Started in 1978, the renowned Mountainfilm Festival in Telluride is a 4-day celebration (May 28-June 1) of art, adventure, culture and the environment. It attracts filmmakers, photographers, conservationists, mountaineers and explorers from around the world. The festival is dedicated to educating and inspiring audiences about “issues that matter,” from “cultures worth exploring,” to “environments worth preserving.” Its motto is “Celebrating the Indomitable Spirit.”

Recognized as one of America’s most innovative spiritual leaders, Rabbi Irwin Kula was invited to the festival this year to serve as both a panelist and Moving Mountains Judge. Other judges include Dr. Rick Hodes, the subject of the film Making the Crooked Straight and recipient of the 2009 Moving Mountains Prize for his work in Ethiopia, Nancy Schafer, the executive director of the Tribeca Film Festival and a creator of the SXSW Film Festival, and Anna Deveare Smith, an acclaimed playwright and performer.

In addition, on May 30, he will be participating in a panel session entitled Millenial Anxiety. Joining him will be film director Tom Shadyac and author Lee Quinby, to discuss the unsettling times we live in, and explore why it seems the world’s mess is only getting worse. The session will be moderated by Mountainfilm Festival Director David Holbrooke.

Film festival judges...

By Judy Epstein from Clal