It’s been a while since Sean and Scott Cross set out to create the Vail Film Festival in 2004. The vision these brothers had was to foster independent film through screenings, workshops, panel discussions, networking events and educational projects. And if you got a little powder skiing done in between the films, even better.
The Cross brothers host the Vail Film Festival under the Colorado Film Institute and 20 years later, the festival is going strong, even after a few years going virtual. The COVID pandemic caused the festival to have online screenings only in May of 2020 and the film festival continued to be online for the next two years.
“We are thrilled that this year’s festival, the 20th edition, will be staged in person, and we’re excited to bring so many talented filmmakers to Vail to experience everything Vail has to offer” said executive director Sean Cross in a press release.
The Vail Film Festival starts on Dec. 7 and runs through Dec. 10. This year the films will screen at the Cascade Theater near the Grand Hyatt Vail and at Chasing Rabbits at Solaris in Vail Village, which is the former CineBistro, which hosted Vail Film Festival film screenings previously.
This year’s Vail Film Festival will showcase innovative filmmakers who hold emerging and diverse perspectives.
“The festival has always been a platform to help discover new talent and we’re excited about the number of strong voices that we will showcase in this year’s lineup. I encourage everyone to see as many of the films as possible,” said festival director Corinne Hara in a press release.
In the past two decades, the Vail Film Festival has brought in a number of notable actors, writers, producers and directors from around the world. Past award recipients and special guests include Jane Seymour, Josh Lucas, Karen Allan, Olivia Wilde and more.
This year’s films from the documentary and feature film lineup include the world premiere of “Another Happy Day” directed by Nora Fiffer, starring Lauren Lapkus and Carrie Coon; “The Martini Shot” directed by Stephen Wallis starring Matthew Modine, John Cleese and Stuart Townsend; “All Happy Families” directed by Haroula Rose, starring Josh Radnor; “7000 Miles” directed by Amy Glazer, starring Wendie Malick; “Loren & Rose” directed by Russell Brown, starring Jacqueline Bisset; “Late Bloomers” directed by Lisa Steen, starring Karen Gillan and Kevin Nealon; “Golden Vanity” directed by Max Abram, starring Melora Hardin; the documentaries “Unconditional” directed by Richard Lui; “Las Abogadas: Attorneys on the Front Lines of the Migrant Crisis” directed by Victoria Bruce; “26.2 To Life: Inside the San Quentin Prison Marathon” directed by Christine Yoo.
Don’t miss the Hong Kong film showcase featuring “A Light Never Goes Out,” Hong Kong’s Official Selection for Best International Feature at the 96th Oscars; “I’m Living It” and “Pretty Heart.”
Former Vail resident and filmmaker Meredith Kirkman will be returning to the Vail Film Festival. The Battle Mountain High School graduate’s film, “Promise of the Butterfly” was featured at the 2019 Vail Film Festival. Kirkman has led HER Film Camp, where girls and non-confirming youth ages 12 to 18 have an opportunity to learn the art of storytelling through film production. HER Film Camp is a project of YouthPower 365 and is the educational arm of the Vail Valley Foundation.
“It’s so exciting to come back to the festival and showcase the work the youth are doing,” Kirkman said. “I think it’s important for youth to explore as many hobbies as they can because you never know which one is going to ignite them and lead them to future career paths.” Look for Kirkman’s students’ projects and other youth films on Dec. 10 from 1 to 3 p.m.
