Filmfest

Aspen's premier feature film festival

Each fall, Filmfest attracts engaging and thought-provoking films from across the globe. Whether it be documentary, arthouse, foreign-language, or comedy, Filmfest is curated to highlight unique stories told through diverse lenses that explore the human condition.  

In its 45th year, Filmfest maintains the same core values that Aspen Film founder Ellen Kohner Hunt originally envisioned in 1979 when she passed a hand-written note to a friend at an Aspen Arts Council meeting simply stating: “How about having a film festival?”

Since then, Filmfest has provided a consistent platform for the best in independent, documentary, foreign-language, and art house cinema. Growing significantly from its humble beginnings in Ellen’s kitchen, Filmfest maintains a spirit of independence, a sense of community, and a foundation of inclusiveness.  


Filmfest 2024

Browse past programs


Screening Venues

The Wheeler Opera House

Since 1889, the Wheeler Opera House has been Aspen’s community performance venue. From The Eagles, Jerry Seinfeld, Oprah Winfrey and Sheryl Crow to locally-curated performance experiences, the Wheeler offers a remarkable movie-viewing locale that we’re proud to provide to our film festival audience.

320 E Hyman Ave, Aspen, CO 81611

Aspen Film Isis Theatre

The Isis Theatre opened in 1915 in the heart of downtown Aspen, in the same building where it remains today. Featuring four-screens, concessions, and diverse programming, the Aspen Film Isis Theatre is the only full-time movie theater in Aspen. The theater screens a mix of Hollywood Blockbusters, Independent, Music and Art-House films, and also serves as the home for many of Aspen Film’s Festival screenings, Q+As and filmmaker conversations.

406 E Hopkins Ave, Aspen, CO 81611

The Crystal Theatre

The Crystal Theatre is a single-screen, 125-seat, independent movie theatre housed in the historic Dinkel building in downtown Carbondale, Colorado. We’re proud to partner with The Crystal Theatre during our festivals to screen select programming down valley.

427 Main St, Carbondale, CO 81623


A taste of filmfest

In the news

45th Filmfest returns in September with a stellar program | Aspen Times

Aug 27, 2024

Aspen Film announced the program for its 45th annual Filmfest, which will showcase top filmmaking over six days between Sept. 17-22. The annual fall festival features films that have premiered at global film festivals, including Sundance, Cannes, Tribeca, Toronto, and Telluride. Filmfest 2024 will take place exclusively at the Aspen Film Isis Theatre. Comprised of […]

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Mountain Mayhem: Filmfest x 44

Oct 6, 2023

Aspen Film ushered in autumn from Sept. 19-24 with the 44th annual Filmfest. Comprising just 16 invited films — many of which premiered at world-renowned festivals including Sundance, Cannes, Toronto, and Telluride — the festival took place exclusively at the Aspen Film Isis Theatre, celebrating the first full festival in the theater since 1986. “This is […]

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Buzzworthy movies pack the lineup of 44th Aspen Filmfest

Sep 19, 2023

The 44th annual Aspen Filmfest opens tonight, kicking off a week of thought-provoking movies curated by Aspen Film at the Isis Theatre. The first screenings of the festival include a documentary, “The Mission,” about a missionary’s news-making death on a remote island, and “She Came to Me,” a star-studded comedy about several quirky relationships. Between […]

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Working to Enlighten, Enrich, Educate, and Entertain Through Film