5Point Aspen returns to the Wheeler Opera House this weekend with two nights of short films about outdoor adventurers of all shapes and sizes. The program includes a film about local Olympian Alex Ferreira that’s less about skiing into a halfpipe, and more about stepping into another culture.
Ferreira’s film “The Scenic Route” focuses on the young skier and X-Games medalist as he travels in Japan, meeting locals and learning about the country. He says he’s more nervous for the film to screen in his hometown than he would be for a more skiing-focused film.
"It’s a little nerve-wracking because I’m letting people into my life," he said. "I’m letting people into my story and how I view the world in some ways."
The film is a part of 5Point’s mission to highlight stories about a wide range of experiences and people in the outdoors. The festival partnered with Challenge Aspen to bring several films about adaptive athletes to this weekend’s lineup.
Charlie Turnbull is now the lead programmer for 5Point, but he first came to the festival two years ago as the filmmaker of the award-winning "The Bikes of Wrath." Now that he’s selecting films, he says he’s looking for stories that go beyond the stoke.
"They’ve got to be stories of adventure and the outdoors that help create some sort of positive change," he said.
He said the world of adventure filmmaking is trending more character and theme-driven, and less about pure adrenaline.
5Point Aspen starts at the Wheeler Opera House Friday at 7 p.m.
