Denver Film Festival Returns Oct. 22 With Hollywood Stars, 129 Films and Colorado Stories
The 49th annual festival will feature John Leguizamo, Indya Moore, D’Arcy Carden and other acclaimed artists, alongside international premieres, local documentaries and community conversations.
One of Colorado’s largest celebrations of cinema returns to Denver this month, bringing Hollywood stars, internationally acclaimed filmmakers and locally produced stories to theaters across the city.
The 49th Denver Film Festival will take place Oct. 22 through Nov. 1, showcasing 129 films from around the world during 11 days of screenings, red carpet events, filmmaker conversations and award presentations. Organized by the nonprofit Denver Film, the annual festival has been a fixture of Colorado’s cultural landscape since 1978, connecting audiences with independent cinema and emerging voices they might not otherwise encounter.
This year’s program includes major studio releases, international award contenders, documentaries and Colorado productions, with screenings at the Sie FilmCenter, Ellie Caulkins Opera House, MCA Denver at the Holiday Theater and Denver Museum of Nature & Science.
Among the festival’s prominent guests are actors John Leguizamo, Indya Moore and D’Arcy Carden, who were announced as additional honorees Oct. 13. They join a roster that includes Carrie Coon, John Cho, Fred Hechinger and other notable figures from the film industry.
The festival will open with Peter Farrelly’s “I Play Rocky,” featuring the story of a young Sylvester Stallone fighting to bring his iconic film to the screen. Other major presentations include Tony Gilroy’s “Behemoth!,” starring Pedro Pascal; Danny Boyle’s “Ink”; and James Gray’s “Paper Tiger,” starring Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson and Miles Teller.
Beyond the celebrity appearances and anticipated releases, the festival will spotlight Colorado filmmakers addressing issues that resonate throughout the state, including immigration, environmental challenges and community resilience. The program also includes opportunities for audiences to engage directly with filmmakers, industry professionals and community leaders through six Creative Conversations.
“This year’s program highlights the remarkable ways cinema captures human connection and resilience, and it delivers a lineup that is as entertaining as it is thought-provoking,” said Denver Film Festival Artistic Director Matthew Campbell in the organization’s festival lineup announcement.
“From sharp, high-altitude Colorado comedies to award-winning festival circuit fare, captivating documentaries and stories born here in our own community, these films demonstrate the pure joy and impact of great storytelling.”
Hollywood honorees bring new films and conversations to Denver
Leguizamo will appear in person Friday, Oct. 30, to receive the John Cassavetes Award, presented by Next50, recognizing his contributions to independent filmmaking. The award, established in 1989 in collaboration with filmmaker John Cassavetes’ widow, Gena Rowlands, honors artists whose work reflects his independent creative spirit. Previous recipients include Lucy Liu, Patricia Clarkson, Jason Reitman and John Turturro.
The recognition will precede a newly added screening of Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey,” an adaptation of Homer’s ancient Greek epic. The film stars Matt Damon as Odysseus, Anne Hathaway as Penelope and Tom Holland as Telemachus, with Leguizamo portraying Eumaeus, Odysseus’ loyal friend and servant. Leguizamo will participate in a conversation before the screening, giving audiences an opportunity to hear about his work and career.
Moore, an actor, model, writer and producer best known for portraying Angel in FX’s “Pose,” will receive the CinemaQ LaBahn Ikon Film Award on Sunday, Oct. 25, at the Denver Art Museum.
A prominent advocate for LGBTQ+ representation, Moore was named one of TIME magazine’s 100 Most Influential People and became the first transgender person to appear on the cover of the U.S. edition of ELLE. Moore also earned a 2025 Gotham Award nomination for a supporting performance in Jim Jarmusch’s “Father Mother Sister Brother.” The award presentation will include a moderated conversation connected to the museum’s DIVA exhibition.
Carden will receive the Women+Film Barbara Bridges Inspiration Award during the festival’s Nov. 1 Awards Brunch. The actor and producer earned a Primetime Emmy nomination for portraying Janet in NBC’s “The Good Place” and also starred as Greta Gill in Prime Video’s “A League of Their Own.”
“We couldn’t be more excited to welcome three extraordinary artists whose talent, creativity and impact extend far beyond the screen,” Campbell said in the festival’s Oct. 13 announcement.
“John Leguizamo has built a remarkable career defined by fearless performances, incredible range and the independent spirit that makes him such a deserving recipient of our Cassavetes Award. Indya Moore is a groundbreaking artist and powerful voice for representation and inclusion, while D’Arcy Carden brings an exceptional combination of comedic brilliance, versatility and heart to everything she does.”
The three join previously announced honorees Carrie Coon, John Cho, Fred Hechinger, Liz Sargent, Benedetta Porcaroli, David Acord and experimental filmmaker Michael Gitlin.
Coon will receive the Excellence in Acting Award for “The Liberation,” while Cho will be recognized with the Outlaw Award for “Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother.” Hechinger will receive the Rising Star Award following a screening of “A Long Winter,” and Sargent will be honored with the Breakthrough Director Award for “Take Me Home.”
