Moondance Award
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| Location | Boulder, Colorado |
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| Founded | 2000 |
| Website | moondancefilmfestival.com |
The Moondance International Film Festival is an independent annual film festival and awards competition in the USA that takes place in the fall. The first Moondance Film Festival was held in 2000. The festival has usually been held in Boulder, Colorado; it has occasionally been held in Los Angeles and in New York City. In 2013, it moved to Mystic, Connecticut, and in 2014 it moved back to Boulder.
The festival honors filmmakers, writers and composers who actively increase awareness, provide multiple viewpoints, address complex social issues, and strengthen ties between international audiences. Some of its initial intentions were to give a cinematic voice to nonviolent conflict resolution; women and their stories, particularly told told from their perspective or with a female sensitivity; and inspirational and educational stories about environmental issues. According to the festival's website, the festival and festival entrants are "independent, mostly uncensored (except for gratuitous violence), totally unfettered, often irreverent, and definitely not beholden to any special interests. We select films, written works and music with these criteria: a unique story, well-told."
The festival was founded in 1999, following the events of the Columbine High School massacre, by Elizabeth English, a film technician and Boulder, Colorado resident. The intention was for the festival to be an empowering outlet for underrepresented storytelling and for people to share their perspectives in a fresh and non-violent way. English's desire was "to make a ... difference in the world and make the audience a part of that." The festival also offers an opportunity for writers, composers and filmmakers to participate in workshops with professionals and to receive a consultation.
English named the festival Moondance as a complimentary contrast to the Sundance Film Festival, where in 22 years no women filmmakers had won. In its first year, the Moondance festival was only open to women, but it has subsequently been open to all.
Past sponsors of the festival have included Jodie Foster, the Writer's Guild of America – West, Celestial Seasonings and Oprah Winfrey's O magazine.
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