It went by so fast, but then it always does. It seems like four days would be enough time to do anything, especially when it comes to movie watching, but alas, it’s not. As the days slipped by, audience members trickled in and out of movie theaters throughout the town. Overheard conversations were riddled with lavish praise or snarling jeers, or sometimes both, for the 80-plus films shown this year.

The simple fact that Sean and Scott Cross, the festival founders, increased the amount of films from roughly 65 to more than 80 is an easy indicator that The Vail Film Festival is gaining a foothold in the movie industry as more filmmakers submit their work to the festival and ticket sales stay steady.

Then there is the celebrity stamp that stars like “Entourage’s” Adrian Grenier and “House’s” Olivia Wilde bring to the event — both won awards at this year’s festival, and both actually showed up to recieve them. One never knows which movie or TV star might pop up at the Vail Film Festival, which is certainly part of its charm and allure.

This year marked the debut of the Vail Film Festival 48 Reel Quick Film Contest. Seven teams competed to make a five-minute movie in two days. The winning short film was “Unicorn Hunter” by Don-John Kulish. This new competition will hopefully encourage creativity among aspiring Hollywood hopefuls and attract a whole new crowd in years to come.

“You go to the festival and everybody’s watching films but to have that atmosphere of people running around making movies we thought was really cool,” said contest director Tony Castle.

See you at the movies.

High Life writer Charlie Owen can be reached at 748-2939 or cowen@vaildaily.com.

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