Celebrating another Year of Partnership Between Ouray High School and OIFF

Ouray School Student shows visiting filmmaker his painting based off the film The Spirit of the Peaks.

Event Details: MAY 13, 2024 / 6:30 p.m. / Ouray High School / Free & Open to the Public

Ever since our festival began, a commitment to Ouray School has been central to our cultural mission. One of our co-founders, Jake Abell, graduated from Ouray School in 2009. The connection between the fest and the school has always been personal, and we are excited to celebrate another year of partnership between OHS and OIFF! 

On May 13, Ouray High School students, you are invited to attend a celebratory evening of film, student art, and discussion at the school. OIFF co-founder Jake Abell will be in attendance to screen a pair of short films showcasing the diversity of past OIFF programs. Then we'll see original film and visual art from our student partners who have been integrating past OIFF films into their curriculum with the leadership of OHS English teacher, Eric Constantineau. After celebrating these students, Abell will lead a conversation with local filmmakers and special guest Arielle Brachfeld from the Colorado Office of Film, Television, and Media. The discussion will focus on the film industry in Colorado and the opportunities it can offer graduating high school students as a career path. 

"I learned how to love movies from my teachers at Ouray School," says Abell. "And the festival's co-director, Jared LaCroix, also comes from a teaching background. So for us, we always wanted OIFF to be a place that could support student learning through the power of movies." 

In 2023, grants from The Telluride Foundation and Arts in Society helped to support our efforts to create a Native speakers series at OHS. Students interacted with CJ Brafford from the Ute Indian Museum in Montrose and Colton Ashley of Native Lens, a media collective sharing Native voices in film across the Southwest and around the country. 

This year, students who participated in our project-based learning initiatives will also form a Student Jury who will give a custom award to a film of their choosing. As we approach the fifth annual summer festival, we are thankful for all the students, faculty, parents, and sponsors who work with us to strengthen the partnership between OIFF and OHS. We can't wait for another year of serving the students of Ouray School!