You’re invited to a special virtual evening filled with Holiday Cheer presented by the Cordillera Int'l Film Festival, in partnership with Bill Pearce Motors!

*Virtual Panel with Actor Kristoffer Polaha*

 *VIP Small Group Meet & Greet Q&As with:

Kristoffer Polaha - TV & Film Actor 

Bob Saenz - Screenwriter, Author & Actor 

Peter Menzies, Jr. - Acclaimed Cinematographer.

*Holiday Cocktail Demonstrations*

 *Ugly Christmas Sweater, Mask & Pet Costume Contest*

 *Holiday Movie Trivia*

 *Special Holiday Pricing for CIFF 2021 Passes*

Get dressed up in your Ugliest Christmas Sweater and join Cordillera Int'l Film Festival’s Chairman of the Board, critically acclaimed cinematographer, Peter Menzies Jr. along with CIFF's Executive Director, Emily Skyle-Golden and our festival family as we ring in the Holidays with our special guest Kristoffer Polaha.

Actor, producer and Reno native, Kristoffer Polaha just completed filming Jurassic World: Dominion and will soon be seen in DC's highly anticipated Wonder Woman 1984. Kristoffer is also known for his starring roles as Jason Matthews in North Shore, Nathaniel "Baze" Bazile in Life Unexpected, and Henry Butler in Ringer; Six Hallmark movies and a 4-part series of Hallmark Mysteries. He has also appeared in over 20 top television shows including Bones, Angel, Mad Men and Roswell.

Screenwriter, author, and actor Bob Saenz's sixteen produced films include the black comedy thriller “Extracurricular Activities”, multiple Hallmark Christmas favorites, plus Lifetime’s “The Christmas Yule Log" and on VOD everywhere “The Farmer and the Belle: Saving Santaland”, both new in 2020. As the Author of the popular screenwriting book “That’s Not the Way It Works: a no-nonsense guide to the craft and business of screenwriting”, he speaks at writers’ conferences and film festivals across the country. His acting roles include a recurring character on the TV show “Nash Bridges” for all 6 seasons, “Angels in the Outfield”, Francis Ford Coppola’s “Jack”, David Fincher’s “Zodiac”, Finn Taylor’s “Unleashed”, “Disrupted”, and “The Village Barbershop”, among dozens of others.

Australian Cinematographer, Peter Menzies Jr., is known for his diverse and critically acclaimed including Shooter, A Time to Kill, The Incredible Hulk, The General’s Daughter, Lara Croft Tomb Raider, Four Brothers, The 13th Warrior, Peter Rabbit, All Eyez on Me, and Die Hard with a Vengeance. Peter is a member of the Int'l Cinematographers Guild, the Australian Cinematographers Society and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Here are the details:

Cocktail Mix & Mingle – We’ll begin our evening meeting our hosts and special guests as our Master Mixologist, Aaron Foster (Former HGTV Host) joins us from his restaurant,Food + Drink, to teach us how to concoct the perfect Holiday Cocktail or Mocktail. We’ll send you the recipe so you can follow along!

Kristoffer Polaha – We’ll get to know Kristoffer with an audience driven Panel session.

Later, guests will have a chance to virtually meet and speak with Kristoffer, Bob & Peter in small, private break out Q&A sessions!

Ugly Christmas Sweater - Dust off your Christmas Spirit and toss on the most hideous Christmas-Meets-Fabulous Sweater you can find! Don’t have one? No worries! Just get creative – we don’t care if you’re dressed as the Leg Lamp from Christmas Story, or if you just hot glued glitter & pinecones onto your favorite sweatpants from college! This year we're adding two new categories to the competition!

Prizes include Cordillera Swag Bags filled with Goodies, Virtual Passes to CIFF 2021 and Cinemark Gift cards. Here are the categories: 1. Best Ugly Xmas Sweater – Store Bought, Storage Found & Strangely Spirited 2. Best Ugly Xmas Sweater – Hot Glued, Homemade & Hideous 3. Best Dressed Duo – Best Matching or Best Theme. Ex: Previous Winners dressed as a Missile and a Toe. 4. *New* Best Ugly Christmas Sweater Mask! 5. *New* Best Pet Costume!

Holiday Movie Trivia: Time to show off your Holiday Movie know-how! From It’s a Wonderful Life to 12 Holidates, you’re in for a night of fun & prizes.

Gift Ideas! Looking for the perfect gift for the movie lover in your life? Take advantage of Special Holiday Pricing on CIFF’s 2021 Virtual Pass that grants access to festival panels, film screenings and networking events from the comfort of home. $50 (Reg. $85) Virtual Pass codes will be sent via email along with a special Thank You message from Cordillera.