(RED) Vision

I just returned from the Vail Film Festival. Last year we introduced a new category in the festival – the (RED) Vision Competition. We asked filmmakers to make a short film based on one of two (RED) themes: We Are The People We’ve Been Waiting For and Be A Good-Looking Samaritan.

We kicked off the trip Wednesday, by briefing 200 film festival staff about (RED). All Vail Film Festival team members, including theatre staff, opening and closing party staff, volunteers, and the festival founders and their families, wore special (RED) shirts provided by Gap. The shirts --created specifically for this event -- said PREMIE(RED) and it made quite an impact to watch Vail Village and Lionshead turn (RED). Everywhere we turned we saw (RED) shirts and met people excited to tell festival attendees and filmmakers about how the money generated by the shirts on their backs each provided 2 weeks of anti-retrovial therapy for somebody living with AIDS in Africa.










Filmmaker Armen Evrensel submitted Binty, the story of a pottery maker who recognized the need to make a difference in someone’s life and stepped up to do so. The themes illustrated in Binty’s story – especially the idea that you can make a profound difference in a stranger’s life - align nicely with (RED).





Armen discusses Binty:


In addition to all the great film activity, our friends from the Hotel Café provided live music for the Vail Film Festival for the 3rd year in a row. Jay Nash, Greg Laswell, Anya Marina, and Buddy performed each day of the festival, often wearing their (RED) shirts. As they did during the Hotel Café Tour in previous years, the musicians spoke about (RED) on stage and encouraged festival attendees to visit the (RED) table and sign up for our mailing list.







Watch Jay Nash and Greg Laswell:



Many thanks to all the filmmakers who submitted entries and to the Vail Film Festival for their continued support of (RED) and for contributing 25% of the profits from their mid-level Avanti festival passes to The Global Fund.


Watch the Festival founders, Sean and Scott Cross, describe why they invited (RED) to the Festival:



Watch the winning (RED) Vision Film, Binty:



-Colette