Getting Started: Why the Denver Film Festival Matters | Arts & Entertainment

The first rule of watching a movie is “don’t talk in a movie theater”.But the first rule of article 45 Denver Film Festival It would be: “Let’s talk in the theater (as soon as the movie ends).”

The virtual experiment is over. denver movies After two years of pandemic restrictions, the aim is to put the butts back in their seats through panel discussions, parties and various face-to-face interactions to bring the festival back to the festive season. Oh, and 230 movies you’ve never seen in Denver, from upcoming Oscar contenders to homegrown films to feature films from around the world.

“Having the opportunity to watch a movie you wouldn’t normally see and watch it in the same room with other people makes the festival special,” said Denver Films CEO. Kevin Smith, he expects total attendance from Nov. 2 to 13 to be around 25,000. “You have the opportunity to step into someone else’s world for 90 minutes and talk about it with other people.”

Since it’s been a minute and many Denverians are probably still unfamiliar with one of the city’s most enduring (and endearing) cultural traditions, I asked Smith and festival art director Matthew Campbell to step back and introduce this The festival, and its tour of larger film festivals, is taking part for the first time. Some kind of primer.

first round: Denver Film Festival Living in an ecosystem that starts with film industry events: Sundance in January, Berlin in February, South by Southwest (SXSW) in March, Cannes in May, Tribeca in June and September Telluride. (And Lucky Duck Campbell can go to all of those places.) Those big league festivals aren’t aimed at moviegoers, but at the distributors who buy the movies there and then at your local movie theater and your streaming device.

“The focus of a regional festival like ours is our local community of moviegoers,” Campbell said. Denver occupies the sweetest spot on the holiday calendar. By the end of the year, the cream had risen to the top, just weeks before most of this year’s Best Picture Oscar contenders were released to the public.

This means Denver Studios can pick and choose the best films that have appeared at other festivals throughout the year (as long as they haven’t been released). In recent years, Denver film festival audiences have gotten a sneak peek at upcoming nominees like “Belfast,” “Diana” and “Knives Out” weeks before the rest of the country. This year’s list of contenders includes “She Said,” “Whale,” “Empire of Light,” “Doomsday,” “Women Speak,” “Check,” and “All the Beauty and the Blood.”

“Our place on the calendar,” Smith said, “is extremely strategic.”

It is also a very reciprocal relationship between regional film festivals and film distributors. “Festivals like ours help build buzz for any particular movie before it hits theaters,” Smith said, sparking chatter about the awards nominations.

nerve center Denver Film Festival Is the Sie Film Center, this year’s film festival will be more concentrated around its surrounding retail complex, tattered cover bookstore Hosts virtual reality shows and one-on-one immersive experiences previously held at the McNichols Building in Civic Center Park. The closed restaurant space next to Tattered Cover will serve as the main hospitality lounge for the festival. The film will also be screened at the new AMC Cinemas at 826 Albion St., and red carpet screenings will once again be held at the palatial Ellie Caulkins Opera House downtown.

Here, some of your questions are what makes Denver Film Festival In particular may answer:

John Moore: How would you suggest a newcomer to the festival?

Kevin Smith: This year, we created Mile Qualcomm, allowing you to taste the holiday perfectly. It includes two red carpet movies, two special demos and five general tickets of your choice, plus access to our virtual reality offerings, lounges and some parties. This should give you a good overview. (notes: $450 for non-members.)

JM: For those who regularly attend music festivals, what else is new in 2022?

Matt Campbell: We’re launching a new series called The Stories We Tell, curated by Chris Gerzan of Colorado Historywhich will revolve around four themes emerging from this year’s lineup and touch on our daily lives: news, food, art and work.

JM: For example?

MC: A session will discuss how politics and climate change will affect how your pizza will taste in the future.

JM: Who will win your most prestigious annual honor, John Cassavetes Award?

KS: We feel that there is no suitable candidate for this award this year.

JM: Last year, the message from the festival was, “Virtual is here to stay,” but I don’t think at-home viewing is an option this year.

KS: It’s not largely because the distributors simply don’t make a lot of these movies in a virtual format. They want people to go back to theaters. We hope to bring back a virtual component next year.

JM: What is your designated area of ​​expertise this year?

KS: It’s important to let people know that Denver Films runs year-round, and this festival puts the spotlight on what we do throughout the year, because all the smaller film festivals we do every year are in Denver as well.that contains CinemaQhighlighting LGBTQ+ films; and Dragon Boat Festival, focusing on contemporary Asian and Asian American cinema. This year we also launched our ongoing “Colors of Conversation” series. This year there will be programmes dedicated to British/Irish, Italian, Latin and French films.

JM: Where does the local filmmaking community fit into all this?

KS: It’s vital to what we do every day. We have a financial sponsorship program to help local filmmakers produce their projects and we offer screening opportunities throughout the year. We are always looking for new opportunities to help.

MC: This year,”holly,” a local documentary by Julian Rubinstein, is a very exciting opportunity for us to bring this important film to Denver audiences. We are thrilled to be at Ellie Caulkins The Opera House puts on a full red carpet show. But this year’s show has a lot of great homegrown movies.

JM: What is your attitude towards international cinema?

MC: Each country submits a film for Oscar consideration. We pride ourselves on arranging as many of these films as possible. For example, this year we have “quiet girl“From Ireland,”broker“from Korea,”Plan 75“From Japan and”corset“From Austria et al.

JM: Bottom Line: Why Newcomers Are Coming Denver Film Festival This year?

MC: This will be your only chance to see some of the best movies in the world made in the past year. The Denver Film Festival truly brings the world to our door. You will be introduced to different communities, cultures and eye-opening views of life. It’s an interesting experience.

See who’s coming to Denver

• writer and director Mario Mattone “Film Festival” to be screened on November 4th at 3:30 pm to receive the Italian Filmmaker Awardking of laughter” at the Sie Film Center.
• Gabriella Cowperthwaite will discuss her documentary”snatch,” which revealed the countries that seized arable land and water far from their own borders on November 4th at 7:15pm and November 5th at 4pm on AMC 9+CO 10.
• James Benning: This year’s Denver Film Festival Stan Brakhage Vision Award will be presented at the Sie FilmCenter on November 6th at 7pm.
• Raul Castillo Will receive the Film Festival Excellence Award at ‘Film Festival’ on November 9th at 7pmtest” at the Denver Botanical Garden.
• Film composer and DEVO vocalist Mark Mathersburg Talk music and filmmaking at the Denver Botanical Garden on November 11th at 7pm.
• Director Ravi Kapoor will discuss his Wes Anderson-esque heist comedy”four curry puffs“November 11 at 7:30pm, November 12th at 1:45pm at AMC 9+CO 10.
• Samuel D. Hunter will be showing on November 12th at 4pm”whale” at the Denver Botanical Garden.
• Actor, Writer and Director Sheila McCarthy will be showing on November 12th at 8pm”woman talking” at the Ellie Culkins Opera House.