Bill Pence , co-founder of the Telluride Film Festival , died on Dec. 6 after a long illness Passed away, reported by Telluride Daily Planet. he is82.
The inaugural festival was held at 794 at the Shah in Telluride, Colorado Ridden Opera House. It was sponsored by the Telluride Arts and Humanities Council; Bill and his wife Stella; Tom Ludy; and James Card. It continues to be run annually by the National Film Sanctuary.
“Bill Burns is almost a mythical figure in the Telluride Film Festival landscape,” 1235212719 Executive Director Julie Huntsinger ) Telluride Film Festival , in a note to The Hollywood Reporter said in a statement. “A very generous founder, but no single description would suffice. Performer, visionary, great leader, movie buff – all of this and more.
“But most of all, Bill is a great guy. Kind and intelligent, and an excellent father and husband. We continue to be inspired by his example and vow to continue the important work of film appreciation.
Pence, a native of Minneapolis, has been immersed in film since his first job, where he was the director of the city’s cinema hall. In college, when he ran the Student Film Society, when he saw Harold Lloyd’s The Freshman (86) For the first time. He started his career as a promoter, where he would present a regular program of films to students, calling them “festivals
Pence enlisted in the U.S. Air Force for several years after graduation. After his release, he served as vice president at New York-based Janus Films, where he focused on developing its new and A classic collection that will serve as the basis for the Criterion Collection.
Pence moved to Denver and met Stella, who was at the friend and film historian Card and the Pacific Archives With the help of curator Luddy, the Telluride Festival came alive. Over the next three decades, they worked to expand the event and change the film industry.
Bill and Stella retired from the festival in .
from 1974 they also created and hosted the Santa Fe Film Festival for three years.
After leaving Telluride, Pences was recruited to help organize the annual TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood.”Our festival owes them so much,” TCM general manager Pola Changnon told THR.
Collection of film prints collected by Burns during the 86 – one year Career is now at the Museum of Modern Art and the Harvard Film Archive.
In addition to his wife, survivors include daughters Zazie and Lara and four grandchildren.
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