For some attending the Rocky Mountain Women’s Film Festival, this weekend will mark their first time in a long while seeing a movie in a theater.
That will include a handful of filmmakers, too, who have yet to see their finished products with an in-person audience.
“For folks who work in isolation so much, that is their payoff,” said Linda Broker, executive director of Rocky Mountain Women’s Film Institute. “And that has not happened for the last year.”
As the movie business remains in a rocky spot because of the pandemic, the festival celebrating stories of women will roll on for its 34th year.
IF YOU GO
What: Rocky Mountain Women’s Film Festival
When: In-person events Friday-Sunday. Virtual events Nov. 18-21
Where: Pikes Peak Center, 190 S. Cascade Ave.
Price: One-day tickets are $29 for Friday and $59 for Saturday or Sunday. Two-day passes are $99 and a full festival pass is $139. A VIP pass costs $225. To purchase tickets and for more information, visit rmwfilm.org.
And that’s something to celebrate, Broker said.
“I would say there is no substitute for watching a film in person in a theater, when your dog isn’t barking in the background or there isn’t laundry to do,” she said. “When you go watch a film at the theater, it has your singular focus. It’s more likely that whatever you experience will have a more lasting impact.”
Part of the festival’s goal is to have an impact long after the credits roll.
That’s why the festival invites filmmakers to attend and speak about their movies. And that’s why organizers are picky when it comes to choosing what to screen. The festival, which runs Friday through Sunday at Pikes Peak Center, features a diverse lineup of 20 films.
Broker said they work hard to select movies that are crowd-pleasers as well as some “that may stretch people a little bit.”
This year, they also considered the impact of COVID-19.
“We took into account that most people have had a rough 18 months and possibly are less inclined to seek out films that are focusing on really serious topics,” she said. “We edged a little bit more on topics that are a little bit lighter.”
Those topics include a Filipina American garage band, guinea pigs and a legendary female basketball player you’ve probably never heard of. There is also a film described as a lyrical love letter to weed and wine.
Plenty of not-so-light films also will be shown, such as one titled “The Return: Life After Isis” and another about a woman who dives into the world’s coldest waters without a wet suit as therapy for the trauma of sexual assault.
Broker said organizers never go into the selection process looking for a theme or a way to tie the films together, but that often happens accidentally.
There are multiple films on music or dance. There are several related to youth or childhood. And there are some about journalism, including the opening night film about India’s only all-female news network.
Along with the in-person offerings, the festival will debut a virtual encore weekend Nov. 18-21 that gives people the option to watch films at home. The virtual lineup includes an additional 12 films.
“We knew not everyone was going to be comfortable gathering in crowds,” Broker said. “So we designed it to be a hybrid.”
While watching at home has its perks, it doesn’t include post-screening conversations with filmmakers and after-parties at Kinship Landing‘s Homa Cafe and Bar. And it doesn’t offer that feeling that comes with watching something with dozens of friends and strangers.
“I hope people walk away from the weekend feeling like they learned something and are somehow a little more enriched,” Broker said. “Most importantly, we want people to come and experience the community of the festival.”
This content was originally published here.