The Starz Denver Film Festival (SDFF), sponsored by Starz Entertainment and produced by the Denver Film Society, announced today its Red Carpet and Special Presentations for its 37th edition: November 12-23, 2014. Recognized as the Rocky Mountain Region's premier film event, SDFF attracts nearly 58,000 filmgoers and is widely recognized for presenting Academy Award® and Independent Spirit Award-winning films, such as The Artist, Black Swan, Brokeback Mountain, Nebraska, No Country for Old Men and Silver Linings Playbook - well before their collective accolades.
The Starz Denver Film Festival opens Wednesday, November 12 with 5 to 7, directed by Victor Levin and starring a standout cast of Anton Yelchin, Bérénice Marlohe, Jocelyn DeBoer, Glenn Close and Frank Langella. Morten Tyldum's World War II thriller, The Imitation Game, will be center stage for Big Night on November 15. Like Sunday, Like Rain directed by Frank Whaley and starring Leighton Meester, Julian Shatkin, Debra Messing and Billie Joe Armstrong will close the festival on November 22. The Red Carpet Matinee's will highlight documentaries Touch The Wall directed by Grant Barbeito and Christo Brock and Keep On Keepin' On directed by Alan Hicks.
"We are thrilled to invite audiences to 'step into the story' and experience each of these outstanding films," said Festival Director Britta Erickson. "From the romance of New York City and the suspense of World War II to two powerful documentaries with Colorado ties, the Red Carpet is not to be missed at the 37th Starz Denver Film Festival."
SDFF Special Presentations include: '71, Clouds of Sils Maria, Little Accidents, The Look of Silence, Red Army, Seymour: An Introduction, Two Days, One Night and WildLike.
RED CARPET PRESENTATIONS
Opening Night, November 12 (8pm), Buell Theatre
5 to 7 - (DIRECTOR Victor Levin PRODUCERS Bonnie Curtis, Sam Englebardt, David S. Greathouse, William D. Johnson, Julie Lynn WRITER Victor Levin CAST Anton Yelchin, Bérénice Marlohe, Jocelyn DeBoer, Glenn Close and Frank Langella) - Writer/director Victor Levin's debut is a complex look at a modern affair that offers insight into the unpredictable nature of life and the equally unexpected consequences of love. Outside the Manhattan St. Regis Hotel, Brian (Anton Yelchin), a young and single aspiring writer, inadvertently comes upon Arielle (Bérénice Marlohe), the elegant wife of a French diplomat and mother of two. Despite the brevity of their meeting and Arielle's marital status, Brian can't help but be drawn to her sophisticated allure, and the two become embroiled in a cinq-a-sept affair. But what begins as a casual encounter quickly develops into a deeper attraction, facing the couple with a complicated future and leaving them with the realization that love that cannot be contained between 5 and 7. Courtesy of IFC
Matinee, November 15 (2pm), Buell Theatre
Touch the Wall - USA - (DIRECTOR Grant Barbeito, Christo Brock PRODUCERS Grant Barbeito, Christo Brock WRITER Christo Brock CAST Missy Franklin, Kara Lynn Joyce) - Touch the Wall is the story of two Olympic swimmers - Gold-Medalist Missy Franklin and Silver-Medalist Kara Lynn Joyce - and their journey to the 2012 London Olympics. When the veteran Joyce joins teenager Franklin and her age-group swim club, everything changes. The veteran Kara finds a new start and a world-class training partner; Missy finds a veteran and older sister to learn from. Together they train, compete, and support each other until the pool becomes too big for the two of them. Thrown apart by coach and circumstance, they reunite at Olympic Trials to redefine what it means to win.
