Wyoming
From Wyoming to Batna, Algeria, hidden gem film festivals from around the world
The Cannes Film Festival, which has been running since the 1940s, will start its 77th iteration on May 14. It has been a stalwart of cinematic achievement and exploration, highlighting momentous films and introducing audiences to up-and-coming directors.
While festivals such as Cannes garner global attention annually, the celebration of film exists in locations all around the world – sometimes in the most unlikely of places. These festivals highlight important topics and are often found in picturesque locations.
From the Finnish countryside to the historical city of Kyoto, here are some hidden gem film festivals well worth the entry ticket.
Imedghassen Film Festival in Algeria
Since 2009, Batna in Algeria has geared up annually for the gathering of filmmakers and enthusiasts at the Imedghassen International Film Festival.
Organised by the El Lemssa Cultural Cooperative, the festival is held in May and hosts filmmakers, actors and industry professionals from Africa and around the world.
The event is named in honour of the ancient Numidian mausoleum of Imedghassen, located near the city. It is known as the oldest royal tomb in the Maghreb. Through this homage, the festival pays recognition to both Berber culture’s rich heritage and the Aures region’s historical importance.
Last year, the festival screened 21 films from 20 countries for competition, with some of the top prizes going to Egypt’s Maggie Kamal for her film Microbus and Algeria’s Ismael Lakehal for Mon Destin.
This year’s event will run from May 11 to 15 and feature more than 170 film screenings, 21 of which will be in competition.
Travelling to the Imedghassen International Film Festival is a great opportunity to watch films from North Africa – with a particular spotlight on works from the host country – that may not be screened anywhere else.
Huhtamo International Film Festival in Finland
Located 160km from the capital city of Helsinki, the quiet town of Huhtamo plays host to the Huhtamo International Film Festival every July, offering a serene green paradise for cinema lovers.
While the weather can be extremely cold in the winter months, Finland enjoys clear, sunny days in the summer, perfect for days spent outside in the countryside. This festival takes advantage of the beautiful weather by hosting outdoor screenings under the stars, bringing people together for a unique cinematic experience.
Finland has a rich history of cinema, with directors such as Aki Kaurismaki, Jorn Donner and Renny Harlin producing film classics such as The Other Side of Hope, Three Scenes with Ingmar Bergman and Die Hard 2, respectively. While Helsinki also hosts an annual film festival, Huhtamo’s provides a more intimate setting and unique experience for cinephiles.
Following last year’s event, its director posted an open letter on its Facebook page condemning funding cuts for public arts, from which the festival benefits. No concrete dates are in place for the festival to take place this year, and it’s looking like the organisers are aiming to return in 2025 instead.
During the last year’s festival, an eclectic programme of films were screened, including future classics Oppenheimer and Top Gun: Maverick, as well as cult favourites such as Eraserhead.
Wyoming International Film Festival in the US
Known for being the least populated US state, Wyoming isn’t the first place that comes to mind when thinking of lively film festivals. The entire state has little more than 500,000 inhabitants, yet hundreds travel every year to the city of Sheridan to experience films together.
Beginning in 2010, the festival has grown in size and reputation over the years, becoming a must-attend event for film lovers from the surrounding states. The event is set to start on July 9 for five days of screenings, Q&As and live music.
Last year, a little-known indie film won in the Best Narrative Feature category and is one of this year’s most anticipated and well-talked-about movies – Hundreds of Beavers by Mike Cheslik is an example of what audiences can expect to see at the festival, giving it a launch pad to global recognition.
The event is also a prime opportunity to highlight the best of cinema from its native state, having set up a competition category specifically for films or filmmakers from Wyoming, or about the state.
Il Cinema Ritrovato in Italy
Bologna, Italy, is home to one of the most important and prolific film restoration labs in the world, the Cineteca di Bologna. The centre serves as both an archive to preserve old films and a place to restore them to 21st-century standards, allowing them to be screened again.
The Italian city is also home to the beloved classic film festival Il Cinema Ritrovato, which translates to found cinema. Every summer, cinephiles from around the world mark their calendars and book plane tickets and hotel rooms to enjoy newly restored films.
