Downtown Outdoor Festival announces the line-up for the film festival

Ashima, a film about a young elite Japanese-American bouldering climber who has a complicated relationship with her father, will be one of two features at the film festival associated with the inaugural Outside Festival at Civic Center, from May 31 to June 2nd. There will be 21 films shown at the Denver Art Museum. (Ashima Filmmakers/brought to you by Outside Festival).

A series of films highlighting diversity and inclusivity in outdoor adventure have been curated for a film festival that will be part of the inaugural Outside Festival coming to Civic Center in five weeks.

The film festival is held at the Denver Art Museum. Outside Festival ticket holders can attend the film festival at no additional cost, but must make reservations via an app that will be activated soon as theater space will be limited. The Outside Festival takes place from May 31 to June 2. Films are shown on Saturdays and Sundays.

“It’s an amazing collection of work from diverse athletes, filmmakers, and adventurers on topics ranging from exploring new waterfalls in Central America, to first ski lessons in Alaska, to stories of achievement and redemption from people in communities that have historically been less than welcoming were in the outdoors as they should have been: trans cyclists, BIPOC adventurers and runners,” said Jon Dorn, chief entertainment officer at Outside Inc., the Boulder-based digital media company organizing the event.

The list includes two feature films and 19 short films. Outside received more than 100 submissions, Dorn said.

“The state of adventure filmmaking has never been stronger,” Dorn said. “There’s so much vibrant work happening, it’s coming from so many places and new kinds of stories are being told. It’s so inspiring to see that happen.”

The two feature films are Ashima, the story of a young female Japanese-American climber, and Wade in the Water, a surprising look at the history of black surfing that hopes to inspire the next generation of black surfers.

“Ashima is a film about a bouldering champion who builds some of the toughest bouldering routes in the world, and her relationship with her father, who is very passionate and demanding,” Dorn said. “It’s as much a film about human relationships as it is a climbing film.”