Boulder International Film Festival Celebrates its 17th Anniversary with Award-Winning Films and Big Crowds
BOULDER, Colorado (July 2, 2021) — Rainy weather didn’t dampen the spirits of the film enthusiasts and filmmakers who attended the 17th Annual Boulder International Film Festival (BIFF), June 24-27. The four-day festival was held at the beautiful Chautauqua Auditorium and other venues around Boulder. It featured 40 films from 10 countries, including an Outdoor Cinema, delicious food at the popular CineCHEF event, plus the inaugural BIFF at Home Virtual Cinema.
Many events sold out, including the Festival’s Opening Night Gala and screening of Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), directed by Ahmir ‘Questlove” Thompson, the Closing Night film Mission: Joy – Finding Happiness in Troubled Times, directed by Louie Psihoyos, and Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain, directed by Morgan Neville, who received BIFF’s Career Achievement Award in Documentary Filmmaking at the screening.
“We are more than grateful for the outpouring of support from the community and for the opportunity to bring people together once again for the Festival,” said Robin Beeck, BIFF’s executive director. “The combination of filmmakers who came to Boulder, film lovers, sponsors, and volunteers made BIFF 2021 truly memorable. We’re already in planning stages for BIFF 2022, which will be held March 3-6 at the Boulder Theater and other venues.”
BIFF 2021 Highlights
- Opening Night and Green Carpet Gala — Attendees kicked off this year’s Festival on the green outside Chautauqua Auditorium with delicious food from Pasta Jay’s, Red F Catering, and Savory Cuisines, with wines from Francis Ford Coppola Winery, and local beers and Spiked Snowmelt hard seltzers from Upslope Brewing. The highlight of the evening was the screening of Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), which won the award for Best Music Film.
- CineCHEF — Acclaimed chefs from Boulder and Denver showcased their culinary talents at the annual popular foodie event and each created a film-inspired dish. New this year, attendees tasted the chefs’ cinema-based masterpieces and enjoyed music, wine, and beer, indoors and out, at the beautiful Rayback Collective. Wines by Francis Ford Coppola Winery, local beers and Spiked Snowmelt hard seltzers from Upslope Brewing, and live music with Miguel Espinoza Flamenco Fusion rounded out the evening.
- Closing Night — The BIFF weekend concluded with the presentation of the “Best of” Vielehr award sculptures and the screening of Mission: Joy – Finding Happiness in Troubled Times, with an in-person Q&A with Ron Bostwick, featuring Boulder’s own Academy Award-winning director and BIFF alumnus, Louie Psihoyos.
The 2021 Boulder International Film Festival Vielehr award winners include:
Career Achievement in Documentary Filmmaking: Morgan Neville
BIFF Service Award: Jim Palmer
Best Short Documentary: Welcome Strangers
Best Short Film: The Present
Impact Award: Us Kids
Best Adventure Film: Godspeed, Los Polacos!
Best Music Film: Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
Best Documentary: Tom Petty, Somewhere You Feel Free
Best Feature Film: Asia
People’s Choice Award – Short Film: The Incredible Lamont
People’s Choice Award – Feature-Length Film: Godspeed, Los Polacos!
About the Boulder International Film Festival
The Boulder International Film Festival (BIFF) brings films and filmmakers from around the world to Boulder, Colorado for a four-day celebration of the art of cinema. BIFF attracts thousands of film enthusiasts, as well as media and industry members. Follow BIFF on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. BIFF 2022 is March 3-6.
BIFF 2021 is generously supported by: The Daily Camera, KUNC/105.5 The Colorado Sound, St Julien Hotel & Spa, Vermilion Design + Digital, Capital One Cafe, Audi Flatirons, Daryl Smith Re/Max of Boulder, Chautauqua, Rick Baker Insurance, Millstone Evans Group, Pasta Jay’s, CBS4, 5280 Magazine, Charlotte’s Web, Todd Reed, Francis Ford Coppola Winery, City of Boulder, First Western Trust, Frasier, LIV Sotheby’s, Hotel Boulderado, Savory Cuisines, Kingsbery CPAs, Brock Media, Rayback Collective, RiverCloud Media, Upslope Brewing Company, Space Farmer Productions, Stylus Creative, Via, Travel Boulder, Unico, and the City of Albuquerque.
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