Previewing a film festival before it opens is akin to sitting down to a lonely gourmet meal. No companions to share the delights. The chef, the wait staff, nowhere to be found. You’re blindfolded, have a cold, and – deepest insult to grievous injury – there’s no wine.
OK, the sensual deprivation is not that drastic. But far-ranging, thoughtfully programmed, well-attended festivals such as the Starz Denver Film Festival are meant to be rich experiences where what’s on screen is vital but only a beginning.
Denver’s biggest film feast opens Thursday night at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House with Anthony Minghella’s drama “Breaking and Entering,” starring Jude Law, Juliette Binoche and Robin Wright Penn. The Academy Award-winning director of “The English Patient,” as well as “Cold Mountain” and “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” will be onstage with Mayor John Hickenlooper to accept the Mayor’s Career Achievement Award.
Then for the next 11 days, more than 200 films from 29 countries will screen.
Tributes, panels, special presentations, parties and guests willing to engage the audience add flavor. This cinematic spread ends with a moment of silent film on Sunday: King Vidor’s “The Big Parade,” with Hank Troy at the piano.
During last year’s SDFF (the “I” for “international” has been dropped because the fest’s global mission is a given), I walked into the Starz FilmCenter at the Tivoli on the Auraria campus where most of the screenings occur (not including the big- ticket events).
It was abuzz, crowded, alive. Having screened so much of the programming prior to the real deal, it was easy to feel deprived of the soul of the fest, its gathering-of-the-tribe vibe.
In darkened theaters, in the ticket-buying and -holding lines, at the late-night parties, this is where film love and movie dissent simmer and boil. This is where an education but also deep pleasures are teased. Fest movies can be delicate, taste-provoking and, yes, wincingly unsatisfying, too.
Some of this year’s best features arrive here with already-impressive film festival pedigrees. Among them are “The Lives of Others,” “Pan’s Labyrinth,” “Climates” and Pedro Almodóvar’s “Volver,” which won Penélope Cruz and her co-stars the actor prize at the Cannes Film Festival.
Tim Robbins, onscreen in “Catch a Fire,” comes to town to receive the John Cassavetes Award on Nov. 16. David Strathairn, nominated for an Oscar for his role in “Good Night, and Good Luck,” will be on hand for the screening of writer-director Aaron J. Wiederspahn’s debut feature, “The Sensation of Sight” (Nov. 10). Actor Scott Wilson, also in “The Sensation of Sight,” is one of four tribute guests. Another, master cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond (“Close Encounters of the Third Kind” and “McCabe and Mrs. Miller”), will be honored on Saturday.
Require more wattage?
Erickson suggests you pay heed to the young stars making their way from small-screen work to impressive turns in indie features. Among them: Ian Somerhalder (“Lost”) who appears in Wiederspahn’s film and Alexandra Lydon (“Prison Break”) in Jane Ainbinder’s coming-of-age indie, “Nail Polish.”
Foraging and culling for quality movies and discovering and courting intriguing filmmakers and talent at festivals like Sundance, