Durango Film Special Guests
Durango Film has welcomed many special guests over the years including all of our wonderful independent filmmakers. Notable guests through the years include Judge Reinhold, Wes Studi, Gary Farmer, Charlie Dierkop, Chris Eyre, Lee Lew Lee, Alex Cox, Charles Matthau, Steven Michael Quezada, John Rubano, Devon Gummersall, Craig Semetko and Gary Fisher.
2022 Special Guests
Cindy Pickett and Lyman Ward
Actors Cindy Pickett and Lyman Ward, the parents of Ferris in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, joined us for a special screening of the film in 2022. After the film there was a question and answer session with movie producer Fred Fontana. Cindy is also known for her photography, and there was a silent auction of her behind-the-scenes photos from the film, and she generously donated a portion of the proceeds to Durango Film.
2018 Special Guest
Mackenzie Astin
Mackenzie Astin has been appearing in television and film for more than 30 years. Remembered on occasion for a childhood role in the long-running sitcom The Facts of Life, he also lays claim to being what he calls, “A relative celebrity, meaning many of my relatives are celebrities.” The youngest son of actors John Astin and the late Patty Duke, and the younger brother of actor Sean Astin, Mackenzie considers himself grateful to have been afforded so many coat-tails on which to ride. Recent television credits include recurring roles on The Magicians, Scandal, Homeland, as well as guest appearances on Mad Men, Shameless, Castle, and Bones. A longtime proponent of and participant in independent film, Mackenzie has appeared in dozens of festival-circuit cinema, including but not limited to Dream for an Insomniac, The Zeros, Moments of Clarity, and Te Ata. Mackenzie is also an old friend of Durango’s own Shane “Shooter” Nelson, but really, really, hopes you won’t hold that against him.
2017 Special Guest
Jim Belushi
The first thing you need to know about Jim Belushi is that he’s a performer. Not an actor, not a comedian, not a singer- but a performer. Which is pretty much all those things put together and multiplied by two or five or something.
The second thing you need to know- and this is in some ways more important than the first thing- is that he has absolutely no shame. None. Zip. Zero.
Add those two things together and you have a pretty good working definition of that most indescribable of qualities known as presence. And, as anyone who’s spent two minutes with the guy knows, Jim’s got it. Big time.
So here’s this guy, this presence, disregarding any and all warning signs and diving into life headfirst. From the live stages of Second City and Saturday Night Live to the soundstages of About Last Night, K-9, Mr. Destiny, Return to Me, and, most recently, starring in ABC TV’s breakout comedy series since 2002, According to Jim, he has taken everything life’s thrown at him and hit it out of the park. And, by the way, he’s been having a blast.
As our 2017 Special Guest, Jim appeared in concert at the Community Concert Hall on Saturday, March 4, 2017 with his band The Sacred Hearts. He was interviewed by band mate, local John Rubano, following a special retrospective screening of his film About Last Night.
2016 Special Guest
Lindsay Wagner
Photo by Spirit and Destiny/Robin Palmer
Everyone remembers Lindsay Wagner for her iconic portrayal of Jaime Sommers in the classic television series The Bionic Woman that earned her an Emmy Award for Best Actress in a Dramatic series. But that is only one part of her illustrious and important career. Spanning five decades, Lindsay’s career began in feature films with Robert Wise’s Two People where she played a high fashioned model opposite Peter Fonda and then the beautiful daughter of Oscar winning hard-edged law professor John Houseman in the critically acclaimed legal film The Paper Chase.
Lindsay won a permanent place in the hearts of audiences all around the world and became one of the most popular actresses in international television and film. She has covered the landscape of television for decades.
Lindsay became known as the Queen of TV Movies, starring in over 40 films and tackling important subject matter including child molestation in Child’s Cry, Anti-Semitism in Evil In Clear River, domestic violence in Shattered Dreams, terrorism in The Taking of Flight 847, teen prostitution in Fighting for My Daughter, capital punishment in I Want to Live! and numerous other issues. At the same time, she still managed to partake in sensational ratings blockbuster miniseries like Scruples and To Be The Best among others. Lindsay’s feature film career found her starring opposite Anthony Quinn in High Risk, Sylvester Stallone in Nighthawks, Denzel Washington in Ricochet and Richard Harris in Martin’s Day among others.
Lindsay is also a published author, having co-authored “The High Road to Health”, a best-selling vegetarian lifestyle cookbook and “Lindsay Wagner’s New Beauty: The Acupressure Facelift.”
Off screen Lindsay is passionate about the awakening of human potential. The study and sharing of holistic healing modalities, integrating mind, body and soul, is at the forefront of her mind. She has been the honorary Chair of ICAN (Inter Agency Council on Child Abuse and Neglect) for the last twenty-five years. She is also heavily involved in causes that are close to her heart, including animal welfare, domestic violence, the environment and the advancement of human potential.
What started out as a simple birthday present to her sister by guest starring on The Six Million Dollar Man turned into a career full of challenges and triumphs catapulting her to become one of the most recognizable and respected stars in the world.
2014 Special Guest
Judge Reinhold
Judge Reinhold has been seen in over 75 motion picture and television roles and enjoys a 25-year relationship with an international audience of all ages. His many films include Stripes, the multi-generational hit, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Ruthless People, and Disney’s hit Christmas franchise, The Santa Clause 1,2,3. Paramount Pictures’ Beverly Hills Cop 1, 2, 3 have played continually internationally over the past 25 years, making Judge a familiar presence worldwide. His cumulative box office ranks him the 50th highest grossing actor of all time (the-movie-times.com), and both Fast Times and Beverly Hills Cop were voted by the American Film Institute as two of the “Top 100 American Comedies.” He received an Emmy nomination for his performance as “The Close Talker” on Seinfeld and both his guest star appearance in Seinfeld and Arrested Development received two of the highest ratings on broadcast television.
2014 Special Guest
Wes Studi
From small-town Oklahoma native to internationally acclaimed actor and musician, Wes Studi credits his passion and multi-faceted background for his powerful character portrayals that forever changed a Hollywood stereotype.
Drawing from his rich life experience, Wes moved audiences with unforgettable performances in Dances with Wolves, The Last of the Mohicans, Geronimo: An American Legend, and Heat, as well as James Cameron’s Avatar and Paul Weitz’s Being Flynn. Breaking new ground, he brought fully-developed Native American characters to the screen, and then took his craft a step further highlighting the success of Native Americans in non-traditional roles.
In 2013, he was inducted in to the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum’s Hall of Great Western Performers. Throughout his 30-year career he’s won numerous awards, including several First Americans in the Arts awards and the 2009 Santa Fe Film Festival Lifetime Achievement Award.
