The Denver Film Society (DFS) has announced the recipients of its annual Festival honors

DFF40 will honor Kyra Sedgwick with the John Cassavetes Award and Aaron Sorkin with the Career Achievement Award

The Denver Film Society (DFS) has announced the recipients of its annual Festival honors, highlighting both actor/director Kyra Sedgwick with the prestigious John Cassavetes Award and Aaron Sorkin with the Career Achievement Award.

"This year we are pleased to be giving the John Cassavetes Award to Kyra Sedgwick, one of the industry's most recognizable faces," says Festival Director, Britta Erickson. "Not only has she graced the screen throughout the history of the Festival, with memorable appearances in The Woodsman, Personal Velocity and The Edge of Seventeen, she joins us this year with her directorial debut, Story Of A Girl, featuring performances from both her husband Kevin Bacon and their daughter, Sosie Bacon. We are honored to bring Kyra back to the Festival to celebrate our 40th anniversary. We are equally honored to have first-time Festival attendee, Aaron Sorkin, with his directorial debut, Molly's Game. After showcasing his brilliant talents as a writer with The Social Network, Moneyball and A Few Good Men, Molly's Game will be a touchstone for Aaron as a director as this film is already receiving early Oscar buzz for performances by Jessica Chastain and Idris Elba."

Kyra Sedgwick will be in-person for her Red Carpet premiere of SUBMISSION on Friday, November 3 at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House. Her Award presentation and conversation will immediately follow the screening. Ms. Sedgwick will also be appearing at the Sie FilmCenter on Saturday, November 4 with STORY OF A GIRL and the SeriesFest presentation of TEN DAYS IN THE VALLEY.

Aaron Sorkin will appear at the Big Night Presentation of MOLLY'S GAME, co-presented by Wish of a Lifetime, on Thursday, November 9 at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House. He will be joined onstage by the subject of the film, Molly Bloom, for a post-film conversation hosted by Jeremy Bloom.

Actor Bill Pullman will also be in attendance at DFF40 with his latest film, THE BALLAD OF LEFTY BROWN, Wednesday, November 8 at the Sie FilmCenter.

Director Jan Kidawa-Błoński will be on hand to receive a tribute for his considerable contributions to Polish cinema over the years. Jan will be appearing in-person at the screenings of his retrospective films LITTLE ROSE and DIARY IN A MARBLE as well as his latest work, STARS. Bob Denerstein will also conduct a one-on-one conversation with Kidawa-Błoński called Politics and Freedom of Expression. Information on these screening dates and times can be found at denverfilm.org.

DFF40 will also be honoring filmmaker Robert Beavers with this year's Stan Brakhage Vision Award for his work in the medium of experimental film. Mr. Beavers will be in-person at the presentation of two of his films, NOTES FROM THE NOTEBOOK OF..., and A PITCHER OF COLORED LIGHT on November 5 at the Sie FilmCenter.

Individual tickets to these events and more are currently on sale at www.denverfilm.org or the Sie FilmCenter (2510 E. Colfax Ave., Denver, CO 80206).

Considered one of the nation’s premier film festivals, DFF is known for presenting Academy Award– and Independent Spirit Award–winning films, along with hosting some of the world’s leading directors, producers and actors.

Feature Filmmaker Guests Appearing In-person:

