Denver Film Festival promises buzzworthy films, high profile guests
The newest additions to Denver Film's guest list for its 48th annual Film Festival include actors Zoey Deutch and Ben Foster, as well as directors Charlie Polinger and Peggy Ahwesh.
Deutch will appear in-person on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025 to receiver the Rising Star Award after the screening of her new film Nouvelle Vague. Foster will also appear in-person at the screening of his new film Christy, which is a biographical sports drama about former professional boxer Christy Martin. Foster will receive the Festival's inaugural Outlaw Award, honoring excellence in antagonistic performances.
Denver Film previously announced that actors Lucy Liu, Delroy Lindo, and Niecy Nash-Betts would be attending the festival at various times, along with director Gus Van Sant.
"We are so excited to kick things off this year on Halloween with Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery. So, the third installment of the 'Knives Out' films. We're also going to be having an amazing opening night party at Kirk of Highland. Also spooky themed," said Matt Campbell, Artistic Director for the Denver Film Festival.
Denver Film Festival will host a second screening on Halloween night. The Late Night Showcase will feature Primate, an American horror film.
This year's Centerstage presentation is Is This Thing On? at the Holiday Theater on November 3, 2025. Bradley Cooper directs and stars in the film along with Will Arnett and Laura Dern.
The Closing Night presentation should be a draw for Broncos fans. It's the world premiere of Elway, a documentary on legendary Broncos quarterback, John Elway.
"We'll be going through November 9th, and we'll be showing over 130 films, a lot of Oscar buzzworthy titles, documentaries, international films, indie films, short films and a lot of panels and creative conversations," Campbell explained.
This year, Denver Film Festival will show a series of special retrospective films honoring the film industry artists who've recently passed away.
- Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, in honor of Robert Redford.
- The French Connection, in honor of Gene Hackman.
- Mulholland Drive, in honor of David Lynch
- Something's Gotta Give, in honor of Diane Keaton
- 3 Women, in honor of Shelley Duvall
- Top Secret!, in honor of Val Kilmer
In order to program the 10-day festival, Campbell watches some 500 movies every year. When asked what is the hidden gem in this year's lineup, he responded that it's difficult to pick just one, but then went on to say,
"One of my favorites is The Testament of Anne Lee, so this is a new film by the creative team that did The Brutalist last year. This is about Ann Lee who was the found of the Shaker religious movement. It stars Amanda Seyfried, and it's a musical. So it's crazy, over the top, but really fascinating, amazing film making."
The announcement that the Sundance Film Festival is coming to Boulder is all the buzz in the Colorado film community. Denver Film welcomes the addition.
"It's going to be an amazing addition to an already rich ecosystem here for the film industry, and we're excited to partner with them. It's just going to raise both of our games as we go forward," said Kevin Smith, Chief Executive Officer at Denver Film.
LINK: For Information & Tickets to the 48th annual Denver Film Festival
Denver Film's 48th Annual Film Festival runs Friday, October 31 - November, 9, 2025 at theaters and venues throughout the city.
