"The Aspen Times has supported Aspen Film in all of our endeavors to bring the best of film to the Roaring Fork Valley since 1996, and we're thrilled to continue our strong partnership," says Kip Hubbard, Executive Director of Aspen Film. "Editorially speaking, they've always featured thoughtful articles on the films we're screening, and this year will be no different." 

Films will screen Sept. 25 - 29 at the Isis Theater and Paepcke Auditorium, with a special preview on Tuesday, Sept. 24. Tickets are on sale through the Wheeler Opera House Box Office or www.aspenshowtix.com. The complete schedule is available at c.

Aspen Filmfest officially kicks off on Tuesday, Sept. 24, with a special preview of Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom (The Weinstein Company) starring Idris Elba of TV's The Wire. While the film won't appear in theaters until late fall, Elba's performance is being called magnetic and is already generating early awards season buzz.  

In addition to Aspen Filmfest's previously announced Closing Night selection -- Bill Condon's highly anticipated Wikileaks dramatic thriller The Fifth Estate with Benedict Cumberbatch as Julian Assange (DreamWorks Pictures and Reliance Entertainment in association with Participant Media) -- other high-profile presentations include John Wells's star-filled August: Osage County (The Weinstein Company) starring Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts; Alexander Payne's Nebraska starring Bruce Dern and Will Forte (Paramount Pictures); and the inspirational against-all-odds story of everyman British Tenor Paul Potts' meteoric rise to fame in One Chance (The Weinstein Company).

Filmmakers from 10 of the featured films will be attending Aspen Filmfest and participating in post-screening Q&A sessions.  New Zealand photographer and filmmaker Anthony Powell will present Antarctica: A Year on Ice, which captures spectacular vistas and the human activity that hums on the icy continent through the four seasons. Director Rob Meyer returns to Aspen as an alum of Aspen Shortsfest (Aquarium) with A Birder's Guide to Everything, a story of friendship, family and a place in bird watching's history books starring Ben Kingsley and James LeGros in supporting roles. Physician-director Ryan McGarry will attend the festival to share his award-winning Code Black, offering a potent close-up on healthcare lensed through the E.R unit at Los Angeles County Hospital. Director Nicholas Wrathall comes to Filmfest to offer an insightful and entertaining portrait of one most fearless critics of our time in Gore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia. Producer Allen Lu will speak about the compelling back-story of NBA basketball phenomenon Jeremy Lin is revealed in Evan Jackson Leong'sLinsanity.

Greg "Freddy" Camalier comes with his award-winning Muscle Shoals (Magnolia Pictures), the story of the hit-making music studio in a tiny Alabama town. Veteran Brazilian director Bruno Baretto brings Reaching for the Moon, a beautifully drawn love story about two remarkable artists. Katherine Knight will attend as co-director of Spring & Arnaud, a beautifully crafted and tenderhearted portrait of two artists. Filmmakers Chris Simon and Maureen Gosling will present This Ain't No Mouse Music!, a joyous portrait of Chris Strachwitz, founder of Arhoolie Records. Finally, Peter C. Jones will attend for the world premier of Thomas Keating: A Rising Tide of Silence, a reflective portrait of one of the most influential living spiritual leaders who calls St. Benedict's Monastery in Old Snowmass, Colo., home.

"The high level of discourse that audiences have come to expect at Aspen Film events will continue this year at our 35th annual Aspen Filmfest, with this impressive line-up of filmmakers," Hubbard says.

Aspen Filmfest also opens a door to other cinematic voices from around the world. A favorite on the festival circuit, Key of Life (Film Movement) is a droll and delightful yarn from Japanese comedy director Kenji Uchica. Also from Japan comes Hirokazu Kore-Eda's Cannes Film Festival Jury Prize winner, the family drama Like Father, Like Son (Sundance Selects). Latvian director Janis Nords emerges as a confident directorial talent with his prize-winning Mother, I Love You, an emotionally suspenseful coming-of-age drama. The Rocket (Kino Lorber), Australian filmmaker Kim Mordaunt's multi-award-wining narrative feature debut is a humanistic fable-like tale of resilience and hope set and filmed in Laos.

In addition to The Rocket and Mother, I Love You, as part of its New Voices strand for first and second narrative features, Aspen Film will also showcase an independently produced American debut by Aspen Shortsfest alumn Destin Daniel Cretton -- the director's critically touted Short Term 12 (Cinedigm), starring Brie Larson in a breakout performance as a counselor in a teen group home.

Photos available upon request.

The 35th annual Aspen Filmfest is sponsored by Premier Sponsor The Aspen Times; The Embrey Family Foundation; The City of Aspen; Aspen 82; Aspen Public Radio; Aspen Peak Magazine; words pictures colours; Rustique Bistro; SONY; Les Dames d'Aspen; American National Bank; Colorado Office of TV, Film & Media; Genshaft - Cramer, LLP; Quintenz Gallery & David Floria; Aspen Alps; Aspen Square; Frias; The Gant; Hotel Aspen; Hotel Jerome; Hotel Lenado; Molly Gibson; North of Nell; Sky Hotel; Aspen Daily News; KDNK; KSNO; KSPN; Decypher Tech; Four Dogs Wine & Spirits; Natural Wine Co.; Widmer Brothers Brewing; and Woody Creek Distillery.