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Film is a powerful storytelling platform. And Aspen Film manifests its medium — and mission — to bring diversity to the screen, sparking conversations, collaborations and community programming throughout the Roaring Fork Valley.

From putting on three major festivals each year to hosting monthly Indie Showcase and “Aspen Film Presents” screenings at the Isis Theatre and other local venues, the nonprofit provides a range of opportunities for people to engage with the art of film, explains Susan Wrubel, Aspen Film executive and artistic director.

“We do a very robust amount of programming every month, along with our three festivals each year — Filmfest, Academy Screenings and Shortsfest will all be in person for the first time in basically two years now,” Wrubel said. “And recently, it just seems that there have been a lot of people or partnerships coming to us who want to do something film-related.”

Wrubel, who has an extensive background in the film industry and has been in her current director role for about four years, said that while some Aspen Film events are subject to accessibility and entertainment purposes, the organization cultivates a lot of its programming to coincide with relevant historical events and cultural happenings.

In honor of Black History Month, Aspen Film presented the 2021 documentary “Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America” for its monthly Indie Showcase. The screening event was held at the Isis Theatre on Feb. 9, and the film was also featured in the Aspen Film Academy Screenings series in December.

Directed by sisters Emily and Sarah Kunstler and written and narrated by criminal defense attorney Jeffery Robinson, “Who We Are” is an “incredibly powerful film” that traces the timeline of anti-Black racism in America, examining the past in a thoughtful and informative way in order to explore the future, Wrubel explained.

“We really tried to do what we could to honor Black History Month,” Wrubel said. “In the past years, we’ve usually shown a film for Black History Month, but since we’ve started doing so much more through our online platform, it’s been much easier to offer even more screening opportunities.”

During the pandemic, Aspen Film adapted its programming to virtual screenings, providing people with accessible entertainment in a time of distress. The organization has continued to utilize this virtual model, Wrubel said, as it has allowed for greater audience reach and more film showcases. Aspen Film’s online platform, Eventive, can be accessed through the organization’s website.

In light of Black History Month, Aspen Film has two films up on Eventive: “A Walk in Her Shoes” and “I Am Not Your Negro.” Both are available for streaming anytime throughout February and tickets are $12.

“‘I Am Not Your Negro’ is based on a James Baldwin book and was groundbreaking when it first came out, and ‘A Walk in Her Shoes’ is about a woman who actually takes Harriet Tubman’s journey through the underground railroad — two very important films,” Wrubel said. “We’re really leaning into the messaging around this and trying to get a broader community to pay more attention in looking at the past to inform the future.”

Other Aspen Film happenings this month include a free, members-only screening of Todd Haynes’ “The Velvet Underground” on Wednesday evening at the Isis. The event is in collaboration with the Aspen Art Museum and in celebration of the Andy Warhol exhibition — and also serves as a “membership push” for both organizations, Wrubel commented.

“Anyone who’s an Aspen Film or Aspen Art Museum member can sign up for the screening through either of our websites and attend for free,” Wrubel said. “You know, our slogan is ‘membership matters,’ and I think people are realizing that membership does really matter with us.”

Aspen Film currently has around 300 members, according to Wrubel, and while memberships typically swell around one of the organization’s annual festivals, she said that there’s been a more steady uptick in new members with people trickling in every week.

With different levels and benefits, Aspen Film members are able to participate in a wide variety of programming, including at least 10 complimentary screenings throughout the year, free access to the festivals and invitations to attend receptions and Q&A talks with filmmakers from around the world. Aspen Film is currently working to provide members with discounts for all online programming, Wrubel said.

Last month, Aspen Film launched another concept for its online platform, partnering with the Aspen Historical Society to present its Virtual Retro Film Series. The series features newly digitized vintage films from the Aspen Historical Society collection that tell the stories of skiing and ski culture in and around the Aspen-Snowmass area.

The February films — “One for the Money” (1973), “Winter of ’74” (1974) and “Return to Aspen” (1987) — were released on Feb. 8 and are available to stream through the end of March.

In addition to the diverse range of in-person and virtual screenings this month, Aspen Film is also partnering with The Arts Campus At Willits to host one of its “Dinner and a Movie” events.

On Friday, Feb. 25 at TACAW’s campus, the organizations will be showing “Breaking Bread,” a documentary that explores a food festival where Arab and Jewish chefs work together to create dishes, fostering social change through culinary practices.

“It’s really about building bridges between cultures and erasing differences,” Wrubel said. “People are forced to collaborate in such a manner that they realize there are more similarities than differences.”

Wrubel mentioned how in the past, Aspen Film and TACAW co-hosted an ongoing film series called “DAM,” which featured films about dance, art and music. The upcoming event with TACAW will be the first one co-curated together at the new venue, and Wrubel said she plans to continue collaborating with TACAW moving forward.

“We love partnering with them, and we love having a footprint in the midvalley,” Wrubel said. “We found a fantastic food movie to do with them because they have this amazing new kitchen and they’re able to host a really fantastic dinner experience.”

The “Dinner and a Movie” event at TACAW is open to the public. Tickets for both the dinner and film are $65, and screening tickets alone are $15 with a discount for Aspen Film members, according to Wrubel.

While Aspen Film has been partnering with organizations locally and nationally for more than four decades, the nonprofit is growing its collaborative efforts to help share the stories and spread the messages of people and groups from across the globe.

Wrubel said she would be surprised if there was another nonprofit that works with as many diverse groups as Aspen Film does.

“The more partnerships that we can create, the more diverse storytelling we can navigate,” Wrubel said. “And I think one of the things that’s so unique about our organization and film in general is that we’re a platform to really spread the word and everybody else’s messages.”

From the partnerships maintained within the valley — a few being the AAM, TACAW, Anderson Ranch, the Aspen Institute, Jazz Aspen Snowmass, Aspen Music Festival and School and The Collective — to collaborations on a national scale with groups such as the USC Shoah Foundation, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and multiple mental health programs, Aspen Film strives to promote pivotal storytelling.

“We just love being able to leverage the storytelling aspect of film to really help other organizations get their message out,” Wrubel said. “And as long as we can continue to help other organizations’ messages get out there, we’re able to diversify the stories that we bring to the community.”

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