The Boulder International Film Festival (BIFF) unveiled its 2019 program lineup of 55 films, including six films straight from this year’s Sundance Film Festival, and six music documentaries, two of which will be the feature films on Opening and Closing nights.
Actor and director Emilio Estevez will make a special appearance at the 2019 Boulder International Film Festival (BIFF) for a screening of his film, The Public, and be presented the Festival’s prestigious Vanguard Award. In addition, Mr. Estevez will participate in a Q&A with Ron Bostwick following the screening on Saturday, March 2nd at the Boulder Theater.
Musician David Crosby will attend 2019 Boulder International Film Festival (BIFF) for the Opening Night Colorado premiere of his documentary film David Crosby: Remember My Name, directed by A.J. Eaton and produced by award-winning director Cameron Crowe; and coming to BIFF straight from Sundance.
Borg/McEnroe, starring Shia LaBeouf as John McEnroe and Sverrir Gudnason as Bjorn Borg will kick off the 2018 Boulder International Film Festival. The 14th edition of the festival runs February 22 through 25, 2018 and brings films, filmmakers and fans together from around the world to beautiful downtown Boulder for a four-day celebration of the fine art of filmmaking.
“We’re very excited to present this year’s opening night film Borg/McEnroe,” says Robin Beeck, Executive Director. “The film is electrifying and full of energy, and Shia LaBeouf and Sverrir Gudnason are superb as John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg. The film offers a fascinating look at the personalities of one of the greatest tennis rivalries of all time, and features a thrilling final. We’re proud to showcase this incredible film in Boulder!”
Borg/McEnroe received notable accolades as the Opening Night Film at the Toronto International Film Festival and was the People’s Choice Award Winner at the Rome Film Festival. The film tells the ‘true’ story of the epic rivalry between Swedish tennis legend Björn Borg and his greatest adversary, the brash American John McEnroe. At the 1980 Wimbledon Championships, both men bring their immense talents – and inner demons – to the court as they finally face off in one of the most suspenseful events in tennis history. As the fierce matchup between these legends in tennis is finally settled on the court, Borg/McEnroe recounts the thrilling game that had the world at the edge of its seat.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdIGOV9IR5k
Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World[/caption]
The 13th Boulder International Film Festival (BIFF) announced its program, which includes 58 films from around the world and three Sundance Film Festival award-winning films. This year, the festival will screen four films nominated for a 2017 Oscar. The Festival takes place from March 2-5, 2017.
“We are so excited about this year’s program,” said Robin Beeck, Festival Executive Director. “This is a stellar lineup with award-winning films from the world’s greatest directors and from fresh, new filmmakers just hitting the scene. We’re thrilled to be able to present a feast of the best films today.”
The festival kicks off on Thursday, March 2nd with an Opening Night Red Carpet Gala and screening of Their Finest, a rousing romantic comedy about a female screenwriter during World War II. The film stars Gemma Arterton, Sam Clatlin and Bill Nighy.
Fresh from winning the Audience Award: U.S. Documentary at Sundance 2017, the closing night film, Chasing Coral follows a team of divers, photographers and scientists on a thrilling ocean adventure to discover why coral reefs are vanishing around the world. Directed by Jeff Orlowski.
New this year is the VR Pavilion displaying Virtual Reality, an entirely new film language.
Film highlights include Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World, Maurizio Cattelan: Be Right Back and Dean.
Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World
Jimi Hendrix was proud of his Cherokee grandmother, and Mohawk guitarist Robbie Robertson (The Band) remembers being told in the ‘50s when he started out in rock ‘n’ roll: “Be proud you’re an Indian, but don’t tell anybody.” Rumble is about the role of Native Americans in popular music history, a missing chapter. Winner at Sundance 2017. Directed by Catherine Bainbridge.
Maurizio Cattelan: Be Right Back
Italian sculptor Maurizio Cattelan has become a superstar in the art world, with a major retrospective at the Guggenheim Museum. His sculptures—for example, an oversized Pinocchio floating face down in a pool—sell for millions of dollars. In this funny, mind-bending and visually beautiful film, Boulder director Maura Axelrod tries to find the “real” Cattelan, a task that is complicated by the fact that the artist is elusive, to say the least.
Dean
Writer/director/comedian Demetri Martin stars alongside Academy Award winner Kevin Kline in this comedic and heartfelt tale about a father and son coming to terms with love, loss and everything in between. Both father and son set out on their own paths, as unexpected circumstances and potential new love interests threaten to thwart all plans. A CBS Films release. Directed and written by Demetri Martin
THE WIND RISES
The 10th Boulder International Film Festival (BIFF), taking place in Boulder, Colorado from February 13 to 16, 2014, announced its film program lineup which includes six Oscar-nominated films. The festival kicks off on Thursday, February 13 with an Opening Night Red Carpet Gala and screening of the comedy FADING GIGOLO, directed, written by and starring John Turturro, co-starring Woody Allen, Sharon Stone, Sofia Vergara, Vanessa Paradis, and Liev Schreiber, at the Boulder Theater. The full festival program will be released and all festival tickets will go on sale Jan. 27.
