Discover Denver: Starz Denver International Film Festival
Justin Parnell, Associate Editor
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Beginning on Thursday, Denver film connoisseurs have the opportunity to choose from more than 200 films from 39 nations during the 28th Starz Denver International Film Festival. Produced by the Denver Film Society, the festival will run November 10-20 and will feature "Be Your Own Critic" as its main theme to attract everyone of all ages to construct their own festival.
Despite last year's star studded lineup with Morgan Freeman, Jamie Foxx and Kevin Bacon, this year's program will still host a number of veteran directors, actors and writers. This year's guest directors include Ang Lee, whose "Brokeback Mountain" is the festival's closing-night feature, as well as Neil Jordan and Claude Lelouch. Actors Philip Baker Hall and David Schwimmer will be on hand, alongside writers Annie Proulx, Diana Ossana and Larry McMurty.
There will be 20 premieres (seven world, three North American and 10 U.S.) including Rodger Donaldson's "The World's Fastest Indian", which will open this year's festival. "The World's Fastest Indian" is about a real life story of New Zealander Burt Munro, played by Anthony Hopkins, who set the land-speed world record at Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats in 1967.
The festival's "big-night" featured film on November 18 will be "Casanova," directed by Lasse Hallström ("Cider House Rules"), starring Heath Ledger who plays a man who strives to find the real meaning of love after failing to win the heart of a particular Venetian woman. "Casanova" also features Sienna Miller, Oliver Platt, Jeremy Irons and Lena Olin.
In addition, the festival includes a variety of panels and award ceremonies. The Mayor's Lifetime Achievement Award, presented to a film artist for extraordinary contributions to world cinema, will be given to director Ang Lee on November 19 during the closing night screening of "Brokeback Mountain." This year's John Cassavetes Award, presented to an American director/actor for unique vision and maverick sensibility in independent filmmaking, goes to actor Phillip Baker Hall, who appears in two festival films, "The Matador" and "Duck."
Among this year's world premieres will be Wayne Ewing's "Remembering Hunter," a documentary about the gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson, which will screen at the Denver Press Club on November 12 at 5 p.m.
Denver's film festival, which in previous years has been held in mid-October, has been moved to mid-November because organizers wanted to use the new Ellie Caulkins Opera House in the Denver Performing Art Complex for the three red carpet events. Roy Henderson, artistic director of the film festival, also points out to the Rocky Mountain News that "October is one of the most crowded months on the film calendar, not only in the U.S., but in Europe." Although some of the hot fall titles have already premiered, like "Capote," "Jarhead" and "Good Night, and Good Luck," Henderson explains that he is already pleased with the public's response to this year's festival lineup. "Already, I'm sensing more excitement and buzz from ticket buyers," Henderson tells the Rocky Mountain News. "On opening day for tickets to members of the Denver Film Society, we sold more than $18,000 worth of tickets. That's more than twice the dollar amount of last year."
Additional festival highlights include "A Victim's Perspective," an 11-hour video presentation of the Auschwitz Death March, a highly eclectic 12-film salute to Japanese cinema, and a special unannounced sneak preview of a major film on November 13. Henderson hints to the Denver Post that this mystery world premier screening will be a major picture with a special cast performance following the movie. Speculating, this points to the Broadway adaptation of "Rent," which is set to hit theatres on November 23.
If You Go
Where: Starz FilmCenter, Ellie Caulkins Opera House, Denver Press Club, King Center, and other locations.
Tickets: www.denverfilm.org or at the Starz FilmCenter box office (900 Auraria Parkway; Tivoli Union Center).
Complete schedule: www.denverfilm.org