Greeley's own Go West Film Festival proudly commemorates its tenth anniversary during its week-long event (November 11 through November 16).
This free community event, hailed as this past year's True West Magazine Readers' Choice for "Best Western Film Festival," is open to the public and will once again screen a series of eclectic films that lovingly showcase the Western genre in all its "Big Sky" glory.
"The West is such a wonderful place of stark contrast and beauty," says Go West Film Festival's Board of Directors’ Co-President, David Caldwell, who shares the role with Ron Edgerton.
David, a former UNC film professor who has been Co-President for three years and a contributive force for the festival since it started in 2014, went on saying, "I think Greeley is such a natural nexus for celebrating that."
According to David, Greeley is in fact home to one of only two such Western-focused film festivals worldwide.
For filmgoers interested in taking advantage of the festival's featured films being shown around town, there will be two showings a day throughout the gala's run: the "High Noon" series at 12:00 p.m. and a complimentary evening screening that typically plays at 6:30 p.m. The festival will also provide for audience discussion after each film, led by a local expert.
"We're always very proud of our broad spectrum of films," David says. "Both contemporary and classic Westerns, along with a variety of both narrative and documentary films. Films that together also show diverse perspectives of the West."
Such films, David elaborated, include those that spotlight the "Native American experience of the West and the experience of women of the West. And, yes, transnational films, as well, since the Western is a global phenomenon."
The origins of the Go West Film Festival stemmed from a shared notion by two local librarians from the High Plains district—Khristine Gamer, who recently returned after time away to work on the fest's Board of Directors, and Victoria Boone.
"So, the genesis lies with the High Plains Library," affirms David. Though the annual exhibition was originally called the Reel West Film Festival before it was changed to Go West in 2015, as a nod to newspaper man, politician and city namesake Horace Greeley's popularization of the ambitious declaration, "Go West, young man."
"It is the mission of our fest to give people the opportunity to consider Western films beyond the entertainment value and to engage with them analytically, as well," David concluded. "But we do want them to have fun with these films, too!"
For more information about Greeley's Go West Film Festival, including events, screening times and venue details, please visit: gowestfilmfest.org.