Denver Film Festival documentary is a powerful example of what happens when small-town Americans engage with those who think differently

There’s a reason Kahane Corn Cooperman’s new documentary is called “Creede U.S.A.,” and not “Creede, Colorado.” It is the American story everyone everywhere is desperate for.

This tiny, picturesque little Brigadoon nestled into the San Juan Mountains 250 miles southwest of Denver is unlike any other small town in the country. Only 250 people bother to brave the harsh winters to live here year-round. In the summer, the population swells to 5,000 from an annual influx of part-time residents, mostly from Texas and New Mexico.

There’s no place on Earth like Creede, or its people. Ask me to tell you the legendary campfire tale of the late Paul Stone, aka Kaptain Ka-Boom, aka The Cannon Guy, who would amuse himself by firing bowling balls off the mountainside next to the town.

With silver mining dying in the 1960s, Creede’s Main Street was saved from desolation with the arrival of some game University of Kansas students who responded to a plea from the local Jaycees to start a summer theater company. For decades now, the Creede Repertory Theatre has been the largest employer in Mineral County. And the theater’s efforts are in part sustained by – and in turn help to sustain – the business interests of local ranchers, hunters and surrounding businessmen whose values often run counter to typically progressive (read “woke”) artists.     

And somehow, they make it work, which is the phenomenon that captured the fascination of a filmmaker who sees Creede as a microcosm for every other city and town in America struggling to find a way to coexist despite deep cultural, political and economic differences.

“Creede U.S.A.” is a Colorado spotlight film at the upcoming Denver Film Festival, with bright lights, red carpets and panel conversations planned around scheduled screenings at 3 p.m. Nov. 4 and 11 a.m. Nov. 5 at the MCA Denver Holiday Theater across the street from North High School.

This documentary is not “about” the Creede Repertory Theatre – but it should be required viewing for anyone who needs first-hand evidence of how art can reshape a town’s economy and identity.

“I do think Creede is a microcosm for the United States right now,” said Creede Rep Artistic Director Emily Van Fleet, who will speak after both screenings with Cooperman, producer Innbo Shim, three Creede townies and longtime Creede Rep company member Kate Berry.

“We have so many different people with so many different viewpoints,” Van Fleet said. “And unlike a bigger city where we can kind of hide behind our devices, this small-town life we have in Creede really forces us to work together; to look in each other’s eyeballs and come up with solutions for how to move forward in alignment.”

Creede’s the kind of place where someone from the artist community can passionately disagree with local school board member’s position on health curriculum – and then convene together for a delicious burger at the academic official’s nearby restaurant. (Because his kid happens to be actively engaged in the theater’s youth programs.) 

“We have no choice but to engage with people who think differently from us in this community – and that’s really what the film is about,” Van Fleet said. “It’s a beautiful, hopeful film about how we all work together for the common good of our town and our country.

“I’ve seen the film three times now, and I’ve left more inspired by it every time, and more proud to be a resident and a participant in this community.”

More Colorado Denver Film Fest films

Click links for showtimes:

• “Backside”: A revealing chronicle of the immigrant workers who care for elite racehorses sustaining a multi-billion-dollar industry. Directed by Denver-based Raúl O. Paz-Pastrana.

• “Comparsa”: Following a tragedy that killed 41 girls in a Guatemalan “Safe Home,” two sisters channel grief into defiance through puppetry, fire and art. Director Vickie Curtis and Producer Olivia Ahnemann are Boulder-based.

• “I Was Born This Way”: A documentary celebration of Archbishop Carl Bean, the Motown singer turned minister whose 1977 hit “I Was Born This Way” became a groundbreaking anthem of queer pride. Co-directed by Boulder-based Oscar winner Daniel Junge. Multiple producers are Colorado-based.

• “Rebuilding”: In the wake of a Durango wildfire, cowboy Dusty (Josh O’Connor) rebuilds his life and family amid a community of survivors. Shot in southwestern Colorado. Director Max Walker-Silverman is Colorado-based.

• Colorado Shorts: Documentaries and narrative stories made by Coloradans.

Go to denverfilm.org for more.

John Moore is the Denver Gazette’s Senior Arts Journalist. Email him at john.moore@denvergazette.com.

More on the Denver Film Festival:

• Our interview with Delroy Lindo

• Here are five films you don’t want to miss

• Look who’s coming to Denver

2025 DENVER FILM FESTIVAL

• When: Oct. 31-Nov. 9

• What: Feature-length films, documentaries and shorts, as well as panel conversations, parties and more

• Where: Sie FilmCenter (2510 E. Colfax Ave.); Ellie Caulkins Opera House (Denver Performing Arts Complex), Denver Botanic Gardens (1007 York St.), MCA Denver at the Holiday (2644 W. 32nd Ave.

• Tickets and complete festival lineup: denverfilm.org