Crested Butte Film Festival

What Crested Butte Film Festival does

The Crested Butte Film Festival (CBFF) is a Colorado-based nonprofit organization that produces an annual four-day independent film festival in the mountain town of Crested Butte at 8,885 feet elevation. Founded in 2010 by Michael Brody and Jen Sfalcin, the festival has run for 16 consecutive years and currently operates with a small core team of 9 employees led by Executive Director Scott Robson, with Lucy Lerner appointed as Guest Programming Director for the 2026 edition. The core product is the September 24-27, 2026 festival program featuring 60+ curated films from around the world, filmmaker panels, Q&A sessions, community events, and signature traditions such as the opening bike parade; screenings are hosted across two walking-distance venues, The Center for the Arts and The Majestic Theatre.

The festival generates revenue through four primary streams: (1) Festival Passes and individual tickets sold via the Eventive platform, with Early Bird Passes starting at $200 and a reservation-based seating model; (2) Corporate sponsorships structured across five tiers from Supporting ($500) to Premiere ($10,000), with YETI, Public House, and Crested Butte Lodging confirmed at the top tier; (3) Individual tax-deductible donations supporting year-round programming; and (4) Year-round film sponsors for ongoing programming. Film submissions are managed through FilmFreeway, and the festival distributes information through local businesses (LIV Sotheby's, Old Town Inn, Townie Books, etc.) and community radio (KBUT). Supporting offerings include a Kids & Teen Program, a volunteer program, and year-round local screenings and outreach.

The festival serves four primary customer segments: film lovers and cinephiles, independent filmmakers seeking exposure and networking, Crested Butte and Gunnison Valley community members, and out-of-town visitors drawn to the cultural-tourism combination of cinema and mountain scenery. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors chaired by President Lauren Lange with Treasurer Bob Pannier and members including Orian Williams, Mark Downey, Skye Fitzgerald, Daniela Runge, Sharon Blumberg, and Vicki Unger, with actor Matthew Modine serving as Honorary Board Member. Festival advisor Britta Erickson, formerly of Denver Film, anchors the organization's ties to the broader Colorado film community, and the festival maintains strategic connections with Telluride Film Festival, Mountainfilm, Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, and Aspen Film.

Name

Crested Butte Film Festival

Legal name

Crested Butte Film Festival

Website

https://cbfilmfest.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Crested Butte Film Festival is a Colorado nonprofit that produces an annual four-day independent film festival in Crested Butte, featuring 60+ curated films, filmmaker panels, and community events, serving cinephiles, filmmakers, local residents, and cultural tourists through passes, sponsorships, and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Film Festival Events

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events without Facilities (711320)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Film Festivals & Festival Organizers (MPADAKAD)

Keywords

• Independent film festival
• Film screenings
• Filmmaker programming
• Corporate sponsorships
• Community arts events

Headquarters

HQ city

Crested Butte, Colorado

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Festival Passes and Tickets: Festival passes provide preferred ticketing and unlimited access to the entire film program. Pass holders must reserve seats in advance for each screening. Individual film tickets and ticket packs also available for purchase.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors at multiple tiers (Supporting $500, Producing $1,000, Starring $2,500, Lead $5,000, Premiere Level $10,000) provide financial support in exchange for brand visibility and association with the festival.
3. Individual Donations: Individual contributions from community members and supporters, with recognition at various donor levels ($500+, $1,000+, $2,500+, $5,000+). All contributions are tax-deductible as the festival operates as a nonprofit.
4. Year-Round Film Sponsors: Sponsors who support specific films or year-round programming, maintaining ongoing relationships with the festival.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Crested Butte Film Festival (CBFF) is a nonprofit organization that produces an annual four-day independent film festival in Crested Butte, Colorado, featuring 60+ curated films from around the world, filmmaker panels and discussions, and community events including an opening bike parade. It sells festival passes and individual tickets, accepts corporate sponsorships at multiple tiers, and runs year-round local screenings, community outreach, and a volunteer program.

Product overview

The Crested Butte Film Festival is a nonprofit film festival that operates as a single, unified event-centered product rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core offering is the annual four-day film festival (September 24-27) featuring 60+ curated films from around the world, filmmaker panels and discussions, and community events including an opening bike parade. Supporting offerings include Festival Passes (for ticketing and access), film submission services (via FilmFreeway), corporate sponsorship opportunities, individual donation programs, and a volunteer program. The festival also offers a Kids & Teen program for family audiences. All offerings revolve around the annual festival event itself, with no separate modular products or SaaS components.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Festival Passes Festival passes provide preferred ticketing and unlimited access to the entire festival film program, with advance seat reservation for screenings. Early Bird Passes start at $200.
• Film Screenings Annual curated screenings of 60+ independent films including feature-length narratives, documentaries, comedy shorts, children's films, outdoor adventure films, and foreign films held across venues in Crested Butte.
• Filmmaker Panels & Discussions Immersive panel discussions featuring visiting filmmakers, Q&A sessions, and conversations reflecting both the creativity of cinema and the spirit of Crested Butte.
• Corporate Sponsorship Corporate sponsorship opportunities available at multiple tiers: Premiere Level $10,000, Lead $5,000, Starring $2,500, Producing $1,000, and Supporting $500, providing brand visibility and event access benefits.
• Individual Donations Tax-deductible contributions from individuals supporting the nonprofit festival's year-round programming and annual event, with donor recognition at levels of $500+, $1,000+, $2,500+, and $5,000+.
• Volunteer Program Volunteer opportunities for festival operations including box office, venue management, special events, and setup/teardown, plus year-round local screenings and community outreach.
• Kids & Teen Program Family-friendly programming designed to engage families with age-appropriate film selections and activities as part of the annual festival.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 80 curated films annually across four days of programming
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered premier, core, lead, minor, supporting and producing.

