In its sixth annual visit to Laramie, the MountainFilm Festival at Gryphon Theatre witnessed its largest crowds yet. The event took place on October 12 and 13 and showcased short documentaries that celebrate “indomitable spirit.”
People who attended the first night of films saw documentaries based around environmental and cultural issues. Topics of these films ranged from sustainable agriculture and mammoth re-introduction, to a lighthearted clip of tiny owls set to techno music.
Courtney Carlson of the Haub School coordinates the event every year.
“A lot of people commented in particular that they liked the films on Thursday night, which had a stronger environmental, ecological, scientific focus whereas the Friday night programming had a little more adventure,” Carlson said.
Meg Dickerman, a sophomore at UW, is one of the many who enjoyed the environmental side of the festival.
“I like seeing the various topics of environmentalism that MountainFilm shows every year. It’s really interesting and entertaining to see what some people and organizations are coming up with to try to combat the effects of climate change,” said Dickerman.
Friday night’s programming was indeed more adventure oriented. The crowd was treated to several ski movies, including John Shocklee: A Fairy Tale, as well as pressing cultural documentaries covering the Flint, MI water crisis and the plight of refugees making a new home in America.
This year’s event experienced an increase in attendance. Thursday’s crowd was around 650 people while Friday’s was over 750 people. In addition, a screening was held for students at Beitel Elementary School and a separate screening for students from Cheyenne East. In total, MountainFilm’s attendance was upwards of 1,500.
“I’m guessing we saw about 10-15 percent more people than last year, which reflects an overall trend of steadily increasing turnout. That’s just what I’d like to see. As more and more students, university employees, and community members discover MountainFilm, and learn that it’s so much more than a couple of nights of adrenaline film, I think attendance increases,” said Carlson.
Although the event was free and open to the public, a raffle was held with all proceeds going to the Environment and Natural Resources Student Club.
“It was a very successful event for the ENR Student Club. They raised $574 which will go towards sponsoring events this coming year,” Mandy Gifford of the Haub School, said.
With rising attendance and support for student clubs, MountainFilm will surely be an event to look forward to next year.