Bologna comes alive during the 10 summer days when the festival is on, with cinema’s greatest filmmakers and actors passing through to enjoy the festival as spectators. In the past, names like Martin Scorsese and Dario Argento have hosted screenings.
The festival is also a chance to view films screened in their original format, whether 35mm or 70mm. Audiences can experience unique screenings rarely found elsewhere.
The joy of Il Cinema Ritrovato festival comes from being surrounded by other people who share the joy and passion of cinema – not just the latest blockbusters but also the history and pillars of the art form.
Kyoto Historica International Film Festival in Japan
Japan has myriad important and entertaining film festivals. Some focus on anime or modern films, while others are major international festivals with entrants from all over the world.
In the beautiful and preserved city of Kyoto, film fans are immersed in history and culture with a festival that focuses on those themes. The Kyoto Historica International Film Festival screens movies that celebrate heritage, inviting attendees to experience work from masters such as Akira Kurosawa as well as other Japanese period classics.
The festival also highlights newer films that tell historical stories, creating a narrative through time of how cultures evolve and change on camera.
Held at the Museum of Kyoto, usually in the last week of January depending on the weather, the festival is a great chance to get fully engrossed in history in a setting that supports the feeling.
International Festival of Cinema and Common Memory in Morocco
The city of Nador in Morocco’s north-eastern region is home to the International Festival of Cinema and Common Memory.
Organised by The Centre for Common Memory of Democracy and Peace – a national advocate for human rights and universal values – the festival will return from October 5 to 11 and focus on the importance of a sustainable environment for quality living.
The festival aims to raise awareness of environmental challenges through art, notably cinema. Documentary submissions are encouraged to explore topics such as global warming, biodiversity loss and pollution, while short and feature films are invited to delve into memory, human rights and contemporary issues with innovative approaches.
With the theme The Memory of the Sky and the Ground, the festival seeks to inspire action and foster dialogue on critical environmental issues facing humanity by harnessing the power of cinema.
Film students and burgeoning filmmakers from North Africa and the rest of the world are encouraged to submit their environmental films and allow for the discussion to grow, leading to potential solutions.
Updated: May 05, 2024, 6:51 AM
Since moving to Wyoming many years ago, and having lived in a few towns around the state, I find that some town and city rivalries must be addressed. Some are based on past conflicts that still cause pain to this day. Some are unexplained.
For example, to this day, all of Johnson County still does not trust Cheyenne after the Johnson County War of 1892. Cattlemen in Cheyenne sent a hit squad hired by the barons to invade Johnson County to eliminate alleged rustlers. A shootout that lasted several days ensued.
Other town rivalries include:
Green River vs. Rock Springs: The two towns are close together and share one of the most intense and oldest community, cultural, and athletic rivalries in the state.
Lander vs. Riverton: Located in Fremont County, this rivalry dates back to 1922 and divides the area over high school football bragging rights. They talk a lot of smack about each other.
Cheyenne vs Casper: The towns just HATE each other. I’ve lived in both, and I can tell you that there is nothing wrong with either town. But I’ve come across people in both towns who talk about their hatred of the other.
There is not a lot of love across Wyoming for Jackson, mostly because of the mega-rich liberals who live there. Many of those mega-rich liberals look down on the rest of Wyoming.
Folks talk smack about Laramie, but in a very different way than people talk smack about Gillette.
Having traveled around Wyoming, I can tell you that most of this hate is just nonsense and a waste of time. In the end, we are all Wyomingites. Just one big bickering family who still have each other’s backs when it comes down to it.
The Charmingly Odd Town Of La Grange Wyoming
It is well worth the long drive to see one of the most interesting and quirky little towns in Wyoming.
Stay for lunch. You won’t regret it.
Gallery Credit: Glenn Woods
Jay Em, Wyoming, Frozen In Time
Jay Em, what an unusual name for a town.The few people who live there are proud of what their spot on earth once was, and they work to preserve it. They keep this little community frozen in time.
Gallery Credit: Glenn Woods
Wyoming
Hoping to draw Colorado interest, construction begins at $80M betting facility in Laramie County
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Foundation work is beginning this week on Wyoming’s next horse betting and gaming house.