Below are the films for the 2023 Vail Film Festival:
Narrative Feature Films
- “7000 Miles” director Amy Glazer
- “A Light Never Goes Out” director Anastasia Tsang
- “All Happy Families” director Haroula Rose
- “Another Happy Day” director Nora Fiffer
- “Flourescent Beast” director Paul Osborne
- “Glitter + Doom” director Tom Gustafson
- “Glue Trap” director Justin Geldzahler
- “Golden Vanity” director Max Abram
- “Heightened” director Sara Friedman
- “I’m Livin’ It” director Wong Hing Fan
- “Jess Plus None” director Mandy Fabian
- “Late Bloomers” director Lisa Steen
- “Loren & Rose” director Russell Brown
- “Meeting You, Meeting Me” director Lina Suh
- “No Right Way” director Chelsea Bo
- “Pretty Heart” director Terry Ng Ka-wai
- “Shudderbugs” director Johanna Putnam
- “The Martini Shot” director Stephen Wallis
Documentary Feature Films
- “26.2 to Life: Inside the San Quentin Prison Marathon” directed by Christine Yoo
- “90 Minutes Later” director Cyndy Fujikawa
- “Black Uniform” director Robert Darwell
- “Chasing Chasing Amy” directed by Sav Rodgers
- “Dreama Team” directed by Chad Weber and Steve Vanderheide
- “Las Abogadas: Attorneys on the Front Lines of the Migrant Crisis” directed by Victoria Bruce
- “Susan Feniger. Forked” directed by Liz Lachman
- “Unconditional” directed by Richard Lui
Short Films
- “A Cleaning” directed by Hamilton O’Toole
- “A Cow in the Sky” directed by Darren Press, C. Fraser Press
- “All Choked Up” directed by Allison Volk
- “Autopilot” directed by Jennifer Zhang
- “Bag of Hats” directed by Jacob Sheppard
- “Carrying Capacity” directed by Ethan Goldwater
- “Champion” directed by Kim J.Y. Han
- “Dippy Club” directed by Jenelle Pearring
- “Fail First” directed by Desiree Jade Schippers
- “Florence in Customer Care” directed by Jordan Sommerlad, Cory Stonebrook
- “Give It To Me” directed by Courtney Hope Therond
- “Handwritten” directed by Jaime Sunwoo
- “Hide Your Crazy” directed by Austin Kase
- “Ideal Husband” directed by Amy Tompkins
- “Joe Barry Carroll” directed by Ethan Payne
- “Kim Jong, Alfaman and The Probe: A LeMons Race” directed by Yasmin Sanie-Hay
- “Kodoku / Until The End Of The Journey” directed by Yotaro Okada
- “Les Câlins Cheaps (Cheap Hugs)” directed by Sarah Baskin
- “Little Hurts” directed by Debra Solomon
- “Madhavi” directed by Jacintha Charles
- “Margot’s Off the Market” directed by Courtney Karwal
- “Please Ask for It” directed by Allison Waid
- “S.P.I.C.” directed by Heidi Miami Marshall
- “Sanctuary” directed by John Haley, Julia Szromba
- “Sara” directed by Jessica Hinkson
- “Stuck” directed by C. Fraser Press
- “[subtext]” directed by Erin Brown Thomas
- “Sunflower Field” directed by Polina Buchak
- “Suspicious Minds” directed by Imelda O’Reilly
- “The Day Of” directed by Umar Malik
- “The Karens” directed by Katie Goodman
- “The Life of Lester Wink” directed by Cassidy C Harrison
- “The Old Young Crow” directed by Liam LoPinto
- “The Only Girl in the Orchestra” directed by Molly O’Brien
- “The Perfect Boy” directed by Liz Waters
- “The Ruse” directed by Johanne Prégent
- “The Weight of Stillness” directed by Manuel Ojeda
- “Trundle and the Lost Borscht of Atlantis” directed by Laura Lee
- “Val (-e-ree)” directed by Samantha D Lavin
Student Films
- “Instant Noodle” directed by Michelle Sastraatmadja
- “Blue Hour,” Jorge Parra, Jr. directed by Meghan Truax
- “Talk to Your Fish” directed by Stella Fife
- “Printerhead” directed by Francis McIlvain
- “Le Tour” directed by Bryerly Long
- “Kates Day” directed by Rachel Suleymanov
- “In the Grey” directed by Alexandra Hensley
- “Daedelus” directed by Katrina Munis
Tickets are available for individual films up to 20 minutes before the screening. Festival passes offer access to film screenings, parties (depending on pass level) filmmaker panel discussions, post-film Q and A sessions, Opening and Closing Night Parties, Filmmaker receptions and more. For details and for information on volunteering for the event visit VailFilmFestival.com.