The Beginning
I had no idea that the Boulder International Film Festival (of BIFF) existed until I went to the CU Boulder club fair in September. There was a booth that requested volunteers for the festival in the spring, and I signed my name up. I didn’t hear anything about it for another few months until December when I signed up officially to volunteer. At this point, I wasn’t completely sure what I’d be doing nor how I’d be doing it, but I was excited to know that volunteering would let me watch a couple of films for free (which was a huge motivation).Â
The Preparation
Near the end of February, I attended a volunteer session about signing up for different volunteer shifts and all the full benefits of volunteering. The more hours you volunteered, the more films you had access to. Unfortunately, I only had time to volunteer the minimum hour limit, which was 10 hours throughout the festival.
The first shift I had was before the festival started, and I got to organize and alphabetize all of the passes needed for the festival. This included all the volunteers, sponsors, filmmakers, and VIP members. I even managed to get a picture with myself and Alec Baldwin’s pass.
The Festival
Because I volunteered a little before the start of the festival, I only had to work one shift on Saturday to fill my 10-hour volunteer commitment. I worked as a vaccine checker, checking people’s vaccination cards and giving out wristbands since BIFF required everyone to be vaccinated to enter the numerous venues. This job wasn’t horrible, except for the fact that we were outside most of the time and it was snowing. By the end, I could barely feel my feet and my hands were numb, but I kept high spirits knowing that it was all temporary.
A crazy incident happened while I was volunteering too: I saw Alec Baldwin in person. More than just saw him, he talked to me! While I was waiting for my shift to get over in the lobby, myself and other volunteers watched as Alec Baldwin left the auditorium, went to the bathroom, came back out, and then asked us jokingly if we had any popcorn. Unfortunately, we did not.
After my volunteer experience, I was able to use my benefits and see a few films for free. The films I got to see were “The Seeds of Vandana Shiva,” “Refuge,” “The Last Mountain,” and a showcase of short films. I really enjoyed “The Last Mountain,” which was about a British family who had two of its members die while climbing in the Himalayan Mountains. While it was incredibly sad and I was crying throughout most of the movie, it was an impactful story about human passion.Â
The Review
I thoroughly enjoyed my time volunteering and attending BIFF. It was organized well and everyone working for the festival is passionate about making it a great experience for everyone alike. I definitely enjoyed watching the films the most; it was a surreal experience to watch a film that hasn’t been seen yet in Colorado and support all of the talented filmmakers. Next year, I hope to recruit some of my friends to volunteer with me, or at least drag them to watch a couple of films.