The Poppy Jasper International Film Festival kicks off this week, and if you've written it off as "just movies," you're missing the good parts. PJIFF is an experience festival. Here's how to find yours.
Start with the VR Experience (April 12)
Saturday at CURA Contemporary. You put on a headset and swim with dolphins. The immersive filmmaking experience is something you can't get anywhere else around here, and it's worth showing up early for. Right after, there's a panel on immersive filmmaking with the people who built the experience. One thing to watch something. Another to understand how it got made.
Opening Gala for the Full Festival Energy (April 10)
The Granada Theater red carpet at 7pm. Bring a friend, bring a partner, grab the energy of premiere night. Filmmakers and press and festival supporters all in one room. The official launch of PJIFF's 20th edition.
Women's Day Brunch (April 10)
MOHI Farm hosts a brunch with a five-woman filmmaker panel: Tal Anderson, Brigitte Mueller, Alex Caulfield, Ke'alhoi Lucero, and Zoe Elton. Direct access to working filmmakers talking about their careers and creative process. Not a big impersonal conference. A brunch. Conversations that matter.
LGBTQ+ Day (April 14)
Amanda Lepore is honored. If you know her work, you know what that means. Drag performances, panel discussions, queer cinema front and center.
Local Filmmaker Showcase (April 9)
CURA Contemporary shows work from South Valley filmmakers before the festival officially opens. This is the move if you want to see what your neighbors are making.
Pick Something
You don't have to see everything. Pick one event. Pick three. But pick something. The festival runs through April 15, and the full schedule is at pjiff.org.
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