For those of us who watch movies non-casually, by which I mean a lot and as part of the industry’s critical press, festivals are fascinating studies in curation and immersion. They can also be wonderful snapshots of a film-making year and a great way to gauge the cinematic literacy of the host community. The Jackson Hole International Film Festival, now in its second year, aims to bring together a slate of features that “inspires and honors the stories behind the art”.
The 2024 roster presented projects from Afghanistan, France, Brazil and the United States. And if the excellent crowds I witnessed at the three screenings are any indication, Jackson Hole is full of movie aficionados who appreciate an intensive and varied experience. The clear local enthusiasm for the festival was enhanced by the fact that everyone who entered the theater each night immediately saw at least 20 people they knew. That’s just how it is in Jackson Hole. The organizers seem to understand this and have given all of us a special new way to connect.
Here’s a quick run-down of the three films I saw:
Opening night at the festival included a showing of “The Friend.” Written and directed by Scott McGehee and David Siegel, this is a dog movie, but that subgenre classification does not tell the whole story. The stellar human cast includes Naomi Watts, Bill Murray, Sarah Pidgeon, Carla Gugino, Constance Wu and Anne Dowd. It’s hard to do better than that and everyone brings their best. Even Anne Dowd, who probably filmed her small scenes in a day. At the center of this tale of love and grief is a great big Great Dane, whose sadness over the loss of his owner gives such tender focus to the emotions of the people in his orbit, you wonder if it is possible he is somehow more than a dog.
The second night treated us to a screening of a true Oscar contender. I’m referring to director Tim Fehlbaum’s nail-biting “September 5.” This is a dramatic retelling of the 1972 Munich Olympics and the hostage tragedy surrounding the members of the Israeli delegation. Heroic race-against-the-clock press thrillers like “Spotlight” or “The Post” are easy to mimic but hard to equal. “September 5” relies on its punchy script and effortless performances to focus on the technical realities of mid-20th-century reporting. The literal machinery of the news-making is as impressive as the people who run it in “September 5” and the plot, which could raise a few contemporary eyebrows thanks to the current war in Gaza, is honest and unflinching. Actor John Magaro is particularly great.
Last, I watched “Champions of the Golden Valley”, a documentary about the plucky ski culture in Afghanistan’s Bamiyan Valley. When director Ben Sturgulewski embarked on this project in the late 2010s, he did not know the resurgence of the Taliban in 2021 would alter the course of the country, and his film. Thankfully, Sturgulewski and the central subject of his study needed this story to be told and persevered. By contrasting the simple pleasures of ski racing with the unsettling darkness of life as a refugee, “Champions of the Golden Valley” is an emotional seesaw that forced the audience to recognize the fragility of life beyond our comforts. Talk about perspective – many of us had been skiing that very day.
Just two years in, the Jackson Hole International Film Festival has already established itself as a home for the best in cinematic art. I can’t wait to see what they bring to the region in 2025 and hope the community continues to support this exciting endeavor. With this many movie buffs in town, I might soon be out of a job.
