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Sundance Film Festival just finished up its last run in Boulder before it relocates to Boulder next year — not that the state will suffer from a severe shortage of cinema-oriented shindigs in the meantime. Here are just some of the events coming up that pay tribute to the power of the moving image as a tool for action, education, insight or pure and simple fun.
Coming Up
Backcountry Film Festival
February 6
Leadville
Backcountry Film Festival is a collage of human interest stories about the backcountry experience. The event’s goal is to “ignite wild conversations and inspire action to communities that celebrate the present while looking towards the future.”
Colorado Environmental Film Festival
February 20-22
Green Center, 924 16th Street, Golden
A Colorado School of Mines production, the Colorado Environmental Film Festival is celebrating its twentieth anniversary. CEFF dubs itself “an exciting, inspiring and energizing event that includes world-class environmental films with representatives from local and national organizations.” The screenings include shorts and feature-length efforts from filmmakers who don’t fit a single mold, and programmers try their best to stay true to what they see as “the spirit of Colorado.”
72 Hour KickAss Film Fest
Filming on February 27, Showing in April
Pueblo
The 72 Hour KickAss Film Fest gives filmmakers of every experience level a task worthy of a reality television series: “Create a 5-7 minute short film in just 72 hours. Each team will be given a required line, prop, and character to include, along with a randomly assigned genre. Then, watch your work come to life on the big screen at our public showcase and awards ceremony. Don’t miss out – this year is set to be our most spectacular yet!”
ScorpiusFest
February 28-March 1
Boulder
This year, ScorpiusFest returns with a new team and location, but the same mission of presenting “thought-provoking films, shorts and documentaries that push boundaries.” The festival features both emerging directors and seasoned professionals at the Dairy Arts Center. There will also be a feature-length documentary about the festival itself, Spectacular by Comparison, which looks at how ScorpiusFest started, nearly fell apart and somehow kept going.
Durango Independent Film Festival
March 4-8, 2026
Durango
All genres of indie film are welcome at the Durango Independent Film Festival: adventure, music, nature, comedy, shorts, documentaries, Native stories, feature films and all-ages fare cheekily characterized as “K-12.” Executive director Carol L. Fleisher hopes participation at DIFF will lead to filming in the area. One movie that shot nearby was Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, which leant part of its name to another film festival of note.
No Man’s Land Film Festival
March 7
Denver
No Man’s Land returns March 7 for its eleventh annual flagship festival, a gathering “rooted in feminism, art, advocacy, and the belief that storytelling can move culture forward.” The event will have over 25 films, live music, speakers and more.
Colorado Dragon Boat Film Festival
March 20-22, 2026
Denver
The Colorado Dragon Boat Festival will mark its 25th anniversary September 6 and 7; the largest event of its type in the United States, the spectacle is expected to draw a crowd of 200,000. The organization’s film festival, which staged its tenth edition in March 2025, isn’t quite as venerable. But the collab with Denver Film stands as the Mile High City’s only Asian and Asian-American cinema extravaganza, and it traditionally includes an array of screenings, plus community conversations and access to culinary experiences at many of Denver’s most prominent AAPI restaurants.
Aspen Shortsfest
April 7-12, 2026
Aspen
Aspen Shortsfest is among the film events that provide Oscar qualification to filmmakers who are able to make their points in forty minutes or less – the time limit set by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences for consideration under the animated or live-action short-film umbrellas. Cash prizes of up to $2,500 are another lure for filmmakers who dream of grabbing a golden statuette.
Boulder International Film Festival
April 9-12, 2026
Boulder
The Boulder International Film Festival has an impressive track record. BIFF was launched in 2005 and annually attracts around 25,000 attendees, as well as A-list talent; past guests have included Martin Sheen, Shirley McLaine, Alan Arkin and Oliver Stone. Over four days, the fest offers a look at new pieces by gifted unknowns trying to break into the movie industry and major works by established artists. And that’s not expected to change despite the arrival of Sundance on the scene.
The Castle Rock Film Festival
April 9-12, 2026
Castle Rock
The Castle Rock Film Festival, which will be entering its third year in 2026, is about doing good in addition to having an entertaining time at the movies. Supported by the Castle Rock Artist Alliance (CRAA), the fest’s profits and any attendant donations go to the CRAA Veterans and First Responders Art Therapy Program, a series of free art programs intended to help vets build community. A bonus: Winners of awards in various categories receive a handcrafted trophy christened “The Rock,” with no apologies to Dwayne Johnson.
