Schedule of events

Thursday, 3/5

PRESENTATIONS, PANEL DISCUSSIONS, AND COFFEE + YOGA ARE FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. THERE IS A SUGGESTED DONATION OF $5-10 AT THE DOOR FOR NON-TICKET HOLDERS. ALL TICKETS AND DONATIONS CAN BE PURCHASED ONLINE.

5:30 PM - 7:00 PM FILMMAKER DINNER | The Riveter

Our Filmmaker Dinner has always been our favorite way to celebrate our athletes, creatives, and filmmaker friends. It’s a chance for our guest speakers to meet and collaborate! We love watching the magic happen over good food with great friends. Special guests Jen Zeuner and Anne Keller will be joining us for a Q&A about their film “Life of Pie”, the mountain bike community in Fruita, and all things pizza. This is a private event open to guests only.

7:30 PM - 10:00 PM FILM PROGRAM I | cultivated synergy | $22

Doors will open at 7:00 p.m. and films begin at 7:30 p.m. This evening film screening is a ticketed event.

FRIDAY, 3/6

PRESENTATIONS, PANEL DISCUSSIONS, AND COFFEE + YOGA ARE FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. THERE IS A SUGGESTED DONATION OF $5-10 AT THE DOOR FOR NON-TICKET HOLDERS. ALL TICKETS AND DONATIONS CAN BE PURCHASED ONLINE.

4:00 PM - 6:00 PM PITCHFEST | The Riveter

Pitchfest is an opportunity for woman-identified filmmakers, storytellers, and athletes to come together and pitch their ideas to a panel of judges. Two winners will each be awarded $2,500 from our Film Fund. The winners' films will be premiered at the No Man's Land Flagship Festival in Denver, Colorado the following year.

6:00 PM - 7:00 PM Climbing Grief Fund and the Power In Listening: Madaleine Sorkin + Henna taylor | The Riveter | free (suggested donation $5-10: all donations go to the aac grief fund)

Professional climber Madaleine Sorkin has quietly amassed an impressive resume of big wall free climbs, from 5.13 on El Capitan to 5.13 in the higher elevation mountains. She and filmmaker Henna Taylor, in partnership with the American Alpine Club, launched The Climbing Grief Fund (CGF) to provide resources for climbers affected by death. CGF evolves the conversation around grief and trauma in the climbing community and connects individuals to effective mental health professionals and resources. This special film screening and presentation are free and open to the public, and all donations go to The AAC Grief Fund.

7:30 PM - 10:00 PM FILM PROGRAM II | cultivated synergy | $22

Doors will open at 7:00 p.m. and films begin at 7:30 p.m. This evening film screening is a ticketed event.

Saturday, 3/7

PRESENTATIONS, PANEL DISCUSSIONS, AND COFFEE + YOGA ARE FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. THERE IS A SUGGESTED DONATION OF $5-10 AT THE DOOR FOR NON-TICKET HOLDERS. ALL TICKETS AND DONATIONS CAN BE PURCHASED ONLINE.

8:00 AM - 9:00 am coffee + yoga | cultivated synergy | free (suggested donation $5-10)

Kickstart the day with coffee and yoga! Emma Athena will lead us in a yoga class starting at 8:15 a.m. This morning yoga session and coffee from our generous sponsors, Queen City Collective Coffee, are free and open to the public. Please bring your own yoga mat! We will have a few additional yoga mats for those guests who are traveling and might not have one.

9:15 AM - 10:15 AM art workshop | cultivated synergy | $20

We are proud to announce Rhiannon Klee as NMLFF’s Featured Artist this year! She will be leading an art workshop on Saturday 3/7 beginning at 9:15 a.m. Rhiannon Klee lives in her van and makes her living as an artist selling surreal watercolor paintings of iconic climbing formations. She has traveled all over the world, climbing in the Southwest, Yosemite, Patagonia and other iconic areas—the places that inspire her art. This workshop is a ticketed event.

In this workshop, Rhiannon will facilitate the process of creating a landscape painting through exploratory watercolor methods. Each student will use a reference photo of their choice: a favorite landscape, a beloved mountain etc, and will practice integrating their emotional experience of that place into their color choices and brush strokes. No prior experience is necessary. This workshop is a lesson in finding your unique style in watercolor painting.

Supplies to bring:

- Reference photo of a landscape (can be printed out or digital via phone/iPad)

- Watercolor palette (Rhiannon recommends this one, but any watercolor paint will do)

- A few sheets of Watercolor paper (5” x 7” or so) (Rhiannon will bring extra to share)

10:30 AM - 11:30 AM photography workshop | cultivated synergy | $20

NMLFF Featured Photographer Courtney Wilson will be leading an intro to photography workshop on Saturday 3/7 beginning at 10:30 a.m. Courtney is an outdoors/lifestyle photographer based in Phoenix, Arizona. After moving from the midwest, all she wanted to do was explore her new desert home…and everywhere else in between So, that’s what she and her camera and have been doing ever since! When she isn’t hiking, climbing or camping you can probably find her drinking iced coffee by the gallons or at home, cuddled up with her cats. This workshop is a ticketed event.

