47th ANNUAL DENVER FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES PROGRAM LINEUP, IN PERSON HONOREES AND TICKETS ON-SALE
Netflix’s The Piano Lesson opens this year’s festival with Paramount’s September 5 set as closing night presentation and Vertical’s The Order set as Centerpiece; Patricia Clarkson and Marianne Jean-Baptiste to receive top honors
A24’s The Brutalist, Apple’s Blitz, Netflix’s Emilia Perez, Orion Pictures / Amazon MGM’s Nickel Boys, Roadside Attractions’ The Last Showgirl, Searchlight’s A Real Pain and Nightbitch, highlight robust lineup of features, documentaries, shorts and more
Additional honorees include; Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Virgil Williams, RaMell Ross, Ryan Destiny, Nnamdi Asomugha, Sony Pictures’ Saturday Night, Cecilia Condit, Cristiana Dell’Anna
Tickets on sale Oct. 3 to Denver Film members, Oct. 4 to the public
DENVER – Denver Film announced today its program lineup for the 47th Denver Film Festival (DFF47), Nov. 1-10. This year’s Festival lineup delivers 185 feature-length films, documentaries and shorts from across the globe.
Serving as the official kickoff for Visit Denver’s annual Denver Arts Week for the second straight year, the DFF47 curtain rises Nov. 1 with the Opening Night Red Carpet presentation of THE PIANO LESSON at the MCA Denver at the Holiday Theater. The film marks Malcolm Washington’s directorial debut and carries over much of the cast from the play’s recent Broadway revival — including Samuel L. Jackson and John David Washington. The Piano Lesson is the latest August Wilson adaptation produced by Denzel Washington, who directed and starred in Fences (for which he received an Oscar nomination) and produced Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. Writer Virgil Williams will receive Denver Film’s Excellence in Writing.
This year’s festival will feature Centerpiece presentation THE ORDER, a drama based on a nonfiction book co-written by former Rocky Mountain News reporter and current Denver City Councilman Kevin Flynn. THE ORDER stars Jude Law as an FBI agent tracking a white supremacist group and its charismatic leader, played by Nicholas Hoult. DFF is proud to feature THE ORDER with a Red Carpet Presentation at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House Nov. 8.
The festival will close with Paramount’s SEPTEMBER 5, which unveils the decisive moment that forever changed media coverage and continues to impact live news today. The film stars Peter Sarsgaard and John Magaro and will screen at the MCA Denver at the Holiday Theater Nov. 9.
In addition, The Denver Film Festival will serve as the first opportunity for most audience members to see some of the most-talked about films of the year. This year’s lineup includes BETTER MAN, a biographical film from Michael Gracey about British pop sensation Robbie Williams, THE BRUTALIST an epic tale of the American Dream starring Adrien Brody will be presented on 35mm at the Sie FilmCenter, THE ROOM NEXT DOOR, in which Pedro Almadavor’s makes his English-language debut with the help of stars Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton; Oscar favorite EMILIA PEREZ, with Zoe Saldaña and Selena Gomez; Steve McQueen’s World War II era drama BLITZ, led by Saoirse Ronan; Paul Schrader’s OH, CANADA with Richard Gere, Uma Thurman and Jacob Elordi; THE LAST SHOWGIRL starring Pamela Anderson and the Amy Adams-led NIGHTBITCH, about, well, you’ll just have to see for yourself.
Denver Film will welcome and honor several guests, spotlighting their work through Special and Gala Presentations. Emmy winner and Oscar nominee Patricia Clarkson (Sharp Objects, Pieces of April, Six Feet Under) will receive the Cassavetes Award at a screening of LILLY at the MCA Denver Holiday Theater. Marianne Jean-Baptiste will receive Denver Film’s Excellence in Acting Award following a screening of HARD TRUTHS.
Emmy nominee Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family), known not only for his creative work, but for his ongoing advocacy in the LGBTQIA+ community, will receive the third-ever CinemaQ LaBahn Ikon Film Award following a screening of ALL THAT WE LOVE and short film IT’S OKAY. Additionally, RaMell Ross will be honored in-person with the festival’s Excellence in Directing Award for his highly touted adaptation of Orion Pictures / Amazon MGM and Colson Whitehead’s NICKEL BOYS. The festival will also host a special screening of SATURDAY NIGHT, where director, co-writer and producer Jason Reitman, along with members of the cast and creative team, will receive DFF’s 5280 Award for their team’s collaborative work on the film. Saturday Night, directed by Reitman, written by Gil Kenan & Reitman and told in real time is based on the true story of what happened behind the scenes in the 90 minutes leading up to the first broadcast of Saturday Night Live.
