Boulder Environmental Nature Outdoors Film Festival 2026: Melt
2026-07-19 13:00 - 14:30 (America/Denver) | Boedecker Theater, Walnut Street, Boulder, CO, 80302, United States
TICKETS
In his inimitable way, Geyrhalter (OUR DAILY BREAD, HOMO SAPIENS) travels the world of snow and ice. From Japan to the Alps, Northern Canada to Iceland, and Antarctica; MELT is the story of people living amid the gradual disappearance of the ice that was once presumed infinite.
Along the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route in Japan, bulldozers carve out spectacular, 50-feet-high walls of snow to build corridors specifically to attract tourists, while the celebrated ski region Val-d’Isère in southern France uses artificial snow to create a winter wonderland. In Switzerland, snowplows carve furrows into the glaciers to preserve the snow for the coming winter sports season. And in Iceland, visitors pose in front of gigantic blocks of ice that are gradually being swallowed by the sea. Everything seems normal – but behind the apparently perfect white facade, the world’s ice and snow are melting at an alarming rate.
Everywhere Geyrhalter goes, his subjects talk of melting glaciers and increasingly extreme weather conditions, revealing how they experience climate change in their everyday lives and work. Filmed between 2021 and 2025, MELT preserves some of the world’s most compelling frozen landscapes, addressing some of the greatest environmental and political questions of our age.
“A meticulous, contemplative sweep of the globe, Nikolaus Geyrhalter’s impressive doc takes stock of humanity’s toil to control ice and snow as the climate crisis advances.”
—Carmen Gray, The Film Verdict
“Nikolaus Geyrhalter’s latest documentary is a fascinating, unsentimental love letter to snow and icy landscapes.”
—Susanne Gottlieb, Cineuropa

Directed by Nikolaus Geyrhalter | Runtime: 127 mins

Boulder Environmental Nature Outdoors Film Festival 2026: Closing Film (The Last Dive), Award Ceremony & Reception
2026-07-19 16:00 - 20:15 | Dairy Arts Center, Walnut Street, Boulder, CO, 80302, United States
CLOSING FILM & RECEPTION TICKETS CLOSING FILM ONLY TICKETS
Closing Night Film at Dairy Arts Center, Includes Award Presentation, Closing Film (OCEAN) and Reception at VELVET ELK LOUNGE on 13th Street.

Film at 4:00PM at Dairy Arts Center Gordon Gamm Theater THE LAST DIVE.
Reception from 6:15PM to 8:15PM at Velvet Elk Lounge, on 13th Street
Libations & Appetizers, Live Music by Hazel Miller and the Collective
RAFFLE PRIZES GALORE!
We suggest you park free (on Sundays) at the Boulderado Hotel, Boulder Bookstore, or on a street nearby

CLOSING FILM: THE LAST DIVE
Followed by a pre-recorded interview with Director Cody Sheehy
Terry Kennedy is a legend. A former associate of the Hell’s Angels, he sailed into the Sea of Cortez in the 1980s on a boat named Erotica. But while Terry’s friends have great memories of partying with him at sea, his legacy goes beyond mere popularity. His time on the water transformed Terry, who devoted his life to the conservation of manta rays after bonding with a giant manta he named “Willy Wow.” Over 19 years off the coast of San Benedicto Island, Terry and Willy Wow developed an extraordinary relationship that changed our understanding of mantas forever.
Now in his eighties, Terry goes on the adventure of a lifetime in The Last Dive, setting sail with his friends and a documentary crew in hopes of fulfilling his “dying wish” to swim with Willy Wow one more time. Director Cody Sheehy takes viewers along on their journey, using Terry’s story as a window into the developing science behind manta rays’ extraordinary intelligence, as well as the urgent need to protect these “gentle giants” and their stunning natural habitat.
Directed by Cody Sheehy | Runtime: 88 mins

How to Watch a Movie Part II - The Auteur’s Eye: Film Direction
2026-07-20 18:00 - 20:00 | Dairy Arts Center, Walnut Street, Boulder, CO, 80302, United States

