Jump to content

Boulder International Film Festival

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Boulder International Film Festival
LocationBoulder, Colorado, United States
LanguageInternational
Websitehttp://www.biff1.com

The Boulder International Film Festival (BIFF) is held annually in March in Boulder, Colorado. BIFF features films by new and emerging filmmakers, as well as industry directors, writers, producers, and actors. There are 25,000 attendances annually.

History

[edit]

The Colorado Film Society (CFS) was founded by filmmakers and sisters Kathy and Robin Beeck. The CFS became a 501C3 nonprofit organization in May of 2004. In 2005, the CFS launched the Boulder International Film Festival, implemented an educational outreach program, and partnered with many nonprofits. In the years since, with a team of 500 volunteers, the CFS initiated a Call2Action Program which has included 175 nonprofit organizations, a Senior Outreach Program, a Youth Program and Teen Short Film Competition, a Singer/Songwriter Showcase, an Adventure Pavilion, a film program at Longmont's Stewart Auditorium, and a popular CineCHEF event during the Festival.

2005

[edit]

The festival's inaugural season showcased more than 50 films from around the world. Among the highlights were documentaries such as Seoul Train, Mardi Gras: Made in China and The Liberace of Baghdad, the regional premiere of Danny Boyle's Millions, an early short from Jason Reitman, and The Real Old Testament, from Curtis and Paul Hannum.

2006

[edit]

Special guest artists during BIFF's coldest year to date included Maria Bello, Patrick Warburton, Eric Roberts and screenwriter Amy Fox. Director Andrew Quigley received a Special Jury Prize for his documentary Diameter of the Bomb.

2007

[edit]

An eclectic mix of guests included filmmaking duo Michael and Mark Polish, screenwriter John August, the Denver Slam Poetry Team, and a contingent of air-guitar masters, the latter in conjunction with the documentary Air Guitar Nation.

2008

[edit]

Among the high points of the 2008 BIFF were Helen Hunt's directorial debut, And Then She Found Me, Alex Gibney's Taxi to the Dark Side, which won the Oscar shortly thereafter; concertizing by local performers including Hazel Miller and Otis Taylor; an offsite showing of Eisenstein's classic Alexander Nevsky, accompanied by the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra playing the original score; and a sold-out closing night featuring the documentary Stranded: I've Come from a Plane That Crashed on the Mountains.

2009

[edit]

Chevy Chase opened the 2009 Festival at the Boulder Theater. Chase received an Award of Excellence in Comedy which was followed by a film retrospective honoring his work. Chase additionally participated in a Q&A session hosted by BIFF executive producer Ron Bostwick.

"Not only has Mr. Chase graced so many classic comedic films and been a major influence to countless comedians, he has also been a tireless advocate for this country's environmental movement which Coloradans are so passionate about," said festival co-founder/director Kathy Beeck. "We are truly honored Chevy is able to join us for a lively start to the festival."

BIFF was voted one of the “25 Coolest Film Festivals” MovieMaker Magazine.[1]

2010

[edit]

Closing Night of BIFF 2010 was a tribute to Alec Baldwin, which included a film retrospective of his work followed by a question and answer session hosted by Bostwick.

Three weeks following BIFF, Baldwin co-hosted the 2010 Academy Awards ceremony with his It’s Complicated co-star Steve Martin. Baldwin stars with Tina Fey on NBC's 30 Rock, winner of the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series for the past three years. He has received three SAG Awards, two Golden Globes, the Television Critics Award, and two Emmies for Best Actor in a Comedy Series.

2011

[edit]

Besides featuring visits by Oliver Stone and James Franco, BIFF 2011 was crammed with significant content. From the festive opening-night feature "Troubadors" through the vibrant madness of The Last Circus, an examination of the controversial legacy of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche in Crazy Wisdom, a look at film preservation in These Amazing Shadows, Bag It!, For Once in My Life, Armadillo, among others, BIFF truly covered the world. Most moving was a Freedom Riders post-screening conversation with Presidential Medal of Freedom Honoree Congressman John Lewis.

2012

[edit]

William H. Macy and Martin Sheen were honored at the 2012 BIFF where both actors participated in a Q&A session.

