The Boulder International Film Festival returns this weekend, April 9-12, with a familiar mix of films, filmmakers and community programming, and a new layer of attention. For the first time, Boulder is also preparing to host the Sundance Film Festival, raising questions about how the two events will coexist in a city not typically known as a film hub.
BIFF isn’t ignoring that moment. It moved its dates, adopted a new motto, “Your Town, Your Stories, Your Festival,” and is actively partnering with Sundance on select screenings. But co-founder Kathy Beeck says the strategy isn’t about competing with a global brand. It’s about clarifying what BIFF has always been: a festival built for Boulder, with deep local roots and a focus on connection over spectacle.
That includes programs like Call2Action, which links films to local nonprofits, youth initiatives that bring filmmakers into Boulder schools, and a lineup that often reflects the city’s interests, from music and environmental films to adventure storytelling. Even as BIFF welcomes bigger names and industry attention, Beeck says the goal is to keep the experience grounded and accessible.
Below is a lightly edited conversation with Beeck about how the festival is evolving, and what it means to stay “homegrown” as Boulder steps onto a larger film stage.
BIFF has long brought in big names, including Scott Feinberg of The Hollywood Reporter, who records his Awards Chatter podcast at the festival, while also emphasizing local connections and education. How do you balance those two?
We love having Scott, and he loves coming to BIFF. He does his Awards Chatter podcast at only five other film festivals around the world, so we feel very lucky to have him every year. This year’s guest is Alec Baldwin, and we’re very excited.
We’ll have a panel of talented filmmakers, and also Harrison Query, a local who has made it big. Harrison grew up in Boulder and is now a well-known screenwriter in Hollywood, and we’re glad he’ll be joining us.
It’s really about taking inspiration and making it uniquely our own. We apply that same spirit to education, for example, working with the Sundance Institute this year on one of our free youth workshops. These workshops feature industry professionals who share practical knowledge about the film industry and how to get involved.
You have now had to move the festival to April 9-12 due to the Sundance Festival and have a new slogan, Your Town, Your Stories, Your Festival. What is the relationship like in Boulder’s film community with the arrival of Sundance to Boulder?
We have a good relationship with Sundance and are excited about its upcoming inaugural festival. We partnered with them already at Chautauqua last fall for the screening of the Andrea Gibson documentary “Come See Me in the Good Light,” and it was amazing.
We are again partnering with their team during BIFF on films that were screened at Sundance this year, such as the phenomenal documentary “Time and Water,” screening at Grace Commons on Friday during the festival.
We look forward to collaborating with them throughout the year.
How does BIFF differentiate itself? Is that what the new motto is getting at?
For 22 years, we have always shown films that we feel speak to Boulder and our audiences. This is Boulder’s festival, and with our hundreds of dedicated volunteers and returning sponsors and donors, we have been so fortunate to grow and continue to build BIFF.
Our audiences love music-focused films, and we have many this year, including “On a String,” which is funny, and the Newport Folk Festival doc, “Newport & The Great Folk Dream.” In addition, we focus on our Call2Action program, which now has 250 organizations attached to it.
Is that Call2Action program typical for film festivals?
It is not that common, and we use it as a way to engage and connect audiences after a film. Most people at festivals see a film, are affected by it, and then ask, “How do I get involved?” To which we say: Here is an organization that has ways to make a difference.
Specifically, this year we have a whole expo dedicated to the Colorado River project attached to the documentary “The River” by Mara Tasker, which is part of our signature Adventure Film Program.
How has that initiative impacted the films you choose?
We always choose films based on great storytelling. This year’s Adventure Film Program has an exclusive premiere of the Sender Films four-part series The Dark Wizard, about climbing, highlining and wingsuit legend Dean Potter, that will be released on HBO. You can watch it first at BIFF and hear from the Boulder-based producers and directors at the screening.
It’s simply incredible, and the first time we’ve screened an episodic series at the festival.
How do you engage younger audiences?
We place a strong emphasis on education and youth programs. We have four distinct youth initiatives and actively partner with local high schools. This year, we’re proud to bring our programs directly to Fairview and New Vista high schools.
We’re facilitating connections by having guest speakers, like film subject James Balog, visit students. We also have free workshops, a teen short film competition, and free films for students during BIFF.
How do you approach local vs. international programming?
Many people assume we must be aiming for specific splits — a quarter local, a quarter international, etc. But we don’t have those quotas. It’s all about which are the best films.
We believe in presenting the best possible work. We don’t explicitly set out saying, “We need more international films” or “We need more women filmmakers.” However, when we finalize our programming and look at the breakdown, we invariably find that we are naturally moving toward equality. This year, for instance, women filmmakers and subjects represent 60% of our program.
That’s impressive. Was that high percentage a conscious decision when selecting films?
No, it wasn’t. We’ve found that this number naturally grows every year because women are making exceptional films. We didn’t choose films simply because they were made by women; we chose them because they were fantastic.
With that in mind, it is important to note that the lineup for this year’s CineChef features all female chefs.
Finally, how do you cultivate and maintain relationships within the industry over the long term?
It’s about building a reputation for screening high-quality, world-class films. For 21 years, we’ve nurtured relationships with a wide network, including studios, sales agents, distributors, and the incredible talent right here in Boulder.
While we always welcome new partners, we’ve built momentum and success by consistently collaborating with many of the same industry professionals each year, while also building new relationships.
What it all comes down to is this: we firmly believe that film can help change the world.