Big Night, November 15 (8pm), Buell Theatre
The Imitation Game - USA - (DIRECTOR Morten Tyldum PRODUCERS Nora Grossman, Ido Ostrowsky, Teddy Schwarzman WRITERS Andrew Hodges (book), Graham Moore (screenplay) CAST Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode) - Benedict Cumberbatch (TV's Sherlock) dominates in this biopic of Alan Turing, the British mathematician who broke the Germans' Enigma code, playing a major role in ending World War II. Imagine The Social Network set in 1930s England: a team of geniuses headed by the savant Turing, who must race against the clock to curb Nazi power. Norwegian director Morten Tyldum (Headhunters) gets a boost in his English-language debut from a strong performance by Keira Knightley. The story is told through flashback. We meet Turing toward the end of his life, reflecting on his impact on the war effort. At 27, he lands a job at a top-secret agency that's in the early stages of breaking the code. Turing, obviously beyond brilliant for the job, begins butting heads with everyone up the chain of command, until ultimately cracking the code. But the inspired mathematician's personal life eventually becomes his demise, through no fault of his own. Courtesy of The Weinstein Company
Matinee, November 22 (2pm), Buell Theatre
Keep On Keepin' On - USA - (DIRECTOR Alan Hicks PRODUCERS Paula DuPré Pesmen, Quincy Jones WRITERS Davis Coombe, Alan Hicks CAST Clark Terry, Justin Kauflin, Quincy Jones) - From his impoverished childhood in St. Louis in the '20s and '30s to a career that crossed paths with nearly every great jazz musician of the last 70 years, Clark "CT" Terry has amazing stories to tell. Deemed by Dizzy Gillespie to have the "happiest sound in jazz," Terry is featured on over 900 recordings, and counts as his students Miles Davis and Quincy Jones. At 93, Terry still teaches, plays music, and tells great stories. The film's emotional core is the moving relationship between young pianist (Kauflin), who lost his sight at age eleven, and Terry, who is losing his own. Keep on Keepin' On is directed by first-time filmmaker Alan Hicks, a drummer who was a student of Terry's and played in his band. This inspiring documentary is written and edited by Colorado's leading editor, Davis Coombe, who will be participating in a one-on-one conversation during the festival. Courtesy of RADiUS-TWC
Closing Night, Saturday, November 23 (8pm), Buell Theatre
Like Sunday, Like Rain - USA - (DIRECTOR Frank Whaley, PRODUCERS Fabio Golombek, James Jones, Jimi Jones, Danny Sherman, Uri Singer, Josh Kesselman WRITER Frank Whaley CAST Leighton Meester, Justin Shatkin, Debra Messing, Billie Joe Armstrong) - Actor/writer/director Frank Whaley shows a gentle and sensitive side in his latest feature, Like Sunday, Like Rain. The tale of isolation-turned-doubtful-friendship across age and class stars Leighton Meester (TV's Gossip Girl), Debra Messing (TV's Will & Grace) in a serious role, and Green Day's Armstrong. Reggie (newcomer Julian Shatkin) is a 12-year-old musical prodigy who has a hard time forming bonds with kids his age. He thwarts his mothers' pressure to normalize him. Living in an Upper East Side mansion, he's isolated from most of the world with nothing but his music to occupy his time. Eleanor (Leighton Meester) finds herself jobless and homeless after a drastic breakup with her rocker boyfriend (Billie Joe Armstrong). By chance she becomes Reggie's au pair, and through a bond of music the duo form a close relationship, altering both their lives.
SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS
'71 - UK - (DIRECTOR Yann Demange PRODUCERS Robin Guch, Angus Lamont WRITER Gregory Burke CAST Jack O'Connell, Sam Reid, Sean Harris) - A British soldier finds himself lost behind enemy lines one night after a riot in Belfast during the Northern Ireland conflict in 1971. Rising star Jack O'Connell (300: Rise of an Empire) bravely must find his way to safety while trying to distinguish friend from foe.
Monday, November 17 (7pm), Sie FilmCenter
Tuesday, November 18 (9:45pm), Sie FilmCenter
Clouds of Sils Maria - France/Switzerland/Germany - (DIRECTOR Olivier Assayas PRODUCERS Charles Gillibert WRITER Olivier Assayas CAST Juliette Binoche, Kristen Stewart, Chloë Grace Moretz) - Maria (Juliette Binoche), traveling to receive an award on behalf of the director who made her famous, learns he's died. She agrees to star in a revival of the play that launched her career. When a young actress gets the seductress role, Maria is cast as the doomed older woman and life's imitation of art becomes reality.
Friday, November 14 (9:30pm), UA Pavilions
Sunday, November 23 (1:45pm), UA Pavilions
Little Accidents - USA - (DIRECTOR Sara Colangelo PRODUCERS Jason Michael Berman, Anne Carey, Thomas B. Fore WRITER Sara Colangelo CAST Boyd Holbrook, Elizabeth Banks, Chloë Sevigny, Josh Lucas) - The lone survivor of a coal mining accident, Amos is caught between a rock and a hard place: speak truth or stay quiet and keep the town's economy alive. One accident leads to another, entangling three families in tragedy and ultimately in the liberating power of truth.
