Tickets and passes for the 34th annual and Oscar Awards-qualifying Aspen Film ShortsFest are now live and attendees are in for a diverse lineup of short films from both Colorado-based, national and international filmmakers from across 29 countries.
The festival, beginning on March 31 and wrapping on April 5, will primarily take place at the iconic Wheeler Opera House with showings of the 68 films broken up into ten programs to include five to eight films at a time. There are also events spread throughout the week at various Aspen establishments, including Aspen Film’s Isis Theatre, for filmmakers and audience members to network and mingle.
According to Jason Anderson, ShortsFest programming director, this event will not only have something for everyone in the seats, but will also provide a space for up-and-coming filmmakers to build their networks and for established filmmakers to reach new audiences.
“[ShortsFest] has grown into a really important and prestigious showcase for short filmmakers in the U.S. and worldwide, too,” Anderson told The Sopris Sun. “There are plenty of film festivals … but not a ton of places that specifically celebrate short films.”
“This is a natural space for a lot of new filmmakers who maybe are people who are finding their feet and their voices and working towards feature film or TV careers,” he continued. “At the Wheeler, you get a lovely screening and [it] presents a unique opportunity for filmmakers to be together and make friends, and in this special bubble that Aspen Shorts creates every year.”
Anderson said the festival stays exciting because of how each film is presented. While some festivals categorize and then present films by genre, ShortsFest has always presented a mixed bag to create a stimulating program for viewers.
Four films from Colorado filmmakers include: “No Experience Necessary” by Emily Everhard, a documentary about a grieving widow with two left feet discovering herself on a ballroom dance floor; “Out for Delivery” by Chelsea Christer, which tells the story of a woman struggling to find adequate end-of-life care; “Rope Swing” by Anna Cappello, a three-minute love letter to nostalgia; and “And the Stars are the Same” by Raúl Paz Pastrana and Alan Dominguez, which follows a Mayan elder’s reflection on what home means to her.
“It’s fun for us as programmers to give you a drama, followed by a heavy piece, which is then followed by a lighter piece — an animation that is surprising or a documentary which is touching, just to give a broad stylistic range of things,” Anderson explained. “I think that’s something we’re always conscious of, because over the course of all 68 films you don’t want to have too much of one thing.”
Anderson encourages audiences to join in on, and continue, the conversations about what they take away from the films at the festival.
“This is a great chance to see what’s out there, what people are making, the level of the stories they’re telling and how they’re telling them. We have amazing industry guests who are eager to share wisdom and give their insights about what the film landscape is like. This is an opportunity to connect with people — whether it’s filmmakers or industry people. People are here. They’re available and eager to talk to people. It’s a rich opportunity,” Anderson concluded.
In a nutshell:
What: Aspen Film ShortsFest
When: March 31 to April 5
Where: Wheeler Opera House / Aspen
Tickets: www.aspenfilm.org