• YETIpremierGTM or Marketing PartnerPremiere Level sponsor ($10,000) providing brand visibility and association with the festival. YETI is known for outdoor recreation and lifestyle products that align with the mountain town festival setting.
• Public HousepremierGTM or Marketing PartnerPremiere Level sponsor ($10,000) - a local Crested Butte establishment providing hospitality and event space for the festival community.
• Crested Butte LodgingpremierGTM or Marketing PartnerPremiere Level sponsor ($10,000) providing lodging partnerships and accommodations support for festival attendees and filmmakers.
• Majestic TheatrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-branded sponsor and primary venue host. Provides theatre space for screenings and hosts box office operations. Deep operational partnership essential to festival delivery.
• The Center for the ArtscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey venue partner and main box office location. Supports festival programming and serves as primary hub for festival operations and badge pickup.
• Core Crested ButteleadGTM or Marketing PartnerLead Sponsor ($5,000) - a local real estate and development company supporting the festival.
• Denver FilmcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional film institution with deep ties to Colorado film community. Festival advisor Britta Erickson spent over two decades at Denver Film building the region's film culture.
• MountainfilmminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTelluride-based film festival focused on environmental and adventure themes. Volunteer involvement and programming connections exist between organizations.
• Telluride Film FestivalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrestigious regional film festival with staff connections through Guest Programming Director Lucy Lerner and Executive Director Scott Robson's history.
• Big Sky Documentary Film FestivalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMissoula, MT documentary festival where Guest Programming Director Lucy Lerner serves as Director of Shorts Programming.
• Aspen Film Shorts FestminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAspen, CO shorts film festival where Guest Programming Director Lucy Lerner serves as Senior Manager of Programming.
• KBUT (Community Radio)supportingGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal community radio station in Crested Butte providing media support and promotion for the festival.
• SeriesFestminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-profit organization dedicated to supporting episodic storytelling. Operations Director Jordan Erdie works seasonally for SeriesFest in Denver. Festival advisor Britta Erickson serves on SeriesFest Board.
• Psychedelic Science ConferenceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBiennial conference where Guest Programming Director Lucy Lerner curates the Psychedelic Cinematheque featured program.
• AnthracitesupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerSupporting Sponsor ($500) - local fitness and recreation business in Crested Butte.
• Western FilmproducingGTM or Marketing PartnerProducing Sponsor ($1,000) - organization supporting film and cinema culture.
• StioproducingGTM or Marketing PartnerProducing Sponsor ($1,000) - outdoor apparel brand based in the Mountain West.
• Lamar AdvertisingproducingGTM or Marketing PartnerProducing Sponsor ($1,000) - outdoor advertising company providing promotional visibility.
• Slopeside TechnologyproducingGTM or Marketing PartnerProducing Sponsor ($1,000) - local technology services provider.
• Secret Stash PizzaproducingGTM or Marketing PartnerProducing Sponsor ($1,000) - popular local restaurant in Crested Butte.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Mountainfilm: Telluride-based festival focused on environmental, adventure, and mountain-culture documentaries. Comparable in Mountain West positioning, outdoor/adventure film curation, and overlapping volunteer and staff networks with CBFF.
• Aspen Film: Colorado-based nonprofit operating Aspen Shorts Fest and additional year-round programming. Directly comparable in mission, nonprofit structure, mountain-town audience, and short-film focus; Lucy Lerner serves as Senior Manager of Programming there.
• Napa Valley Film Festival: Destination film festival combining film programming with a high-profile lifestyle/tourism setting. Comparable in the 'film + destination experience' positioning, tiered pass pricing model, and reliance on regional tourism sponsors.
• Telluride Film Festival: Prestigious Colorado mountain film festival operating over Labor Day weekend. Directly comparable as a destination festival in the Mountain West competing for the same filmmakers, audiences, and sponsors; CBFF explicitly cites staff and programming connections to Telluride.
• Big Sky Documentary Film Festival: Missoula, MT-based documentary film festival. Comparable independent film focus, regional Mountain West audience, and nonprofit sponsorship model; Lucy Lerner serves as Director of Shorts Programming there.
• Denver Film: Colorado's largest regional film organization, operating the Denver Film Festival and year-round cinema programs. Comparable nonprofit structure, programming scope, and audience base; CBFF advisor Britta Erickson spent over two decades there.

Broad incumbents

• Sundance Film Festival: The dominant U.S. independent film festival, also held in a mountain setting (Park City, UT). Comparable as a destination festival but operates at vastly larger scale, with stronger filmmaker pull, sponsor demand, and national brand recognition.

Regional players

• Vail Film Festival: Colorado mountain-town film festival in Vail. Comparable destination-festival positioning and Mountain West audience overlap, though operating on a different tourism calendar (winter/spring); CBFF technical leadership has prior Vail experience.
• Boulder Film Festival: Colorado-based independent film festival operating in a different (Front Range) geography than CBFF. Comparable in scale, nonprofit structure, and indie film curation; CBFF Technical Director Dave Riepe brings prior experience from this festival.

Emerging players

• SeriesFest: Denver-based nonprofit festival dedicated to episodic storytelling. Adjacent rather than directly competing, but overlapping audience, Colorado-based operations, and shared board/staff connections (CBFF's Operations Director works seasonally at SeriesFest).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/crestedbuttefilmfestival
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/crested-butte-film-festival

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Crested Butte Film Festival