32 PILLS: MY SISTER'S SUICIDE – Director: Hope Litoff
ACORN AND THE FIRESTORM – Director: Reuben Atlas
ACTS & INTERMISSIONS – Director: Abigail Child
AMOK – Screenwriter: Richard Karpala
AMY & SOPHIA – Director: Adam Lipsius
AND THEN I GO – Director: Vincent Grashaw
Producer: Laura Smith
THE BALLAD OF LEFTY BROWN – Actor: Bill Pullman
BERNARD & HUEY – Director: Dan Mirvish
DIARY IN A MARBLE – Director: Jan Kidawa-Błoński
EXPERIMENTAL CITY – Director: Chad Freidrichs
EYESLICER ROADSHOW – Director: Dan Schoenbrun
FUTURES PAST – Director: Jordan Melamed
GNAW – Director: Haylar Garcia
Writer/Producer: Jim Brennan
Producer: Michael Haskins
Producer: Betsy Leighton
Producer: Stephan Shelanski
Producer: Richard Turner
THE HAPPINESS OF THE WORLD – Director: Micheł Rosa
HIDDEN FREQUENCIES – Director: Monteith McCollum
HOME TRUTH – Director: Katia Maguire
Director: April Hayes
Subject: Jessica Gonzales
HONDROS – Editor: Davis Coombe
INFINITY BABY – Writer: Onur Turkel
Actor: Trieste Kelly Dunn
JONBENET'S TRICYCLE – Director: Andrew Novick
Producer: Theresa Mercado
LITTLE ROSE – Director: Jan Kidawa-Błoński
LIYANA – Director/Producer: Aaron Kopp
Director/Producer: Amanda Kopp
Editor/Producer: Davis Coombe
Art Director/Animator: Shofela Coker
LULLABY KILLER – Director: Krzysztof Lang
THE MISOGYNISTS – Director: Onur Turkel
Actor: Trieste Kelly Dunn
MOLLY'S GAME – Director: Aaron Sorkin
Subject: Molly Bloom
Special Guest/Wish of a Lifetime: Jeremy Bloom
MOVING PARTS – Director: Emilie Upczak
Producer: John Otterbacher
Producer: Rhonda Chan Soo
Writer: Nicholas Emery
Director of Photography: Nancy Schreiber
NEVER STEADY, NEVER STILL – Producer: James Brown
NEW CHEFS ON THE BLOCK – Director: Dustin Harrison-Atlas
THE NEW FIRE – Director: David Schumacher
PEOPLE YOU MAY KNOW – Director: Sherwin Shilati
Actor/Producer: Kaily Smith Westbrook
SERENADE FOR HAITI – Director: Christy McGill
SOLLERS POINT – Director: Matthew Porterfield
Actor: Lynn Cohen
STARS – Director: Jan Kidawa-Błoński
STORY OF A GIRL – Director: Kyra Sedgwick
STRAD STYLE – Director: Stefan Avalos
Producer: Suzan Ortemeier
Subject: Daniel Houck
THE STRANGE ONES – Director: Christopher Radcliff
Director: Lauren Wolkstein
SUBMISSION – Director: Richard Levine
Actor: Kyra Sedgwick
THOROUGHBREDS – Director: Cory Finley
VIGILANTE: THE INCREDIBLE TRUE STORY OF CURTIS SLIWA AND THE GUARDIAN ANGELS – Director: David Wexler
Editor: Brad Coleman
Subject: Curtis Sliwa
WALDEN: LIFE IN THE WOODS – Director: Alex Harvey
Actor: Chris Sullivan
Actor: Lynn Cohen
Actor: Jamie Horton
Actor: Anthony LoVerde
Actor: Eric Hellman
Screenwriter: Adam Chanzit
Animator/Composer/Producer: Laura Goldhamer
Executive Producer: John Finn
Producer: Shane Boris
Producer: Mitch Dickman
Producer: Patrick Hackett
Producer: Michael Haskins

Shorts Filmmaker Guests Appearing In-person:

CHOCOLATE SPOKES – Director: Brendan Leonard
Subject: Gregory Crichlow 
CHOWDER – Co-Writer/Director: Travis Lindner
Co-Writer/Director: Justin Tyyrell
THE DAY BEFORE – Co-Writer/Director: Geoff Marslett
Actor: Jesse Wardak
DEATH BY SCRIPT – Director: Jason Kessler
Producer: Zachary Gutierrez
DIVING MONKEYS – Director: Elizabeth Henry
Assistant Editor: Tony Gault
DREAMSPOOK - FEAR IN LOVE – Director: Joseph Kolean
Producer: Zachary Gutierrez
THE EDGE OF ALCHEMY – Assistant Animator: John Romano
FED TO FIRE – Director: Joseph Dasteel
FINAL FOUR – Director: Dario Ortega
HOMELAND – Director: Sam Peeters
I'M IN HERE – Director: Willy Berliner 
Production Designer: Jenny Calivas
MAILMAN – Director: Eric M. Levy
MRS. DRAKE – Producer: Jon Diack
Actor: Rachel Fowler
MUTT – Director: Erin Sanger
NEW NEIGHBORS – Director: E.G. Bailey
Producer: Sha Cage
OH, OPHELIA – Director: Dakota Nanton
THE OUTSIDER – Director: Scott Takeda
PAUL IS HERE  – Director: Valentina Maurel
PET FRIENDLY – Director: Catherine Licata
POLYNA - I JUST WANNA HAVE SOME FUN – Director: Ekaterina Belinskaya
Musician: Polyna
THE POOL – Director: Kate Gleason
THE ROMANTIC METHOD – Writer/Director: Maggie Hart
SEE YOU YESTERDAY – Actor: Parish Bradley
THE SHUTTLE – Director: Lu Han
Actor: Alice Ko
Producer: Ahleena Zama
STAN BRAKHAGE VISION AWARD RECIPIENT – Director: Robert Beavers
TETE A TETE – Director: Natasha Tonkin
UNSEEN – Director: Kaleb Kohart
Executive Producer: Jordan Arrick
WHERE MOTHBLOODS BLOOM – Producer: Dorian Thomas
Editor: Peter Brown
Cinematographer: Chandler Cearley
WILD HORSES – Producer: Rebecca Smith

To schedule an interview with any of the in-person guests, or for advance interviews with guests not attending, please contact the PR department. For additional information, short films, panels, creative conversations and film descriptions please visit the website: denverfilm.org

The year-round home of DFS, the Sie FilmCenter will serve as the anchor venue for the Festival with all Red Carpet Presentations at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House. Screenings will also be presented at venues around the city, including the UA Denver Pavilions on the 16th Street Mall. DFS will also be returning to the Festival Annex, located inside the McNichols Building at Civic Center Park. The Annex will play host to panel discussions, community engagement, virtual reality, the Capital One Café and a Festival lounge for the public

Festival Packages are currently on sale. The following packages offer the best discounted price to attend the Festival.

