The Festival
For the intrepid, Far West Texas is an unforgettable place, far from the world, urging visitors back time and again to its awe-inspiring wildness and serenity. Particularly, there is Marfa, home to Marfa Film Festival, coming May 5 - May 9, 2010.
Marfa is a small town alone on a high plateau, a place defined by a history of separation, where life proceeds at its own distinct pace as a harmony of antithesis: cowboy culture and high-art. Designed as a gasp of fresh air, Marfa Film Festival is a retreat far away from the chaotic and competitive environments found on the festival circuit. It's a get-a-way that is truly WAY out there.
For five magical days we will screen films that transcend time with indelible images and engaging storytelling, reminding us that the art of cinema can change our lives and renew the world.
With all the press, Marfa is not hidden anymore, but its remoteness and population (under 2,000) still give it that feeling, as only the most intrepid connoisseurs of art and nature make the trip.
The Third Annual Marfa Film Festival will be held May 5 - May 9, 2010, screening over 50 features, shorts and experimental works. Because Marfa's wide-open plain, distant mountains and incomparably starry sky are part of the draw, Marfa Film Festival will have outdoor screenings during the festival. Indoor screenings will be anchored at the state-of-the-art Crowley theater. Festival headquarters will be at the famous Paisano Hotel (where James Dean and Elizabeth Taylor lived during the filming of "Giant").
We are in the high desert where the weather may get cold at night. Please check the conditions on your favorite weather site, and don't forget warm clothing and sunscreen.
MARFA, TX
Hours from a major city, Marfa sits alone on a grassy plateau 5,000 feet high and surounded by desert mountains. It's a faraway place legendary for great ranches, strange lights in the sky, Buffalo Soldiers, Mescalero Apaches and outlaws gone to the badlands "West of the Pecos."
In contemporary times travelers have come for Marfa's world class film productions and phenomanal art (thanks to George Stevens and Donald Judd, and more recently, the Coen brothers and P.T Anderson). That's not to mention the amazingly talented array of artists, patrons and foundations who have made Marfa their home, investing their future in this one stop light town while creating and attracting some of the best art and music in the world. Like the Prada store built as an installation on a lonely highway up the road, Marfa occupies a distinct point on the cultural frontier, being both totally modern and perfectly rural. Just two minutes south of town is a border station on the way to Mexico. And less than an hour away is Big Bend National Park, one of the great undiscovered places in America.
Where else can you experience the unexpected magic of riding a bicycle in the moonlight through a desert town's only (blinking) stoplight, find a hidden garden party through maps projected on the town's 1800's-era walls, take a school bus excursion to ancient sites and expansive western vistas, or watch movies under stars so close you can touch them?
DIRECTIONS
Getting to Marfa by Car
From the East: Take Interstate 10 West to Ft. Stockton. Exit onto Highway 67 South. Travel 47 miles. Highway 67 South will then connect with Highway 90 West. Continue on Highway 67/90 for 34 miles.Until you reach Marfa. Driving time: approximately 7 hours from San Antonio or Austin; 10 hours from Houston or Dallas.
From the West: Take Interstate 10 East to Van Horn. Exit onto Highway 90 East. Travel 74 miles into Marfa. Driving time: approximately 3 hours from El Paso, Texas. Please note that El Paso is in Mountain Time Zone, Marfa in Central Time Zone.
From the North: From Midland/Odessa, take Interstate 20 West to Pecos. In Pecos, turn left onto Highway 17 South. Take Highway 17 South through Balmorrhea, Ft. Davis and into Marfa. Driving time: approximately 3 hours from Midland/Odessa.
From the South: Take Highway 67 North from Presidio to Marfa
Getting to Marfa by Air, Rail, or Bus:
The closest major airports are located in El Paso and Midland/Odessa. Marfa is approximately 200 miles from both cities. El Paso is serviced by American, Continental, Delta, and Southwest Airlines. Midland/Odessa is serviced by Southwest Airlines, American Eagle and Continental Airlines. Major car rental agencies are located at both airports.
http://www.elpasointernationalairport.com/ (El Paso)
http://www.flymaf.com/ (Midland Airport)
http://www.airnav.com/airport/KMRF (Marfa Municipal)
The Marfa airport is located three miles north of town and can service most small jets and jet-prop aircraft.
There are a few charter companies that service Marfa:
Aircraft Charter Services: 1.888.ALL.JETS
Air Transport, El Paso: 432.772.1448
Airway: 815.235.3256
American Jet International, Houston: 713.644.4359
Jet Aviation, Dallas: 214.350.8523
Amtrak offers regular rail service to Alpine, which is approximately 26 miles east of Marfa. Greyhound offers daily connections from El Paso and Midland/Odessa to Van Horn (74 miles Northwest of Marfa.)
Getting around Marfa by Bicycle:
Clown Dog Bikes will be offering bicycle rentals to festival patrons wanting to cruise around Marfa in style. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call (512) 767-4176 to reserve a bike.
