Beyond the Red Carpet; asking questions at the afterparty at the Cordillera International Film Festival

Arriving in Nevada Sparks

After the over 2-hour drive from Chico, California to Reno, Nevada with Roadrunner’s very own Nathan Espindula and various members of the Butte County Film Institute, we arrived at The Outlets at Legends Mall in Sparks, Nevada, where the Cordillera International Film Festival was holding their awards ceremony in the Galaxy Theaters Legends Imax, the strip mall’s movie theater. The festival is a four day event that took place from September 26-30.

Over the course of the four days, films were shown and awards are given to the winners by the judging panel of the Grand Jury

The Awards Ceremony

Inside the theater a queue formed outside of Screen 10 as excited cast, crew, and viewer alike waited to take their seats to watch the distribution of awards.

While waiting in line, I met the wonderful Linda Sanderson, a return attendee from last year. Linda enthusiastically told me that she had come three hours to Reno just to attend the festival. 

When asked why she chose to make the long trip, she excitedly replied that “Last year I was here, and it was so fantastic I had to come back.” When asked if she would be going next year, she gave a resounding “Absolutely!”

Once we were let into the theater, guests and staff alike conversed and eagerly awaited for the Award Ceremony to begin. As the chatter died down and the room fell silent, we watched as nominated short films, actors, directors, and more were given hand crafted awards made specifically for the festival. 

Handing out the awards were celebrities and other big names in the entertainment industry such as Bill Farmer, best known for his voiceover work as Disney’s Goofy, Jasmeet Baduwalia, who played the blue Power Ranger from “Power Rangers Beast Morphers,” and Edd Lukas who has over 65 credits on IMDB as a cinematographer, including being behind the camerawork of the original “Whiplash” short film. 

The After Party

Once the awards had all been given out, the theater emptied and the crowd either talked amongst themselves in the theatre lobby, lounged in the night air in the Legends Mall’s plaza, or made their way to the Canina Los Tres Hombres directly across from the theater for the awards ceremony after party. 

I decided to see how people were feeling at the Awards Night Celebration Party so I headed there right after and was able to talk to quite a few interesting faces. 

Edd Lukas 

Lukas is a cinematographer who was a part of the festival’s Grand Jury and has attended the Cordillera International Film Festival three years in a row. He  said that he comes every year because he wants to give back to other filmmakers and give them advice and industry knowledge that he received through all his years of  experience shooting behind the camera. 

When asked if he had any advice for students or people trying to break into the film industry, he replied that to succeed in this business you need to never give up. He said that he and everyone else who has made their way into this type of creative career started as students and PA’s, and that if you decide not to give up on your passion you are heading in the right direction to get where you want to go. 

Taylor Wilson 

Wilson is a screenwriter who attended this year as a VIP guest after participating in last year’s annual PitchFest. He explained that PitchFest was a quick paced competition that is held every year during the event. Pitchfest is a contest that creatives have just 3 minutes to pitch an original project of their own. They then have a chance to be judged by members of the Grand Jury to win best pitch and receive feedback. 

While Wilson did not win last year’s 2023 PitchFest, his pitch was picked up by a production company, and he is working on the script to a full-blown film! He beamed as he explained how incredible it was that attending Cordillera got him an audience with connections and producers in the industry, and has granted him amazing opportunities. 

When asked if he had any advice to film students, he urged them to make meaningful human films. He emphasized that it is one of the most connective mediums, and that as someone just getting started in the industry, make sure your art is developing the ability for people to understand and connect with one another. 

Haley Johnosn and Nimbus Walsh Dennison 

These were two volunteers who were running the food table at the after party and had an interesting perspective for students thinking about not just attending the event, but being apart of it by volunteering. 

When asked what each of their favorite things about working the event are, Haley Johnson, a theater major, responded that she wanted to be where the people are. Continuing, she said the energy is good, and everyone she had met that day had been kind and helpful. That is exactly the type of energy she tries to be around. 

Nimbus Walsh Dennison answered that they have had friends who have volunteered at the event before who recommended the gig, and that as a person interested in pursuing film, the festival is an incredible way to network and make connections. 

Anyone who wants to join next year either for the networking opportunities, or just to be apart of such a big film festival can apply next year when the next event is held! Haley told me the incredible free food was worth it to volunteer alone. 

Conclusion, and my opinions 

As Ashley Olds, an actor attending the after party I had a chance to have a brief conversation with told me, Cordillera is the most supportive environment she has seen for filmmakers when it comes to film festivals. She continued by saying that everyone is there to “Just enjoy each other, enjoy art, talk about each other’s art, and inspire people.” The environment is beautiful and loving, and she has not experienced that as much as other film festivals she has attended. I also met a few openly queer guests and staff, and the festival has an award for “Best LGBTQIA+ Film” so the atmosphere is very queer friendly.

Now while I have never been to any other film festival to compare to Cordillera, I can vouch that the environment was friendly and helpful. Just look no further than the staff running the event who gave our paper media access for the night we came. From talking to people who have benefited from the event like the two event volunteers gaining insight into the industry to Taylor Wilson getting an audience with producers who later picked him up for a movie, the sentiment that the environment is supportive and kind definitely looks to be true.

But of course, if you would like to see for yourself, make sure to grab some friends, and carpool over from Butte County to Sparks, Nevada for Cordillera’s 8th International Film Festival next year; the trip is not bad at all when your with good people!

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