Denver Arts Week returns this November to celebrate the dazzling and breathtaking work of the talent that makes up the city and kicking things off is the 46th annual Denver Film Festival (DFF46). From November 3-12, experience featured films, red carpet festivities, panels, special presentations and immersive events across different venues around Denver. Transport yourself to dreamy other worlds, countries with adventures beyond reality and stories about Colorado, with 186 long-form and short-form films and documentaries. Whether you’re just diving into nuanced movies or can quote every Coppola film, fall in love with film all over again at the 46th annual Denver Film Festival.
“As one of the first and most enduring film festivals in the United States, we take great pride in this annual opportunity to bring the world’s best filmmaking to Denver’s discerning audiences,” said Denver Film CEO Kevin Smith. “We’re honored that our Opening Night celebration can serve as the official kickoff to Denver Arts Week and help shine that spotlight on a city that has become one of the most admired in the country for its arts and cultural offerings.”
For ten days, attendees can hop around to locations like Sie FilmCenter, Denver Botanic Gardens and Tattered Cover, and two new venues to the festival this year, the Denver Museum of Nature and Science and MCA Denver. Across these venues, DFF46 will screen international and independent films and worldwide Oscar submissions.
The festival will celebrate its Opening Night Red Carpet by presenting Cord Jefferson’s directorial debut, American Fiction. The film was praised at the Toronto International Film Festival and was awarded Best Film at the People’s Choice Awards.
November 7 and 8, film enthusiasts can catch DFF46’s Centerpieces, Maxine’s Baby: The Tyler Perry Story and The Boy and the Heron (two vastly different masterpieces with heartfelt stories). Directed by Gelila Bekele and Armani Ortiz, Maxine’s Baby: The Tyler Perry Story, as the title hints, follows Tyler Perry and his inner world. Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron follows a young boy and his exploration into a world shared by the living and the dead.
During two of the festival’s Special Presentations, DFF46 will honor two filmmakers, Michael Shannon and Andrew Haigh. Michael Shannon will receive the Breakthrough Director’s Award for his directorial debut, Eric LaRue, the story of a mother’s dark path toward healing. Director Andrew Haigh will be awarded the second-ever CinemaQ LaBahn Ikon Film Award for his exceptional work on the highly anticipated All of Us Strangers, starring Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal. The festival’s Special Presentations will showcase ten other films, including The Old Oak, All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt, Perfect Days and Dream Scenario.
In addition to a lineup of extraordinary events, DFF46 will offer general screenings under various Denver film sections, including CinemaQ, Colorado Dragon Boat Film Fest, CineLatinx, Women and Film and Colorado Spotlight. This year’s Colorado Spotlight consists of documentary and narrative shorts and eight features. Attendees can witness the rise of Colorado producers and filmmakers and watch stories unfold set in the Mile High, like Hard Miles, Ileana’s Smile and Summer of Violence.
The curtains will close on November 11 with Colorado-native director Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s intense thriller, I.S.S.. In the International Space Station, astronauts must face orders to take control of the station while conflicts arise on Earth.
“We’re incredibly proud of our DFF46 lineup and the opportunity to bring some groundbreaking films to our Denver-area audiences,” said Matthew Campbell, Denver Film Festival’s Artistic Director. “These films will deliver entertainment, inspiration and empathy, as well as some important new lenses to view the world.”
Tickets and passes for DFF46 are on sale now. Prices vary based on events for both members and non-members.