OURAY INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL HOLIDAY GALA

Tickets $50

5:30pm - Doors Open / 6:00 - 9:30 Film Screening, Cocktail Hour, Auction

Come enjoy festive holiday treats, a film, and community at the first annual Ouray International Film Festival Holiday Gala (December 12, 2021)! This event offers a chance to celebrate and support the work of Ouray’s film festival as we approach the third summer event in June 2022.

Enjoy a cocktail after you check-in and peruse our silent auction featuring a range of items from local artisans. At 6:00, attendees will have the opportunity to experience a special presentation from Jim Hart (screenwriter of Hook, Contact, Bram Stoker's Dracula) and Stacy Frank about their extraordinary work supporting oceanic ecosystems through their non-profit organization Lionfish University. Festival patrons will remember Jim Hart's masterclass on storytelling from the 2021 film festival where his classic film Hook was screened at Kiser Ranch. The presentation will be followed by a screening of the award-winning documentary Thistle. Winner of Best Tennessee Feature at the 2021 Nashville Film Festival and still unreleased to the public, Thistle tells the inspiring story of Thistle Farms, a non-profit based in Tennessee that provides shelter, community, and job training for women escaping cycles of abuse, addiction, and homelessness. Director Ryan Camp and Bobbie Smith will be present for a Q&A on stage at the Opera House following the film. Patrons will also have the chance to experience a pre-recorded video interview between festival co-founder Jared LaCroix and the internationally recognized founder of Thistle Farms, Becca Stevens (CNN Top 10 Hero in 2016). Back in the Tavern, enjoy holiday desserts, custom cocktails, and a live auction including products made by the women of Thistle Farms. Come support the work of the film festival and Thistle Farms in an elegant evening of film and festivity at the Wright! (Note: Thistle Farms will receive 15% of auction proceeds and ticket sales.)