2011 Wyoming Film Festival

August 26-27, 2011

Friday August 26, 2011 

6:00 PM         Popcorn Lobby Opens 

7:00         Welcome to the Festival

(Film start times are approximate) 

7:20         Fight of the Wild Stallions 

1947 documentary short film shot in the Red Desert southwest of Wamsutter, Wyoming that features wild horse wrangling including a fight between the famous stallion Desert Dust and a fierce black stallion.  This film was produced by Thomas Meade and nominated for a 1948 Oscar in the Best Short Documentary category.

8:00         The New Frontier:  Sustainable Ranching in the American West

The New Frontier" explores various controversies over cattle ranching and rangeland management in the American West. Shot on three family ranches in the Rockies of Colorado, southern New Mexico and Central Texas Blackland Prairie, the film examines cultural, scientific, political and philosophical considerations faced by ranching families and communities.        

9:00         Run To The East

This documentary follows three Native American high school distance runners competing in national track meets, vying for college scholarships while seeking to defy the negative stereotypes of American Indians.  (87:00)

Saturday 27 August 2011 

9a-2:30p         Video Production Workshop

Lights, Camera, Action!  Wyoming Community Media brings its video production workshop to the Wyoming Film Festival.  This workshop is primarily targeted to high school students and will present the basics of operating a video camera, setting up lights and sound, and the fundamentals of script writing while working on an actual film production project. 

3p-4:30         John Raymond Presentation

Screenwriter Jon Raymond is the author of The Half-Life, a novel, and Livability, a collection of stories, two of which became the movies Old Joy and Wendy and Lucy. He is also the writer of the film Meek's Cutoff, currently in theatrical release, co-writer of the HBO miniseries Mildred Pierce, and author of the forthcoming novel, Rain Dragon. His writing has appeared in Artforum, Bookforum, The Village Voice, and many other publications.  His presentation will focus on the evolution of his work with Kelly Reichardt, the director of three films (Old Joy, Wendy and Lucy, and Meek's Cutoff) based on his writings.    

5:30p-6:45           Reel Festival Reception

Informal gathering with food, cash bar, and conversation with

filmmakers and film lovers (open to everyone).

7:00         Opening Remarks 

7:15         Highway 22 Revisited     

Urban legend or truth?  Filmmaker Jennifer Tennican explores the story of whether or not Bob Dylan performed at an iconic western watering hole.  Winner: 2011 Wyoming Film Office Short Film Contest.

7:45         The Aerial Girl

A young girl moves to her grandfather’s Wyoming ranch where she meets a ranch hand who turns her life upside down.  

8:15         Ski the 14ers

The story of Chris Davenport’s goal to climb and ski all 54 of Colorado’s 14,000-foot peaks in a single winter. The quest begins with history-making speed and skill as Davenport crosses off 30 peaks in a single month. The viewer follows Davenport on a journey through a little-understood piece of the American landscape as he raises the bar for his sport and inspires a new generation of ski mountaineers to become stewards for the environment.  

9:00         Wild Water

Wild Water is a documentary journey into the mind and soul of whitewater, into the places only river runners can go, places of discovery, solitude and risk. The filmmakers set out to create a new kind of adventure film…one where image, sound and ideas trump all else.          

 9:45         Magic Valley 

A contemporary portrait of south central Idaho, where farmers butt heads about water usage and other locals play the "Passing Out Game," a method for getting high that involves hyperventilation and choking.  Official selection at 2011 Tribeca Film Festival