City Slickers
2026-07-21 19:00 - 20:30 | Boedecker Theater, Walnut Street, Boulder, CO, 80302, United States
TICKETS
The only Oscar it won was for Jack Palance for Best Supporting Actor, but the Southwestern landscape nearly steals the show. With scenes shot in Durango, this Western comedy featuring Billy Crystal has become a classic crowd-pleaser. As Roger Ebert said, “This is the proverbial comedy with the heart of truth, the tear in the eye along with the belly laugh. It’s funny, and it adds up to something.” On the verge of turning 40, an unhappy Manhattan yuppie is roped into joining his two friends on a cattle drive in the southwest. (Ron Underwood, 1991, USA, 1:53, PG-13)

Dead Souls
2026-07-22 08:00 - 17:00 | Boedecker Theater, Walnut Street, Boulder, CO, 80302, United States
TICKETS
July 22-25
For his directorial swan song, Alex Cox (Repo Man, Straight To Hell) stars in this frontier fable of American greed. Follow mysterious drifter ‘Strindler’ as he scours the West for the names of dead Mexican labourers. Here at this border town in 1890, Strindler – or is it ‘Swindler’? – raises eyebrows when he offers to pay a pretty penny to add to his list of names. Wandering affably from saloon to ranch, Strindler exercises the old adage that money talks – but sometimes too loudly. Between the town drunk, hot-headed cowherds and local outlaws, Strindler soon finds himself tangled up in his own tall tales. A meditative, sincere landscape at the borderlands of the American nightmare: where fortunes rest on a dirty deal, and legacies are built on blood and gold. (Alex Cox, 2025, USA, 1:28. NR)

Peter Asher: Everywhere Man
2026-07-22 08:00 - 17:00 | Boedecker Theater, Walnut Street, Boulder, CO, 80302, United States
TICKETS
July 22-25
Peter Asher’s extraordinary life has intersected with some of the greatest artists and musical moments of the last six decades. A child actor who became a pop star and then a manager and producer to the likes of James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt, he is a Zelig-like figure who remains a vital creative force to this day. Featuring interviews with Paul McCartney, Carole King, and many more.

Friday Night Weird: Camp
2026-07-24 20:30 - 22:30 | Boedecker Theater, Walnut Street, Boulder, CO, 80302, United States
TICKETS
July 24
Haunted by a traumatic past, Emily finds solace as a camp counselor while navigating grief, witchcraft and the power of female friendship. Emily feels at home as she is taken in by the other counselors, who accept her as she is and wrap her in a veil of peace & forgiveness. Emily stands at the forefront of a new kind of life, but there’s a voice out there in the woods she can’t quite seem to ignore. The voice is whispering – and she’s telling Emily to go home. (Avalon Fast, 2026, Canada, 1:51, NR)

Dark Night of the Soul: Cinema and Transcendence presented by Suranjan Ganguly: The Seventh Seal
2026-07-26 14:00 - 15:30 | Boedecker Theater, Walnut Street, Boulder, CO, 80302, United States
TICKETS
A knight returning to Sweden after the Crusades seeks answers about life, death, and the existence of God as he plays chess against the Grim Reaper during the Black Plague. (Ingmar Bergman, 1957, Sweden, 1:36, NR)
This film is part of a six-part European film series, presented by Suranjan Ganguly, focuses on the search for spiritual transcendence by people who struggle with faith, conscience, loss and grief. It seeks to define a cinema of interiority in which the subtle nuances of one’s inner life find poetic expression.
CU Professor Emeritus Suranjan Ganguly of the Cinema Studies Department teaches a wide range of international film courses. Former chair of the department and director of the Stan Brakhage Center for Media Arts, he is the founder and curator of the monthly Brakhage Film Series, Celebrating Stan.

How to Watch a Movie Part III: Framing the Story: Cinematography
2026-07-27 18:00 - 20:00 | Dairy Arts Center, Walnut Street, Boulder, CO, 80302, United States

The Levys of Monticello
2026-07-28 13:00 - 15:00 | Boedecker Theater, Walnut Street, Boulder, CO, 80302, United States
TICKETS
July 28
In celebration of America at 250, the Boulder JCC presents two films illuminating Jewish contributions to our new nation’s history.
Join Boulder Jewish Film Festival founding director Kathryn Bernheimer and guests to view and discuss two festival favorites that shed light on unfamiliar chapters of American history.

