A Note from Festival Co-Director Jake Abell

Dear OIFF Family, 

Happy New Year! Jared and I have been hard at work over the holidays building the early stages of the 2025 summer festival lineup. We can't wait to share more this spring. But for now, I’m off to snowy Ouray this month where I’ll be engaging our festival community in several ways. Here are some highlights. 

Building the Next Generation of Student Partners 

First, I will have the pleasure of returning to Ouray School where I graduated in 2009 (Go Trojans!) to screen films for the entire high school and the eighth grade class as well. A few years ago, Superintendent Tod Lokey and I began incorporating eight grade students into some of our work to begin building up the next generation of student partners between the festival and the school.

At this event, I will show a few films from the OIFF archive, talk with students about how they can be involved in the fest, and answer questions about our annual Student Jury. At last year’s festival, our beloved faculty sponsor Eric Canstontineau saw nearly every film with a group of six wildly enthusiastic students. Jared and I can’t wait to see that group expand this year with a mix of returning students and newcomers. 

Engaging the Local Business Community 

Next, I’m off to our beloved Wright Opera House to host the monthly "After Hours" gathering of the Ouray Chamber Resort Association. Each month, a different organization brings together folks from the local business community to catch up and kick back. We’ll eat some pizza while I share some first looks about our 2025 summer festival, including a reveal of this year’s poster. Swing by The Tavern inside the Wright Opera House at 5pm. This event is free and anyone can join!

Connecting with Old Friends

The best part of being in Ouray is getting to meet with the many friends of the festival. I love when my planner fills up with coffee meetings to catch up with sponsors, meet with my middle school teachers, reconnect with an old classmate, train a student volunteer, or collaborate with folks from the city. OIFF has always been about nourishing a community that is both global and local, and it’s my privilege to connect deeply with our local film family on these trips to the mountains. Speaking of which…

Let’s Get Coffee

As co-directors of the festival, Jared and I are always available to talk about OIFF. If you want to grab coffee while I’m in town (Jan. 14-17), shoot me an email at jake@ourayfilmfestival.com. I’d love to hear from you. And if we don’t connect this time, Jared and I will be in town for a long visit in March for Science on Screen and much more. Stay tuned and stay in touch. 

Cheers, 

Jake