Crested Butte Film Festival
Crested Butte Film Festival
LocationCrested Butte, ColoradoUSA
Founded2011
AwardsACTNow, Best Narrative Feature, Best Documentary Feature, Best Comedy Short, Best Documentary Short, Best Narrative Feature, Audience Choice
DirectorsScott Robson
No. of films100[1]
Festival dateSeptember (annually)
LanguageInternational
Websitecbfilmfest.org

The Crested Butte Film Festival is a celebration of international films, held annually over four days in the last weekend of September, in Crested Butte, Colorado.[2][3][4][5]

History

Celebrating its 15th anniversary in 2025, the Crested Butte Film Festival (CBFF) was founded in 2011.[5] In February 2025 the CBFF Board of Directors hired long-time Colorado nonprofit and local government leader, Scott Robson as Executive Director. In the years prior to 2010, the Town of Crested Butte previously hosted Reel Fest, a shorts film festival that lasted a decade but eventually was discontinued. The first installment of the Crested Butte Film Festival had an audience of 1,500 or approximately the full-time population of the town. By 2013 the attendance doubled and as of 2025 the Festival regularly draws attendance regionally and from across North America. The Festival is known for year-round programming of film in a funky unique mountain community which is a both a National Historic Landmark District and Colorado Creative District, and for offering unique opportunities for Festival attendees to meet and interact with filmmakers. The Crested Butte Film Festival also has a reputation for programming a diverse array of unique short and full-length films during its annual festival which occurs during the peak of the autumn leaf changing season in Colorado (September 24-28, 2025).

Program

Crested Butte Film Festival programs artful, moving, creative and provocative films, in both short and full-length programs. Preference is given to creativity, daring, great storytelling, and bravery. The top selections are awarded to ACTNow, to the best narrative and documentary features, best documentary short, and to those chosen by the audience.

Awards

Action and Change Together (ACTNow)

Awarded to a nonprofit organization linked to a call-to-action documentary.

ACTNow
Year Winning film Director(s) Country
2012Bidder 70Beth Cage; George Cage United States
2013Blood BrotherSteve Hoover United States
2014VirungaOrlando von Einsiedel United Kingdom
2015Racing ExtinctionLouie Psihoyos United States
2016NewtownKim Snyder United States
2017Bending the ArcKief Davidson; Pedro Kos United States
A Plastic OceanCraig Leeson United Kingdom
2019SantuarioPilar Timpane; Christine Delp United States
2020Mossville: WhenGreat Trees FallAlexander Glustrom United States
2024Mr.CatoRyan Ross United States

Juried Awards

Director Ed Zwick (right) interviews Jesse Zwick (left) for About Alex.
Courtney Marsh, of Chau, Beyond the Lines, is interviewed at a filmmaker's function.
David Zellner discusses his film Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter at an audience talkback.
Best Narrative Feature
Year Winning film Director(s) Country
2013De rouille et d'os(Rust and Bone)Jacques Audiard France
2014The One I LoveCharlie McDowell United States
2015Kumiko, theTreasure HunterNathan Zellner; David Zellner United States
2016The LobsterYorgos Lanthimos Greece/ Ireland
2017A Ghost StoryDavid Lowery United States
2019ParasiteBong Joon-ho Republic of Korea
2020BaitMark Jenkin United Kingdom
2024Los FrikisMichael Schwartz & Tyler Nilson United States
Best Documentary Feature
Year Winning film Director(s) Country
2012Bidder 70Beth Cage; George Cage United States
2013Chasing IceJeff Orlowski United States
2014The OvernightersJesse Moss United States
2015Almost Holy(Crocodile Gennadiy)Steve Hoover United States
2016LoveTrueAlma Har'el United States/ Israel
2017Whose Streets?Sabaah Folayan; Damon Davis United States
2019Storm the GatesDaniele Anastasion; Catherine Yrisarri; Josie Swantek United States
2020Us KidsKim Snyder United States
2024CHAMPIONS OF THE GOLDEN VALLEYBen Sturgulewski & Katie Sternholm United States
Best Comedy Short
Year Winning film Director(s) Country
2017ImmaculateMisconceptionMichael Geoghegan United Kingdom
2019Hot DogAlma Buddecke; Marleen Valin Germany
2020OllaAriane Labed United States
2024Cheat MealDrew Bierut United States
Best Documentary Short
Year Winning film Director(s) Country
2015Our CurseTomasz Śliwiński Poland
2016We All We GotCarlos Javier Ortiz United States
2017Woody's OrderAnn Talman United States
2019All InclusiveCorina Schwingruber-Ilić Switzerland
2020Huntsville StationJamie Meltzer and Chris Filippone United States
2024#WAY_AURELIOAlan Rexroth Germany
Best Narrative Short
Year Winning film Director(s) Country
2015La HijaJazmín Rada Spain
2016SituationalScott Simonsen; Alyssa Skoller United States
StuttererBenjamin Cleary Ireland
2017American ParadiseJoe Talbot United States
2019Moon and the NightErin Lau United States
2020Monstruo Dios(Monster God)Agustina San Martín Argentina
2024Cheat MealDrew Bierut United States

