18th annual 5Point Film Festival promises on-screen adventure
Courtesy/ Cole Desmond
The highly-anticipated 5Point Film Festival returns to Carbondale for its 18th year, promising four days packed with immersive adventure storytelling and world-class films.
Set for April 24-27 at the Carbondale Recreation and Community Center, 567 Colorado Ave., Carbondale, the flagship festival will showcase nearly 40 adventure films, including world and Colorado premieres.
Curated by filmmaker and programming director Charlie Turnbull, he credits his career with 5Point to the energy he felt while premiering his film “The Bikes of Wrath” at the festival in 2018.
“It just had a really great energy and the town of Carbondale is so supportive of it and you’d walk around in the streets and people would say hello and it just felt like there was something special to it,” Turnbull said. “I really realized that after going to 30 or so (festivals) the following year — I realized that what 5Point has is special.”
This year’s program, released on March 25, will feature two full-length films, “Champions of the Golden Valley” and “Row of Life,” which will be followed by a Q&A session with special guests.
The short film “Book of George,” which won the 2024 filmmaker pitch event hosted by 5Point’s title partner, Stio, will make its world premiere at the festival. Each short film program promises a night of diverse experiences, ranging from heartwarming moments to thrilling adventures.
The 5Point Film Festival offers a range of events throughout the weekend, including a talk by New York Times bestselling author Jedidiah Jenkins, as well as multiple Sopris Sessions, community gatherings that blend live music, food trucks, and hands-on activities. The festival kicks off with a bang on Thursday, April 24, with an opening night party at El Dorado followed by an official afterparty on Saturday, April 26, at the Thunder River Theater.
In addition to these events, the festival features a sauna and cold plunge, a mushroom elixir bar, a Bom Dia Brazilian Wine Tasting, and a gear giveaway. To conclude the weekend, festival guests and their children can enjoy a free scoop of ice cream and crafts in the Rosybelle bus on Sunday, April 27, after the Family Film Program.
5Point’s criteria for the films it screens were established when the organization was founded by Julie Kennedy in 2007. The films must embody the festival’s five founding principles: commitment, respect, humility, purpose and balance.
The work also has to be compelling — something that captivates the audience and keeps them on the edge of their seat.
“That’s the lens we view the films through, but then really I’m trying to find the most compelling adventure films of the year,” Turnbull said. “Each film program has about eight short films in it. We really want the audience to be gripped and compelled by all of them and go on a journey throughout the evening, highs and lows and comedic films and also deeply serious films.
“It’s trying to get that blend right so that all of the films add up to this really great experience and a really powerful night of adventure,” he added.
Submissions for the festival open in August and close in early March. In January, Turnbull began reviewing submissions and crafting the film’s final program.
“We’re sort of unique in that we just have the one screening venue, which is really cool because everyone watches all the same films together, but it’s also a little difficult because we have limited space,” Turnbull said. “So there’s always films that unfortunately miss out because it’s such a tight schedule.”
This year’s films are a testament to the strength and joy of human resilience.
“There’s a joy in resilience. People are dealing with really serious challenges in a lot of these films, but there’s also a lot of joy in all of them, which I really like and think that’s important at the moment,” Turnbull said. “Like most years for 5Point, there are so many stories that showcase human resilience, which I find particularly inspiring.”
Turnbull hopes that audiences leave the Carbondale Recreation and Community Center with a renewed sense of joy and wonder.
“Often the word I would use would be ‘inspired’ and I hope that’s true this year, but I also hope they feel joyful and I hope they laugh a lot,” Turnbull said. “I hope it’s a bright part of their day or week or month and they take that energy with them. I think that’s important at the moment.”
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit 5pointfilm.org.