Several other in-person guests will also be honored for their contributions to film. Actor and producer Nnamdi Asomugha, known for his roles in Sylvie’s Love and The Crown, will receive Denver Film Festival’s Breakthrough Director Award following the screening of his directorial debut of the feature film THE KNIFE. Ryan Destiny (Lee Daniel’s Star) will receive DFF’s Rising Star Award following a presentation of THE FIRE INSIDE from Orion Pictures / Amazon MGM. Cristiana Dell’Anna (Gomorrah, The Hand of God) will be honored with the Maria and Tomasso Maglione Italian Filmmaker Award following a screening of CABRINI,and video artist Cecelia Condit will receive the Brakhage Vision Award.
“Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Patricia Clarkson and Marianne Jean-Baptiste make everything they are in better, and we expect they will do the same for this year’s festival,” said Denver Film Artistic Director Matthew Campbell. “At the same time, this has always been a filmmaker forward festival, so we’re very proud to be able to celebrate the work of RaMell Ross, who has such an exciting and fresh take on filmmaking, as well as Jason Reitman, who’s been delivering what audiences want for the better part of two decades.”
(Additional in-person guests/honorees will be announced as confirmed in the weeks ahead.)
Completing the 10-day Festival programming, DFF47 will deliver a robust lineup of general screenings including feature length films, documentaries, and shorts. In addition, the Festival will bring filmmaker conversations, events, panels, parties, industry guests, awards and tributes that will be shared in venues across the city including the Sie FilmCenter, Ellie Caulkins Opera House, Denver Botanic Gardens, AMC 9 + CO 10, and the MCA Denver at the Holiday Theater.
“We’re excited to once again raise the curtain on Denver Arts Week and the 47th edition of the Denver Film Festival with a lineup of international films, guests and honorees that showcase the year’s very best in independent filmmaking,” said Denver Film CEO Kevin Smith. “Through hundreds of screenings, post film conversations, events and celebrations, our passionate and loyal Denver audiences will once again have the opportunity to connect directly with both the stories and storytellers who have created these award-contending films and performances.”
The complete schedule of films, screening times and locations, as well as tickets to individual screenings, Special Presentations, Red Carpets, and events is available at https://www.denverfilm.org/denverfilmfestival/
2024 OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
RED CARPET PRESENTATIONS: There is much to admire in every category, but if you want to see films destined to receive industry honors and awards, this is an excellent place to start. The films below feature some of DFF’s boldest and best artists pushing envelopes and taking big swings. Many, if not all, are sure to generate passionate discussions after the credits roll.
OPENING NIGHT:
The Piano Lesson (United States) – directed by Malcolm Washington
GALA PRESENTATIONS:
All That We Love (United States) – directed by Yen Tan
The Fire Inside (United States) – directed by Rachel Morrison
Hard Truths (United Kingdom, Spain) – directed by Mike Leigh
LILLY (United States) – directed by Rachel Feldman
CENTERPIECE:
The Order (United States, Canada) – directed by Justin Kurzel
SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS:
5280 Award: Saturday Night (United States) – directed by Jason Reitman
Better Man (Australia) – directed by Michael Gracey
Bird (United Kingdom) – directed by Andrea Arnold
Blitz (United Kingdom, United States) – directed by Steve McQueen
Bob Trevino Likes It (United States) – directed by Tracie Laymon
The Brutalist (United Kingdom) – directed by Brady Corbet
The Count of Monte Cristo (France) – directed by Alexandre de La Patellière, Matthieu Delaporte
Emilia Perez (France) – directed by Jacques Audiard
I’m Still Here (Brazil, Spain) – directed by Walter Salles
The Last Showgirl (United States) – directed by Gia Coppola
Misericordia (France) – directed by Alain Guiraudie
Nickel Boys (United States) – directed by RaMell Ross
Nightbitch (United States) – directed by Marielle Heller
Oh, Canada (United States) – directed by Paul Schrader
A Real Pain (United States, Poland) – directed by Jesse Eisenberg
Small Things Like These (Ireland, Belgium) – directed by Tim Mielants
Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat (Belgium, France, Netherlands) – directed by Johan Grimonprez
The Room Next Door (Spain, United States) – directed by Pedro Almodóvar
Vermiglio (Italy, France, Belgium) – directed by Maura Delpero
CLOSING NIGHT:
September 5 (Germany) – directed by Tim Fehlbaum
DFF47 FILMS IN-COMPETITION
Featuring films from across the world, this year’s selection of in-competition films will be screened and judged by a panel of industry professionals and entertainment industry media.