Producer Anthony Bregman and screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan were also honorary guests.

2013

[edit]

Peter Fonda was BIFF's closing-night guest in 2013. BIFF's Singer/Songwriter Showcase really came into its own that year, and educational outreach programs such as the Youth Pavilion, CU @ BIFF (BIFF's college-level program in association with the University of Colorado), and expanded workshops and panels all attracted new crowds.

2014

[edit]

Shirley MacLaine received the Career Achievement Award during her tribute at BIFF in 2014. For the first time, BIFF's fundraising FOOVIE (food and a movie) sold out and raised $15,000 for year-round BIFF programming. In addition, 2014 saw the release of an open-source Call 2 Action Toolkit that film festivals across the globe can use to easily adopt the festival's signature Call 2 Action program, joining the movement to harness the power of film for positive social change.

Nathanial Rateliff appeared at BIFF at the Boulder Theater after his film Austin to Boston.

2018

[edit]

The four-day festival featured 72 films, 14 sold-out programs including a sold-out opening night screening of BORG VS. MCENROE and a sold-out Denver vs. Boulder CineCHEF, along with a variety of unique offerings including a special screening of Humor Me with Oscar-nominated actor Elliott Gould, an Augmented Reality film program, a Virtual Reality Pavilion, and a Singer/Songwriter Showcase.

Josh Walker, Rodes Rollins and Dallas Thornton performed at the 2018 BIFF Singer-Songwriter Showcase in Boulder Colorado.[2]

2019

[edit]

BIFF 2019 was Feb 28-March 3. The four-day festival featured 24,200 attendances, 55 films and three celebrity red carpet events which included legendary musician David Crosby, Golden Globe-nominated actor/director Emilio Estevez, and Grammy-Award winning singer/songwriter Jakob Dylan. Independent filmmakers, award-winning films, celebrity guests and big audiences continue to establish BIFF as one of the premier international film festivals.

2020

[edit]

88 films from 24 countries (with 62% made by or about women), a new Adventure Film Pavilion, an XR Experience, and delicious food at the always fun CineCHEF foodie competition. International Women’s Day fell on festival weekend, Sunday, March 8th. There were over 20,000 attendances for BIFF 2020.

Robbie Robertson was in-person on Opening Night for a Q&A after the film Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band; Academy Award-nominated actor Jesse Eisenberg made a special appearance on the red carpet with a Q&A after the screening of the film Resistance; and award-winning director Jeff Orlowski was in the house on Closing Night to talk about the critically acclaimed film The Social Dilemma. Also, notable author of "Wild" Cheryl Strayed will make an appearance at the new Adventure Film Pavilion. Plus, BIFF is lucky to welcome two Disney Animation executives at the XR Experience.

The COVID pandemic closed down the country shortly after the 2020 Festival. Because of this, BIFF started a Drive–In Theater at the Boulder Airport to help unite the community in a difficult time. The Drive In featured local musicians to give them an opportunity to perform in front of a live audience. BIFF offered free car passes for low-income families and collaborated with the City of Boulder on their free city volunteer drive-in screening. There were 16 sold-out screenings reaching approximately 4500 people.

2021

[edit]

BIFF moved the festival from March to June for one year due to the Covid pandemic. Rainy weather didn’t dampen the spirits of the film enthusiasts and filmmakers who attended the 17th annual Boulder International Film Festival (BIFF), June 24-27. The four-day Festival was held at the beautiful Chautauqua Auditorium and other venues around Boulder. It featured 40 films from 10 countries, including an Outdoor Cinema, delicious food at the popular CineCHEF event, plus the inaugural BIFF at Home Virtual Cinema.

Many events sold-out including the first in-person screening of Summer of Sou directed by Ahmir ‘Questlove” Thompson, the Closing Night Film Mission: Joy – Finding Happiness in Troubled Times directed by Louie Psihoyos, and Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain directed by Morgan Neville, who received the Career Achievement Award in Documentary Filmmaking at the screening.

2022

[edit]

The Boulder International Film Festival 2022 was March 3-6 and featured 18,000 attendances, 55 films, 40 filmmakers and subjects, a sold-out CineCHEF event, a free Singer/Songwriter Showcase, the BIFF at Home! virtual film program, and celebrity appearances by Oscar-nominated actor Javier Bardem and the return of Alec Baldwin to BIFF.

