Tickets for 5 Point’s 18th annual flagship film festival are now live, and the festivities kicked off with a special screening of “Papsura: Peak of Evil” at TACAW on March 14. The film — with cinematography by world-class adventure photographer Blake Gordon, a Carbondale local, in collaboration with Patagonia Films — follows the story of two professional snowboarders, Nick Russell and Jerry Mark, to Papsura, a mountain in the Himalayas, as they prepare to take on the challenge of running a line which has stumped even the most seasoned professional skiers.
“This film expertly tackles themes in adventure sports that are also core to our organization and programming: commitment, respect, humility, purpose and balance,” stated 5 Point Interim Executive Director Aisha Weinhold.
She continued, “In the film, when Jim Zellers is speaking about snowboarding, he says, ‘You go back to the roots of a sport that has no purpose and it’s just simple fun.’ This film articulately walks the line between the basic joy found in sport and the quest for the extreme by taking us along on the team’s huge and heartfelt undertaking.”
Weinhold, a Carbondale resident and owner of Ragged Mountain Sports, is a seasoned event producer and strategist. She has attended the 5 Point festival since its inception. She stepped into the interim role after Luis Yllanes’s departure and is excited to take on the challenge while 5 Point looks to fill the position more long-term.
As founder of No Man’s Land Film Festival, the only adventure film festival for women and genderqueer athletes, she said she is excited to play a role in enhancing the work that 5 Point and its partners bring to big screens across the nation.
“Stepping into this role has been an exhilarating challenge,” Weinhold said. “For the past few years, I have been contracted as a kind of chaos manager for businesses and events. I love coming into organizations when the momentum is high and every day and decision matters. Fortunately, the 5 Point team is so dialed-in that by the time I started in early February, they’d had the ball rolling for many months.”
While the search for new leadership for 5 Point is daunting, Weinhold is steadfastly working through any and all challenges that arise in the gap.
“It’s been scary to see sponsorships and funding sources wane in response to the unknown of new leadership, but that is a mountain that I know myself and the team is more than capable of climbing,” Weinhold expressed.
Those who plan to attend the upcoming festivities, April 24-27, are in for a treat. Weinhold was excited to share there will be a little something for everyone this year, including (but is not limited to) an obstacle course, live music from Sweet Jessup & The Dirty Buckets and The Charities (a California-based band), ice cream socials and much more to be announced along with the full program on March 25.
“All weekend long, there will be something every day for everyone to enjoy,” Weinhold stated.
Her sentiments were echoed by 5 Point Board President Keile Popovich. “Although I’ve attended the festival many times, every year brings a new rollercoaster of heartfelt, humorous and inspiring films,” she said. “It’s a special feeling that I never get sick of, to ride that wave of programming while being surrounded by your friends, family and community. The 5 Point staff does an excellent job curating the entire experience. I get that fresh feeling of excitement every year.”
Discussing 5 Point’s future, Popovich said the organization aims to continue offering a world-class film festival while catering to and supporting the Roaring Fork Valley community. These include a growing internship program with Colorado Mountain College, 5 Point Education Week and continuous efforts to expand 5 Point shows from Rifle to Aspen to encompass more of the community.
Additionally, she hopes that more folks will be happy to lend volunteer hands as the organization moves forward.
“It takes a village to put on a festival of this scale in Carbondale, and 5 Point is always grateful for the amazing mix of community partners and volunteers that help make it happen,” Popovich stated.
To purchase tickets or get involved, visit www.5pointfilm.org