Sunday, November 16 (4pm), UA Pavilions
The Look of Silence - Denmark/Indonesia/Norway/Finland/UK - (DIRECTOR Joshua Oppenheimer PRODUCERS Werner Herzog, Signe Byrge Sørensen, Errol Morris, Andre Singer) - In Joshua Oppenheimer's sequel to his 2012 documentary The Act of Killing, about Indonesia's massacres in the 1960s, we follow Adi, whose brother was assassinated, as he probes former death-squad leaders about their roles. He seeks closure, but the perpetrators deny responsibility and relish in the horrors.
Friday, November 14 (6:15pm), Sie FilmCenter
Saturday, November 15 (9:30pm), Sie FilmCenter
Red Army - USA/Russia - (DIRECTOR/PRODUCER/WRITER Gabe Polsky) - This incisive documentary about the dominating ice hockey program of the Soviet Union from 1954 until its collapse provides insight into a historical chapter that continues to inform Russia's leadership. Archival footage and contemporary interviews reveal the personal cost its stars paid for success.
Monday, November 17 (6:15pm), UA Pavilions
Seymour: An Introduction - USA - (DIRECTOR Ethan Hawke PRODUCERS Ryan Hawke, Greg Loser, Heather Smith) - Ethan Hawke's documentary paints a warm and inspirational portrait of Seymour Bernstein, the esteemed classical pianist, composer, author, and teacher. Describing his experiences through observations, recollections, and stories, Bernstein offers a glimpse into his intricate views on life and art.
Saturday, November 22 (4pm) Sie FilmCenter
Sunday, November 23 (4:45pm), UA Pavilions
Two Days, One Night - Belgium/France/Italy - (DIRECTORS/WRITER Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne PRODUCERS Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne, Denis Freyd CAST Marion Cotillard, Fabrizio Rongione, Pili Groyne) - Acclaimed Belgian brothers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, two-time winners of the Palme D'Or at Cannes, team up with Academy Award® winner Marion Cotillard for the highly anticipated Two Days, One Night. A timely, compassionate meditation on unemployment and the global financial crisis, the film depicts one woman's struggle to escape the jaws of the capitalist machine.
Saturday, November 22 (1:30pm), Sie FilmCenter
Sunday, November 23 (11:15am), Sie FilmCenter
Sunday, November 23 (4:45pm), Sie FilmCenter
WildLike - USA - (DIRECTOR/PRODUCER/WRITER Frank Hall Green PRODUCERS Julie Christeas, Joseph Stephans, Schuyler Weiss CAST Ella Purnell, Brian Geraghty, Bruce Greenwood) - After running away from an abusive home in Alaska, fourteen-year-old Mackenzie (Ella Purnell) joins another lone traveler (Bruce Greenwood) in an unlikely alliance, helping to guide each other better than any map could. Director Frank Hall Green offers a story of salvation in his feature debut.
Thursday, November 20 (7pm), UA Pavilions
TICKET & PRESS INFORMATION
Advanced tickets ($12 DFS member/$15.50 non-member) for Touch the Wall only are on sale now at denverfilm.org or the SDFF main box office location at the Sie FilmCenter (2510 E. Colfax Ave., Denver, CO 80206). Individual tickets for all remaining films will go on sale to Denver Film Society members on Wednesday, October 29 and to the general public on Friday, October 31. The full 12-day festival program will be announced on Monday, October 27.
Advanced Red Carpet packages are on sale now and six pack tickets to any regularly priced films are on sale through October 26 at denverfilm.org.
Patron Packages are available for advanced ticket selection and to ensure seating at Red Carpet and Special Presentations. Contact Alison Greenberg to purchase a Patron Package at (303) 595-3456 ext. 229 or alison@denverfilm.org.
Red Carpet Presentations will take place at the Buell Theatre. Special Presentation screenings will take place at UA Denver Pavilions Stadium 15 and the Sie FilmCenter.
Press accreditation is now open and closes on Tuesday, October 28. Click here to apply. For an advance screening link, film stills or interview requests email: katie@denverfilm.org.
To keep up to date with the Starz Denver Film Festival on social media: like the SDFF Facebook page, follow @DenverFilm on Twitter and join the conversation by using the hashtags: #SDFF37 and #stepintothestory.
27.10.2014 | Editor's blog