This year, BIFF features the following celebrity appearances: music legend David Crosby will be in-person on opening night to talk about his hot new documentary, “David Crosby: Remember My Name;” Golden Globe-nominated actor, writer, director and producer Emilio Estevez will participate in a Q&A after the screening of his film, “The Public;” and Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Jakob Dylan will be in the house on closing night to talk about the critically acclaimed music film, “Echo In The Canyon.”
BIFF Expands to Fort Collins and Continues Augmented Reality
New in 2019, BIFF is taking a selection of its award-winning line up to Fort Collins after BIFF on March 8 and 9, and will highlight many films from the festival.
BIFF is one of the first film festivals to have an augmented reality-enabled printed program, created by Pat Mallek of Boulder’s Mighty Fudge Studios and Larry Miller from Edutainment Systems. Download the BIFF app, hold your smartphone over a film image in the program, and the film’s trailer comes to life.
Opening Night Red Carpet Gala
The Festival kicks off on Thursday, Feb. 28 at 5:00 pm with an Opening Night Red Carpet Gala at the Hotel Boulderado and Rembrandt Yard, followed by the Colorado premiere screening of “David Crosby: Remember My Name.” Produced by award-winning director Cameron Crowe and coming to BIFF straight from Sundance, this documentary provides a revealing and deeply personal look into the life and creative renaissance of music icon David Crosby. Also in attendance will be the film’s director A.J. Eaton and executive producer Jill Mazursky. Film starts at the Boulder Theater at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $95 and available at biff1.com.
Red Carpet Special Appearance by Emilio Estevez
Golden Globe-nominated actor and director Emilio Estevez will make a special appearance at the screening of his new film, “The Public,” at BIFF’s Red Carpet Event on Saturday, March 2, at 7:45 p.m. at the Boulder Theater. Estevez will be presented the Festival’s prestigious Vanguard Award. In addition, Estevez will participate in a Q&A with Ron Bostwick following the screening. “The Public” is an insightful and uplifting film that tackles some of our nation’s most challenging issues, and sets the dramedy inside one of the last bastions of democracy-in-action: the public library. Tickets are $35 at biff1.com.
Closing night awards and film
The festival weekend concludes with a screening and in-personappearance of Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Jakob Dylan who will talk about his acclaimed rock ‘n’ roll tribute film “Echo In The Canyon.” This special screening, directed by music-industry veteran Andrew Slater, features the sounds of L.A.’s famous Laurel Canyon music scene in the ’60s — including music from The Byrds, The Beach Boys, Buffalo Springfield, The Mamas & The Papas and more.
Program highlights:
The Biggest Little Farm
Friday, March 1, 10:00 a.m., Boulder Theater
USA, Feature Documentary, 2018, 91 min.
A young urban couple gets booted from their L.A. apartment and buys a run-down 200-acre farm that will not even grow weeds. They consult a Zen-farming expert who suggests a fantasy-utopian farm. When the farm’s ecosystem finally begins to reawaken, so does the couple’s hope. As their plan to create perfect harmony takes a series of wild turns, they realize that to survive they must reach a far greater understanding of the wisdom of nature, and of life itself. Directed by John Chester.
The Hummingbird Project
Friday, March 1, 7:45 p.m., Boulder Theater
USA, Feature Film, 2018, 111 min.
New York cousins Vincent (Jesse Eisenberg) and Anton (Alexander Skarsgard) are players in the high-stakes game of high-frequency trading. Vincent the hustler and Anton the brains push each other and everyone around them in their quest to attain the ultimate American Dream, and clash with their rapacious former boss, Eva Torres (Salma Hayek). Racing against time, the cousins move mountains to get rich faster, only to find redemption and renewal at the end of the line. Directed by Kim Nguyen.
The Mustang
Sunday, March 3, 12:30 p.m., Boulder Theater
USA and France, Feature Film, 2019, 97 min.
Roman (Matthias Schoenaerts), a convict in a prison in rural Nevada, participates in a rehabilitation program in which he trains wild mustangs. He struggles to connect with the horses and his fellow inmates alike. But in time, working alongside young convict Henry (Jason Mitchell) and an old trainer, Myles (Bruce Dern), Roman soothes an especially feisty horse and confronts his own violent past.
Executive produced by Molly Hallam and Robert Redford.
You Are Here: A Come From Away Story
Saturday, March 2, 10:00 a.m., Boulder High School
Canada, Feature Documentary, 2018, 84 min.
U.S. Premiere
The big heart of the little town of Gander, Newfoundland was revealed when 38 airliners carrying 7,000 passengers were forced to land at their airport after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Although the Ganderites struggled with dozens of new languages, they were ingenious in solving huge logistical problems. Among other things, the film pulls back the emotional layers surrounding the five days that the community housed, fed and took care of the dislocated passengers — the “come-from-aways” in Newfoundland parlance.
Additional highlights:
CineCHEF 2019 – “BadAss Women Chefs: Denver vs. Boulder”
Friday, March 1, 5:00 – 7:00 p.m., Rembrandt Yard
A CineCHEF ticket includes the film “Chef Flynn,” directly following the CineCHEF event at the First Presbyterian Church. Ten-year-old Flynn McGarry transforms his living room into a supper club, and by 16 years old, he has staged in top restaurants in Los Angeles, New York and Europe. Director Cameron Yates creates a collage of Flynn’s singular one-of-a-kind childhood, and the result is a fascinating portrait of a young star’s rise as seen from the inside.
