Marfa, Texas: Wide-Open Plains and Starry Skies Make the Perfect Backdrop for Outdoor Movies at the Marfa Film Festival

The Marfa Film Festival -- held in the high desert of far West Texas -- builds outdoor screenings into its programme as a natural feature of the landscape. Marfa's wide-open plains, distant mountains, and incomparably starry sky are part of the draw. The second annual festival ran April 29–May 3, 2009, with more than 50 features, shorts, and experimental works; indoor screenings anchored at the Goode-Crowley Theater, festival headquarters at the Paisano Hotel, where James Dean and Elizabeth Taylor stayed during the filming of Giant.

For outdoor screenings, the high desert gets chilly after dark -- dress accordingly and bring what you need. Chairs were available to rent, personal blankets and chairs welcome. “There's lots of room on the good Earth,” organizers noted, “so don't be shy about bringing what you need to make a nest.” Food, beer, and possibly margaritas were on offer.