Six Pack: $66 Member, $84 Non-member – Valid for matinee and regular screenings and panels, not valid for special presentations. secure.denverfilm.org/package/package.aspx?PID=603

Fifteen Pack:  $150 Member, $195 Non-member – Valid for matinee and regular screenings and panels, not valid for special presentations. secure.denverfilm.org/package/package.aspx?PID=604

Red Carpet Pack: $75 ($25 per ticket) Member, $90 ($30 per ticket) Non-Member – Three Red Carpet film experiences at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, including Opening Night – November 1, Centerpiece –November 3; and Closing Night – November 11. secure.denverfilm.org/pass/index.aspx

Dinner and a Movie Packages: $75 Member, $85 Non-Member. Enjoy an amazing night out with dinner at any Larimer Square restaurant ($50 gift certificate), free parking at the Larimer Square garage, and Red Carpet evening at the Denver Film Festival. secure.denverfilm.org/pass/index.aspx

Flavor of the Fest: $100. The Flavor of the Fest Package is your opportunity to engage in a sampling of our Festival offerings. Package includes a ticket to one Red Carpet Premiere with an After Party and four tickets to any regularly priced DFF40 screening. secure.denverfilm.org/tickets/film.aspx?id=29612

Enjoy the Denver Film Festival in a whole new way by becoming a Member. Memberships begin at just $65 and allow you to purchase DFF40 tickets at a member discount. No matter what membership level you choose to join Denver Film Society, your contributions will be appreciated and make a difference. For more information on membership please visit: denverfilm.org/membership

Experience DFF as an insider. Join the DFS Leadership Circle for exclusive Festival access. Please visit: denverfilm.org/membership for a breakdown of levels and benefits. In addition, please contact Suzanne Yuzer at suzanne@denverfilm.org or 303-595-3456 ext. 223 to purchase a Leadership Circle Membership.

Press accreditation is currently open and closes on Friday, October 13. Complete details on how to apply are currently available at: denverfilmfestival.denverfilm.org/media/media-accreditation/

To keep up to date with DFF40 on social media: like the DFF Facebook (Facebook.com/DenverFilmFestival) page, follow @DenverFilm on Twitter and join the conversation by using the hashtag: #DFF40.

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2017 Denver Film Festival Sponsors:

PREMIER: Regal Entertainment Group ASSOCIATE: Anna & John J. Sie Foundation, AOR, Inc., Barbara Bridges, CEAVCO Audio Visual, Liberty Global, Mike's Camera, Polly Loewy, Relish Catering & Events SUPPORTING: Argonaut Wine & Liquor, Butler Rents, Capital One, Denver Toyota Dealers Association, Lyft, Sage Hospitality, SeriesFest, Sheila K. O’Brien PATRON: Bonfils-Stanton Foundation, Case de Valor Cava Brut, Comcast/Xfinity, Colorado Restaurant Association, Eldorado Natural Spring Water, Kentwood City Properties, Kind Snacks, Lighting and Design By Scott, IMDB/Withoutabox, Riverfront Community Park Foundation, University of Colorado-Denver College of Arts & Media MEDIA: 5280 Magazine, KBCO, Open Media Foundation, Out Front, Westword GOVERNMENT: Arts & Venues Denver, British Consulate/UK Government Office, Consulate General of Canada in Denver, Consulate General of the Republic of Poland, Colorado Office of Film Television & Media, Create Denver, Scientific & Cultural Facilities District CONTRIBUTING: Baird, Brookfield, Caz Matthews, Cluster Studios, Colorado Film & Video Association, Contagious Media, Denver Screenprint & Embroidery, Go Direct Plumbing Sewer & Water, Harmonic Media, Jagged Mountain Craft Brewery, Larimer Associates, Larimer Street Social, The Palm Group, Ratio BeerWorks, Robert Mondavi Private Selection, SAGindie, South Colfax Nightlife District, Stone & Concrete, Stranahan’s, Svedka, TV5MONDE, Visit Denver, Will LaBahn, Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum
 

About the Denver Film Society:

Founded in 1978, the Denver Film Society (DFS) is a membership-based, 501(c)(3) nonprofit cultural institution that produces film events throughout the year, including the award-winning Denver Film Festival and the popular, summertime series Film on the Rocks. With a vision to cultivate community and transform lives through film, the Film Society provides opportunities for diverse audiences to discover film through creative, thought-provoking experiences.

The permanent home of the Denver Film Society, the Sie FilmCenter, is Denver’s only year-round cinematheque, presenting a weekly-changing calendar of first-run exclusives and arthouse revivals both domestic and foreign, narrative and documentary – over 600 per year, all shown in their original language and format. DFS’s one-of-a-kind programs annually reach more than 200,000 film lovers and film lovers-in-training.