Krzysztof Kieslowski Award for Best Feature Film – Finalists
In its early years, the Denver Film Festival gained a reputation within the international film community for showcasing, on a regular basis, new Eastern European films. Krzysztof Kieslowski appeared in 1989 for a major tribute and was a guest again in 1994. The director died in 1996 at the age of 55. The following year, Krzysztof Kieslowski Award for Best Feature, presented to a feature-length film that reflects the artistic sensibilities of the late Polish director, was established the next year under the auspices of the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland and in collaboration with the widow of the late director.
All We Imagine as Light (France, India, Netherlands, Luxembourg) – directed by Payal Kapadia
Caught by the Tides (China) – directed by Jia Zhangke
La Cocina (Mexico, United States) – directed by Alonso Ruizpalacios
The Girl with the Needle (Denmark, Sweden, Poland) – directed by Magnus von Horn
On Becoming a Guinea Fowl (United Kingdom, Zambia, Ireland) – directed by Rungano Nyoni
The Seed of the Sacred Fig (Iran, Germany, France) – directed by Mohammad Rasoulof
Maysles Brothers Award for Best Documentary – Finalists
In the early 1960s, two brothers started a revolution in documentary filmmaking. Albert and his late brother David pioneered the method called direct cinema. Hand-held cameras and lightweight sound equipment made possible an immediacy and spontaneity that led to an entirely new way of making films uniquely suited to non-fiction subjects. The Maysles Brothers Award for Best Documentary is presented to a filmmaker who best represents the truth and purity of documentary filmmaking as established by the Maysles Brothers.
Apocalypse in the Tropics (Brazil, Denmark, United States) – directed by Petra Costa
Daughter of Genghis (Denmark, Sweden, France) – directed by Kristoffer Juel Poulsen, Christian Als
Grand Theft Hamlet (United Kingdom) – directed by Pinny Grylls, Sam Crane
Mistress Dispeller (China, United States) – directed by Elizabeth Lo
Two Strangers Trying Not To Kill Each Other (United Kingdom, Denmark, United States) – directed by Jacob Perlmutter, Manon Ouimet
Union (United States) – directed by Brett Story, Stephen Maing
American Independent Competition – Finalists
This award is presented annually to a domestic narrative feature that boldly steps outside of the studio system to offer unique stories in an unconstrained spirit.
The Black Sea (United States, Bulgaria) – directed by Crystal Moselle, Derrick B. Harden
Ben and Suzanne, A Reunion in 4 Parts (United States) – directed by Shaun Seneviratne
Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point (United States) – directed by Tyler Taormina
Color Book (United States) – directed by David Fortune
Eephus (United States, France) – directed by Carson Lund
Silver Star (United States) – directed by Ruben Amar, Lola Bessis
Featured Shorts –
The shorts lineup includes a wide range of offerings from across the globe. The shorts jury will screen and award a Grand Jury Prize for Best Short, as well as for Student Shorts: Live Action and Student Shorts: Animation.
As impressive as the films selected for the competition is the group of in-person jurors selected to screen them. DFF47 jurors include:
Joanna Calo (Showrunner, “The Bear”)
Daniel D’Addario (Chief Correspondent, Variety and author of upcoming novel “The Talent”)
Marcus Jones (Awards Editor, IndieWire)
Taylor John Smith (Actor, Where the Crawdads Sing)
Carl Ogawa (Producer, Berlanti Productions)
Gabriela Ortega (Filmmaker, Huella)
Briana Rodriguez (Editor in Chief, Backstage Magazine)
Jean-Louis Rodrigue (Acting Coach & Movement Director)
Amy Schneider (Writer, Public Speaker, Jeopardy Tournament of Champions Winner)
Rachel Walker (Programmer, Palm Springs ShortFest)
Monique Walton (Producer, Sing Sing)
Abbey White (Associate Editor, The Hollywood Reporter)
