The BIFF Saga: Year Two (Feb. 16-19, 2006)

Actress and BIFF 2006 attendee Maria Bello, who received the Colorado Film Society Award for Excellence in Acting. [Photo by Randy Malone]

It was COLD.

Colder than a [insert your favorite metaphor here].

BIFF Year Two was marked by a record-breaking cold snap (minus-14, anyone?) that posed some logistical challenges, but didn’t stop the attendees from increasing by 50 percent from Year One. Even though downtown Boulder was subject to rolling blackouts throughout the weekend, everything took place as scheduled!

51 films were shown, and an avalanche of special guests included actors Maria Bello, Patrick Warburton, Danielle Proulx, Marie Matiko and Eric Roberts; screenwriters Amy Fox and Richard Alfieri; directors Arthur Seidelman, Stephen Auerbach, Andrew Quigley, Kathleen Man and Jim Butterworth; and producers Judd Payne and Joe Eastwood.

Actor Patrick Warburton, winner of the BIFF 2006 Best Actor Award for "The Civilization of Maxwell Bright," bummed a Buffs hat to withstand the arctic temperatures. P.S. Patrick is a heck of a nice guy! [Photo by Randy Malone]

All these guests and many visiting filmmakers bundled up and scooted from their hotels to the BIFF venues. Many of our volunteers brought our guests hats, gloves and coats to borrow, and even brought them door-to-door! Snuggled away in the evenings, we partied enthusiastically together.

Here’s some more info, taken from the end-of-fest wrap-up:

Actress Maria Bello and the makers of “The Sisters” attended the Opening Night Gala on Thursday evening at the Boulder Theater. After the film, which held the audience in a web of family dysfunction and drama, Bello, director Arthur Seidelman, screenwriter Richard Alfieri and producers Judd Payne and Joe Eastwood, answered questions from the audience. Bello was presented with the Colorado Film Society Award for Excellence in Acting. Later, Onda rocked the house with its unique brand of Afro-Cuban jazz.

A still from the hilarious "West Bank Story," which took Best Short Film honors at BIFF 2006.

French-Canadian actress Danielle Proulx answered questions from the audience after the screening of "C.R.A.Z.Y.," in which she portrayed the mother of five sons.

"Burning Man: Beyond Black Rock," about the annual gathering in Nevada, played to two nearly sold out screenings.

“The Civilization of Maxwell Bright,” a film about redemption through unconditional love, played to a large audience late Saturday night at the Boulder Theater.

Present were actors Patrick Warburton, Eric Roberts and Marie Matiko, who played the Chinese bride who chose to see her husband’s beauty and offer him a sense of peace. After the film, the three stars answered audience questions for more than 30 minutes.

Veteran film actor Eric Roberts takes questions from an appreciative crowd after the screening of "The Civilization of Maxwell Bright." [Photo by Randy Malone]

Festival attendees devoured the decadent hors d’oeuvres prepared by Frasca at the sold-out Closing Night Awards Ceremony on Sunday. The Colorado Film Society Awards were presented, and the Tibetan/Canadian film “What Remains of Us” mesmerized the audience.

After the film, Kalsang Dolma, the Tibetan-Canadian woman featured in the documentary, answered questions from a very emotional audience. The Rebecca Folsom Band performed to close out the Festival.

Amy Fox’s screenwriting workshop was well attended, as was Jim Butterworth’s documentary workshop. The panel discussion, "Film Forward," highlighted the issues surrounding new media.

Playwright and screenwriter Amy Fox gave a well-attended screenwriting seminar in a chilly Municipal Building on BIFF 2006 Saturday.

BIFF 2006 Award Winners

Best Student Film

“The Saviour,” Peter Templeman, director (Australia)

Best New Filmmaker

Andrew Menan, “Frozen Food Section” (U.S.)

Best Short Film

“West Bank Story,” Ari Sandel, director (U.S.)

Best Colorado Film

“Light of the Himalaya,” Michael Brown, director (Nepal/U.S.)

Best Animated Film

“Magda,” Chel White, director (U.S.)

Best Short Documentary

“Carhenge: Genius or Junk?,”David Liban, director (U.S.)

Best Documentary

“Boys of Baraka,” Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, directors (Kenya/U.S.)

Best Adventure Film

“Race Across America,” Stephen Auerbach, director (U.S.)

Best Feature Film

“C.R.A.Z.Y.”, Jean-Marc Vallee, director (Canada)

Best Actress

Danielle Proulx, “C.R.A.Z.Y.”

Best Actor

Patrick Warburton, “The Civilization of Maxwell Bright”

Colorado Film Society Award for Excellence in Acting

Maria Bello

Special Jury Award

“Diameter of the Bomb,” Andrew Quigley, director (UK/Canada)