to enrich lives through the ideas and emotions inspired by the art of filmmaking. The Festival is also a means to celebrate independent filmmakers, enrich the cultural community of Summit County, Colorado, and provide a educational, creative and inspirational learning environment where participants can focus on their craft and interact intimately with guest filmmakers and mentors through a four-day annual film festival and throughout the year.
The Crested Butte Film Festival is a four-day celebration of international films that coincides with the turning of the aspen leaves. We’ll showcase award-winning shorts, documentaries, and narrative features in Gunnison and Crested Butte. The Crested Butte Film Festival is dedicated to providing an annual forum that celebrates the art of film and the power of storytelling. Our mission is to inspire and educate our audience through films and discussions that spark creativity, cultural awareness, and personal, social, and environmental change.
Aspen Film seeks to enlighten, enrich, educate, and entertain through film. Throughout its history Aspen Film has been creating unique and memorable experiences for both the serious cinephile and casual movie lover. With a reach that stretches through the Roaring Fork Valley, Aspen Film organizes a major movie event in every season, offers an extensive education program, and hosts numerous special presentations. Each year, some 30,000 people participate.
We are committed to original content. All of the more than 200 films we show annually are regional debuts, many of which might not otherwise be available to local audiences. We offer one-of-a-kind enrichment opportunities through our educational outreach. Appealing to youth and adults, 90 percent of these programs are offered at no charge. We host more than 100 film artists and other special guests every year. Additionally, we collaborate with organizations locally and nationally to put on quality film programs.
Original Thinkers is a new, highly curated festival that melds speakers, films, and performance into a powerful four day experience in Telluride. Each highly curated show features riveting speakers, unforgettable films, mind-expanding art and performance providing a multi-dimensional look at these individual big ideas. Offering its audience a unique perspective on some of the crucial issues of our time, Original Thinkers engages people on how to have a real and tangible impact.Our community of Original Thinkers assemble in Telluride and leave at the end of the weekend, changed and charged to make a real difference.
Set in the biggest city on the beautiful Western Slope of Colorado, the Grand Junction Film Festival is a celebration of filmmakers. The Grand Junction Film Festival is great for emerging and veteran filmmakers alike! Celebrating Colorado filmmakers of all genres, and innovative works from across the United States and internationally, Grand Junction Film Festival takes pride in offering an exciting experience through film and community.
The Telluride Horror Show is film festival held every October in world-famous Telluride, Colorado. For three days, film fans will experience the latest horror, fantasy, and sci-fi films in Telluride’s historic Sheridan Opera House and Nugget Theatre. The festival screens an average of 20 feature films and 30+ short films, and hosts special programs, guests, and events. If you love genre flicks then you don’t want to miss this fest.
The Rocky Mountain Women’s Film Festival, based in Colorado Springs CO, was founded in 1988. The Festival has an established and respected history of showcasing documentary, feature, short and animated films by women. The films are thought provoking, enriching, and encourage global awareness and personal growth.
The Dickens Horror Film Festival — Fear and Film on the Front Range. We bring you contemporary and classic horror film festival for one day and night in October.
Screenings all day and night at the historic and haunted Dickens Opera House. Along with films there will be speakers and workshops through-out the day illustrating the behind the scene process’s such as costume and make up design that effectively suspends our disbelief. This festival will scare the Dickens out of you!
Recognized as one of the nation’s premier film events, DFF is known for presenting Academy Award and Independent Spirit Award-winning films, along with hosting some of the world’s leading filmmakers, producers and actors. Since 1978, the DFS has worked to promote the medium as both an art form and a civic forum, developing a program that includes year-round screenings, community outreach projects and renowned special events. It is in fact the only nonprofit organization in Colorado dedicated to engaging both its members and the general public in a lifelong, life-altering relationship with and understanding of film and film culture.
The Nederland International Film Festival will focus on how the element of music is such an integral part of our films ultimate vision. Nederland and the Caribou Ranch recording Studio have a history where most of the greatest musicians of the past and present recorded in the 70’s from Michael Jackson to Billy Joel. We’re bringing back the history of music to our idyllic mountain town of Nederland with a focus on Film centered around music in any form it may take from music documentaries to music videos or if you feel music is an essential character to your film. We will also have a focus on 2 additional categories in the submission process to consider, New Media with a focus on Original Web Series Programming and finally synonymous with Nederland and its independent thinkers the subject of alternative cultures, life styles and pioneers and all the many ways that can manifest in film.
Paonia Film Festival is a biennial event hosted by Historic Paradise Theatre in Paonia Colorado. The Paonia Film Festival spotlights community, with an emphasis on small towns and the empowerment of storytellers. Whether gritty or glossy, we’re looking for nuanced stories from or about overlooked or unknown communities that revolve around themes of inclusivity, exclusivity, growth, and regression.
Through a celebration of classic and contemporary Western film, the Go West Film Festival explores social and environmental issues currently impacting the West, enhancing a deeper understanding of the nexus between Western myth and reality.
The Ridgway Independent Film Festival will once again bring an exciting selection of some of the best short films from around the world, and is open to all filmmakers working in all categories of film. Ridgway is a small rural town on Colorado’s Western Slope, located in a beautiful valley beneath the San Juan Mountains. The Ridgway Creative District has been a Colorado-certified creative district since 2013. Ridgway Chautauqua at the Sherbino is a 105-year old theater, run by the non-profit Ridgway Chautauqua Society. The Sherbino is known locally as “Ridgway’s Living Room”.
The Colorado Film Institute’s mission is to foster independent film through film screenings, panels, workshops, networking events, and educational projects. The Colorado Film Institute stages the Vail Film Festival on an annual basis in Vail, Colorado as the primary outlet for the Institute’s initiatives.