December 28, 2020 – FORT COLLINS, CO – Bike Fort Collins is proud to be bringing an on-demand virtual version of the Bicycle Film Festival (BFF) to Fort Collins and Northern Colorado for the first time, as the BFF celebrates its 20th Anniversary this year. The Bicycle Film Festival-Fort Collins will stream live on December 30th at 6:00 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online here for $15, or via the Bike Fort Collins home page. A ticket enables streaming access to the film festival from December 30th through January 10th (12 midnight)—and tickets may be purchased at anything within those streaming dates.
The on-demand virtual event includes a 90-minute compilation of Bicycle Film Festival Select Short Films curated by founding director, Brendt Barbur. Select Shorts appeal to a wide audience from film connoisseurs to avid cyclists and everything in between. BFC and BFF invite you to let the curated collection of select shorts take you on a journey around the world as you learn about a charismatic Ghanian immigrant in Amsterdam who teaches refugee adult women to ride bikes; Fort Collins local, Reese Ruland and her FKT attempt; experience a birds-eye view of a BLM bicycle protest ride from New York to DC; feel the anguish of a father’s loss; the struggle of a young woman and her bike in Iran; and reprieve from genocide through cycle sport. BFF Select Shorts never fail to uplift and inspire.
“In a year of a global pandemic, economic strife, violent acts by racist groups and a contentious election period, we hope to offer a positive respite from all of this for people—and the bicycle boom worldwide is optimistic news to celebrate,” says Barbur.
“Bike Fort Collins hopes bringing the Bicycle Film Festival to the community during the Holiday Season will provide a fun and engaging activity option, given the limited entertainment options due to COVID-19 restrictions,” added Dave Dixon, Executive Director of Bike Fort Collins. “We’re proud to bring this film celebration of bicycles and bicycling to the community, as we are seeing unprecedented levels of people on bikes these days.”
For twenty years the BFF has brought a host of high quality, cutting edge films, music and art to cities and towns across the globe reaching an audience of over one million people. Navigating the COVID-19 landscape has been a challenging obstacle for a 2020 screening, resulting in a virtual format instead. Although this is not ideal, it does offer the opportunity to reach a wider, more diverse audience and bring a variety of cycling communities together that may have not otherwise found a common ground through film.
A portion of ticket sales will benefit Bike Fort Collins to support its bicycle advocacy efforts and other programs.
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About Bicycle Film Festival:
Founded in New York BFF has been celebrating bicycles through art, film and music the last 20 years. The physical BFF spanned the world in up to 100 cities to an audience of over one million people. The international locales included Paris, London, Tokyo, Shanghai, Moscow, Mexico City, Capetown and Istanbul and more at some of the most important venues such as Sydney Opera House and the Barbican or an old factory in Zurich. The Subcultures of cycling have shared equal billing with the most exciting innovators in music, art, design and film. Participants have included: Erykah Badu, Karl Lagerfeld, Francesco Clemente, Shepard Fairey, Albert Maysles, Michel Gondry, Spike Jonze, Alex Katz, Kaws, Mike Mills, Paul Smith, the Neistat Brothers, Tom Sachs, Ridley Scott, Kiki Smith, Swoon, and Ai Weiwei.
In 2001, Barbur was compelled to start the festival after being hit by a bus while riding his bike in New York. He turned this negative experience into a positive one. He has since curated art exhibitions internationally and produced films. Barbur has also produced content for Puma, Barcardi, and Red Bull. He has been profiled by the BBC, The Wall Street Journal, GQ, NY Times, The Guardian and many others. Brendt has a strong focus on community and arts on a local and global scale, with a view on sustainability. Having created a social phenomenon with over 1 million attendees to date, he has influenced the transformation of cities worldwide and encouraged environmentalism through these cultural events. This festival is a celebration of way a life––not just entertainment.
About Bike Fort Collins
Located in one of the most bike friendly cities in the country, Bike Fort Collins (BFC) is a growing bicycle advocacy and active transportation 501(c)(3), delivering on four primary programs, as well as a number of other advocacy initiatives and events. These primary programs include: Safe Routes to School (a partnership with the City of Fort Collins to deliver bike safety education to Poudre School District students), the Bicycle Friendly Business Network, support of Fort Collins Bike Share program, and its Active Living initiative to promote inclusion and access to active transportation in marginalized and distressed communities in Northern Colorado. To learn more, visit www.bikefortcollins.org, or follow them on Facebook and Instagram.