Aspen Filmfest is a bit different from many of the high-profile film festivals around the country. There are no block-long lines, no celebrities arriving at paparazzi-lined red carpets, no expensive festival packages. Tickets to most shows are easy to come by with a little planning, and the well-appointed Wheeler Opera House, Isis Theatre and Carbondale's Crystal Theatre offer a viewing environment free of pretention.

And that's the way festival organizers want to keep it.

"We're a different kind of festival," says program director George Eldred. "We want to provide a cozy, user-friendly experience. It's theoretically possible that you could see just about everything we show over the five days. Most festivals aren't arranged that way. They show 100, 200 or even 300 films; it's like a smörgåsbord."

Eldred adds that what Apen Filmfest provides is more akin to a bento box or sampler box of chocolates.

"We spend a lot of time looking at our possibilities and deciding what our local and visiting audience would most appreciate seeing."

And what they've found their audience is interested in is an eclectic mix of stories - both true and imagined - that ultimately speak to the nature of the human spirit. Like "After the Storm," the real life tale of three New York theater veterans who mount a production of the Broadway musical "Once on This Island" in Katrina-ravaged New Orleans. Or Eldred's personal favorite, "Supermen of Malegaon," that chronicles the often-humorous tale of a young Indian boy who runs a video store and lives out his fantastical dream of remaking the "Superman" film.

Stories that find a different and unexpected angle on a topic also move to the front of the line, such as "More Than a Game" from first-time documentarian Kris Belman. Belman's story - conceived while still a film grad student in Las Vegas - follows LeBron James and the aptly named Fab Five on their nine-year quest to become national high school basketball champions.

"I had to do a 10-minute short, and the easy choice would have simply been to do a story on Lebron," says Belman, an Akron, Ohio native along with the Fab Five. "But our profoessor told us to challenge ourselves. And as I dove deeper, I discovered that the friendship between the five of them and their connection with their coach was where the real story was."

Belman says several people wanted to purchase his footage from him or pay him to direct just the Lebron James portion, "but he wanted to be true to his vision, and honest with all of the subjects."

"I spent seven-and-a-half years filming, and the first five and a half was me solo with a little sony camera and a bunch of credit cards," Belman says, who also worked part time as a coffee barista to help repay his student loans. "The heart of this documentary was trust. And to be able to pull the emotion from the players and get good interviews, they all had to really trust me."

And after LeBron James and the rest of the Fab Five screened the film, they cried like babies.

"There he was, 6-foot-8-inch LeBron, just crying hard," Belman says. "They were all really affected in a positive way by the story, and it really reinforced the solid friendships they had. And it reinforced my belief that telling the whole story, and not just focusing on the star, was the right thing to do."

The lineup of films never really has a set theme, but trends certainly emerge after the entire program - 22 films in all this year - comes together. This year, overcoming adversity and connecting with our humanity became de facto themes.

"We're never looking for crowd-pleasers," Eldred says. "We look for films that give our audience members the sense that they've connected with a real human being, or a fictional character. And typically, you don't necessarily find that with happy stories or comedies or musicals. But no matter the genre, we wants stories that can endure and open a window to the human spirit."
damien@aspendailynews.com [1]

In addition to the annual Independent By Nature Award, Filmest has added two new awards to the roster: The New Directions Award and the Artist To Watch Award. Below are the honorees.

Stanley Tucci
Saturday, Oct. 3, 6 p.m.
This award honors a film artist whose significant body of work resonates with audiences and peers, while substantially contributing to elevating the contemporary movie experience. Tucci has appeared in over 50 films and countless television productions, most recently in "The Devil Wears Prada," Steven Spielberg's "The Terminal" and Sam Mendes' "Road to Perdition." He is currently co-starring in "Julie & Julia" opposite Meryl Streep and directed by Nora Ephron. His next film is "Blind Date," opposite Patricia Clarkson, which he co-wrote and directed. Later this year, he will appear opposite Mark Wahlberg and Susan Sarandon in Peter Jackson's highly anticipated adaptation of the acclaimed Alice Sebold novel, "The Lovely Bones." The  evening tribute will feature a selection of film highlights and an on-stage conversation. Following the theater presentation, Aspen Film will host a 30th Anniversary Gala Celebration with Tucci as an honored guest.

Jason Reitman
Friday, Oct. 2, 6 p.m.
Reitman has a long association with Aspen Film, dating back to 2000 when his short film, "In God We Trust," won Aspen Shortsfest's Best Comedy and Audience Awards. In 2004, he won the Shortsfest Best Short Short Award for "Consent." More recently, Reitman directed "Thank You For Smoking" and "Juno," and his latest film "Up in the Air," starring George Clooney will premiere at the festival prior to an onstage discussion with the artist. OF the festival and the award, Reitman says, "The Aspen Film Festival is family. The difference (between it and other festivals) is (Executive Director) Laura and (Program Director) George. Their passion for film and the unique programming separates them from the crowd. And it is always an honor to be given an award. This honor is particularly special in that it is being given to me by brilliant curators of film who have known me since before I was of legal drinking age."

Paula Patton
Thursday, Oct. 1, 6 p.m.
New on the scene, Paula Patton will wow audiences with her perfrmance in "Precious" based on the novel "Push" by Sapphire. Regarding the festival's selection of Ms. Patton, Executive Director Laura Thielen says, "In a film with outstanding performances across the board, we are especially honored to recognize Paula Patton for her beautifully nuanced performance as Ms. Rain, one of the film's pivotal, transforming roles." The film chronicles the life of a Harlem teenager caught in the seemingly insurmountable chain of harrowing circumstances. Somehow she is able to summon all of her emotional energy to find her own voice.