Founded: 2006 | Annual
About this festival
The Vail Film Festival is an independent film festival set in the country’s largest ski resort, running each December in Vail since 2004. Founded by brothers Sean and Scott Cross and produced by the nonprofit Colorado Film Institute, it pairs a slate of narrative features, documentaries, shorts, and student films with filmmaker Q&As, panel discussions, a daily hospitality lounge, and nightly parties. Since its founding it has drawn more than 150,000 attendees and over 3,000 filmmakers, and its winter-resort setting has long made it a draw for celebrity tributes — past honorees and attendees include Olivia Wilde, Allison Janney, Giancarlo Esposito, and Zach Braff. The festival’s juried and audience awards span narrative and documentary features, shorts, and student film. It’s a sister festival to the Los Cabos International Film Festival, also co-founded by the Cross brothers.