Mountainfilm 2024 World Premieres

Mountainfilm is excited to announce that our 46th annual festival this coming May 23–27 will showcase 24 inspiring and compelling films making their debut at the festival. Festival-goers can look forward to 21 world premieres of short films alongside three world premiere feature films, each offering inspiration and addressing some of the most urgent issues of our time. These premieres will round out our film program featuring over 100 films. The festival also boasts a number of North American, U.S. and Colorado Premieres.

“This year's film lineup is nothing short of spectacular, with an impressive array of world premieres that will inspire and captivate audiences,” said Mountainfilm Executive Director Sage Martin. “From wolf protection to spirited public defenders, environmental humor and heartfelt humanitarian feats, there's something for everyone. The anticipation is palpable as we look forward to sharing these storytelling adventures with our audiences.” 

A Good Wolf will be especially relevant to Colorado residents, where ranchers and wildlife advocates are grappling with issues surrounding the reintroduction of wolves into the state in 2023. The film examines a 40-year conflict near Denali National Park where government authorities, fur trappers, biologists and activists have vehemently competing views about how to manage one of the country’s most iconic apex predators. The film premieres Saturday, May 25 and director Ramey Newell and cinematographer Lindsay Taylor Jackson will be attending the festival in person.

Between the Mountain and the Sky will have its world premiere Friday, May 24, with director Jeremy Power Regimbal and film subject Maggie Doyne in attendance. Doyne, the 2015 CNN Hero of the Year, a devoted CEO, humanitarian and guardian to over 50 Nepalese children, embarks on a journey to redefine what it means to be a family in the midst of rebuilding after tragedy. This poignant film delves into the resilience of the human spirit and showcases the enduring strength of a family determined to rediscover hope.

Public Defender follows Heather Shaner, a feisty, blue-haired public defender in Washington, D.C., who represents several of the right-wing Jan. 6 rioters. The film takes on America’s epidemic of division and misinformation, showing how to restore trust and accountability one conversation at a time. Filmmakers Ethan Oser and Andrea Kalin, along with several film subjects, will be in attendance at the premiere on Friday, May 24.

In addition to these feature films, Mountainfilm is presenting a full slate of thought-provoking and action-packed films in our shorts program categories of Dirt & Rock, Water & Ice, Indomitable Spirit, Terra, Global POV, Wild, Indigenous Storytellers and more. Often wrongly thought of as a stepping stone on the way to making feature films, shorts are an artform all their own with the power to inspire change.

The following shorts world premieres will have filmmakers and film subjects in attendance for a conversation with the audience after the film screenings: The Shit-thropocene, Dancing Warrior, Jamie, Mallorcan Rhapsody, Mama’s Sundry, Max: One Last Favor, Mr. Cato, Never Too Old, Party in the Pueblo, Speed of Rust, The Last Observers, To Know a Place, Asking Less and Tunainuana: Together We Rise. 

The 2024 festival will also be the world premiere for Building the Buffalo, Cham, and This is Where I Find Myself. 

Fan favorite programs Local Legends & Steep Thrills and Kids Kino will return this year with four world premieres with filmmakers and film subjects in attendance: Concrete Dreams: The Skate Awakening of Loas, Footprints on Katmai, Freea Ferrata and Say Less.  

Passes for the 2024 Mountainfilm Festival are on sale now. More information on this year’s festival can be found at mountainfilm.org.

—

Media Contact: 
Jessie Vandenhouten, Backbone 

About Mountainfilm: Established in 1979, Mountainfilm is dedicated to using film, art and ideas to inspire audiences to create a better world. Mountainfilm festival brings together a community of filmmakers and change makers, showcasing documentary films that celebrate adventure, activism, social justice, environment and indomitable spirit. Mountainfilm also reaches audiences year-round through its worldwide tour and Mountainfilm for Students, an educational outreach initiative for youth. Mountainfilm has the power to change lives. To learn more, visit www.mountainfilm.org. To join the conversation, please read Mountainfilm’s news and follow Mountainfilm on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.