BOULDER, Colo. — The Boulder International Film Festival is underway, featuring a strong local connection with the premiere of a documentary about the iconic Schwinn bicycle brand.
- Watch News5's coverage of the documentary below:
The festival highlights local talent among its lineup of 68 films from 29 countries.
“We have a lot of local filmmakers, and we’re highlighting a lot of Colorado and local filmmakers this year, and Boulder particularly,” said Kathy Beeck, director of the festival.
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One of those local highlights is “No Hands: The Wild Ride of the Schwinn Bicycle Company,” directed by Boulder resident Daniel Clarke, who spent nearly four years making the film.
“The film is about the most iconic bike brand that’s ever been a part of America, and being able to premiere that, not only in my hometown, but also one of, if not the biggest cycling town in America, is just really special,” said Clarke.
Some of the bicycles Clarke filmed for the documentary were from just across town at University Bicycles on Pearl Street in Boulder.
Lester Binegar, general manager of the shop, said it has a collection of about 15 vintage Schwinns.
“There’s probably only two or three collections in the world that we could have shot, and one of them happened to be University Cycles,” said Clarke. “That was kind of divine intervention.”
Some of the vintage bikes featured on camera will now serve as props on stage for the film’s premiere on Saturday.
“It should be really fun,” said Binegar. “We made them all rideable... and they're going to be ridden on the stage as kind of props and to show the old product and just bring back a lot of memories for people.”
For many, including Clarke and Binegar, the Schwinn brand brings back memories of their first bicycles.
“Life is hard, and I think when you get on a bike, it’s really a way to help anxiety and melt away a lot of the stress that comes with life,” said Clarke.
To learn more about this film’s premiere or any of the other films and events at the Boulder International Film Festival, you can check out the website here.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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