Sister duo brings Hollywood to Boulder with films, workshops, and parties.
Rocking out to “Air Guitar Nation” will be hard to resist when the film comes to the third annual Boulder International Film Festival on Saturday.
The four-day festival that starts on Thursday, Feb. 15, and goes until Sunday, Feb. 18, will include 55 film screenings, 25 guest filmmakers, various workshops and panel discussions, and lots of parties.
Festival Director Kathy Beeck teamed up with her sister, Executive Director Robin Beeck, to bring the best independent films to the festival. The last film that will show on Sunday night is coming straight from the Sundance Film Festival and will be the film’s second showing ever. The documentary, directed by David Sington, shows never-before-seen footage of the Apollo landings.
“‘In The Shadow of the Moon’ just won the World Cinema Audience Award,” Kathy Beeck said. “It hasn’t been showed anywhere else.”
Another film that may appeal to students is the movie “Air Guitar Nation,” a documentary about the history of the American Air Guitar Association. The film follows air guitarists all the way to this year’s World Air Guitar Championships in Finland.
“It’s a hysterical movie,” Beeck said. “And by the end of the movie you’re really into who’s winning.”
The director of the film, Alexandra Lipsitz, and air guitar legend Bjorn Turoque (pronounced “b-yorn to rock”) will be at the film’s screening on Saturday night. There will be an Aireoke after party where people can jam to their favorite song from the Top 100 list of Air Guitar hits.
Adrienne Konkel, a junior business and marketing major and marketing intern for the Boulder International Film Festival, said Boulder is a perfect place for debuting indie films like “Air Guitar Nation.”
“Kathy and Robin want (BIFF) to be on the same level as the California festivals,” Konkel said.
Over 700 films were submitted for the festival but only 55 made the cut. There is a 12-person selection committee that helps narrow down the movies.
“We’ve kind of perfected what we’re doing over this four day period,” Beeck said. “We have excellent films, great parties, and the program just gets better every year.”
Pablo Kjolseth, 39, director of CU’s International Film Series, chose a film that is co-promoted by BIFF. “Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soapbox” will be playing Feb. 15 through Feb. 17 in the International Film Series.
“Dr. Bronner’s soap is basically something you can find on any health food shelf. It’s been around for decades, and a lot of people from Boulder will be familiar with it,” Kjolseth said. “The story is about a lot more than just the soap maker, it’s about compassion, and the craziness and spirituality of life.”
BIFF will also be offering a screenwriting workshop, free for students, from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m., on Sunday, Feb. 18, in the Boulder High School auditorium. Boulder native John August, known for his work with director Tim Burton on “Big Fish,” “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and “Corpse Bride,” will teach the workshop.
Another film Beecks said will appeal to students is “The Astronaut Farmer,” starring Billy Bob Thornton as a man who’s forced to drop out of NASA’s space training program due to family reasons. He spends the next decade building his own rocket in a barn on his ranch.
“There are a lot of foreign language films, wonderful documentaries, short films, and adventure films. It’s going to be a great festival,” Beecks said.
Contact Campus Press Staff Writer Jenny Bergen at Jennifer.bergen@thecampuspress.com.