ACT Human Rights Film Festival
April 9-12, 2026
Fort Collins
There are plenty of impressive numbers associated with the 2025 version of the ACT Human Rights Film Festival, a Colorado State University forum that was staged in April: over 20,000 audience members, 228 films, 155 special guests, 48 countries, six continents and one purpose. The latter? “Elevating human rights and democracy through film and conversations.”
Grand Mesa Short Film Festival
April 10-11, 2026
Cedaredge
Cedaredge, a quaint, bucolic burg on Colorado’s Western Slope near the planet’s largest flat-topped mountain, is the home of the Grand Mesa Arts & Events Center, a venue that hosts a variety of performing and visual artists. Since 2022, this mix has included the Grand Mesa Short Film Festival, which delivers awards in categories such as comedy, drama, animation, documentary, sci-fi/fantasy and even best film poster.
5Point Film Festival
April 23-26, 2026
Carbondale
Carbondale, a community roughly midway between Glenwood Springs and Aspen, is a haven for lovers of the great outdoors. So it makes perfect sense that the 5Point Film Festival, invented by Julie Kennedy and Yvon Chouinard in 2008, would specialize in “impactful stories of adventure.” The fest is also notably artist-friendly, offering grants to creators who fantasize about trekking into unexplored territories of the cinematic world.
Women+Film Festival
April 24-26, 2026
Denver
The Women+Film Festival began as a panel staged at the Denver Film Festival in 2006, masterminded by philanthropist and movie lover Barbara Bridges. Five years of conversations later, the discussions morphed into a full-fledged, standalone festival that provides a platform for female filmmakers and productions that put women at the center of screens instead of forcing them to the margins. Whether they’re in front of or behind the camera, women are the stars at the Women+Film Festival.
Mountainfilm
May 21-25, 2026
Telluride
In 1979, Mountainfilm planted its piton into the edifice of documentary-centric movie festivals and started climbing – and it’s been peaking ever since. A Memorial Day weekend staple, Mountainfilm annually assembles “a community of filmmakers and change makers, showcasing documentary films that celebrate adventure, activism, social justice, environment and indomitable spirit.”
Ouray International Film Festival
June 18-21, 2026
Ouray
The slogan of the Ouray International Film Festival underscores the beauty of its location: “Because movies and mountains can change your life.” OIFF’s primary venue is the Wright Opera House, built in 1888 but upgraded with a 4k cinema projector and audio system. But intimacy is also emphasized, since artist events and informal gatherings connected to the festival take place at “mountain homes, coffee shops and the occasional rooftop.”
Telluride Horror Show
October 16-18
Telluride
The seventeenth edition of the Telluride Horror Show promises “three packed days” in which audiences will “experience an exciting mix of horror, suspense, thriller, dark fantasy and sci-fi, and dark comedy in Telluride’s unique theaters, with most of the films having one of their first U.S. showings.” Colorado’s first and longest-running horror-film showcase made the list of MovieMaker Magazine‘s twenty coolest film festivals. The festival is now open for submissions.
Rocky Mountain Women’s Film Festival
October 16-18
Colorado Springs
On the way back from the 1987 Telluride Film Festival, Jere E. Martin and Donna Guthrie thought about the need for a cinematic conclave that puts women first. Their idea eventually became the RMWFF, which is honored to be the longest-running women’s film festival on this particular continent. The fest salutes “films and filmmakers that present the world as women experience it, showcasing documentary, narrative, shorts, and animated films that are thought-provoking, enriching, and encourage both global awareness and personal growth.”
Denver Film Festival
October 22 through November 1
Denver
The Denver Film Festival has been around as long as Sundance; both flickered to life in 1978. But while Sundance is all about independent cinema, DFF takes a broader view, incorporating everything from student films to Oscar wannabes and future Hollywood blockbusters. Unspooling over ten days at locations such as the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, the fest is among the nation’s largest regional festivals, and artistic director Matt Campbell has a knack for selecting those attractions most likely to turn heads and start conversations.