Film highlights from the festival include:
THE WIND RISES
Oscar-nominated – Animated feature film
In THE WIND RISES, created by animation master Hayao Miyazaki, protagonist Jiro dreams of flying and designing beautiful airplanes. Jiro joins a major Japanese engineering company in 1927 and becomes one of the world’s most innovative and accomplished airplane designers.
The film chronicles much of his life, depicting key historical events of the time. The Wind Rises screens Sunday, Feb. 16 at 12 p.m. at the Boulder Theater.
THE CURRENT
Kurt Miller’s THE CURRENT, featuring Olympic gold-medal swimmer and Coloradan Missy Franklin, centers on adaptive water sports for athletes overcoming disabilities—such as surfing, scuba diving, free-diving and ocean kayaking alongside whales and dolphins in exotic locations. Each cast member shares inspirational stories of perseverance and an unwillingness to be held back by limitations. The Current screens Sunday, Feb. 16 at 3 p.m. at Boulder High School with a special appearance by the director and several of the film’s subjects, including Missy Franklin.
THE FACE OF LOVE
THE FACE OF LOVE
What if you lost the love of your life, and then, much later, saw that person again across a crowded room? In this sweet, sad, sexy romance, Nikki (Annette Bening) spots Tom (Ed Harris) at an art gallery. Tom looks exactly like her beloved husband Garret, who was killed in an accident five years ago. Ecstatic over the chance to live as if her husband had never died, Nikki stalks Tom, signs up for his art class and the two leap into a passionate love affair. But Tom has no clue that Nikki’s love is actually meant for somebody else, while Nikki’s guilt forces her to hide both Garret’s pictures from Tom, and hide Tom from her family and friends. With an outstanding supporting cast, including Robin Williams, this moving gem screens Saturday, Feb. 15 at 2:30 p.m. in Boulder Theater.
NO NO: A DOCKUMENTARY
NO NO: A DOCKUMENTARY
Direct to BIFF from Sundance, NO NO: A DOCKUMENTARY offers a look at the personal life of the only major league pitcher to throw a perfect game while tripping on LSD (that we know of). But when Dock Ellis put on his uniform, he was one of the most intimidating pitchers of the 1970s. This will be the first time his legend—and the story of the man behind it—will be told in a feature- length film. NO NO: A DOCKUMENTARY screens Friday, Feb. 14 at 9:15 p.m. at the Boulder Theater and Saturday, Feb. 15 at 2:30 p.m. at eTown Hall.
ELAINE STRITCH: SHOOT ME
ELAINE STRITCH: SHOOT ME
Elaine Stritch is a legendary star who first appeared on Broadway in 1948 and has dated JFK, Marlon Brando, Gig Young and Ben Gazzara. In this funny, ferocious, unforgettable film, Elaine Stritch is taking her show on the road one last time. Cast includes appearances by Alec Baldwin, Tina Fey and Nathan Lane, among others. ELAINE STRITCH: SHOOT ME screens Friday, Feb. 14 at 4:30 p.m. at the Boulder Theater.
THE MISSING PICTURE
THE MISSING PICTURE
Oscar-nominated – Foreign Language film
After the American military’s carpet-bombing of Cambodia during the Vietnam War helped foster the rise of the Khmer Rouge, Cambodia’s new leader Pol Pot rounded up the entire population of Cambodia’s capital and forced them into labor camps in the countryside. This included 11-year-old Rithy Pan and his family. Now an acclaimed film director, Rithy Pan struggled for years to find a way to tell his story through film as there are no pictures of this monumental horror. THE MISSING PICTURE screens Saturday, Feb. 15 at 2:30 p.m. at First Methodist Church.
The 10th Annual Boulder International Film Festival taking place February 13 to 16, 2014, will open with the comedy FADING GIGOLO, directed, written by and starring John Turturro, co-starring Woody Allen, Sharon Stone, Sofia Vergara, Vanessa Paradis and Liev Schreiber, on Feb. 13, 2014. Making its world premiere at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival, FADING GIGOLO follows a pressed for money, mild 50-ish florist named Fioravante (John Turturro) who becomes a male escort to get by. It turns out that Fioravante has an enormous talent for his new profession, until he falls hard for a potential client. This means big trouble for Murray the Pimp (Woody Allen), who is hauled into Hasidic Court.
http://youtu.be/gs-dHL1e7qA
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Monsieur Lazhar[/caption]
High Ground directed by Michael Brown won the People’s Choice Award at the 2012 Boulder International Film Festival. High Gound tells the story of 11 U.S. soldiers wounded in Iraq whose road to recovery takes them to one of the guardians of Everest—the 20,075-foot Himalayan peak known as Lobuche.