2023

[edit]

BIFF 2023 was March 2-5 and featured 67 films, 45 filmmakers, a CineCHEF event, a free Singer/Songwriter Showcase, a virtual cinema platform, the BIFF at Home! virtual program, a celebrity appearance by Oscar-winning actor F. Murray Abraham, and nearly 20,000 attendances.

2024

[edit]

The 20th anniversary of BIFF was Feb 29-March 3, 2024 and featured nearly 25,000 attendances, 74 films from 25 countries, 50 attending filmmakers, record-breaking ticket sales, a sold-out CineCHEF event, a free singer/songwriter showcase, the BIFF Adventure Pavilion, the BIFF at Home! virtual program, and celebrity appearances by award-winning actors Tony Goldwyn and Laura Linney.

In honor of the festival’s 20th anniversary, BIFF provided free virtual films pre-BIFF and hosted a Free Community Day during the Festival on Saturday, March 2, at eTown Hall, with free in person screenings of five award-winning films from BIFF’s first 20 years.

Festival Winners

[edit]

BIFF 2022

Category Winner
Outstanding Performer of the Year Actor Javier Bardem
Best Feature Film Mediterraneo: The Law of the Sea
Best Feature Documentary Bernstein’s Wall
Best Music Documentary Stay Prayed Up
Best Adventure Feature Film Exposure
Best Adventure Short Film Learning to Drown
Best Short Film On My Mind
Best Animated Short Film Yellowstone 88–Song of Fire
Best Documentary Short Film 1-2-3 The Len Barry Story
BIFF Impact Award Refuge
Peoples Choice Award - Short Film Breaking Trail
Peoples Choice Award - Feature Length Film This is [Not] Who We Are
CinneChef Linda Hamsten Fox, The Bindery


BIFF 2021

Category Winner
Career Achievement Award in Documentary Filmmaking Morgan Neville
Best Short Documentary Welcome Strangers
Best Short Film The Present
Impact US Kids
Best Adventure Film Godspeed, Los Polacos!
Best Music Film Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
Best Documentary Tom Petty, Somewhere You Feel Free
Best Feature Film Asia
Peoples Choice Award - Short Film The Incredible Lamont
Peoples Choice Award - Feature Length Film Godspeed, Los Polacos!
BIFF Service Award Jim Palmer


BIFF 2020

Category Winner
Best Cinechef Becca Henry Executive Chef, ChoLon Modern Asian – Stapleton
Best Short Documentary LIV
Best Short Film Nefta Football Club
Best Animated Short Film The Bird and the Whale
Best Adventure Short 8000+
Best Social Impact Film The Social Dilemma
Best Documentary I Am Not Alone
Best Feature Film The Personal History of David Copperfield
Peoples Choice Award - Short Film LIV
Peoples Choice Award - Feature Length Film I Am Not Alone
GRAND JURY PRIZE BEST SHORT FILM $3,000 Nefta Football Club
GRAND JURY PRIZE FEATURE LENGTH FILM $10,000 Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band


BIFF 2019

Category Winner
Best Cinechef Linda Hampsten Fox from The Bindery
Best Cinechef City Denver
Best Short Documentary Little Fiel
Best Short Film Fauve
Best Animated Short Film Hybrids
Best Call2Action Film The Weight of Water
Best Music Documentary David Crosby: Remember My Name
Best Documentary Biggest Little Farm
Best Feature Film Styx
Peoples Choice Award - Short Film The Encirclement
Peoples Choice Award - Feature Length Film Skid Row Marathon
GRAND JURY PRIZE BEST SHORT FILM $3,000 Little Fiel
GRAND JURY PRIZE FEATURE LENGTH FILM $10,000 Biggest Little Farm


BIFF 2018

Category Winner
Best Cinechef 24 Carrot Bistro
Best Documentary Becoming Who I Was
Best Feature Film The Insult
Best Animated Short Film Garden Party
Best Call2Action Film The Devil We Know
Best Music Documentary 40 Years in the Making: The Magic Music Movie
Best Live Action Short Film The Peculiar Abilities of Mr. Mahler
Peoples Choice Award - Short Film Watu Wote (All of Us)
Peoples Choice Award - Feature Length Film Won’t You Be My Neighbor?