From Opening Night to Closing Night
The festival opens Oct. 22 at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House with “I Play Rocky,” directed by Academy Award winner Peter Farrelly. The film stars Anthony Ippolito as a young Sylvester Stallone determined to write and star in the film that would define his career. Screenwriter Peter Gamble will introduce the Opening Night presentation and participate in a discussion about screenwriting the following day.
Two centerpiece screenings follow Oct. 24. Tony Gilroy’s “Behemoth!” stars Pedro Pascal as a gifted cellist returning to Los Angeles after two decades on the road, exploring the relationship between music, memory and identity. Danny Boyle’s “Ink,” starring Jack O’Connell, Guy Pearce and Claire Foy, examines the turbulent rise of a media enterprise that transformed modern journalism.
The festival’s Closing Night presentation takes place Oct. 31 with James Gray’s “Paper Tiger,” starring Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson and Miles Teller in a drama about two brothers drawn into a dangerous scheme involving the Russian mafia.
The program also includes more than a dozen special presentations, among them Jesse Eisenberg’s “The Debut,” starring Julianne Moore and Paul Giamatti; “Josephine,” starring Channing Tatum and Gemma Chan; Martin McDonagh’s “Wild Horse Nine,” starring John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell; and “Wicker,” featuring Olivia Colman and Alexander Skarsgård.
International selections will include films from across Europe, Asia and beyond, including the U.S. premiere of “Growth of the Soil,” Norway’s official submission for Academy Awards consideration.
Colorado filmmakers bring local stories to the screen
While Hollywood talent will draw attention, the festival’s Colorado Spotlight programming places local filmmakers and community experiences at the center of the celebration.
This year’s selection includes films with ties to Colorado, exploring topics ranging from immigration and water insecurity to disability, scientific discovery and personal resilience.
Among the featured documentaries is “Good Help,” directed by filmmakers Rebekah Henderson and Lilah Park. The film examines the community response to the arrival of Venezuelan migrants in Denver, documenting how residents organized resources and assistance as local institutions worked to respond.
The documentary will also anchor an Oct. 27 conversation titled “When the Buses Arrived.” The discussion will bring together filmmakers, community organizers and city representatives to examine Denver’s response to the arrivals, lessons learned and challenges that remain.
Panelists include Henderson and Park, Andrea Ryall of Hope Has No Borders, Karen Orona of the Colorado Immigrants’ Rights Coalition and Jon Ewing from the Denver Mayor’s Office.
Another Colorado Spotlight documentary, “The River,” directed by Mara Gasbarro Tasker, examines the challenges facing the Colorado River. Its accompanying conversation, “Muddy Waters: Navigating the Colorado River’s Uncertain Future,” will feature water activist Lorelei Cloud, former Denver Water CEO Jim Lochhead and Colorado State University water expert Perry Cabot.
Other Colorado-connected selections include “The Ascent,” “Ideas of Order” and “Watch You Rise,” reflecting the range of stories and filmmaking approaches represented in the festival’s program.
The festival will also revive the True Grit Award, a juried competition recognizing outstanding Colorado-produced films and the distinct perspectives of filmmakers working in the state.
Creative Conversations connect audiences with filmmakers
In addition to traditional screenings and filmmaker appearances, six Creative Conversations will explore the artistic, technical and social dimensions of filmmaking.
Held at the Tattered Cover, 2526 E. Colfax Ave., the discussions will bring filmmakers, industry professionals and community members together for conversations ranging from Hollywood production to issues affecting Colorado residents.
Opening Night screenwriter Peter Gamble will discuss the craft of screenwriting Oct. 23, followed by the two Colorado-focused conversations on immigration and water management Oct. 27.
An Oct. 29 panel presented by SeriesFest will examine the changing television landscape, including the challenges of developing, pitching and producing projects in an evolving entertainment industry.
The series concludes Oct. 30 with costume designer Mona May, whose work on “Clueless” helped define the film’s visual identity, and casting director Karlee Fomalont, whose credits include “A Complete Unknown,” “The Post” and “I’m Thinking of Ending Things.”
Together, the discussions offer audiences a closer look at the decisions that shape films and the role cinema can play in examining social issues, preserving experiences and creating public dialogue.
Festival expands access through reduced-cost tickets
The 49th Denver Film Festival will offer a limited number of sliding-scale, pay-what-you-can tickets for all three public screenings at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House through support from Denver Arts & Venues and the 2026 Arts Complex Creates grant program.
Select screenings at other festival venues will also offer reduced-cost admission, providing additional opportunities for community members to participate.
Now approaching its 50th anniversary, Denver Film has spent nearly five decades bringing independent and international cinema to Colorado. The nonprofit serves more than 100,000 patrons annually through year-round screenings, film education, specialty festivals and community programming.
“Forty-nine years in, the Denver Film Festival is still driven by what has always mattered most: bringing our community together around great movies and the people who make them,” said Denver Film CEO Kevin Smith.
The festival runs Oct. 22 through Nov. 1 at venues throughout Denver. Tickets to individual screenings, filmmaker conversations, red carpet presentations and special events are available now.
Editor’s note: For the complete schedule, venue information and ticket options, visit Denver Film.
