Provided/Aspen Film
Aspen Film announced the lineup for its 40th anniversary film festival on Tuesday afternoon, and the event will showcase 24 films and documentaries over seven days and honor a local filmmaker.
From Sept. 23 to Sept. 29, the Aspen Filmfest will present films at the Wheeler Opera House and Isis Theater in Aspen, along with screenings over the last two days at the Crystal Theatre in Carbondale.
“We couldn’t be more enthusiastic about celebrating our 40th anniversary in conjunction with our 40th film fest,” said Susan Wrubel, executive and artistic director for Aspen Film, in the news release.
Wrubel went on to state that Aspen Film is continuing in the footsteps of its founder, Ellen Kohner Hunt, keeping the organization’s focus on independent cinema and seeking out non-mainstream films with unique stories to tell.
This year’s lineup includes a number of award-winning features and documentaries, including biographies on an Austrian peasant farmer who refused to fight for the Nazis in World War II (“A Hidden Life”); showbiz legend Judy Garland (“Judy”); and renowned underwater photographer Amos Nachoum (“Picture of His Life”).
The film festival will also pay tribute to Aspen local and filmmaker Bob Rafelson, awarding him Aspen Film’s first Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in the Cinematic Arts. He was the first person to receive Aspen Film’s Independent by Nature Award in 1999. That event will take place on Sept. 25.
For more information on the upcoming Aspen Filmfest, go to aspenfilm.org.