The Next Act

When it began in 2005, the Boulder International Film Festival attracted 5,000 film lovers. Nearly a decade later, the four-day fest has more than quadrupled in size, celebrating the cinema with 22,000 audience members. "One way that we've grown since that very first year is that people are really beginning...

By Robin Edwards

February 13, 2014

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "12017618",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17242653",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18838239",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17261320",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18838239",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17261321",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

When it began in 2005, the Boulder International Film Festival attracted 5,000 film lovers. Nearly a decade later, the four-day fest has more than quadrupled in size, celebrating the cinema with 22,000 audience members. "One way that we've grown since that very first year is that people are really beginning to trust our programming," says co-founder Kathy Beeck. "That's one of our biggest accomplishments: People know that whatever they see at the Boulder International Film Festival, it's gonna be good. This year is no exception, and I think it's the best program we've ever had."

Festival upgrades for 2014 include the introduction of digital projectors and the festival's first-ever live-streaming event: a town-hall discussion about international gay rights with the director of God Loves Uganda. The fest will also screen six Oscar-nominated films, four films that come directly from Sundance, and plenty of others that fit in with the festival's motto of good storytelling, Beeck says.

Kicking off tonight with a red-carpet gala and screening of John Turturro's Fading Gigolo at the Boulder Theater, 2032 14th Street, at 8 p.m. (doors at 7:30 p.m.), the tenth annual festival will continue through Sunday with films, the humanitarian Call to Action program, a free youth pavilion, and tons of panels and out-of-town guests at locations all over Boulder. To view a full schedule and purchase tickets, visit biff1.com or call 303-786-7030.
Feb. 13-16, 2014

KEEP WESTWORD FREE... Since we started Westword, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Denver, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.