“It’s not just going to see the movies; it really feels like an event, because it’s at the Wheeler Opera House — newly renovated with a state-of-the-art digital projection system — and it’s in Aspen over the holidays, when it’s especially magical up here,” says Aspen Film co-director Laura Thielen. “These are many of the films that are at the forefront of the awards-season conversation, and this year, in particular, we have a wealth of art films, foreign-language films, documentaries and festival favorites that fit beautifully with our mission.”
The program includes screenings of nineteen likely Oscar contenders, opening today with the documentary Twenty Feet From Stardom and the particularly timely Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, the Audience Favorite winner from the Aspen Filmfest in September. As you jot down your Oscar predictions — Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave, Spike Jonze’s Her, Woody Allen’s Blue Jasmine and Alexander Payne’s Nebraska are also among this year’s featured films — you’re likely to rub elbows with some celebrities: The Academy screenings have become a ritual for many AMPAS members.
The screenings conclude on January 2 with Richard Linklater’s Before Midnight, the third film in a trilogy that began nearly twenty years ago with Before Sunrise. For film trailers, a full schedule of events, ticket prices and other information, visit aspenfilm.org.
Dec. 23-Jan. 2, 2013