“The Levys of Monticello,” which offers an unusual take on Thomas Jefferson, screens at 1 pm. “Jews of the Wild West,” which coincides with Colorado’s 150th year as a state, will be shown at 3 pm, with guest speaker Dee Dee Diamond.

“The Levys of Monticello” tells the little-known story of the Levy family, which owned and carefully preserved Monticello for nearly a century – far longer than Jefferson or his descendants. The acclaimed documentary weaves together the remarkable story of the Levy family with an examination of Thomas Jefferson’s legacy, also touching on still relevant issues of race, slavery, and antisemitism. Watch the trailer. (Directed by Steven Pressman. Running time: 70 minutes. 2022)

Jews of the Wild West
2026-07-28 15:00 - 16:30 | Dairy Arts Center, Walnut Street, Boulder, CO, 80302, United States
TICKETS
July 28
In celebration of America at 250, the Boulder JCC presents two films illuminating Jewish contributions to our new nation’s history.
Join Boulder Jewish Film Festival founding director Kathryn Bernheimer and guests to view and discuss two festival favorites that shed light on unfamiliar chapters of American history.

“Jews of the Wild West,” which coincides with Colorado’s 150th year as a state, will be shown at 3 pm, with guest speaker Dee Dee Diamond. “The Levys of Monticello,” which offers an unusual take on Thomas Jefferson, screens at 1 pm.

“Jews of the Wild West” highlights the contributions Jewish Americans made in shaping the Western United States. The story of Jewish pioneers who played a definitive role shaping the expansion of the United States has been largely forgotten. But by 1912, it is estimated that more than 100,000 Jewish immigrants, many fleeing persecution in Europe or simply seeking greater personal and economic freedom, had put down roots in the Wild West, leaving a lasting imprint on the cultural landscape. (Directed by Denver’s Amanda Kinsey. Running time: 83 minutes. 2022)

Guest Speaker: Boulder’s Dee Dee Diamond is the great, great grandniece of Solomon Bibo, one of the pioneers showcased in the film. Dee Dee traces her family’s fascinating journey from Prussia to America back to 1812, when great, great, great-grandfather Lukas Rosenstein first emigrated to escape conscription in Napoleon’s army.

Mary Oliver: Saved By the Beauty of the World
2026-07-29 16:30 - 18:00 | Boedecker Theater, Walnut Street, Boulder, CO, 80302, United States
TICKETS
July 29 – Aug 1
If poetry had a pop icon, Mary Oliver would be it. Celebrated best-selling poet, Pulitzer Prize-winner, lover of dogs and long walks in the woods, openly queer but intensely private, Oliver was America’s unlikely contemporary mystic, stalking the ponds and forests of Cape Cod for nearly fifty years in order to open herself – and her readers – to the known and unknowable world. From a lonely childhood to literary fame, Oliver’s life was shaped by devotion to nature, paying attention, and the long journey toward learning to love and to be loved. Her poems inspire liberals and conservatives, atheists and believers, naturalists and urbanites, speaking directly to contemporary anxieties about attention, presence, and the human relationship with the natural world – issues that feel especially pressing in an era of climate crisis, digital distraction, and social fragmentation.
Featuring interviews with her close friends, including John Waters, never-before-seen personal photos, notebooks, and correspondence from her archive, and recitations of her work by Stephen Colbert, Lucy Dacus, Steve Buscemi, and Oprah Winfrey, Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World considers the poet’s long lifetime of work in context, capturing the uniqueness of her world and the natural beauty that inspired her. (Sasha Waters, 2026, USA, 1:31, NR)

Miroirs No. 3
2026-07-29 19:00 - 20:30 | Boedecker Theater, Walnut Street, Boulder, CO, 80302, United States
TICKETS
July 29 – Aug 1
During a weekend trip to the countryside, Laura, a young piano student from Berlin, miraculously survives a shocking car crash. Awakening in a nearby house, Laura finds herself in the care of a local woman, who tends to her with motherly devotion . As she recuperates, Laura begins to integrate herself into the lives of the woman and her initially reluctant husband and son. By turns haunted and hopeful, Laura and her adopted family reawakens to the world and comes to find a strange harmony together. However, they cannot outrun the ghosts of the past, which begin to stir, as acclaimed director Christian Petzold (PHOENIX, TRANSIT) spins a modern gothic fairytale about the lies we tell ourselves and the strange ways that grief, connection, and humanity bind and sustain us. (Christian Petzold, 2025, Germany, 1:26, NR)

