Crested Butte Film Festival


The Crested Butte Film Festival is a celebration of international films, held annually over four days in the last weekend of September, in Crested Butte, Colorado.
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History

Celebrating its 15th anniversary in 2025, the Crested Butte Film Festival was founded in 2011. In February 2025 the CBFF Board of Directors hired long-time Colorado nonprofit and local government leader, as Executive Director. In the years prior to 2010, the Town of Crested Butte previously hosted Reel Fest, a shorts film festival that lasted a decade but eventually was discontinued. The first installment of the had an audience of 1,500 or approximately the full-time population of the town. By 2013 the attendance doubled and as of 2025 the Festival regularly draws attendance regionally and from across North America. The Festival is known for year-round programming of film in a funky unique mountain community which is a both a National Historic Landmark District and Colorado Creative District, and for offering unique opportunities for Festival attendees to meet and interact with filmmakers. The Crested Butte Film Festival also has a reputation for programming a diverse array of unique short and full-length films during its which occurs during the peak of the autumn leaf changing season in Colorado.

Program

Crested Butte Film Festival programs artful, moving, creative and provocative films, in both short and full-length programs. Preference is given to creativity, daring, great storytelling, and bravery. The top selections are awarded to ACTNow, to the best narrative and documentary features, best documentary short, and to those chosen by the audience.

Awards

Action and Change Together (ACTNow)

Awarded to a nonprofit organization linked to a call-to-action documentary.
YearWinning filmDirectorCountry
2012Bidder 70Beth Cage; George Cage
2013Blood BrotherSteve Hoover
2014VirungaOrlando von Einsiedel
2015Racing ExtinctionLouie Psihoyos
2016NewtownKim Snyder
2017Bending the ArcKief Davidson; Pedro Kos
2017A Plastic OceanCraig Leeson
2019SantuarioPilar Timpane; Christine Delp
2020Mossville: When
Great Trees Fall		Alexander Glustrom
2024Mr.CatoRyan Ross

Juried Awards

YearWinning filmDirectorCountry
2013De rouille et d'os
Jacques Audiard
2014The One I LoveCharlie McDowell
2015Kumiko, the
Treasure Hunter		Nathan Zellner; David Zellner
2016The LobsterYorgos Lanthimos/
2017A Ghost StoryDavid Lowery
2019ParasiteBong Joon-ho
2020BaitMark Jenkin
2024Los FrikisMichael Schwartz & Tyler Nilson

YearWinning filmDirectorCountry
2017Immaculate
Misconception		Michael Geoghegan
2019Hot DogAlma Buddecke; Marleen Valin
2020OllaAriane Labed
2024Cheat MealDrew Bierut

YearWinning filmDirectorCountry
2015La HijaJazmín Rada
2016SituationalScott Simonsen; Alyssa Skoller
2016StuttererBenjamin Cleary
2017American ParadiseJoe Talbot
2019Moon and the NightErin Lau
2020Monstruo Dios
Agustina San Martín
2024Cheat MealDrew Bierut

Other awards

Special Jury Prize

  • 2012 – Alexander Gaeta, "Outstanding achievement, directorial debut"; Shoot the Moon
  • 2014 – Martin Rath, "Outstanding achievement, breakthrough filmmaker"; Written in Ink and Arena
  • 2015 – Yana Novikova, "Outstanding achievement, debut performance in a feature film"; The Tribe (Плем'я)
  • 2016 – Leonor Caraballo, Mattero Norzi, Abou Farman, and Adella Ladjevardi, "Artistic accomplishment"; Icaros: A Vision
  • 2016 – Ashley Valenzuela, "Filmmaker to watch"; Warm Waves
  • 2017 – David Byars, "Excellence in filmmaking"; No Man's Land
  • 2017 – Nancy Liu, "Filmmaker to watch"; Angeltown
  • 2017 – Dana Romanoff, "Embodying the spirit of activism in the arts"; Storytelling and the Spirit of Activism in Cinema
  • 2019 – Nancy Dionne, "Achievement in social impact and activism"; All I See is the Future
  • 2019 – Zack Gottsagen, "Outstanding debut performance"
  • 2020 – Mohammad Rasoulof, "Courage in filmmaking"
  • 2020 – Ashley Williams, ''"Outstanding achievement, directorial debut"''