The Academy Award nominated film, Monsieur Lazhar, directed by Phillippe Faiardeau won the award for Best Feature. Everyone has had some tough days in grade school, but few have had to deal with finding their teacher’s body hanging from their classroom ceiling. This is the class that Bachir Lazhar, a recent immigrant, faces on his first day as a substitute teacher in Canada. Monsieur Lazhar was a civil servant and restaurant owner in Algeria, but he’s a fish out of water in Canada and his religion is suspect. Moreover, he has a tragic past in Algeria. But in this grief-stricken classroom, Lazhar shines—he sings, he dances, he answers students’ questions about suicide with honesty and humor.
Chasing Ice won the award for Best Adventure Film. Produced in Boulder by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Jerry Aronson (The Divided Trail) and Oscar-winning producer Paula DuPré Pesmen (The Cove), this breathtakingly beautiful film is one of the most anticipated documentaries of 2012. Famed National Geographic photographer James Balog deploys revolutionary time-lapse cameras throughout the Arctic to capture a multi-year record of the world’s changing glaciers. His electrifying videos compress years into seconds and capture ancient mountains of ice in motion as they disappear at a breathtaking—and rapidly accelerating—rate. Chasing Ice is a hair-raising adventure story as cinematographer and director Jeff Orlowski follows Balog and his team through brutal weather on three continents while Balog bravely documents the biggest story facing humanity.
And Wild Horse, Wild Ride directed by Alex Dawson and Greg Gricus won the Best Documentary award. This intimate film follows a handful of men and women trainers as they tame wild horses rounded up by the federal government to ready them for the Extreme Mustang Makeover Challenge.
2012 Boulder International Film Festival awards
PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD:
“High Ground”
BEST ADVENTURE FILM:
“Chasing Ice” directed by Jeff Orlowski
BEST FEATURE:
“Monsieur Lazhar” directed by Phillippe Faiardeau
BEST DOCUMENTARY:
“Wild Horse, Wild Ride” directed by Alex Dawson and Greg Gricus
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT:
“Incident in New Baghdad” directed by James Spione
BEST CALL 2 ACTION FILM:
“High Ground” directed by Michael Brown
BEST SHORT FILM:
“A Finger, Two Dots Then Me” directed by David and Daniel Holocheck
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Darling Companion[/caption]
The 8th Annual Boulder International Film Festival (BIFF) takes place in Boulder, Colo., Feb. 16-19, and kicks off Thursday, Feb. 16 at 6 p.m. with an Opening Night Red Carpet Gala and screening of Darling Companion, courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics, directed by Lawrence Kasdan. Darling Companion tells the story of the bond between a woman and her dog, who she loves more than her husband. Kasdan and producer Anthony Bregman will be in attendance for a Q&A session after the screening.
BIFF will also feature “A Conversation with William H. Macy” on Friday, Feb. 17, at 7:15 p.m. and the Closing Night Film and Awards Ceremony featuring the Colorado premiere of acclaimed new film Chasing Ice on Sunday, Feb. 19. Special guest Martin Sheen, critically acclaimed actor, will be honored with the “Master of Cinema Award” on the afternoon of Saturday, February 18.
Film highlights from the festival include:
“Chasing Ice”
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Chasing Ice[/caption]
Produced in Boulder by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Jerry Aronson and producer Paula DuPré Pesmen, this breathtakingly beautiful film follows famed National Geographic photographer James Balog as he deploys revolutionary time-lapse cameras throughout the Arctic to capture a multi-year record of the world’s changing glaciers.
“5 Broken Cameras”.
Soldiers fire into his video cameras and explode them with grenades, but it doesn’t stop Emad Burnat from documenting the courageous and chilling story of the Palestinian village of Bil’in—which famously chose nonviolent resistance against an often-brutal Israeli oppression.
“Salmon Fishing in the Yemen”
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Salmon Fishing in the Yemen[/caption]
From Lasse Hallström, the director of Chocolat and the Oscar-winning screenwriter of Slumdog Millionaire comes this inspirational comedy of a visionary sheik with a big dream—to bring salmon fishing to the desert. Starring Ewan McGregor, Emily Blunt and Kristin Scott Thomas.
The 7th Annual Boulder International Film Festival (BIFF), voted “one of the coolest film festivals in the world” by MovieMaker magazine, is already making headlines with a star-studded lineup of celebrity guests and today is rolling out its action-packed program. The Festival takes place in scenic Boulder, Colo., Feb. 17-20, and will bring films, filmmakers and international fans together for a four-day celebration of the fine art of filmmaking.