Journey to a Film Fest Where Hundreds of Films Have Begun

FILM FESTIVALS? They can and do happen in most any place that has a screen, or that can hold a screen, or boasts a wall that can serve as a screen. Cinema celebrations regularly occur in fancy theaters, charming art houses, college campuses, and big movie palaces. But finding a festival that unfurls in a fairly remote location that has served as a vibrant and stunning backdrop, and all-around-drop, in hundreds of films? That is a lucky thing, indeed, and if that location also involves a beautiful journey, along Highway 395, and a beautiful arrival, because the Alabama Hills will greet you, oh, what joy. By now, any lover of Westerns, the Eastern Sierra, and rugged settings knows we're speaking of the...

LONE PINE FILM FESTIVAL, which is celebrating its 31st year in 2021. The October affair will again lasso-up a number of quality screenings, including "The Grey Fox" and "The Cisco Kid and the Lady." There are several happenings off the silver screen, too, including a presentation focusing on the life of photographer Ansel Adams, a deconstruction of B Westerns, and, oh yes, a costume contest as well. A parade along Main Street and a closing campfire are some of the other picturesque elements to the multi-day event, which clip-clops into the quaint town from Oct. 7 through 10. As for visiting the Alabama Hills National Scenic Area? That's a short, very short, toodle from Lone Pine, but well worth the trip. You'll see the low and lovely hills framed by the majestic Sierra Nevada, and surely think of at least a few flicks that such vistas instantly summon to mind.

GIDDY UP: Ready for "The Great Western Comeback"? Learn more now, and discover how to join this enduring jamboree, one that is "(r)ustling up some films from the last 30 years."