Friday Night Weird: Alpha
2026-07-31 20:30 - 22:30 | Boedecker Theater, Walnut Street, Boulder, CO, 80302, United States
TICKETS
July 31
Alpha, a troubled 13-year-old, lives with her single mom. Their world collapses the day Alpha returns from school with a tattoo on her arm. (Julia Ducournau, 2025, France, 2:08, R)

How to Watch a Movie Part IV: The Art of the Cut: Film Editing
2026-08-03 18:00 - 20:00 | Dairy Arts Center, Walnut Street, Boulder, CO, 80302, United States

The Casual Enormity of Adam Palmer
2026-08-05 19:00 - 21:00 | Grace Gamm Theatre, Walnut Street, Boulder, CO, 80302, United States
TICKETS
Screening of film, panel discussion on local climate solutions. Panelists committed: Will Toor (Colorado Energy Office), Chris Steinkamp (MT2030), and Kim Schaepfler (Lotus Engineering). Music beforehand by CU Senior, Montana Palmer – a tribute to her father who was lost in a 2021 Silverton Avalanche.

How to Watch a Movie Part V - The Method and the Madness: Performance on Screen
2026-08-10 18:00 - 20:00 | Dairy Arts Center, Walnut Street, Boulder, CO, 80302, United States

How to Watch a Movie Part VI - Thinking About Film Critically: Theory and Beyond
2026-08-17 18:00 - 20:00 | Dairy Arts Center, Walnut Street, Boulder, CO, 80302, United States

Classics with Jeffrey Kash: Around the World in 80 Days
2026-08-18 18:30 - 21:30 | Boedecker Theater, Walnut Street, Boulder, CO, 80302, United States
TICKETS
Nominated for eight Oscars, and winning five, including Best Picture, this is one of earliest truly epic adventure films. Based on the Jules Verne novel in which a Victorian Englishman bets that with the new steamships and railways he can circumnavigate the globe in eighty days. It stars David Niven, Cantinflas, and Finlay Currie.
(Michael Anderson & John Farrow, 1956, USA, 2:55, G)

Freehub Presents Film Festival
2026-08-19 19:00 - 20:30 | Grace Gamm Theatre, Walnut Street, Boulder, CO, 80302, United States
TICKETS
Freehub PRESENTS is an annual mountain bike film festival and community-driven event series that showcases unreleased short films from some of the best filmmakers and riders. This multi-stop film festival honors top and emerging filmmakers, riders, leaders, and storytellers who will shape the sport for generations to come. Supported by SRAM, Maxxis, evo, Leatt, and Orbea.

How to Watch a Movie Part VII - The Politics of the Frame: Image, Ideology, Class, Gender, Race, and Meaning
2026-08-24 18:00 - 20:00 | Dairy Arts Center, Walnut Street, Boulder, CO, 80302, United States

Open Studios presents The Women's Cut
2026-08-27 17:30 - 20:30 | Gordon Gamm Theater, Walnut Street, Boulder, CO, 80302, United States
TICKETS
HAPPY HOUR 5:30 PM | SCREENING 7:00 PM
The Women’s Cut is a celebration of community, film, and bold women in even bolder spaces. Join us for a program of six inspiring films from local filmmakers featuring women doing amazing things in the Colorado outdoors. From desert tower ascents to river runs, each film captures the grit, grace, and joy of women who call Colorado’s wild places home.
The night will conclude with the final film featuring the premiere of Bridger Janes, where we are introduced to four women who undertake an ambitious highline project that none could accomplish alone. Through vulnerability and shared vision, they discover what becomes possible when trust precedes familiarity.
Join us for the after party at Vision Quest Brewery for live music and good company — because the best stories always continue off-screen.

How to Watch a Movie Part VIII - Beyond Auteur Theory: Historical Auteurism and the World View Model
2026-08-31 18:00 - 20:00 | Dairy Arts Center, Walnut Street, Boulder, CO, 80302, United States

How to Watch a Movie Part IX - Screening of SINNERS (dir. Ryan Coogler) with Post-Film Discussion
2026-09-01 18:00 - 21:00 | Dairy Arts Center, Walnut Street, Boulder, CO, 80302, United States
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