20 Years Ago: The Fall of ’55 Comes Home to Boise
The Fall of ‘55 Idaho Premiere
The film screened at the historic Egyptian Theater as part of the Idaho International Film Festival
Twenty years ago today, The Fall of ’55 had its Idaho premiere at the Idaho International Film Festival.
September 30, 2006 was a warm, sunny autumn day in Boise. By the time we arrived at the Egyptian Theatre, the line for the film stretched around the block.
The Fall of ‘55 Idaho Premiere
The crowd started gathering early
Inside, the Egyptian was packed to standing room only. In fact, we had to turn away approximately 100 people who wanted to see the film.
For me, the screening was a little nerve-wracking.
This wasn't just another film festival audience. This was a hometown audience—people who knew the history we were telling, people who had lived through some of it, and people who were featured in the documentary themselves.
After years of research, interviews and production, we were finally going to sit in a Boise theater and watch The Fall of ’55 with the people whose stories we had spent years documenting.
And then something wonderful happened.
The audience received the film warmly.
That night at the Egyptian was one of those moments when the years of work suddenly became real. What had started with research into a difficult and largely forgotten chapter of Boise's history was now being shared with a packed hometown audience.
The Fall of ‘55 Idaho Premiere
The line to get in wound around the block, and approximately 100 people had to be turned away
The film had premiered earlier that year at NewFest in New York City, but September 30, 2006 was different. This was bringing The Fall of ’55 home.
Twenty years later, the film is still being screened, discussed, taught and rediscovered.
And I'm still grateful to everyone who helped us tell the story—and to everyone who came through those doors that night.
Happy 20th anniversary to The Fall of ’55's Idaho premiere.
NOTE: The historic photographs accompanying this post were carefully enhanced and enlarged with AI-assisted restoration from the original low-resolution files. Every effort was made to preserve the original composition, details and character of the photographs.
The Fall of ‘55 Idaho Premiere
People gathered outside The Egyptian Theater after the film and audience Q&A.