Arts & Culture

From sleeping in a basement screening tent to Star Wars: Rian Johnson’s long road into Hollywood

At a Sundance Institute event at the University of Denver, Johnson looked back on arriving in Park City with “no money,” nowhere to stay and a student film Sundance had rejected.

Sundance accessibility team is assessing Boulder venues ahead of 2027 festival

Festival director Eugene Hernandez said Sundance is working on ramps and accessibility assessments as it prepares for its first Boulder festival in January.

New York Times contributor Steve Knopper says a great pitch can beat experience

For students without long résumés, Knopper says freelancing can open doors — if they know what editors actually want.

Watch: Colorado deputy film commissioner talks Sundance opportunities and film careers for students

Arielle Brachfeld discusses festival work, student pricing, networking, production-office jobs and ways students can build experience as Sundance prepares to come to Boulder.

'A twisted form of grief': Inside a CCA film about blood, paperwork and belonging

In Corinne Nuncio’s short film Blood & Paper, a Tribal ID becomes tangled with family loss, street fights and two sisters who cannot keep avoiding each other.

“Someone else’s submission”: A first-year Denver youth festival bars AI-generated films as Tribeca screens one

The Colorado Lakeside Youth Film Festival (CLYFF) rejects generated scripts, actors and central images, creating a local test of where a tool becomes the creator.

This student film club is pushing back against mainstream taste

Jarod McChesney is building Films in Focus around overlooked movies with real craft, history and personality — and asking other students to look beyond what is already popular.

At Oscar-qualifying film festival, students found the door open.

Ellis Schaefers left Aspen Shortsfest with credited work, filmmaker interviews and a clearer claim on the professional film world he wants to enter.

Why Lowry Studios made me want to come back

Caleb Worrath sees Lowry Studios as more than a small campus; inside its gear rooms, halls and student projects, he sees a film school with serious ambition.