Mountainfilm 2024 Festival Lineup Announced

Telluride's Mountainfilm has announced the full lineup for its 46th festival, taking place this Memorial Day weekend, May 23–27.

On offer for attendees are 101 interesting, engaging, and inspiring films, including 18 features and 83 shorts curated into 15 programs, including award-worthy environmental, Indigenous voices and adventure-themed films.

The little festival I remember attending religiously in the early 1990s—a small gathering—is now the big festival that offers world-class films and the great minds behind them.

Of the incredible lineup, 23 films are world premieres, including three features: A Good Wolf , which examines a 40-year conflict over one of North America’s iconic predators ( more on that film here ); Between the Mountain and the Sky , the profound journey of Maggie Doyne, who learns to rebuild after loss and redefines what it means to be a family; and Public Defender , a look at some of the January 6 rioters and how one feisty lawyer is taking on America’s epidemic of misinformation and division.

World premiere shorts include Jamie , the inspiring story of trans alpinist Jamie Logan; Mallorcan Rhapsody , which follows legendary climber Chris Sharma on a spectacular paddling and climbing adventure; Max: One Last Favor , which asks what America’s moral responsibility is to the Afghan interpreters who staked their lives on U.S. promises; Mr. Cato , the story of an elementary school teacher and pro-BMX biker who changes students’ lives by teaching them to ride and care for bikes; This is Where I Find Myself , a look at the career of psychedelics proponent Dr. Roland Griffiths, and how the drugs can ease the emotional pain at the end of life; and The Shitthropocene , a wacky look at how our world came to be flooded with cheaply-made products and how we might do things differently.

You can see the Shitthropocene here , but knowing Mountainfilm, there'll be a rousing discussion afterwards. You won't wanna miss that ... words are so lightly thrown.

"We really do have an incredible lineup this year,” said Lucy Lerner, Mountainfilm’s senior programmer and festival manager. “With compelling stories, thought-provoking films and awe-inspiring narratives, this year's selection offers an immersive experience that celebrates indomitable spirit and the beauty of our world.”

Mountainfilm is also presenting the inaugural Indigenous Storytellers shorts program in 2024. These include Meet Me at the Creek , which follows the efforts of a Cherokee Nation citizen and Waterkeeper Warrior to restore a stream; Homecoming , a story of healing through restoring the bison to tribal communities; We Ride for Her , which features motorcyclists who ride to honor missing and murdered Indigenous women; Gath & K’iyh: Listen to Heal , a look at how a Native community restores its relationship with king salmon and birch; Indai Apai Darah (Mother, Father, Blood) , the story of how Indigenous people of Borneo fight to preserve their land from deforestation and greed; and Áhkuin , about the singular Sami oral storytelling tradition of joik.

In addition to the film programming, the festival weekend will feature the Minds Moving Mountains Speaker Series and DocTalks . This year’s Speaker Series keynote kicks off the festival on Friday with Guest Director Wade Davis at High Camp. Davis is a Canadian cultural anthropologist, ethnobotanist, photographer and best-selling author who has explored some of the most fascinating places on the planet.

To be honest, Davis is a great actor, too, as seen in The Lost People of Mountain Village . ( Part two is here. )

Other Speaker Series events will feature Utah outdoor athlete, activist and Senate candidate Caroline Gleich; photographer and National Geographic Society Fellow Chris Rainier; National Geographic Explorer focused on environmental justice and youth Juan D. Martinez Pineda; mountaineer Wasfia Nazreen and entomologist Dr. Sammy Ramsey.

This year’s DocTalks fulfills is part of the festival’s mission to bring filmmaker support to the forefront. It will offer five workshop sessions focused on career development and filmmaker support. Sessions will be hosted by various organizations, including Exposure Labs, Well Travelled Collective, The Redford Center and other industry experts.

Mountainfilm’s popular Coffee Talks (no doubt Shitthropocene will be an item of discussion) will return Saturday and Sunday at 8 am at locations throughout Telluride and Mountain Village. These panels are informal discussions with authors, activists, experts and filmmakers featuring engaging Q&A sessions on topics like diversifying traditional outdoor narratives; the beleaguered Colorado River; exploration in the 21st Century; what ancient ice cores can tell us about climate change; art as a means of resistance and more.

I've attended a few of these and they're fantastic.

On Saturday night, environmentalist drag queen Pattie Gonia will host a climate-inspired drag show and dance party at 8 pm at High Camp. This event is free and open to the public, but festival passholders receive priority entry. This electrifying drag show and disco will no doubt infuse the entire weekend with a burst of inclusivity, diversity and fabulousness. (My dancing shoes and questionable clothing are already packed.)

The Redford Center and Mountainfilm, in partnership with IF/Then Shorts, are proud to present the Nature Connection Pitch at the 2024 festival. At noon Saturday at the Sheridan Opera House, five filmmaking teams will present their short documentaries-in-progress to a panel of industry luminaries for a chance to win a $30,000 production grant from the Redford Center. The film projects focus on solutions to restoring human’s connection to nature and outdoor access, and highlight historically underrepresented communities.

“If you've yet to experience a live film pitch event, it's an absolute must-see. Imagine ‘Shark Tank’ with a unique twist, spotlighting films and issues centered around making an impact,” said Festival Director Suzan Beraza.

This is one bloody full schedule. Phew.

Also, in this year’s Jenga-like stacked program are the cash awards, which will be given out at the Closing Picnic on Monday in Town Park. Passholders can cast their votes for Audience Choice Award Feature ($5,000) and Audience Choice Award Short ($1,000). Jury-selected awards include Best Documentary Feature ($5,000); James Balog Creative Vision Award ($5,000); Women in Film Award ($3,500); Moving Mountains Award ($1,500 to the filmmaker and $1,000 to the non-profit featured in the film); Subject Matter Award ($15,000 to filmmaker and $15,000 to an associated non-profit); Charlie Fowler Best Adventure Film ($2,500); Best Short Film ($1,000) and Student Choice Award ($2,000). (Strangely, there are no awards for the press. Hmmm....)

Passes for the 2024 Mountainfilm Festival are still available, but you better put down the remote and cheese puffs and get online ASAP.

I can vouch that Mountainfilm is a life-changing, intimate experience in one of Colorado’s most beautiful mountain towns. More information including the full lineup of films and complete festival schedule can be found here .