During this workshop, Courtney will cover the process of capturing adventure photos for budding photographers. She will discuss the process of selecting photo location, apps that she uses to check weather and light conditions, and what her itinerary and camera setup looks like once she arrives. She will then give an introductory lesson on her editing process, as well as provide a few raw photos for participants to edit along with her.

Supplies to bring:

- If you own a laptop with Lightroom/Photoshop, please bring that. If you do not own photo software on their computer, you can also use Lightroom mobile on your phone

- Feel free to bring along a few raw photos of your own!

12:00 pM - 1:00 PM live she explores podcast | cultivated synergy | free (suggested donation $5-10)

We are honored to invite She Explores podcast host and producer Gale Straub back for a second year to host a live episode. Gale is also a writer and photographer who thrives when solving creative problems. She Explores, founded in 2014, is a podcast featuring women who are inspired by time outside and delves into solo hiking, entrepreneurship, aging, conservation, motherhood, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), chronic illness, and feminism as they intersect with outdoor experiences - to name a few things. This podcast so beautifully creates a space for women to share stories of their experiences outside and on the road, and we can’t wait to share that space with you. This event is free and open to the public.

1:10 PM - 2:00 PM FILM + PHOTO PANEL Discussion | cultivated synergy | free (suggested donation $5-10)

Join us for our Women in Film and Photography Panel Discussion: there are so many subtopics within the subject of women in photography and film and we’d like to take this opportunity to address some of them. The general advancement of these professions can only benefit from having more voices heard in an increasingly competitive environment, one that was historically dominated by a male narrative for so long. On Saturday, we will hear from some of the leading women in this field, including all-star filmmakers and photographers Henna Taylor, Courtney Wilson, Carrie Highman, Katie Sugarman and Kelsey Doyle. This event is free and open to the public.

2:10 PM - 3:00 PM ATHLETE PANEL discussion | cultivated synergy | free (suggested donation $5-10)

Our rock-star Athlete Panel this year will include athletes Madaleine Sorkin, Chelsea Rude, Amanda Hankison, Gina Lucrezi, and Nina Williams. Women have historically been excluded from the “Outdoors” narrative, as the narrative was traditionally one of male dominance and assertion of masculinity. We will discuss, from our athlete’s personal perspectives, how this landscape changed and where it’s headed. This event is free and open to the public.

3:10 PM - 3:40 PM Julia Hanlon + Kayla Nolan | The Riveter | free (suggested donation $5-10)

Kayla Nolan and Julia Hanlon explore their passion for Ethiopian female distance running and the backstory of their film, Bekoji 100. Kayla, the co-producer of Bekoji 100, is the Executive Director of Girls Gotta Run Foundation (GGRF) and has worked with GGRF in Ethiopia for the past eight years. In 2015, Julia Hanlon, co-director and co-producer of Bekoji 100, met Kayla in Ethiopia while working for a partner organization to GGRF. Julia and Kayla reflect on the experiences they have had working in Ethiopia with adolescent female runners, discuss their journey organizing Ethiopia’s first ever 100 mile ultramarathon relay, and reveal the lessons they learned along the way. This presentation is free and open to the public.

3:50 PM - 4:20 PM Defying the Odds: piseth sam | The Riveter | free (suggested donation $5-10)

As a licensed massage therapist and certified personal trainer, Piseth Sam’s approach is trauma-informed with the understanding that the body keeps the score of human experience. Their work is guided by the idea that movement transforms, allowing people to dream of and step into their best selves. In all of their interactions, whether climbing, trail running or working with clients, Piseth seeks to create an inclusive space, where everyone can feel comfortable exploring, expressing, and pushing themselves. Piseth is also speaking on the Advocacy Panel on Sunday. Both events are free and open to the public.

4:30 PM - 5:00 PM Brittany Leavitt | The Riveter | free (suggested donation $5-10)

Brittany Leavitt, a Trans-racial Adoptee, has always connected to the outdoors from spending time by the mountains in upstate New York, to the ocean side of Massachusetts, to city life of Washington DC. Her passion is to teach others how to enjoy the outdoors while focusing on clearing pathways for the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) community. Working with organizations such as Outdoor Afro, Brown Girls Climb, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, and REI, she tries to ensure that all voices are heard and accurately represented. Brittany joined the Outdoor Afro Expedition Team and became the first American American to climb Kilimanjaro. This presentation is free and open to the public.

5:30 PM - 7:00 PM FILM PROGRAM III | cultivated synergy | $15

Doors will open at 5:00 p.m. and films begin at 5:30 p.m. This evening film screening is a ticketed event.

7:30 PM - 10:00 PM FILM PROGRAM IV | cultivated synergy | $22

Doors will open at 7:00 p.m. and films begin at 7:30 p.m. This evening film screening is a ticketed event.

SUNDAY, 3/8

PRESENTATIONS, PANEL DISCUSSIONS, AND COFFEE + YOGA ARE FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. THERE IS A SUGGESTED DONATION OF $5-10 AT THE DOOR FOR NON-TICKET HOLDERS. ALL TICKETS AND DONATIONS CAN BE PURCHASED ONLINE.

