A perfect 10

Durango Independent Film Festival celebrates 10th year

Always anticipated and well attended, Durango’s own independent film festival returns to our mountain hamlet to celebrate it 10th anniversary March 4 - 8. With almost 100 films scheduled, there is something for everyone this year, from full-length features and documentaries to animated shorts, adventure sports, family films and even a Native American genre.

DIFF Executive Director Joanie Fraughton said the goal of the nonprofit is to bring the community together to, “laugh, cry, reflect, rejoice and have fun in the experience.” The group’s mission, she adds, “Is to connect the community of film and culture lovers with the art and passion of the filmmaker.”

On that note, one particularly special component of DIFF this year is its educational program, known as “Reel Learning.” Since the film fest’s inception, it has shown educational and creative films to area students in Ignacio and Durango. This year, however, its reach will be expanded even further. “We will present films to K-2 students, third- through fifth-grade students, middle school students and high school students,” she said. “We will also be taking the high school program to Animas High School.”

This year’s film fantasia features entries from around the globe, with 18 countries represented including Serbia, South Africa, Sudan, Singapore and New Zealand.

The five-day celebration includes a kick-off party, several receptions, culinary and brew fests, panel discussions, and even a free movie night.

The broad array of motion pictures borders on sensory overload. Topics are as diverse as emotional and psychological struggle, death and dying, and post-apocalyptic and futuristic subject matter. Running times vary from the two-minute animated short “Amoeba” to the full-length “B for Boy,” which runs 118 minutes.

A breakdown of various genres’ highlights follows:

Action Adventure: This year’s film fest offers plenty for sports enthusiasts. Mountain adrenaline junkies can get their fill with footage of everything from river running and kayaking (“Delta Dawn,” “Dream,” “River of Eden”); to skiing (“Afterglow,” “Dog Days of Winter”); hiking (“Spine of the Continent”); and mountain biking (“Forgotten Dirt,” “Sufferfest 2: Desert Alpine.”) Other featured adrenaline sports include  skateboarding (“Gnarly in Pink”), horseracing (“Indian Relay”) and bull riding (“Roughstock.”)

Music: For the music minded and art lover there is “Virtuosity,” an 88-minute treatise about the piano-playing pursuit of the Van Cliburn competition prize.

There is also “Brasslands,” a multi-national entry from the USA, Serbia and Montenegro. Not to be confused with the 1997 British film “Brassed Off!” this cacophonous story depicts the 50th anniversary of the world’s largest trumpet competition, held in Guca, Serbia. The film proves to be more than a riotous celebration of diverse groups of musicians; it offers a personal perspective of varying groups searching for a common bond through music.

Art: “Paradise Garden” (85 minutes) is a documentary about the late pioneer artist and Baptist minister from Georgia, Howard Finster (1916-2001.) During his long life, he created a folk art garden of nearly 46,000 pieces of work made from discarded, everyday articles. Director Ava Leigh Stewart learned about Finster in art school but was introduced to the project by one of the film’s producers, Trey Lafave. Since Finster’s death, LaFave was working to help restore the site (where, incidentally, R.E.M. filmed its video for “Radio Free Europe” in 1983). Leigh admits her goal for making the film was to try to use the film to incite positive change. “Even if the garden falls into disrepair in the future, it will be preserved on film,” she said.

Global issues: The film fest also offers uplifting, faith-in-humanity, stories such as “Duk County: Peace is in Sight in the New South Sudan.” In less than 40 minutes, the film provides a glimpse into the world of Dr. Geoff Tabin and a medical team from Park City, Utah, that travels to South Sudan to help restore eyesight to almost 200 people, all while under the threat of conflict. The film has been screened at other festivals around the country, but for filmmaker Jordan Campbell, it will be his and the film’s first time in Durango.

“(Tabin) is an amazing human being and a timeless friend,” said Campbell of the story’s focus. The two have worked together since 2003, including a trip to two remote eye camps in Nepal 2005

Another tale of sightlessness that tugs at the heart strings is a Brazilian entry titled, “The Way He Looks,” that chronicles blind, 15-year-old Leo’s daily routine at school and how it is impacted by the arrival of a new pupil.

Feature films: The full-length “Wildlike” (104 minutes) follows a troubled teen-age girl on a life-changing journey away from Seattle and an unstable mother into the Alaskan interior and ultimate sanctuary. Writer, director and one of the producers of the film, Frank Hall Green, will be on hand for the screening. A New York University film school graduate, he shared some insight into the commitment involved in developing an independent film: he began writing the script in 2008 and finally finished editing in 2014.

To date, “Wildlike” has been accepted in more than 60 film festivals and has garnered six best narrative awards and two best director honors. This will be Green’s first time in Durango.

Family program: This year’s film fest boasts an Oscar nominee, “The Dam Keeper,” an animated short by two former Pixar art directors. The film centers on the story of Pig, who works tirelessly to protect his town from a dark, polluted  fog, despite the townspeople’s indifference and teasing. Things change when Pig makes a  few friend.

Native American: “Listening for a New Day” tells the story of the Arapahoe people’s struggle to hold onto their culture in a modern, fast-paced world. At 45 minutes, it sits somewhere between documentary and feature length. The film has struck an emotional chord during other screenings, such as at the Red Nation Film Festival in Beverly Hills, where it won the “Oyate” award for its contribution to Native American Cinema last November. The film’s producer and writer Dara Weller, along with her collaborator George Giglio, said it means a lot to be showing the film in Durango. “The Rocky Mountains and Colorado in particular, are the homeland of our Arapaho people,” Weller said. “To show our documentary in this venue is very exciting and emotional.”

For a list of films, locations, and times go to: durangofilm.org