BIFF 2017

Category Winner
Best Cinechef 24 Carrot Bistro
Best New Filmmaker Score: A Film Music Documentary
Best Documentary Short Film DoDo's Delight
Best Short Film Nocturne In Black
Best Call2Action Film Chasing Coral
Best Music Documentary Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked The World
Best Documentary Chasing Coral
Best Feature Film Glory
Peoples Choice Award - Short Film La Femme et la TGV
Peoples Choice Award - Feature Length Film Chasing Coral


BIFF 2015

Category Winner
Career Achievement Award Alan Arkin
Best Cinechef Bradford Heap, Chef, Salt the Bistro and Colterra
Best Documentary Short Film Our Curse
Best Short Film Orbit Ever After
Best Music Documentary Austin to Boston
Catalyst Award Racing Extinction
Best Documentary Call Me Lucky
Best Feature Film A Borrowed Identity
Best Animated Film Home
Grand Prize Being Evel
Peoples Choice Award Lion


BIFF 2014

Category Film Director
People's Choice Award Keep On Keepin' On (a work-in-progress) Alan Hicks
Best Feature Film Le Week-End Roger Michell
Best Documentary Finding Vivian Maier John Maloof and Charlie Siskel
Catalyst Award Alive Inside Michael Rosato-Bennett
Best Short Film Saturday Girls Emilie Cherpitel
Special Jury Award for Documentary Film Mistaken for Strangers Tom Berninger
Best Colorado Film High and Hallowed: Everest 1963 David Morton and Jake Norton
Best Call 2 Action Film Documented Jose Antonio Vargas
Best New Filmmaker Keep On Keepin' On (a work-in-progress) Alan Hicks
Best Editing No No: A Dockumentary Jeffrey Radice


BIFF 2013

Category Film Director
Best Short Film Asad Brian Buckley
Best Documentary Short Open Heart Kief Davidson
Best Call 2 Action Film The Last Ocean Peter Young
Best Documentary Little World Marcel Barrena
Best Feature Film Blancanieves Pablo Berger
Best Adventure Film The Summit Nick Ryan
People's Choice Award Rising from the Ashes TC Johnstone
Grand Prize Muscle Shoals Greg "Freddy" Camalier


BIFF 2012

Category Film Director(s)
Best Short Film A Finger, Two Dots, Then Me Daniel Holechek, David M. Holechek
Best Documentary Short Incident in New Baghdad James Spione
Best Call 2 Action Film High Ground Michael Brown
Best Documentary Wild Horse, Wild Ride Alex Dawson, Greg Gricus
Best Feature Film Monsieur Lazhar Phillippe Faiardeau
Best Adventure Film Chasing Ice Jeff Orlowski
People's Choice Award High Ground Michael Brown


BIFF 2011

Category Film Director
Best New Filmmaker Touch Jen McGowan
Best Animated Film Thembi's Diary Jisoo Kim
Best Call 2 Action Film For Once in My Life Jim Bigham
Best Colorado Film Mother Christophe Fauchere
Best Short Film Glenn Owen Dodds Frazer Bailey
Best Short Documentary One Thousand Pictures: RFK's Last Journey Jennifer Stoddart
Best Feature Documentary Regretters Marcus Lindeen
Best Feature Film Mamas & Papas Alice Nellis
People's Choice Award Freedom Riders Stanley Nelson


BIFF 2010

Category Film Director(s)
Most Creative Documentary Waking Sleeping Beauty Don Hahn
Best Call 2 Action Film Dive! Jeremy Seifert
Best Colorado Film Diplomacy Jonathan Goldman
Best Adventure Film The Wildest Dream Anthony Geffen
Best Animated Film Secret of Kells Tomm Moore
Best Short Film The Morse Collectors David Cooke
Best Short Documentary No Strings Daniel Junge
Best Feature Documentary The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers Rick Goldsmith and Judy Ehrlich
Best Feature Film I Am Love Luca Guadagnimo
Grand Prize Ajami Scandar Copti and Yaron Shani

