Have you ever wanted to just pause everything to brainstorm? Labs, fellowships, and creative cohorts often call for a singular creative mind with a project to develop, and festival organizers rarely find an opportunity that fits their unique needs. The Ouray Film Sabbatical, hosted by the minds behind FFA Member Ouray Film Festival, gives people from all disciplines a rare chance to connect: a space where every corner of the industry can gather to brainstorm, mingle, and invest time in the ideas they wish they had time to nurture year-round. It also allows time for something that feels incredibly scarce in this industry - rest and relaxation. And it’s fully funded.
Learn more about this incredible opportunity through our conversation with its founders, Benjamin Wiessner, Jake Abell, and Jared LaCroix below.
FFA: What inspired the sabbatical?
Benjamin Wiessner: We were pushed by our board to think about what we would do with a bit of additional funding, and we knew we would have the trust and support to create something different than just iterating on what had been proven elsewhere. The Sabbatical came out of these long form conversations about the needs we kept hearing from people around the indie film ecosystem. So many of us have been working so hard just to keep doing what we have been doing, but not having the time and space to imagine what else was possible. The most memorable and beautiful moments on a hike are the deep breaths when you take in the view, the beauty, and revel a little in what you've accomplished.
We wanted to create that for careers. And when we thought about the best possible version of the conversations that could be had we imagined people from all different disciplines and experiences getting to see each other and be heard and discover the path ahead together. The experience last year was beyond our wildest dreams, and yet rooted in these little careful decisions where we were allowed to invent instead of replicate. We are giddy thinking about what this year will bring.
FFA: What do you look for when you're selecting a candidate?
Jake Abell: First and foremost, we want to see candidates who seem attracted to the model of vulnerability and deep rest that we're offering. This isn't like other labs or residencies where you're expected to grind on a project under deadline. We certainly welcome candidates who want to focus some of their time on project development, but the major goal at OFS is to pause, unplug, and reflect in a community about the big career questions that we don't usually have the time to ask on a regular basis: Where am I going right now? What is bringing me joy as an artist and where is the friction? Do I need to make big changes to unlock new levels of professional flourishing? Asking these questions requires vulnerability. We want folks who are ready to open up to a group of fellow artists, imagine new horizons with the support of others, and take risks in envisioning their futures.
We're also looking for candidates who are excited about learning from other creatives in diverse industry roles. The joy of OFS is the chance to incubate big ideas and fresh perspectives with people you wouldn't normally find in a lab with you. This means programmers can troubleshoot big ideas with filmmakers, writers/directors can think outloud alongside curators, and film scholars can learn from the insights of folks with more technical backgrounds (and vice versa). With this model of interdisciplinary focus, anything can happen! We want candidates who are excited for that kind of environment.
Lastly, we're looking for candidates who have a strong body of work behind them. For each candidate, that can look very different: a programmer with several years of experience hoping to invigorate their approach to curation; a director looking to make a second feature that departs significantly from their first; a film critic ready to reignite their writing practice. Whatever the context, we're looking for candidates who have been working hard and need rest, community, and a reset before heading back out into the world to start the work again.
FFA: What would a film festival organizer gain from the experience?
Jared LaCroix: We hope to offer film festival organizers a space to ask the questions we often don’t have time to ask while we’re in execution mode. As a film festival organizer myself, I know what it’s like to be consumed by programming, sponsors, marketing, accounting, catering, and everything else it takes to pull off a festival.
My hope is that people in the festival world can step outside of that cycle, connect with other festival organizers, filmmakers, and industry professionals, and ask questions like: “How can we better serve the filmmakers attending our festival?” “What should the relationship between filmmakers and audiences look like?” or “Who do I need to ask for help before we reach our next milestone?” You’ll have thoughtful, experienced people to bounce your questions and ideas off of.
Beyond the professional side of it, we also want to offer you a space to simply rest, have fun, and spend time with people in the film world. The sabbatical is ultimately a space for reflection, connection, and process work, thinking about how we do what we do and perhaps finding more clarity about what comes next. And we’ve got great people, yummy food, warm beverages, and beautiful mountains to do it in.
FFA: What is the biggest takeaway from year 1 that you and the facilitators hope to carry into year two? (Ben, Jake, and Jared)
Benjamin Wiessner: I think our biggest lesson was not trying to replicate success, even our own. At the end of the night, we would talk with the facilitators for over an hour about the cohort and what we were hearing and sensing each of them needed. And then Jake, Jared, and I would have a similar conversation about each of the facilitators. I think being incredibly prepared and incredibly responsive is the tightrope of the Sabbatical.
Jake Abell: I'm biased since the sabbatical takes place in my hometown, but there's a special kind of magic that's unique to Ouray, Colorado in the winter. It's a high altitude village of around 1,000 residents completely surrounded by the rugged beauty of the San Juan Mountains. In such a tranquil environment nestled within a warm local community, it's hard for sabbatical fellows not to experience transformative connections with others and a spirit of renewal. In year one, it was beautiful to see how the mountains almost immediately gave everyone permission to set aside the busyness of our lives. Everyone's flights--from London to LA--were slightly delayed by a breathtaking snowstorm. But it was truly the perfect context to get cozy, break bread together, and set a tone of casual connection that characterized the whole experience. We can't wait to offer that same setting to this year's fellows (hopefully minus the flight delays!).
Jared LaCroix: For me, the biggest takeaway is how powerful it can be to set aside intentional time with others and ask big questions. There’s something meaningful about listening deeply to those questions, hearing how others respond, and being part of the community that forms around them. We plan on carrying this into year two, while being open to the unique needs of each Sabbatical participant.
Applications are now open for the 2027 Sabbatical, with the final submission deadline being October 5. Learn more about the sabbatical and how to submit here.
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