Aspen Filmfest is the flagship fall festival of Aspen Film, a nonprofit organization founded in 1979 when Ellen Kohner Hunt passed a note at an Aspen Arts Council meeting asking, “How about having a film festival?” Now in its 47th year, Filmfest runs for six days each September, showcasing independent, foreign-language, documentary, and art-house cinema exclusively at the Aspen Film Isis Theatre.
The festival presents roughly 15–17 carefully curated films that have premiered at major international festivals including Cannes, Sundance, Telluride, Toronto, and Venice. Executive and Artistic Director Susan Wrubel cherry-picks programming by attending festivals worldwide, beginning the selection process at Sundance each January. Unlike competitive festivals, Filmfest operates as a celebration of cinema that prioritizes Hunt’s founding principles: “a spirit of independence, a sense of community, and a foundation of inclusiveness.”
The festival has honored prominent figures with its Independent by Nature Award, including directors Sydney Pollack and Bob Rafelson, and actors Harrison Ford, Anjelica Huston, and William H. Macy. Filmfest operates under the organizational motto “Independent by Nature” and serves roughly 30,000 participants annually across all Aspen Film programming. The festival recently added a free Community Day featuring family-friendly screenings.
Hunt, who passed away in 2023, ran the festival for seven years with minimal staff, establishing the community-driven approach that continues today.