8:00 AM - 9:00 am coffee + yoga | cultivated synergy | free (suggested donation $5-10)

Kickstart the day with coffee and yoga! Emma Athena will lead us in a yoga class starting at 8:15 a.m. This morning yoga session and coffee from our generous sponsors, Queen City Collective Coffee, are free and open to the public. For the first time, we are honored to have Adrianna Tippit-Martelli interpret this morning’s yoga.

Please bring your own yoga mat! We will have a few additional yoga mats for those guests who are traveling and might not have one.

9:00 aM - 9:30 aM Learning and the Art of Truck Maintenance: Halcy Webster | cultivated synergy | free (suggested donation $5-10)

Halcy Webster (she/her) is an adventure enthusiast and a lover of learning and teaching. She is most often found somewhere in the mountains and occasionally in the desert. Her experiences have taken her from studying nuclear physics, to gender advocacy and establishing a remote alpine first ascent as well as everything in between. Having spent several years living on the road and traveling the continent, she now lives on the Front Range in Colorado with her girlfriend and two dogs. She has spoken on topics of gender and the outdoors at the Flash Foxy Festival, Climbing Wall Association Annual Summit, and Outdoor Retailer.

Sometimes the toughest part of a journey is learning how to even begin. Join us as Halcy talks about the process of learning to get to wild places on 4 wheels, from total n00b to off-road pro (and how we can all learn to start something new). This presentation is free and open to the public.

9:40 aM - 10:10 aM The Art of Adventure: Rhiannon Klee | cultivated synergy | free (suggested donation $5-10)

Rhiannon Klee lives in her van and makes her living as an artist selling surreal watercolor paintings of iconic climbing formations. After breaking her back in gymnastics a decade ago, she started climbing to help strengthen her lumbar muscles. Since then, Rhiannon has traveled all over the world, climbing in the Southwest, Yosemite, Patagonia and other iconic areas—the places that inspire her art. She will be giving a slideshow presentation about using art to share and document climbing and adventures on the road, as well as share stories from El Cap and Patagonia alongside art journals and paintings for a visually compelling presentation. This presentation is free and open to the public.

10:20 aM - 10:50 AM jaylyn gough | cultivated synergy | free (suggested donation $5-10)

Jaylyn Gough is the Founder and Executive Director of the organization, Native Women's Wilderness, as well as a freelance photographer. The organization provides opportunities for Native women, girls, LGBTQ2S, and non-binaries to get outside, as well as elevate the voices of Native people, ancestral land acknowledgements and history, navigating cultural appropriation, and collectively working with brands to acknowledge Native lands and culture. Jaylyn is proud to be a Navajo Woman who climbs mountains. She holds a WFR, has been a guide, loves to mountain bike, climb, backpack, and chase dreams such as climbing Mt. Denali. You can always find her outside wandering with a camera in her hand. Jaylyn will also be giving a special land acknowledgment for our Flagship Festival weekend. This presentation is free and open to the public.

11:00 aM - 11:30 AM beth bradley | cultivated synergy | free (suggested donation $5-10)

Beth Bradley is a storyteller, hiker and adventurer from Denver, CO. Starting with her first solo hike in 2017, Beth discovered the healing joy of being in nature and appreciating what her plus-size body can do. She hasn't really been able to stop talking about it since then, speaking out about inclusivity in the outdoors every chance she gets. When she's not on the trail, she works as Content Director at a travel marketing agency, inspiring people to visit destinations near and far. Beth is a two-time Moth Story Slam winner and loves adventures of any kind, her niece Roxy, and all dogs (her own outrageously adorable mini Aussie pup in particular). This presentation is free and open to the public.

11:40 aM - 12:30 pM Men's Panel Discussion | cultivated synergy | free (suggested donation $5-10)

We are heartened to see more and more men standing up for equity and joining the conversation. It’s true: you can’t hold space and have conversations without including both sides and we believe that men are a crucial part of this movement. We are proud to bring back our Men’s Panel Discussion to Denver because we want to acknowledge that men and boys also benefit from this work that tears down constrictive gender roles and stereotypes that negatively impact them, too. We are excited to introduce Sky Yardeni, Alistair Wilson, Brandon Belcher, and Chris Weidner as our panelists. This important panel discussion is free and open to the public.

12:40 pM - 1:30 PM Leadership + aDVOCACY PANEL | cultivated synergy | free (suggested donation $5-10)

Last, but not least, our Leadership and Advocacy Panel will bring together Bethany Leigh Lebewitz and Brittany Leavitt of Brown Girls Climb, Alexis Krauss of Young Women Who Crush and Sleigh Bells, and advocate for self-empowerment, Piseth Sam, Jaylyn Gough of Native Women’s Wilderness and Halcy Webster. These panelists will discuss women’s leadership in the context of culture and power structures. This panel discussion is free and open to the public.

2:00 PM - 4:00 PM FILM PROGRAM V | cultivated synergy | $18

Doors will open at 1:30 p.m. and films begin at 2:00 p.m. This afternoon matinee is a ticketed event.