24 Sep Original Thinkers 2026: Ninth Festival of Ideas, Art & Film, 10/1-10/4!
Original Thinkers returns to Telluride, Colorado, October 1-4, 2026. This is the ninth annual celebration of film, ideas, art, performance, and the people imagining a more hopeful future.
Tickets and festival information are available at www.originalthinkers.com.
Go here for more on Original Thinkers.
More than a traditional film festival or ideas gathering, Original Thinkers brings together documentary films, provocative speakers, artists, writers, performers, and community members for a weekend designed to spark curiosity, connection, and new ways of seeing the world.
This year, Original Thinkers is taking that spirit of experimentation even further through a collaboration with Warm Cookies of the Revolution, the world’s first (and likely only) Civics Health Club.
Known for bringing creativity, culture, art, and unconventional civic engagement into the conversation, Warm Cookies is helping program this year’s festival and bringing a collection of artists, activists, and creative thinkers to town.
Festival Founder and Ringleader David Holbrooke says the collaboration is a natural fit for Original Thinkers:
“Original Thinkers has always been about bringing together people who see the world a little differently. Warm Cookies of the Revolution shares that same spirit. They bring joy, creativity, curiosity, and a willingness to ask big questions in unexpected ways. We’re excited to see what happens when their energy meets the Original Thinkers community.”
A Festival Built Around Curiosity
The 2026 festival will feature a dynamic lineup of documentary films, filmmakers, writers, artists, performers, and thinkers exploring everything from civic life and culture to creativity, community, and the human experience.
Rather than simply presenting films or speakers, Original Thinkers creates opportunities for audiences to participate in the conversation. Screenings are paired with live discussions, performances, interactive experiences, and unexpected encounters, creating the kind of intimate, spontaneous moments that have become a hallmark of the festival.
Warm Cookies of the Revolution will play a significant role in shaping this year’s programming, bringing its distinctive approach to civic engagement to Telluride.
Among the festival’s offerings will be “Show and Tell Mix Tape,” a Warm Cookies format in which participants choose a meaningful song or bring a physical object connected to a particular theme or generation. Stories unfold through vinyl records, cassettes, CDs, digital players, and conversation, creating a playful and deeply human exploration of culture, memory, and history.
The festival will also welcome writers and filmmakers to Telluride, creating opportunities for audiences to engage directly with the people behind the work.
More Than a Film Festival
Original Thinkers continues to blur the boundaries between a film festival, an ideas festival, and a community gathering.
Alongside its film and speaker programs, the 2026 weekend will include movement, circus performers, participatory art, community experiences, and opportunities to gather in some of Telluride’s most unique spaces.
The festival is designed to encourage attendees to move between watching, listening, thinking, moving, and actively participating.
And, as always, there will be a few surprises.
The Original Thinkers Experience
Founded by David Holbrooke, Original Thinkers was created around a simple idea: bring together great stories and original minds and see what happens.
Over the years, the festival has developed a devoted following for its intimate scale, unconventional programming, and willingness to take creative risks. In Telluride, audiences don’t simply sit in a theater and watch a film—they meet the filmmakers, hear from artists and thinkers, discover unexpected connections, and become part of the conversation.
The ninth iteration promises to continue that tradition while opening the door to new voices, new ideas, and new forms of participation.
As the world feels increasingly complicated, Original Thinkers is creating a space to pause, gather, think differently, and imagine what comes next.
About Original Thinkers
Original Thinkers is a boutique festival of film, ideas, art, performance, and conversation held annually in Telluride, Colorado. Founded by filmmaker and curator David Holbrooke, the festival brings together an eclectic mix of documentary films, speakers, artists, writers, performers, and audiences to explore compelling stories and original ideas.
Original Thinkers believes that great storytelling can change the way we see ourselves, our communities, and the world around us.
Follow Original Thinkers:
Instagram: @Origthinkers
Facebook: /Origthinkers
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