Held annually in Telluride, CO, Mountainfilm is a festival featuring a collection of culturally rich, adventure-packed and enlightening documentary short films. Join us for a screening of a curated selection of powerful films from the festival. Mountainfilm on Tour is presented in partnership with Sierra Forever. 

*Doors open at 5pm with a cash bar*

Join us for a screening of the films Petyarre and Atnangkere, two related short films both depicting the search by the artist Gloria Petyarre and her family for a cave that has great significance in the culture of her people. The filmmaker Viviana Petyarre, an Alyawarre filmmaker, shares personal and cultural stories connected to her family and their land. These short documentaries give a heartfelt look into the strength of family, culture, and connection to the land in Aboriginal Australia. 

Embark on a journey through Australia’s cultural landscape with two poignant documentaries that illuminate Indigenous perspectives on art, history, and identity. Mr. Patterns chronicles the transformative impact of Geoff Bardon, an art teacher who, in the early 1970s, introduced Western desert Aboriginal communities to the medium of dot painting. Working alongside the Papunya artists, Bardon facilitated the resurgence of traditional designs, intertwining cultural expression with economic independence. In Too Many Captain Cooks, Rembarrnga elder Paddy Fordham Wainburranga offers a critical retelling of Captain James Cook’s arrival from an Aboriginal perspective.

Mr. Patterns generously provided by the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia

Too Many Captain Cooks generously provided by Ronin Films

Enjoy a free screening of this short documentary film exploring the life and work of Carmen Herrera, a pioneering abstract painter in the 40s and 50s. A discussion with Aspara DiQuinzio, Senior Curator of Contemporary Art, to follow the screening. 

Join us for an encore screening of this coming-of-age documentary directed by Paige Bethmann. Remaining Native follows Ku Stevens, a 17-year-old Native American runner. As Ku struggles to navigate his dream of becoming a collegiate athlete, the memory of his great grandfather’s escape from an Indian boarding school begins to connect past, present, and future.

Attend a screening of !Women Art Revolution, a film by Lynn Hershman Leeson, which explores the slow but steady rise of the women’s art community in the 1960s and 1970s. Stay after the screening for a discussion facilitated by Dr. Katherine Fusco, Associate Professor of English and Chair of the Gender, Race and Identity Program at the University of Nevada, Reno. 

This coming-of-age documentary directed by Paige Bethmann follows Ku Stevens, a 17-year-old Native American runner. As Ku struggles to navigate his dream of becoming a collegiate athlete, the memory of his great grandfather’s escape from an Indian boarding school begins to connect past, present, and future.  Stay after the screening for a panel discussion. 

Grab A Hunk of Lightning, a 110-minute film narrated and directed by Dorothea Lange’s granddaughter, award-winning filmmaker Dyanna Taylor, tells the compelling story of the passion, vision, and drive that made Lange one of the most important documentary photographers of the 20th century. Virtual discussion with the filmmaker to follow the screening.  

Attend a screening of Teknolust, a film by Lynn Hershman Leeson. Tilda Swinton plays four roles in this award-winning film about Rosetta Stone and her three Self-Replicating Automatons, which she cloned from her own D.N.A. Stay after the screening for a discussion facilitated by Katherine Fusco, Associate Professor of English and Chair of the Gender, Race and Identity Program at the University of Nevada, Reno. 

Photo: 

Lynn Hershman Leeson

Teknolust (still) , 2022

Digital video 

83 minutes