This respected film festival has none of the pretension of comparable events elsewhere and manages to draw top films and filmmakers to Aspen for the last weekend of September each year. This year's festival is scheduled for Sept. 24-28.

With "Independent by Nature" as its motto and mission, Aspen Filmfest involves feature films, documentaries, retrospectives, and other special events, from those honoring established actors and directors to those heralding exciting new talent.

Past guests include Kathy Bates and Rob Reiner.

For more information, call 970-925-6882, or visit http://www.aspenfilm.org