How to Mountainfilm
MAY 25 - 29, 2023
To pick up your festival pass, visit our Hospitality center located at 122 S. Oak Street in downtown Telluride. If you have any questions during the festival, swing by Hospitality and chat with our team. This is also where lost and found will be located.
Hospitality Hours:
Thursday, 8 AM - 8 PM
Friday, 8 AM - 8 PM
Saturday, 9 AM - 7 PM
Sunday, 9 AM - 7 PM
Monday, 9 AM - 3 PM
Our 2023 festival kickoffs with a free screening at our Base Camp theater on Thursday, May 25 at 8:45 PM. For those of you traveling to Telluride, we encourage you to arrive on Thursday – or before – to acclimate, find your bearings and get ready for the full festival which launches on Friday, May 26 in the afternoon and runs through Monday, May 29. Our entire festival schedule will be announced in May.
| Theater | Access Information | Address |
|---|---|---|
| Palm Theatre | Ticketed venue | 721 W Colorado Avenue |
| High Camp (Telluride Conference Center) | Ticketed venue | 580 Mountain Village Blvd |
| Masons | Ticketed venue | 200 E Colorado Avenue |
| Nugget | Ticketed venue | 207 W Colorado Avenue |
| Sheridan Opera House | Ticketed venue | 110 N Oak Street |
| Base Camp (Town Park) | FREE / Open to the Public | 500 E Colorado Avenue |
VENUE & EVENT POLICIES
- All festival programs are non-smoking and drug-free.
- Outside alcohol is prohibited at festival events and venues. For festival events where alcohol is served, attendees are required to follow all laws governing the purchase, possession, and consumption of alcohol.
- Weapons and firearms are prohibited on all festival premises.
- Pets are not allowed at festival events. Exceptions are made for service animals.
For guaranteed access to programs, passholders must reserve programs through the festival schedule on the Mountainfilm app or schedule webpage. You can make reservations up to one hour before the start of a program, space permitting. If you are unable to attend one of your reserved programs, please cancel your reservation.
Patron passholders have walk-up priority access at theaters and do not need a reservation. Please arrive at the theater 30 minutes before showtime to gain priority entry.
You must wear your pass to be admitted into venues. Please arrive at least 30 minutes before the start of the program. For the uninterrupted enjoyment of all, theater staff will not grant access to a program once it starts. If you are not at the theater at least 30 minutes in advance, you may lose your seat reservation as we will begin loading our standby line.
Passholders can reserve one ticket per program in advance as outlined below. Additional information will be provided to these passholders via email.
- Ama Dablam and Festival Guest passholders can reserve programs beginning on Wednesday, May 10 at 10 AM MDT
- Palmyra passholders can reserve programs beginning on Monday, May 15 at 10 AM MDT
- Wasatch passholders can reserve programs beginning on Monday, May 22 at 10 AM MDT
Passholders without a reservation must line up and wait in the standby line for admission. The public is also welcome to wait in the standby line. Individual program tickets are $30. Credit cards only.
Please be considerate of your fellow festival goers. Here are the top ten protocols all attendees should follow:
- Arrive at theaters 30 minutes in advance of screenings
- Do not save seats for people arriving late
- Do not make disruptions by arriving late, talking or shushing during screenings
- Silence all cell phones and watches; refrain from using devices with lit screens
- Remove any hats or caps that may block another’s view
- Do not take unauthorized photographs or recordings during screenings
- Remove fidgety and crying children from the theater
- Stay for the entirety of programs and Q&As
- Clean up afterward and take all of your belongings
- Remember to vote
Amid the talks, walks, films and presentations, there are many other free events throughout the festival weekend. For the full listing of events, parties and programs, check out our complete festival announced in early May.
Base Camp Theater
Screenings at Mountainfilm’s Base Camp Theater (Telluride Town Park stage) are free and open to the public. Base Camp screenings are held nightly beginning on Thursday, May 25 through Sunday, May 28 starting at 8:45 PM Attendees are allowed to bring low-backed chairs and blankets. Warm layers are highly recommended. The following items are prohibited in Town Park: glass, shelled nuts, tall-backed chairs and dogs. Please leave your furry friends at home.
Art Walk
Mountainfilm partners with Telluride Arts to celebrate the work of photographers, activists and artists with the annual Art Walk. The opening reception is Friday from 4-7 PM at Telluride Arts HQ, 224 W. Colorado Avenue. The full list of participating galleries will be announced in May.
Free Range Programs
In collaboration with The North Face, our Presenting Sponsor, Mountainfilm offers Free Range programs on Friday, Saturday and Sunday featuring The North Face’s world-class athletes. These adventure-focused events are typically held outdoors – rain, snow or shine. If you want to participate, please sign up at Elks Park on the day of the event. Please note that space is limited to eight to ten people per event.
On Saturday and Sunday, The North Face will be hosting two climate-focused Happy Hour and Athlete Chats from 3-5 PM in Elks Park, in partnership with Telluride Brewing Company.
