One of the biggest highlights of the inaugural Outside Festival was its program of riveting adventure films. And this year promises to be even better. Curated in partnership with Mountainfilm, the lineup revolves around three core themes—joy, unity, and renewal—and captures some of the most gripping personalities and narratives in the outdoor world.
“It’s a cliché to say you’ll laugh and you’ll cry and it’s better than Cats, but in this case it’s really true,” says Micah Abrams, Outside’s VP of content development. (He’s not much of a musicals guy, anyway.)
The stacked roster includes everything from a heartwarming, semi-animated short by watercolorist Max Romey, to a documentary about the struggles of a young Pauite runner coming to grips with his people’s history. In between, viewers will switch continents several times over, darting from Brazil to the Arctic Circle, and from the Hawaiian surf to the mountains of Pakistan. It’s a globe-trotting journey that captures all the joy, triumph, and heartbreak of a life spent outdoors.
The screenings will be held at Denver Public Library on Broadway, which just reopened after a state-of-the-art renovation. “We’re Outside, so there needs to be a good reason for us to encourage you to come inside, but this year’s new film festival venue qualifies,” Abrams says. The building’s purpose-built Park View event space—complete with soaring ceilings and carefully designed acoustics treatment—is at once intimate and sophisticated. Plus, after a long day of festival revelry under the Colorado sun, the library’s air-conditioned quiet is a welcome respite, Abrams adds. “We hope folks come in to cool off and leave inspired for their next outdoor adventure.”
Here’s what viewers can expect from this year’s film lineup.
A Little Film About Forever
This short film about forever unfolds from the POVs of father (Max Romey) and son (Kip) as they attempt to write a book about what forever means. The father feels overwhelmed by all of the threats to forever, like forever chemicals, and calls an unlikely hero – Mark Ruffalo – to ask for help seeing the big picture.
Runtime: 10.2 minutes
Director: Max Romey
Showing: Saturday, 3:10pm
About Damn Time
In 1983, Cindell “Dellie” Dale talked her way onto her first commercial river trip through the Grand Canyon. Like many women in the industry at the time, her place was in the kitchen. But determined to push against the tide of a male-dominated river-running world, she earned her spot on the oars and became one of the Grand Canyon’s legendary dory guides. Inspired by the trailblazing women before her, Dale is now proudly passing the oars to a new generation, declaring, “It’s about damn time.”
Runtime: 24 minutes
Director: Dana Romanoff
Showing: Sunday, 1:15pm
Arctic Alchemy
Arctic Alchemy follows renowned Alaskan adventurer and climate scientist Roman Dial and his team on a 112-mile research expedition above the Arctic Circle. Traveling by packraft and foot through Alaska’s mighty Brooks Range, their goal is to find the source of a mysterious phenomenon poisoning watersheds in the Arctic. Along the journey, Dial reckons with fatherhood, personal tragedy and the power of wilderness to both break us and bring us fully alive.
Runtime: 25 minutes
Directors: Colin Arisman, Zeppelin Zeerip
Showing: Sunday, 3pm
Beyond Beliefs
A young woman from Cleveland, Ohio earns a scholarship to attend a four-day river trip through the wild Green River’s Gates of Lodore Canyon. The only catch? She doesn’t know how to swim and is terrified of water. Join Danielle and her peers on this wonderful journey, and bear witness to her inspiring first-hand account of what it took to go beyond her beliefs about water, and how that expanded the vision for her future.
Runtime: 5 minutes
Director: Quamae Hall
Showing: Sunday, 3pm
Butterfly in a Blizzard
Butterfly in a Blizzard shares a deeply personal look into professional snowboarder Kimmy Fasani’s extraordinary journey into motherhood and what this new phase of life reveals about her past. Fasani and her family opened all doors to capture her metamorphosis from globe-trotting winter sports icon to mom, while exploring matrescence, a newly coined term that encompasses a woman’s transition into motherhood. Throughout the film, the blizzards hit again and again, coming in waves of identity shifts, childhood trauma, relationship struggles and a cancer diagnosis. Through raw and intimate footage captured over five years and supported by leading expert voices in maternal health, Fasani fights through life’s storms while maintaining her place in a sport she loves and evolving to become the mother she strives to be.
Runtime: 99 minutes
Director: Rose Corr
Showing: Saturday, 1:15pm
David Blaine Do Not Attempt: Brazil
From National Geographic and Imagine Documentaries, David Blaine Do Not Attempt is a thrilling six-part series that follows world-renowned magician and endurance artist David Blaine exploring the world through the lens of magic. David takes viewers on a fascinating cultural exchange and a jaw-dropping journey through extraordinary cultures, where he meets with performers and masters—kindred spirits who inspire and share with him exceptional skills (and secrets)—in Brazil, Southeast Asia, India, the Arctic Circle, South Africa and Japan. David is widely recognized for his epic stunts and illusions. Through intimate documentary storytelling, the series also reveals a surprising and more personal side to David, which has rarely been seen before. In Brazil, David meets daredevils, artists, explorers and athletes who unite to help execute an audacious leap of faith that he’s long dreamt of.
