Director Lawrence Foldes is spearheading a new film festival, the Independence Film Fest of Colorado, scheduled to debut Sept. 5-9 in Leadville and Buena Vista. Foldes, whose most recent film was Finding Home in 2006, is heading up the festival with producer and wife Victoria Meyerink. The festival will feature films from the 1960s to 1980s. Independent films from award-winning student filmmakers also will debut. The student films were awarded the annual "student Oscars" from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Foldes recently sat down with Rocky staff writer Roger Fillion in Leadville to discuss the festival.

1How did Leadville emerge as the original festival site?

Victoria and I were on the board of the Breckenridge film festival. It brought us to Colorado. We visited Leadville in 2005. As we turned the corner on to the main street, I saw what I felt was the quintessential Colorado mining town. It's not spoiled or commercialized. They've also got a movie theater, the Tabor Opera House, and the mining museum. They're amazing venues that could accommodate a film festival.

2How did the idea for the festival come about? It seems you and your wife had disagreements with the Breckenridge film festival.

Victoria and I had different ideas about how the Breckenridge festival could be more successful, gain a higher profile, and integrate more with the local community. For example, I discussed marketing and publicity with them; the festival has such a low profile in Breckenridge. When I talked about it with the owner of the B&B we were staying at there, he said: 'Yeah, I'd heard something about a film festival in Breckenridge.' I said, 'Now wait a minute. There's something wrong here.'

3What do you want to do that's different?

One of the main purposes of a film festival is to bring economic development to the community and to bring additional tourism. We want to integrate the community into the festival. The film festival should not only be about showing films, but showcasing what's best in each community. In Leadville, we plan to use the Tabor, the mining museum, the old church and the railroad. In Buena Vista we want to use the Pearl theater and the drive-in. We also plan to hold a panel entitled "Filming in Colorado" and offer a tour of potential spots for making films in the region.

4How did you come up with the name, Independence Film Fest of Colorado?

Foldes: I came over Independence Pass and it just struck me that this is what the festival needs to be called. It embodies the essence of the festival: independent filmmaking, and the independent spirit of the people who originally populated the region.

5How did you pick the films you plan to show?

Foldes: The last golden age of Hollywood was the 1960s to the 1980s. Filmmakers such as Francis Ford Coppola were allowed the freedom to express their vision, unencumbered by a big commercial agenda. The new films we're showing - and the student films - embody the spirit of filmmaking from that period. It was before big studios and publicly traded companies such as Viacom took over the business. I'm not going to be showing Transformers or Spider-Man.

fillionr@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-2467