Audience Choice

Audience Choice
Year Winning film Director(s) Country
2012KumaréVikram Gandhi United States
2013Blood BrotherSteve Hoover United States
2014About AlexJessie Zwick United States
2015UnbrandedPhillip Baribeau United States
2016Jim: The James Foley StoryBrian Oakes United States
2017Band AidZoe Lister Jones United States
2019Peanut Butter FalconTyler Nilson;Michael Schwartz United States
2020High CountryConor Hagen United States
2024CHAMPIONS OF THE GOLDEN VALLEYBen Sturgulewski & Katie Sternholm United States

Other awards

Special Jury Prize

  • 2012 – Alexander Gaeta, "Outstanding achievement, directorial debut"; Shoot the Moon
  • 2014 – Martin Rath, "Outstanding achievement, breakthrough filmmaker"; Written in Ink and Arena
  • 2015 – Yana Novikova (Яна Новикова), "Outstanding achievement, debut performance in a feature film"; The Tribe (Плем'я)
  • 2016 – Leonor Caraballo, Mattero Norzi, Abou Farman, and Adella Ladjevardi, "Artistic accomplishment"; Icaros: A Vision
  • 2016 – Ashley Valenzuela, "Filmmaker to watch"; Warm Waves
  • 2017 – David Byars, "Excellence in filmmaking"; No Man's Land
  • 2017 – Nancy Liu, "Filmmaker to watch"; Angeltown
  • 2017 – Dana Romanoff, "Embodying the spirit of activism in the arts"; Storytelling and the Spirit of Activism in Cinema
  • 2019 – Nancy Dionne, "Achievement in social impact and activism"; All I See is the Future
  • 2019 – Zack Gottsagen, "Outstanding debut performance"
  • 2020 – Mohammad Rasoulof, "Courage in filmmaking"
  • 2020 – Ashley Williams, "Outstanding achievement, directorial debut"

See also

References

  1. ^Harvey, Kasey (September 2, 2016). "2016 Crested Butte Film Festival". mountainliving.com. Mountain Living. Retrieved September 5, 2016. The lineup has a total of 100 films, with 20 feature-length narrative and documentaries and 80 short films in the narrative, documentary, outdoor adventure and children's genres.
  2. ^Wenzel, John (September 16, 2015). "13 Colorado film festivals to enjoy in fall 2015". Denverpost.com. Denver Post. Retrieved June 6, 2016.
  3. ^Singer, Daliah (September 11, 2014). "Crested Butte Film Festival Is A (Sort Of) Homecoming for Filmmaker Jesse Zwick". 5280.com. 5280. Archived from the original on August 7, 2016. Retrieved June 6, 2016.
  4. ^Zable, Stacey (June 29, 2015). "Celebrate cinema at these fall film fests". usatoday.com. USA Today. Retrieved June 12, 2016. American and international cinema-lovers come to this scenic town in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado every September, the perfect time to marvel at the aspen forests showing off their fall colors. Some 90 films are shown over the four-day fest, with venues and events a mere "townie bike" ride away from each other.
  5. ^ ab"Crested Butte Film Festival: Our Story". Cbfilmfest.org. Crested Butte Film Festival. Retrieved June 6, 2016.
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