Runtime: 44 Minutes
Director: Toby Oppenheimer
Showing: Saturday, 3:10pm
First In, Last Out
When competitive swimmer from Colorado Christa Funk joined the Coast Guard, she found herself stationed on Oahu, Hawaii for five years, where she discovered the world of surf photography. Inspired by the memory of her father and his parting words, Funk pushed herself into the world’s most dangerous and crowded surf lineups, becoming one of the best surf photographers in the world, and notably, one of the few women out there.
Runtime: 25 minutes
Directors: Keith Malloy, Andrew Shoneberger
Showing: Saturday, 3:10pm
Girl Climber
Professional climber Emily Harrington has summited Everest, completed numerous first female ascents of 5.14 routes, scaled 8,000-meter peaks and dominated the competition circuit. But her greatest challenge extends beyond the physical. To cement her legacy in the male-dominated world of elite rock climbing, she sets her sights on a career-defining 24-hour ascent of Yosemite’s El Capitan. Caught between the pursuit of personal ambition and the ticking biological clock of life, Harrington grapples with what she’s truly willing to risk. Equal parts gripping survival story and intimate portrait of a woman who deals with self doubt, Girl Climber isn’t just about breaking records. It’s about breaking barriers. Among Yosemite’s legendary boy’s club, Harrington doesn’t prove she is the best female climber ever — she proves she is one of the best climbers of all time.
Runtime: 83 minutes
Director: Jon Glassberg
Showing: Sunday, 5:00pm
Momo
From the humble beginnings of a small African village to the dazzling heights of Cirque du Soleil, Momo shares the story of a man who defied gravity and destiny. This short film is a celebration of resilience and the magic of flight, where Momo doesn’t just perform — he transcends.
Runtime: 2 minutes
Director: Mike Schwartz
Showing: Saturday, 3:10pm
OUTLIER: Common
OUTLIER: Common follows three Latina leaders chasing summit perfection. On an emotional journey through mountain ranges, a scientist, a filmmaker and a disruptor share the deeply personal, turbulent stories of their lives — while pushing toward the summits that define them. At personal crossroads, these women turn to the mountains for clarity and an exploration of mind, heart, body and soul. From British Columbia’s deep backcountry to the Tetons’ towering peaks, their journey reveals hard-won lessons on tenacity, joy and solidarity — even when the world feels like it’s crumbling.
Runtime: 26 minutes
Director: Dani Reyes-Acosta
Showing: Sunday, 3:00pm
Remaining Native
Kutoven (Ku) Stevens (Paiute), a 17-year old Native American high school runner, with the skill and drive to become an elite college athlete, strives for his goals. Even though he doesn’t have access to a coach, cross-country team or recruiters, he is determined to get a running scholarship. When the remains of thousands of Indigenous children are discovered across Canada and the U.S., Stevens’ painful family history re-emerges: His own great-grandfather Frank Quinn escaped an Indian boarding school by foot at age 8. In an act of reverence, Stevens sets out to run the same 50-mile escape route his great-grandfather took, interweaving Quinn’s story with his own journey to run a collegiate qualifying time. Will Stevens outrun his history or will he learn to run alongside it to achieve his dreams?
Runtime: 88 minutes
Director: Paige Bethmann
Showing: Saturday, 5:05pm
The Life We Have
What would you do if death felt just steps away? For Rob Shaver, who has faced multiple stage-four cancer recurrences over the past two decades — death has felt like an ever-present shadow. The Life We Have captures Shaver’s resilience, wisdom and deep appreciation for life, as he navigates his latest battle with the disease.
Runtime: 24 minutes
Director: Sam Price-Waldman
Showing: Sunday, 3:00pm
The North Face Presents: Trango
After a two-year attempt, renowned ski mountaineers Jim Morrison and Christina “Lusti” Lustenberger, joined by Nick McNutt and Chantel Astorga, attempt the first-ever ski descent of Pakistan’s formidable Great Trango Tower. What begins as a test of skill evolves into a profound emotional journey. They navigate risk, grapple with grief and face physical danger as they push the limits of human experience. At 6,000 meters, constant exposure and unexpected avalanches test their resolve, but it’s the unspoken trust and support within their expedition team that allows them to face the unimaginable together. Trango transports us to otherworldly places and reminds us that the best way to honor those we have loved and lost is to find the courage to truly live.
Runtime: 45 minutes
Director: Leo Hoorn
Showing: Sunday, 1:15pm
As one of America’s longest-running film festivals, Mountainfilm showcases documentary films that celebrate adventure, activism, social justice, environment, and indomitable spirit. Hosted annually in Telluride, Colorado, the festival brings inspiring stories to communities around the globe with Mountainfilm on Tour.
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