Denver Film Festival sets Rocky opener, Paper Tiger closer for 49th edition
Denver will open with the story behind Rocky and close with a New York crime saga.
The 49th Denver Film Festival runs Oct. 22 to Nov. 1 and will present 129 features, documentaries and shorts, according to details published by The Hollywood Reporter. Screenings spread across the Sie FilmCenter, the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, MCA Denver at the Holiday Theater and the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.
The opener is I Play Rocky, directed by Academy Award winner Peter Farrelly. Anthony Ippolito stars as a young Sylvester Stallone hustling to get his boxing script made. It plays the Ellie Caulkins Opera House with writer Peter Gamble expected to attend.
The closer is Paper Tiger, from director James Gray. It stars Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson and Miles Teller. It is set to screen at MCA Denver at the Holiday Theater on Oct. 31, Denver Gazette reported.
Two big titles sit in the centrepiece slot. That is the festival's middle-weekend showcase. One is Ink, directed by Danny Boyle and starring Jack O'Connell, Guy Pearce and Claire Foy. The other is Behemoth!, directed by Tony Gilroy and starring Pedro Pascal as a gifted cellist.
The honours list is wide. Carrie Coon receives an excellence in acting award for The Liberation. John Cho receives an Outlaw Award for Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother, in which he appears opposite Mahershala Ali.
Liz Sargent takes breakthrough director honours for Take Me Home. Fred Hechinger takes a rising star prize tied to A Long Winter. Benedetta Porcaroli receives the Maglione Italian Film Award for The Kidnapping of Arabella.
Behind the camera, two craftspeople are recognised. David Acord receives an excellence in sound design award for Behemoth!. Filmmaker Michael Gitlin receives the annual Stan Brakhage Award, with a retrospective of his work.
For fans, this means ten days and four venues to plan around. Denver Film, the organiser, says passes are on sale now and lists a Colorado Spotlight programme alongside the main slate on its site, Denver Film. Full schedules, ticket batches and guest appearances will follow from the festival.