The $80 million Wyoming Downs facility in Laramie County, one of two the company is investing in over the next couple of years, is poised to be one of the largest facilities of its kind in the state. The company is aiming for a spring 2027 opening.
The facility will host upwards of 600 historic horse racing machines, Wyoming’s largest TV wall, multiple dining options and more across 58,000 square feet. More land was bought for future hotel development. Commuters driving between Cheyenne and the Colorado border can see clearly from Interstate 25 the expansive development.
That placement along the travel corridor is purposeful, Wyoming Downs and 307 Horse Racing President Kyle Ridgeway said.
“I think that the targeted consumer for this is from Colorado or from the Front Range,” Ridgeway said. “I anticipate we’re going to have plenty of people from Cheyenne come down here to play and enjoy the amenities, but when you look at 600,000 people within a 30-minute drive, that’s what justifies this investment and brings all that tax revenue in from another state, which is fantastic.
“We don’t get the opportunity to do that in Wyoming very often.”
There is still plenty to offer Cheyenne residents besides the facility’s amenities. Ridgeway said in a speech to attendees at the project’s groundbreaking Tuesday, June 2, that more than 150 permanent jobs will be supported by the facility on top of the dozens supported by the companies’ corporate offices and the 400-plus involved in the project’s construction.
Groathouse Construction, a Wyoming business, is the project’s general contractor. Wyoming Downs said it believes putting the project in local hands also helps keep the project uniquely Wyoming-focused.
Ridgeway added the facilities have already proven themselves to be effective tax revenue generators for the local governments. The Wyoming Gaming Commission’s 2025 report, released in late May, shows bettors wagered $2.49 billion on historic horse racing machines last year, a jump from the $2.11 billion wagered in 2024.
Wyoming Downs facilities generate roughly $25 million in taxes annually across the state, and Ridgeway estimated after the ceremony that the upcoming $80 million facility alone will generate an additional $3 million for Laramie County once the property has been in operation for a few years.
Horse betting sites have been increasingly popping up across Wyoming this decade. The Wyoming Downs location will be Cheyenne’s second large-scale horse betting facility since 2024, when the 30,000-square-foot Horse Palace at Swan Ranch opened. Ridgeway said Wyoming Downs is still offering something fresh for tourists and residents.
“This’ll have amenities that Swan Ranch doesn’t have, including the largest TV wall in Wyoming and a pretty super-cool sports viewing area with a restaurant and just a level of finish and class that I don’t think Wyoming has quite seen yet with these types of properties,” he said.
Ridgeway said he thinks resident fatigue with these facilities isn’t as strong as it appears, especially given the tourism benefits of off-track betting.
“Wyoming’s been built on mineral extraction and tourism, and what this is is a touristic facility. I’m not aware of any particular pushback about this specific facility outside of — you see random social media comments where people say, ‘Oh, another gambling facility.’ But where this is located, I think people in Cheyenne have generally been supportive of,” he said.
The Laramie County facility will be just one part of a larger project Wyoming Downs is working on over the next few years. Construction will begin in early 2027 on a similar facility in Evanston looking to draw in Utah and western Colorado crowds.
Some of the company’s current facilities, notably in Casper, Cheyenne and Rock Springs, will see millions poured into renovations as well. New smaller-scale parlors will also go up in Gillette and Green River this year, according to an information packet provided by the company.
More details will come as the construction process develops, Ridgeway said. Details about amenities, such as what the complex’s dining options will look like, remain undisclosed, though Ridgeway promised that options will be “excellent.”
“We haven’t made final selections on what the options are, but we have a number of different options on the table that we’re considering for what we want to offer for the customers,” Ridgeway said. “You have to have something that’s high quality for where this is located. If somebody’s going to drive 25 or 35, or even 45 minutes to come here, they got to be able to sit down and have a quality meal.”
For more information as it becomes available and to learn more about Wyoming Downs facilities and 307 Horse Racing‘s events and offerings, see the companies’ websites. Renderings for the upcoming Cheyenne facility commissioned by the company are available for viewing below.
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