JACKSON, Wyo. – Center for the Arts is thrilled to share the full film lineup for the inaugural Color Vérité Film Festival, an evening of feature-length and short films that celebrate the underrepresented stories in our connection to nature.
The Color Vérité Film Festival will kick off with a free community showing of “Across Together: The Return Expedition” at 5 p.m., a film that follows the experience of DACA recipients, Indigenous youth, Latines, and children of immigrants who are on a mission to climb the tallest volcano in North America: Citlaltépetl
At 7 p.m., a selection of short films will begin screening in the Theater, including Sundance-winning film “The Boy and the Bees”, “Buckskin” by Emmy-nominated producer Mars Verrone, and Snowlands Environmental Storytelling winner “Let My People Go Skiing.” The lineup spans stories of Indigenous communities, immigrant experiences, environmental stewardship, skiing, paddling, climbing, and personal relationships with wild places.
Entrance to the short film screening will be ticketed, with tickets available starting at $20. There will be a short intermission between sets of films.
‘The collection of films that we’ve curated for the Color Vérité Film Festival showcase the healing power of nature and the outdoors”, Jr Rodriguez, founder of the Color Vérité Film Festival, said. “They’re about more than just peak bagging – each film deals with a nuanced character and nature, in all its forms, as a catalyst for processing, change, or just being”.
The night will wrap up with a celebration in The Center Theater featuring world-renowned DJ Jambalaya starting at 10 p.m. With roots in New Orleans, Louisiana, Jambalaya serves as a purveyor of deep, infectious dance grooves. Tickets exclusively to the dance party are available for $10.
Film lineup
Sharp Edges (WFC Grant Winner)
Shara Zaia, a writer and climber, navigates the sharp edges of identity, belonging, and mental health within the Assyrian diaspora – one of the world’s oldest, yet most endangered cultures.
Directors: Shara Zaia, Max Haimowitz. Producers: Shara Zaia, Max Haimowitz. Runtime: 8 mins
Jaunt
In a stark warehouse office, Justice is weighed down by mounting deadlines and an endless to-do list. But every day, he finds escape in a one-hour ritual that reignites his spirit. Trading spreadsheets for speed, he grabs the keys to his Porsche 944 Safari, hits the trails, and unleashes his stress through high-octane joyrides and mountain biking. It’s more than a break —it’s his therapy, his freedom, and his daily dose of peace.
Directors: Daniel Mitchell. Producers: Neiagha Thomas, Daniel Mitchell
Runtime: 4 mins
Let My People Go Skiing
Confronted with the frustration of false narratives and intergenerational trauma that surround her, Tlingit skier and scientist Ellen Bradley returns to her traditional homelands in Southeast Alaska. Here, she uses skiing as a tool to reclaim her connection to the land she belongs to. The abundance and biodiversity of Lingít aaní (Tlingit land) have shaped the people of the tides since time immemorial, molding all aspects of traditional and contemporary Tlingit life. Weaving ancestral knowledge, scientific understanding, and passion for her sport, we follow Ellen’s journey to help her community reclaim its place at the forefront of the stories told about their homelands. By dismantling barriers to access to snowsports for Alaska Native youth, she empowers a generation to reclaim their relationship to the land in hopes that the mountains can teach them what it will take to endure the fight to protect their culture, language, and home forever.
Director: Ellen Bradley. Producers: Ellen Bradley, Connor Ryan
Runtime: 18 mins
Zelzin, huellas que inspiran
Footprints that Inspire follows Zelzin Aketzalli, the first person from Mexico to complete the Triple Crown of Hiking, as she circumnavigates her home mountain, the Iztaccíhuatl volcano. Raised in a violent neighborhood in Mexico City, Zelzin turned adversity into strength and found purpose by hiking some of the world’s most iconic trails.
This intimate and visually powerful short film not only documents her return to the mountain that shaped her, but also reveals the challenges that come with being a pioneer. Zelzin shares the weight and clarity of walking for a dream few believe in. A portrait of resilience, connection with nature, and the struggle to forge paths where there are none, Footprints that Inspire is an invitation to follow our passions, even when no one else has been there.
Directors: Zelzin Aketzalli Weeks, Adam Pawlikiewicz. Producers: Zelzin Aketzalli Weeks, Adam Pawlikiewicz
Runtime: 24 mins
Home
HOME is an intimate short film about a devoted father who takes his young daughter on a camping trip, using nature, imagination, and jazz to shield her from the reality of their homelessness. But as the days unfold, her growing awareness begins to unravel the world he’s carefully constructed —forcing them both to confront a truth he can no longer protect her from.
Directors: Raheim Robinson. Producers: Terumi Merao
Runtime: 10 mins
Buckskin
An experimental portrait of the filmmaker’s grandfather: Carroll B. Williams, a ground-breaking African-American and indigenous forester, reflecting on his work and legacy in the twilight of his life.
Directors: Mars Verrone. Producers: Mars Verrone
Runtime: 17 mins
Talliyah
Talliyah captures the spirit of Indian Relay Racing, a sport that is fast, dangerous, and rarely includes women. The riders leap from horse to horse bareback, racing at full speed around the track. Talliyah Timentwa is one of the best.
Director: Frtiz Bitsoie. Producer: Chelsea Fiske
Runtime: 4 mins
Ofrenda
Traces a family’s journey toward freedom, nurturing their bees and their young sons amid Georgia’s shifting seasons while they learn to care for the land that sustains them.
Director: Tobin Sanson. Producers: Preston Richardson, Arielle Sheres
Runtime: 26 mins
The Boys and the Bees
Traces a family’s journey toward freedom, nurturing their bees and their young sons amid Georgia’s shifting seasons while they learn to care for the land that sustains them.
Director: Arielle Knight. Producers: Arielle Knight, Sean Weiner, Martha Gregory, Arno Mokros, Alessandra Puig-Santana
Mystic rider
Forget what you think you know about “inspirational” stories. This film isn’t here to tug heartstrings; it’s here to showcase joy on a mountain bike on a beloved trail.
Set among the towering redwoods and laced with flowy singletrack, this new short film follows me, Annijke, an adaptive mountain biker, as I ride & experience the pure joy of being immersed in nature. The film blends riding with a healthy dose of absurdity, all set to an upbeat soundtrack that keeps things light, weird, and totally alive.
This is not your typical story about disability. No tragic backstory montage. No slow piano. Just dirt, freedom, and the thrill of being outside.
Rock Faced it All
Teresa Bennett was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and started rock climbing at age 65. Rock Faced It All is a short documentary about this Salvadoran-American woman rock climbing her way through life with Parkinson’s. Our mission is to share how rock climbing can be a means to build strength and resilience in the face of diseases like Parkinson’s.
Directors: Clare Bennett, Isabela Zawistowska. Producers: Clare Bennett, Michael Nowicki
Runtime: 17 mins