Go West Film Festival
November 9-14
Greeley
The western is no longer the ubiquitous genre it was during much of the 20th century. But at Greeley’s Go West Film Festival, what were once known as oaters once again lead the stampede. “We ride the range of cinema history, from the early years to feature films and documentaries about the modern West,” the fest’s wranglers state. “Whether we reminisce about timeless classics or view a movie for the first time, westerns always set the screen ablaze!”
Ridgway Independent Film Fest
November 13-15
Ridgway
Ridgway is known for at least one showbiz link: The town north of Ouray was once home to Dennis Weaver, star of the NBC series McCloud, whose onetime property has been turned into a memorial park. But for twelve years, Ridgway has also hosted a film festival that puts a premium on shorts, although longer-form productions are on the bill, too. The RIFF decision-makers are drawn mainly to “films that may have flown under the radar during their release, or are undiscovered. We value storytelling, experimentation and community building through art.”
Vail Film Festival
December 3-6
Vail
The Vail Film Festival’s timing isn’t a matter of coincidence. Getting the rich and famous to take a side trip to Vail during December isn’t exactly a big lift, and as a result, VFF regularly attracts starry someones. Kate Bosworth, Kevin Smith, Allison Janney, Zach Braff, Olivia Wilde and Alicia Silverstone have all enjoyed the festivities in person, along with thousands of film lovers who also like to shush down mountains
Dates TBA
After Telluride Film Festival (ATFF)
Telluride
One fact about major film festivals: It’s impossible to get into every screening that seems interesting, and especially the buzziest, most high-profile tickets. The After Telluride Film Festival provides an alternative to those who’ve been shut out by screening many of the must-see flicks from the Telluride Film Festival after all the big shots have gone home. In 2024, for instance, locals and visitors got a chance to eyeball September, Saturday Night and Nickel Boys before the rest of America.
Pueblo Film Fest
Pueblo
The brain-trusters behind the Pueblo Film Fest have their eyes on the future. Their purpose, they explain, is “to ignite a passion for storytelling through the art of cinema as we build the next generation of filmmakers. We celebrate the diverse voices of filmmakers from around the world, from budding talents to seasoned auteurs” while “shining a spotlight on the vibrant film culture of Pueblo, Colorado.”
XicanIndie FilmFest
Denver
The XicanIndie FilmFest has long roots. Back in the late 1970s, the closure of Denver’s Holiday and Santa Fe theaters shrunk residents’ access to Spanish-language films, and the situation didn’t improve over the next couple of decades. Su Teatro responded in 1999 by starting the Chicano Independent Filmmaker’s Festival, XicanIndie’s precursor. More than a quarter-century later, the FilmFest is still going strong by way of programming that falls under four basic categories: Chicano Independent Filmmakers, Latino World Cinema, El Epoca de Oro (Golden Age of Mexican Cinema), and Cine Mejicano (contemporary Mexican films).
The Junktown Film Festival
Grand Junction
When people refer to Grand Junction as “Junktown,” they’re not typically trying to be complimentary. But the men and women behind the Junktown Film Festival have chosen to make a positive out of a negative. JFF juxtaposes films 22 minutes or less in length that cover the subject-matter spectrum.
DocuWest
Denver
“We have something for your mind,” note the folks behind DocuWest, bundled by the Denver Documentary Society. DocuWest selects works “that may confront, confirm or disrupt viewpoints with stories about civil rights, music, the environment, democracy and myriads of other issues.” Glitz and glamour aren’t the watch words: The fest hopes to reach those who care more about the search for justice than what celeb they might see on a red carpet.
Iris Global Health Film Festival
Boulder
The Iris Global Health Film Festival seeks to produce “a unique fusion of entertainment and enlightenment, fostering an active pursuit of a healthier world.” Its program is crowded with narrative short films, documentaries that take on social, health and/or environmental issues and more. The conceptualists at its center have a straightforward aim: “We want to amplify films that bring light into the world.”
Winter Park Film Festival
Winter Park
The 2025 Winter Park Film Festival wrapped with record attendance and 74 films screenings in nine categories. This year, the festival will include activities like mountain biking, fly fishing workshops, rock climbing and more.
2027
Denver Jewish Film Festival
Denver
The 2026 Denver Jewish Film Festival wrapped on February 1, showcasing Jewish storytelling, community and culture. It was the thirtieth iteration of the event. Stay tuned for next year’s dates.
What did we miss? Send event details to editorial@westword.com.