BIFF 2009

Category Film Director(s)
Best Student Film In the Dark Alex and Sarah Fazelli
Best New Filmmaker The Prince of Broadway Sean Baker
Best Colorado Film They Killed Sister Dorothy Daniel Junge and Henry Ansbacher
Best Environmental Film American Outrage Beth and George Gage
Best Animated Film Sita Sings the Blues Nina Paley
Best Music Documentary The Story of Anvil Sacha Gervasi
Best Short Film Tag Natalya Uglitskikh
Best Short Documentary Smile Pinki Megan Mylan
Best Feature Documentary Pirate for the Sea Ron Colby and Patricia Van Ryker
Best Feature Film Nothing But the Truth Rod Lurie
Best Dramatic Comedy Sunshine Cleaning Christine Jeffs
Grand Prize Burma VJ: Reporting From a Closed Country Anders Ostergaard and Lise Lense-Miller

BIFF 2008

Category Film Director(s)
Best Student Film The Replacement Child Justin Lerner
Most Inspirational Film The Singing Revolution Jim Tusty and Maureen Castle
Best Colorado Film Iron Ladies of Liberia Daniel Junge and Siatta Scott Johnson
Best Comedy The Job Jonathan Browning
Best Animated Film The Fog Emilio Ramos
Best Short Film Tanghi Argentini Guido Thys
Best Short Documentary In Times of War: Ray Parker Mark and Christine Bonn
Best Feature Documentary War Dance Andrea Nix and Sean Fine
Best Feature Film Charlie Bartlett Jon Poll
Best Adventure Film 3 Peaks 3 Weeks Michael Brown
Grand Prize Stranded Gonzalo Arijon

BIFF 2007

Category Film Director(s)
Best Student Film Lucky Avie Luthra
Best New Filmmaker Hamilton Matthew Porterfield
Best Editing Drunk in Public David J. Sperling
Best Short Film High Maintenance Phillip Van
Best Colorado Film Purvis of Overtown David Raccuglia and Shaun Conrad
Best Animated Film Badgered Sharon Coleman
Best Short Documentary Talk to Me Mark Craig
Best Documentary Air Guitar Nation Alexandra Lipsitz
Best Documentary (Honorable Mention) The Cats of Mirikitani Linda Hattendorf
Best Feature Film Journey from the Fall Ham Tran
Grand Prize In the Shadow of the Moon David Sington

BIFF 2006

Category Film Director(s)(or Actor/Actress)
Best Student Film The Saviour Peter Templeman
Best New Filmmaker Frozen Food Section Andrew Menan
Best Short Film West Bank Story Ari Sandel
Best Colorado Film Light of the Himalaya Michael Brown
Best Animated Film Magda Chel White
Best Short Documentary Carhenge: Genius or Junk? David Libran
Best Documentary Boys of Baraka Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady
Best Adventure Film Ride across America Stephen Auerbach
Best Feature Film C.R.A.Z.Y. Jean-Marc Vallee
Best Actress C.R.A.Z.Y. Danielle Proulx
Best Actor The Civilization of Maxwell Bright Patrick Warburton
Special Jury Award Diameter of the Bomb Andrew Quigley

BIFF 2005

Category Film Director(s)
Best Student Film Pee Shy Deb Hagen
Best Short Film Down Dog Richard Roll
Best Short Film (Honorable Mention) Gay by Dawn Jonathan London
Best Colorado Film Subdivision, Colorado Neil Widener
Best Animated Film Road Raged Rodent Patrick Mallek
Best Short Documentary Caught in Paint Rita Blitt
Best Documentary Seoul Train Jim Butterworth and Aaron Lubarsky
Best Adventure Film Farther than the Eye Can See Michael Brown
Best Feature Film The Real Old Testament Curtis and Paul Hannum
Award of Excellence The Liberace of Baghdad Sean McAllister

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Wood M., Jennifer (July 31, 2009). "25 Coolest Film Festivals: 2009". Moviemaker.com. Archived from the original on September 14, 2012. Retrieved February 19, 2012.
  2. ^ "BIFF Singer-Songwriter Showcase". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2018-03-29.
[edit]