Watch: Life of Pie

I had the good fortune to see the premiere of Life of Pie a the 5 Point Film Fest this year. At the beginning of the session, two women dressed in old-timey garb took a seat just in front of us. Folks like to have fun at the festival, so I didn't think much of it. And then halfway through the session, Life of Pie played. 

Life of Pie tells the story of biking dirtbags Jen Zeuner and Anne Keller, who moved to the small Colorado town of Fruita in 2002. Nowadays, Fruita's bike-centric culture is a staple of Colorado's western slope, but back then it was still relatively unknown. The couple eventually opened a New Jersey style pizza place, the Hot Tomato. It wasn't the easiest ride, and the film chronicles some of the struggles they encountered as a lesbian couple in what was previously one of the most conservative areas of Colorado. 

Years later, the Hot Tomato is a pillar of Fruita's community, and they continue welcoming every liberal shredder visiting from Boulder and every local conservative rancher stopping by for a bite. It's got everything you could want from a 10 minute outdoor film -- beautiful landscapes, sunset shredding on fantastic singletrack, food, and one heck of a heartwarming story.

Life of Pie was a 2019 Five Point Adventure Film Festival winner, in the Pure Joy and People’ Choice categories.