Coffee Talks
Join us for candid conversations between fascinating guests at our festival Coffee Talks. These free events take place from 8 to 9 AM Saturday and Sunday. Please bring a reusable mug.
Coffee Talks are held at the following locations:
Ah Haa School for the Arts - 155 W Pacific Ave
Rustico Ristorante - 114 E Colorado Ave
The Hotel Telluride - 199 N Cornet Street
Wilkinson Public Library - 100 W Pacific Ave
Mountain Lodge Telluride - 457 Mountain Village Blvd
Ice Cream Social
Because who doesn’t like free ice cream? Our Ice Cream Social takes place Saturday afternoon on Colorado Avenue, between Aspen and Fir streets from 2 to 3:30 PM. Make sure to stop by and say hello to our festival sponsors stationed along Main Street.
DocTalks
Mountainfilm’s DocTalks will take place at the Ah Haa School for the Arts in the Launchpad Room on the 3rd floor. Sessions will focus on filmmaker support. Our panels, workshops and peer-to-peer discussions are designed to understand the forces at play, connection and the intersection between what we want and how to get there. Sessions will be hosted by various organizations, including Doc Society, Redford Center, The New Yorker and The North Face.
*DocTalks are intended for filmmakers and Festival Guest passholders only. If space is available, other passholders and the public are welcome to attend.
Kids Kino
The Kids Kino program consists of short, family-friendly films that are curated by kids. This screening is held at the Palm on Monday at 12 PM and is free for kids and passholders. $10 tickets are available for the general public.
Closing Picnic and Awards Ceremony
In celebration of the final day of the festival, join us for our Closing Picnic and Awards Ceremony in Town Park from 1-4 PM, where we will announce the festival award winners. The picnic is free for all passholders, except Wasatch. Individual tickets will be for sale at the entrance for $30. Food and drinks are included.
Accessibility information can be found on our accessibility wepage and on the Mountainfilm app.
An array of official Mountainfilm apparel, gear and the Mountainfilm poster is available at Bootdoctors, located at 236 S. Oak St.
If you're looking for a place to stay in Telluride or Mountain Village, please check out our Lodging Sponsors who graciously support our organization and offer special discounts for Mountainfilm attendees.
There are also camping opportunities around Telluride but prepare for spring mountain weather. Please refer to the Telluride Town Park Campground webpage for information regarding camping in Telluride.
The Audience Choice Award gives the power to the people, allowing audiences to vote for their favorite feature and short films of Mountainfilm 2023. The two winners of the Audience Choice Award will receive a cash prize and a one-of-a-kind cairn sculpture from renowned artist, R. Nelson Parrish. The Audience Choice Award is generously funded in part by Tully and Elise Friedman.
VOTING RULES
- Only Mountainfilm passholders can vote for Audience Choice.
- You can vote on all the films you have viewed, but can only vote once per film.
- Voting closes at 2 PM MDT on Monday, May 29. The winners will be announced at the Closing Picnic and Awards Ceremony.
HOW TO VOTE
Use the Mountainfilm app or your Eventive account to cast your vote for the Audience Choice Award, available for both feature and short films. Make sure you are signed into your account. Click on My Tickets and then follow the steps to vote.
Films are ranked on a starred scale from one to five. Five is the highest. You must cast a vote on each individual film contained within a program block for your vote to be recorded. If you are a passholder and would like to vote for films screened at the Base Camp Theater, please visit Hospitality to submit your vote.
Mountainfilm is supported by an incredible crew of volunteers whose hard work and dedication bring the festival to life. If you are interested in volunteering, apply now to become a festival volunteer. Volunteers receive a complimentary Volunteer festival pass in exchange for approximately 20 hours of work.
All venues are accessible by foot, bicycle, bus or gondola.
- The Palm, Base Camp, Library, Ah Haa, Sheridan Opera House, Nugget, Masons, Elks Park, Telluride Arts, Rustico and The Hotel Telluride are all located in town and are accessible by foot, bicycle or bus.
- High Camp, Mountain Lodge and Hotel Madeline are located in Mountain Village. The free gondola runs between Telluride and Mountain Village daily from 6:30 AM to 12 AM On Friday and Saturday during the festival, gondola hours are extended until 1 AM.
Bus Services
- (SMART) San Miguel Regional Transportation offers regional transportation between Telluride, Norwood, Down Valley, Lawson Hill, and Rico. The SMART summer bus schedule will be updated on their website and available in May during the time of the festival.
- Galloping Goose: The free Galloping Goose shuttle bus runs a loop through Telluride every 10 minutes. (Check street signs for times and stops.)
The free Mountainfilm app is your festival guide. It contains your reserved programs, the festival schedule, film descriptions, event details and real-time festival updates — including TBAs and program changes.
The Mountainfilm smartphone app is available for download in the Apple app store and Google Play. Search for “Mountainfilm” in the app store to download the app onto your device. Once you download the app, sign in to your Eventive account to manage your pass and make reservations.
TBA screenings take place on Monday, May 29. Tickets for TBAs can be reserved in advance, and there will also be a standby line. You can find TBA information and updates on the festival schedule.