Colorado State University Pueblo’s Department of Media and Entertainment will host Mountainfilm on Tour (MFOT) at the Buell Communication Center (BCC) starting tonight (Feb. 27).
CSU Pueblo has hosted MFOT since 2017 but paused for three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The event returned in 2024. The films will be showcased at the BCC in the main TV studio area, which has been renovated since 2021. With a 70 person capacity for this year’s event, the TV studio at the BCC provides a space for a more engaging and interactive experience for attendees.
Before the pandemic, the films were showcased in the Occhiato Student Center during one day, with one showcase of 10 films.
“We took it on last year and really transformed it from what it was in the past to this new style,” said Jon Pluskota, chair of the media department at CSU Pueblo. “It’s like a movie theater, with stadium-like seating.”
MFOT will showcase approximately 33 films over four different viewings starting tonight and lasting through Saturday. All the viewings will start at 7 p.m. with an exception of a Family Feature matinee that will play on Saturday at 2 p.m. There will be 8-12 films presented in the lineup for each showcase, ranging from 4-31 minutes.
Each showcase will be based on different themes including “The Spirit of Humans” and “Escape to Nature.” Saturday’s evening showcase, “Noche de Cine,” will feature films with Spanish subtitles, highlighting themes of resilience, nature, recreation, and love.
All the films presented by MFOT embrace the true mission and values of the organization, which is “…to inspire audiences to create a better world” through the power of film, art and ideas. Some of the values that they stand for include embracing adventure, connecting cultures, and inspiring activism.
A special showcase was planned for Campus Connections, a mentoring program that allows undergraduate students to serve as mentors to at-risk youth. This special showcase included a showing last night and one this Friday, March 1, which will feature a special lineup for over 60 highschool students in the community ranging from 15-18 years old.
This special showcase will present 8-12 films that explore the topics of LGBTQI +, mental health, cultural differences, and others that highlight resilience, empowerment and overcoming.
Lara Gribble, the faculty lead for Campus Connections at Colorado State University Pueblo, emphasized the importance of exposing students in the program to events like this.
“The opportunity for them to see something as unique as this, especially the different perspectives that have been provided through the festival can broaden their horizons beyond what they even dreamed of,” Gribble said.
Mountainfilm originally started in 1979, and is one of America’s longest-running film festivals that has since taken place in Telluride, a town located in Southwest Colorado. The festival was recently announced as an Academy Award Qualifying Festival for the Documentary Short Film Category, allowing films presented at the festival to become eligible for consideration for an Academy Award.
The annual festival is held every Memorial Day weekend, showcasing independent films and filmmakers, while also including more of an engaging experience with speakers, panels, art and photography exhibitors, book signings, music and much more.
Mountainfilm then grew its organization by originating MFOT in 1999. This allowed Mountainfilm to take the festival films to theaters across the country and internationally. Hosted by a number of organizations, schools and universities, MFOT happens every year, expanding its audience and delivering inspiring messages across the world.
Students who are enrolled in the Media and Entertainment (MAE) practicums will be working the event, getting hands-on experience and exposure to the behind-the-scenes of the industry.
“You learn the business side of it, the organization and planning, and you learn by watching the professional films and seeing what the filmmaking process is to tell a story,” Pluskota said.
Pluskota mentioned his hopes for MFOT and the MAE department in the future, stating that he would like to see more community and CSU Pueblo engagement.
“Not just with the creative side, but the opportunity to support independent film and keep it going,” said Pluskota. “I hear from people that there’s nothing to do, there’s a lot to do in Pueblo, you just have to find it.”
Shahrzad “Sherry” Dadgar, an assistant professor and advisor for the MAE Department at CSU Pueblo, shared her perspective as to why events like this are important to bring to underrepresented communities like Pueblo.
“It’s essential because it exposes students, future storytellers, and community members to films that go beyond mainstream narratives,” Dadgar said.
Dadgar described the Mountainfilm Festival as “life-changing” for underrepresented filmmakers, who are often stereotyped in the industry. Dadgar will also be hosting an anti-censorship panel at the Mountainfilm Festival this May, focusing on the media’s role in challenging societal norms and breaking false consciousness.
Pluskota discussed the possibility of bringing more events like this to Pueblo, stating, “I’d like to look to other festivals and bring them down here and say, ‘Let’s have this on a regular basis as much as we can.’”
MFOT at CSU Pueblo is sponsored by eight departments including: Department of English and World Languages, CSU Pueblo Library, Department of Media and Entertainment, CSU Pueblo Student Engagement and Leadership, Department of Social Work, Department Of Sociology, Criminology & Anthropology, SOCO Student Media and CSU Pueblo Women’s Studies.
Because of these sponsors, MFOT is free for all CSU Pueblo students, faculty, staff and all community members as well. Any donations received will support SOCO Student Media. Tickets are limited. To register, visit socostudentmedia.com/mfot.
