Future of Film in Colorado: A Filmmaker Panel

About This Event

Join ACT for a panel exploring emerging shifts in documentary filmmaking and exhibition. As Colorado is poised to welcome Sundance Film Festival to Boulder in 2027 and state legislation passed (HB25-1005) to invest in local, established film festivals, ACT will discuss what may lie ahead for film exhibition in our state. These established Colorado-based filmmakers will consider how documentary practice, audiences, and the film festival landscape across the state may evolve in the years ahead. Panelists: Daniel Junge, Oscar and Emmy winner documentary filmmaker Vickie Curtis, Emmy winner, and documentary filmmaker Usama Alshaibi, award-winning filmmaker and Teaching Associate Professor, CSU Moderator: Shane Quintanilla-Slattery, award winning filmmaker and Assistant Professor, CSU Panelist biographies: Daniel Junge is an Oscar-winning (2-time nominated) and 5-time Emmy-winning (12-time nominated) documentary filmmaker. His films include Oscar-winner SAVING FACE, Sundance-premiere BEING EVEL, Toronto-premiere IRON LADIES OF LIBERIA, SXSW-winner THEY KILLED SISTER DOROTHY, Tribeca-premiere A LEGO BRICKUMENTARY, and Oscar-nominee THE LAST CAMPAIGN OF GOVERNOR BOOTH GARDNER. Junge also served as showrunner for the AMC series SECRET HISTORY OF COMICS and CHALLENGER: THE FINAL FLIGHT for Netflix. He has taught filmmaking at USC, UCLA, Loyola Marymount and CU Boulder, among other institutions. Daniel produced SALLIE'S ASHES, showing at this year's festival. Vickie Curtis is an Emmy-winning writer of Netflix Originals THE SOCIAL DILEMNA and CHASING CORAL, Vickie makes her directorial debut with COMPARSA. Her work explores the systemic roots of social and ecological crises, and the artists and activists working to rebuild. Vickie’s storytelling spans award-winning documentaries including SEARCHING FOR AMANI (Tribeca), WE ARE GUARDIANS (HotDocs, Netflix LatAm), GREENER PASTURES (POV), and ANBESSA (Berlinale, Arte). After years studying theatre and education, she brings a collaborative ethos to each project. Usama Alshaibi is an Iraqi-American filmmaker and artist born in Baghdad who grew up between the United States and the Middle East. Working across documentary, fiction, and experimental film, his work has screened widely at international festivals and museums. His films include NICE BOMBS (Chicago Underground Film Festival), AMERICAN ARAB (IDFA), and the award-winning narrative feature PROFANE. His short film TRIP ZIGGURAT is presented by PBS & Firelight Media. He is currently a Teaching Associate Professor at Colorado State University. Shane Omar Slattery-Quintanilla is an Emmy-nominated filmmaker, writer, and multidisciplinary artist. He is Faculty in Journalism, Media & Communication. Lory Student Center Room 390 1101 Center Ave Mall, Fort Collins, CO 80521 April 9, 2026, 2:00 - 2:50 PM MDT