04/07/2026
Workshops are FREE for all students (with ID).
WORKSHOPS! (register here)
Saturday, April 11 | Boulder Shambhala Center
FREE for students | $30/workshop for adults ($75 for all three!)
11am | Pathways to a Career in Documentary Filmmaking: Interactive Workshop and Panel Discussion
Boulder’s own award-winning production team Daniel Wright & Olivia Ahnemann are back to share trade knowledge from their combined 40 years of documentary producing experience. In this interactive workshop and panel discussion they will assemble several filmmakers from a variety of key creative roles to discuss how they first got into documentary filmmaking as a career and how their skills contribute to projects today.
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1pm | Young Filmmakers Resource Roundup
Join two new additions to the Boulder film community, Kristin Feeley and Toby Brooks from the Sundance Institute, for an afternoon of insider direction for young filmmakers. Kristin and Toby will give an overview of Sundance Institute Artist Programs and opportunities for support, with a special focus on the Ignite Program, geared towards ages 18-25. They will also offer tips and insight into Fellowship application and grant writing - including ways to better position artists and their work.
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3pm | Want to be a Hollywood Screenwriter?
Join Harrison Query, a Boulder native, as he reveals how he navigates the world of writing original and adapted screenplays. His work as a writer has spanned genres, with recent projects picked up by Amazon-MGM, Netflix, and Paramount, plus an upcoming thriller novel from publisher Simon & Schuster. This interactive workshop gives aspiring filmmakers the rundown on how to navigate the world of writing and selling a screenplay.
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FREE SCREENINGS
Students get FREE (with student ID) access to the following BIFF films.
Advance registration required.
NEW: Comparsa | Friday, April 10 @ 2:45pm, First Church
Register here | For FREE student tickets, use code "ComparsaCU" at checkout. Only available for students with a valid student ID.
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Comparsa takes you into the vibrant world of Ciudad Peronia, Guatemala, where sisters Lesli and Lupe use art to inspire local youth and heal deep wounds. After 41 girls are killed in a state-run “Safe Home” and the government refuses to act, the sisters respond with a daring, joyous comparsa — an exuberant street performance with towering puppets, fire-breathing stilt walkers and thundering drums. With courage and honesty, they expose a system that allows violence against women, while sharing their own stories of survival. Their youth movement takes to the streets, confronting corruption and reclaiming public space for women and girls. Built on a 17-year collaboration with the filmmakers, Comparsa is a powerful, unforgettable portrait of sisterhood, resilience, and the transformative power of art.
Snow Leopard Sisters | Saturday, April 11 @ 10am, Grace Commons Church
Register here
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Snow Leopard Sisters tells the extraordinary story of an unlikely yet unbreakable friendship between two Indigenous women living in one of the most remote and unforgiving corners of the Himalayas. The film follows local snow leopard conservationist Tshiring Lhamu Lama as she takes 17-year-old Tenzin Bhuti Gurung under her wing. Desperate to escape a forced marriage, Tenzin finds guidance, courage, and hope in Tshiring’s mentorship. Together, they traverse the jagged, breathtaking terrain of the Himalayas, risking everything in a quest to find the last endangered snow leopards. Through intimate verité storytelling and breathtaking cinematography, Snow Leopard Sisters celebrates the power of women’s voices, resilience, and leadership — revealing how courage and friendship can transform lives and protect one of the world’s most elusive predators.
Girl Climber | Saturday, April 11 @ 5pm, Grace Commons Church
Register here
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Boulder native and professional climber Emily Harrington has summited Everest and other 8,000+ meter peaks, and dominated the competition circuit, but her greatest challenge extends beyond the physical. To cement her legacy in the male-dominated world of elite rock climbing, she sets her sights on a career-defining 24-hour ascent of Yosemite’s El Capitan. Caught between the pursuit of personal ambition and the ticking biological clock of life, a near-fatal fall forces Emily to reckon with what she’s willing to risk. Equal parts gripping survival story and intimate portrait, Girl Climber isn’t just about breaking records, it’s about breaking barriers. Amongst Yosemite’s legendary boys’ club, Emily isn’t just proving she is the best girl climber — she is proving she is one of the best. Period. Featuring Alex Honnold, Cedar Wright, Conrad Anker, Tommy Caldwell and more.
Beyond Parallels and Best Day Ever | Sunday, April 12 @ 1:30pm, Grace Commons Church
Register here
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Beyond Parallels: After crossing Canada from north to south in 2021, the adventurers of AKOR expeditions set out on a new challenge: a crossing of the Canadian Far North, from the Yukon to the eastern edge of the country on Baffin Island (a 6,900-kilometer journey by bike, canoe, sailboat and on foot). Inspired by AKOR, a group of 12 people living with chronic pain embark on a collective challenge to cover, as a team, the equivalent of 6,900 kilometers traveled by AKOR's 2024 expedition, at the same time as the adventurers, despite their own physical limitations. An inspiring adventure film about perseverance, resilience and the transformative power of collective effort.
Best Day Ever follows the stories of adaptive mountain bikers Greg Durso and Allie Bianchi as they navigate the relentless challenges of their disabilities and embrace the tremendous support, friendship and joy they find in their rural Vermont riding community. Allie and Greg navigate disability and regain independence with humor, attitude and grit on mountain bike trails that dismantle ableism, build community and become a blueprint for trails anywhere.
For information about all of our youth programs, visit:
Free youth educational programs for young people
