Independence Film Festival shows this month

LEADVILLE, Colorado — The second annual Independence Film Fest of Colorado (IFFC) kicked off in Leadville Sept. 3.

The film festival presents both classic and new films.

Today will include a second showing of “Riding the Rails” at the Tabor Opera House, and a screening of the films of Cliff Robertson including “PT 109,” at the Silver City Cinema as well. There will be a screenwriting workshop with Colorado filmmaker Ali Hasan at the Tabor Opera House and a screening of “Masters of the Grind,” the definitive chronicle of the ’60s to ’80s cult and exploitation film era, playing at the National Mining Museum, both on Saturday.

Other noteworthy events nearby will include a major tribute to Walter Matthau on Saturday at the Salida Steam Plant (Matthau starred in more than 60 motion pictures, including “The Odd Couple,” “Grumpy Old Men,” “The Sunshine Boys” and “Hello Dolly,” and won an Oscar for his performance in “The Fortune Cookie” and received Oscar nominations for “The Sunshine Boys” and “Kotch”) and a showing at the Salida Steamplant of “Sir No Sir,” a story of the inside military movement to end the Vietnam War. There will also be a “Cinema Train” event, with a movie theater set up on board the Royal Gorge Route Railroad (shuttles will be available to transport attendees from Leadville, Buena Vista and Salida), an outdoor screening of the epic war film “Patton,” a large scale outdoor screening event of Walter Matthau’s musical “Hello Dolly” at Buena Vista’s South Main project, and celebrity tributes.

The festival will continue in Grand Junction Sept. 12-14 and then in Pueblo Sept. 26-28.

For additional information, visit info@independencefilmfest.com.

Kay Doan is the reporter for the Leadville Chronicle. She may be reached at kdoan@leadvillechronicle.com.