On Friday, February 7, 2020, the Pueblo Regional Film Commission was honored to host a group of Russian film industry professionals in conjunction with the US State Department and the World Affairs Council Colorado Springs. For over 80 years, the highly competitive International Visitor Leadership Program at the State Department has been ranked as the elite professional program for visitors coming to the USA from around the world. Our guests included film festival organizers, professors of film, public relations and marketing experts from Moscow to Vladivostok (see bios below).

Our two hour morning program began with a lot of snow and smiles from our Russian guests who felt very much at home. We offered self-introductions around the room which was followed by the origin story of the Pueblo Regional Film Commission including the goals and objectives from film recruitment to workforce development. We also Illustrated how to organize and promote film festivals in a variety of venues, particularly documentary and independent film festivals. Pueblo is home to the 48 Hour Film Festival, SISFA Film Festival and MountainFilm. We also discussed the task of managing staff and volunteers for these special events.

We also touched upon a series of topics in the world of film including :

• Understanding co-production during festivals

• Management of community engagement at festivals, such as workshops and speaking events

• Publicity, media coverage, media relations

• Fundraising, advertising

• Communication

• Branding

• American cinema history and theory at U.S. universities

• Latest trends in documentary

Special thanks to Dustin Hodge and Tyler Shown for sharing their experiences as filmmakers here in Pueblo and beyond. The Pueblo Regional Film Commission thanks Jamie Bequette, International Visitor Program Manager, for developing the itinerary and for including Pueblo in its storytelling effort. At the conclusion of the event, all guests visited the 4th floor of the former meat packing plant for a group photo to commemorate the program.

For more information, click the links below.

International Visitor Leadership Program

Russian Visitor Biographies