Rainbow Rider Awarded Inaugural LGBTQ+ Impact Award at Mountainfilm
Photo by Melissa Plantz
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CONTACT: Tran Hoang Calvin, rainbowriderfilm@nodehaus.co
Director Georgia Krause’s new documentary follows Shelle Lichti, a lesbian truck driver hauling pride and freight across the heart of America.
TELLURIDE, CO (May 25, 2026) — Rainbow Rider, the vibrant and heart-expanding short documentary from director Georgia Krause, has been awarded the first LGBTQ+ Impact Award at the 2026 MountainFilm Festival. The film, which follows the journey of long-haul trucker Shelle Lichti and her iconic queer pride-covered semi-truck, received an exciting reception at the festival with three sold-out screenings.
“Being the first recipient of the LGBTQ+ Impact Award at Mountainfilm was the cherry on top of an amazing world premiere,” said director Georgia Krause. “We couldn’t have asked for a more receptive and thoughtful audience than what we experienced in Telluride. Shelle’s story is one of courage and strength and now more than ever we need stories like this to showcase the resilience of the queer community. Receiving this award at our first ever public screening proves to our team that the work we are doing has an impact, and that knowledge will continue to motivate us as we work to expand this story into a feature length film.
The LGBTQ+ Impact Award is presented to a film or filmmaker that uplifts LGBTQIA+ stories and is funded by The Taylor Family and The Robinson Family.
Fans and industry partners are encouraged to learn more about the film and receive exclusive updates on the by joining the official mailing list at nodehaus.co/work/rainbow-rider.
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FILM SPECIFICATIONS & CREDITS
Title: Rainbow RiderRuntime: 25 minutes | Country: USA | Language: English
Director: Georgia KrauseExecutive Producer: Sav RodgersProducer: Tran Hoang CalvinCinematography: Sam Wolff, Keon Abbott, Georgia KrauseEdited by: Georgia Krause, Mikayla IrleOriginal Score: Spencer PeppetFeaturing: Shelle Lichti, Cy Kellogg, Tim Sander, Amanda Saumier
Rainbow Rider is a production of NODEHAUS. Following its premiere at Mountainfilm, the film will continue its festival circuit, bringing its message of visibility and "queer joy on wheels" to audiences nationwide.
Learn more about the film here: https://www.nodehaus.co/work/rainbow-rider
About Mountainfilm: Held every Memorial Day weekend in Telluride, Colorado, Mountainfilm is one of America’s longest-running film festivals, dedicated to using the power of film, art and ideas to inspire audiences to create a better world. In 2024, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Mountainfilm as an Academy Award Qualifying Festival for the Documentary Short Film category.
Learn more about the festival here: https://www.mountainfilm.org/
About NODEHAUS Media: NODEHAUS is a production company and impact studio. Previous credits include A Clean Slate (Cleveland International), Shoot, Shovel and Shut-Up (Indy Shorts International), Has Heart (GI Film Festival), and Arbitrary Lines: The Free Spirit of Caroline (Better Cities Film Festival).
Learn more about NODEHAUS here: https://www.nodehaus.co/
Media Contact:
Tran Hoang Calvin, Producerrainbowriderfilm@nodehaus.co
Electronic Press Kit: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ULlIT-8nEMefmopUQQ5EWMh7uC3DzbpN/view?usp=sharing
Film stills available for use: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1lF3s8eBRK-Gp_ALNWpIpumKDIFgc1_6x?usp=sharing
