The 46th Denver Film Festival (DFF46) returns this November packed with a lineup of 186 feature-length films, documentaries and shorts from across the globe, including submissions from 15 countries.
The festival will run Nov. 2-12 at venues across Denver. Tickets to individual screenings, special presentations, red carpets and events go on sale Oct. 5 to Denver Film members at 8 a.m. and to the general public on Oct. 6 at 10 a.m.
Click here for a complete lineup of films, screenings and ticketing information.
"We're incredibly proud of our DFF46 lineup and the opportunity to bring some groundbreaking films to our Denver-area audiences," said Denver Film Festival Artistic Director Matthew Campbell. "This is a robust international lineup of independent films, including the Oscar submissions from more than a dozen countries, that allows us to share, explore and celebrate the work of many of the industry's most respected and awarded directors.
That said, here are five things that we are excited about at this year's film festival:
DFF46 will deliver immersive programming, filmmaker conversations, events, panels, parties, industry guests, awards and tributes at venues across the city.
Those include the Sie FilmCenter, Ellie Caulkins Opera House, Denver Botanic Gardens, AMC 9 + CO 10 and Tattered Cover. New this year also includes the Denver Museum of Nature & Science and the MCA Denver at the Holiday Theatre.
Closing night with Director and Colorado native Gabriela Cowperthwaite's "I.S.S.," a thriller set entirely in the confines of the International Space Station (ISS) will be screened at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science Infinity Theatre on Nov. 11, 7:30 p.m. The presentation will be followed by the Closing Night Party at Meow Wolf beginning at 9 p.m.
The festival will highlight local works in the Colorado Spotlight section.
Among its deep lineup of films, eight films will spotlight our home state in some way.
Ileana's "Smile," screening Nov. 4 at the MCA Holiday Theatre, is a documentary about a girl who endures life in a trash dump community in Managua, Nicaragua. The film is directed and follows Colorado musician Brad Corrigan, a Nicaraguan taxi driver and pastor Bismark Rocha as they try to open up new healing paths for Ileana.
"Hard Miles," screening Nov. 11 at Denver Botanic Gardens, is a narrative feature inspired by the life of Greg Townsend, a strong-willed social worker, and Colorado's Ridgeview Academy Cycling Team, a group of teenage convicts, who embark on a transformative 1,000-mile ride.
"Summer of Violence" will be screened Nov. 11 and 12. The film is in the Denver metro during the 1993 "Summer of Violence" and follows the story of a college grad's decision to turn down law school to instead pursue poetry - a decision that her parents disapprove of.
Some big names are scheduled to appear.
Two special in-person honorees include Michael Shannon on Nov. 6 at 7 p.m. at the Sie FilmCenter for the Breakthrough Director Award for his directorial debut film "Eric LaRue," a drama that follows the mother of a 17-year old boy who shot and killed three of his classmates in school.
Additionally, Director Andrew Haigh will receive Denver Film's second CinemaQ LaBahn Ikon Film Award prior to a screening of "All of Us Strangers," a British romantic fantasy film that takes a turn when one of the men discovers his parents appear to be living just as they were on the day they died 30 years ago, on Nov. 10 at 7 p.m.
Other awardees include Carolina Cavalli who will be honored with the Maria and Tommaso Maglione Italian Filmmaker Award and Janie Geiser who will also be honored with the Stan Brakhage Vision Award.
Family friendly films!
Chinese international feature, "Deep Sea / Shen hai" is a 3D animated film that follows the mysterious journey Shenxiu experiences after traveling with her family on a cruise ship. Set inside of an old transformed submarine, this could be a great film for those curious about the magic of deep sea life.
"Frybread Face and Me" is a touching coming-of-age feature film about a Native American boy who is sent to his grandmother's ranch against his will. An unexpected friendship with his cousin teaches him the importance of family and what it means to be a Navajo man.
Capturing the competitive world of high school mariachi, "Going Varsity in Mariachi" is a documentary feature about musicians from the South Texas borderlands who must turn a shoestring budget and a crew of inexperienced musicians into state champions.
Photo Credit:
Opening Night Red Carpet at Ellie Caulkins Opera House
DFF46 will help kickoff Visit Denver's annual Denver Arts Week at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House and will include a presentation of "American Fiction," Cord Jefferson's hilarious directorial debut about an English professor whose writing isn't deemed "Black enough" and leads him to write a satirical novel under a pseudonym, aiming to expose the publishing world's hypocrisies.
