About Us

The films, volunteers, staff, residents, gatherings, parties and filmmakers combine together to create something bigger than themselves.

- Jonathan Browning,
Filmmaker

Mountainfilm Staff

Peter Kenworthy: Executive Director

Peter Kenworthy Peter began his professional career in Philadelphia as a banker in 1982 and later worked for several years in London. A planned two-year assignment to Istanbul for a British banking consultancy fell through at the last minute and Peter moved his family west instead, to Telluride in 1992. After working as a banker in Telluride for ten years, Peter decamped in 2004 to travel in SE Asia with one of his sons and to live in China for six months where he taught English. While he was away, his novel, Bank Job, a historical fiction about Telluride's second-most-famous bank robbery, was accepted for publication. Upon his return to Telluride in 2005, Peter worked for the Telluride Watch as a reporter. He joined Mountainfilm in June, 2006, as executive director.

David Holbrooke: Festival Director

David Holbrooke is a filmmaker with a long history with both Mountainfilm (first coming in 1999 and rarely missing a festival) and the Telluride area. Hard As Nails, David’s most recent film, was a Mountainfilm 2007 Award Winner. Other documentaries include Freaks Like Me and Time for a New God. He also directed A Redwood Grows in Brooklyn featuring acclaimed nature photographer James Balog. All are part of an ongoing series he created called Original Thinkers. Other recent projects include The Soul of Healing with Deepak Chopra and co-producing The Trials of Henry Kissinger. Before he became a filmmaker, David spent a year in the dotcom world. Before that, he worked extensively in television news, producing long-form pieces for the Today Show, CBS News and CNN. Holbrooke has been a contributing editor at GQ and written for the Huffington Post. His production company, Giraffe Partners, is developing narrative features and several documentaries. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife, three kids, and their crazy puppy, Lola.

Justin Clifton: Director of Mountainfilm on Tour

Justin Clifton Justin's diverse professional experiences made him an ideal candidate for the position of Director of Mountainfilm on Tour. For more than fifteen years, Justin has worked his way up from shovel management to television news producer and broom savant to self employed web developer. These experiences combined with his love of film, the environment, and traveling give Justin the edge needed to expand Mountainfilm on Tour into new arenas. When not enjoying the details of his job running the tour Justin can be found working on the Mountainfilm web site, developing new databases, riling up the local political scene in Telluride or sitting on the couch for a little R&R.

Karen Overn: OPERATIONS DIRECTOR

Karen Overn Originally from Southern California, Karen moved to Telluride in 1997 after graduating from UCSD with a double major in Communications and Political Science. Hoping to escape traffic, crime and smog, she has since found home in Colorado. Making ends meet in this valley has afforded her experience in areas from Human Resources to Bartender, Bookkeeper to Wrangler, Event Coordinator to Videographer, with even a brief jab at Veterinary School and another Bachelor's in Biology. Working for Mountainfilm since 2006, Karen likes doing it all. She brings her fascination with the mountains and a passion for any new adventure to the Mountainfilm crew.

Emily Long: Program director

Emily Long Emily loves film. From her first "real" job in high school selling concessions at the local six-plex cinema in Topeka, Kansas, Emily has moved on to a position as the program director of Mountainfilm in Telluride. Formally trained in music theory at Colorado College, she later spent two years in the US Peace Corps in Prachuap Kirikhan, Thailand, teaching English to primary school children. In 2005, she moved to Telluride and began working for Mountainfilm. You can find her most Sunday nights managing the historic Nugget Theatre on main street.

Stash Wislocki: Festival Producer

Six months a year Stash can be found wading through the Technical and Production Departments of Mountainfilm, Telluride Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival and the Dominican Republic Film Festival. The rest of the year is spent wholly in service to network television and their desire for a soundless background in a noisy world. He has worked on Network Shows such as: Nightline, Headline News, and Anderson Cooper 360, done several Independent Films including Dog Lover, and worked live feeds for most networks.

ELLEN SHELTON: EDUCATION DIRECTOr

Ellen Shelton Ellen brings years of teaching experience and an enthusiasm for film to our new education initiative. She and her husband, journalist Peter Shelton, attended the first Mountainfilm in 1979 and since then have stayed involved in both of Telluride's film festivals. "Making Movies That Matter," the pilot program Ellen started last year with students and teachers in four local schools, produced compelling model video projects based on films and ideas from our archives. Her passion for recycling will be used to even greater advantage this year as she includes more subject matter from past festivals into her hands-on high-tech approach to learning.