Independence Film Festival Comes to Buena Vista
Articles - Life In BV

by: Allison AbdelnourPearl

How about a little bit of Hollywood in central Colorado? Buena Vista and Leadville will be playing host to the first annual Independence Film Festival September 5-9. Los Angeles film director and producer, Lawrence Foldes, and his wife, Victoria Meyerink, are organizing the event. The film festival was named after Independence Pass, a 12,095 foot mountain pass that connects Aspen with the Upper Arkansas Valley.

The festival will be a celebration of artistic and personal integrity and vision in cinema and excellence in visual storytelling. The films being screened throughout the weekend will embody the spirit of what Foldes considers to be the last golden age of Hollywood. This is the era of filmmaking from the 1960’s through the 1980’s when filmmakers had more freedom to express their vision and were not limited by big commercial agendas as is often the case in the industry today.

Featuring films both old and new, the festival will screen films from the 1960’s through 1980’s as well as student films that have recently been awarded “student Oscars” from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The event will also be honoring filmmaker Randal Kleiser and actor Don Knotts. There will be an emphasis on the rich cultural history of the region through documentary showings and an on-board silent film screening held on Leadville's historic train.

In bringing the event to this area, Foldes and Meyerink hope to integrate the community into the festival as well as bring in additional tourism and economic development. They also hope to inspire and enrich the lives of those who view the films, and to introduce the various educational and ancillary programs of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences (AMPAS) to a new audience.

Venues for the festival in Buena Vista are the Pearl Theatre, Comanche Drive-In and Sweet Shots. In Leadville, events will be held at the Tabor Opera House, Silver City Cinema and the Old Church.

Hope to see you out here enjoying the festival!


www.independencefilmfest.com