Lights… camera… adventure!
With a brand new logo and website, 5 Point Film Festival is gearing up for its 17th annual flagship event in downtown Carbondale. This will feature a weekend of adventure films screening at the Rec Center as well as many peripheral events. More than 50 films will be shown, with several premiering, Executive Director Luis Yllanes told The Sopris Sun. Check out the official festival trailer released April 17 on social media.
“We’re still very much about community here in Carbondale and the Roaring Fork Valley and our programming continues to reflect that and bring people here you’d have to go all sorts of places to meet, from special guests to our filmmakers,” Yllanes said.
On Wednesday, April 24, a community film night at the Crystal Theatre presented by Amoré Realty at 7pm will kick things off with reduced ticket prices. “Recognizing that there are folks who maybe can’t do multiple nights, we do want to offer free programming,” Ylannes said. “It is a big expense to put this event on, so we do have to charge admission. But this is something we can offer the community, maybe for folks that aren’t familiar with 5 Point and want a sort of beginner taste of what it’s about.”
The following night at 5pm, artists Tre’lan Michael & Renan Öztürk will speak at a reception at The Launchpad where their art is currently on display. Both artists are featured in film premieres at this year’s festival.
Thursday’s film program at 7pm will be presented by best-selling author Jedidiah Jenkins who will also read from his new book, “Mother, Nature: A 5,000-Mile Journey to Discover if a Mother and Son Can Survive Their Differences,” at El Dorado on Friday at 11am.
Friday will begin with a free yoga class taught by filmmaker Taylor Rees at The Launchpad at 8am and a free adventure film program for local high school students shown at the Rec Center at 1pm. Backbone Media, an active lifestyles marketing agency with an office in Carbondale, hosts a talk at El Dorado at 3:30pm before the night’s film program presented by AspenOut at the Rec Center at 7pm.
On Saturday, the day begins with a 5k race in partnership with Independence Run & Hike and ValleyOrtho at 8am (day-of registration begins at 7:30am and costs only $10). The changemakers film presented in partnership with Aspen Valley Land Trust, “MIRASOL, Looking at the Sun,” tells the story of a farming community in Pueblo and the impacts they face due to climate change and development. The director, Ben Knight, is known for his 2014 documentary “Damnation.”
The third annual Adventure Filmmakers Pitch Event takes place at Steve’s Guitars at 1:30pm, April 27, with five finalists presenting film projects for the chance to win $15,000 and a festival premiere in April 2025. A free community film program, premiering “Designed By Disaster” and “Moving Mountains,” shows at the Crystal Theatre at 3pm.
Concurrently, Dirtbag Diaries will record a live podcast from inside El Dorado at 3:30pm and then PAR AVION, a surf rock duo, will perform at the Rec Center while filmmakers mingle with attendees at 5pm. The Saturday film program is at 7pm followed by an afterparty for festival goers and community members alike at the Thunder River Theatre at 10pm. Rattlesnake Milk will perform, a band Yllanes described as “psychedelic country” from Austin, Texas.
Per tradition, free Sundae artisanal ice cream will be served on Sunday at 1:30pm, preceded this year by a donation-based family film program at the Rec Center at noon, presented by ValleyOrtho.
Did we mention the gear giveaway? Amazing prizes include a new NRS packraft, inflatable kayak, stand up paddleboard, clothing from Stio and Strafe Outerwear, Yeti coolers, Kahtoola crampons and even a new Revel Rascal mountain bike valued at $6,000.
All this falls on the heels of receiving a Department of Labor Affairs grant to initiate an education program for middle schoolers which occurred in February.
“It’s cool to see we can do new things,” stated Yllanes, now producing his third flagship festival as executive director. “For us to continue to push that idea of innovation and change as an organization and media outlet is important.”

When: April 24 – April 28
Where: Carbondale Rec Center, other downtown locations
How: Full program, festival passes ($380), individual tickets ($35-$50) and volunteer opportunities at www.5pointfilm.org