Every spring up in the mountains of Telluride, Colo., a gathering of some of the most creative minds in independent documentary films come out for the Mountainfilm Festival.
The four-day festival in the mountains documents great feats achieved by the common man and prides itself on being a celebration of what the human spirit can achieve.
If you don’t have the cash to make it up to Telluride this May, fear not. The ASU Film Association and JanSport are bringing the festival to campus Tuesday.
As a part of the Mountainfilm Festival On Tour circuit, the two groups have partnered to showcase some of the more popular documentaries of the 2009 festival, mixed in with a few other treats.
Short films — like the partially animated and partially wicked “Hidden Life of the Burrowing Owl,” or the metaphor-laden “Food Fight” — will be shown.
JanSport co-founder Skip Yowell will be the headliner of the evening.
The final film of the night will be a short biography of the self-described hippie’s life and the humorous birth and rapid growth of his entrepreneurial brainchild.
Yowell will also be in attendance as the keynote speaker following the films.
Marketing senior Kristen Fares, the JanSport campus representative, is expecting the night to be a unique blend of film and business, with something for everyone, she said.
“Skip has a great story, and everyone can take something positive from his presentation,” she said. “The films are all really great, too.”
The ASU Film Association is also co-sponsoring the evening and will be showing previews of upcoming student film projects.
“These are some of the best student films to come out of the ASU film school,” AFA President Tom O’Neill said. “We’re really excited to get these out there.”
JanSport has made a concentrated effort to have a positive presence on campuses throughout the country, Fares added.
“We try to hold as many free events on campus as we can, and we’ll have free raffles for backpacks to give back to the people who have supported JanSport,” she said.
Reach the reporter at jdfourni@asu.edu.
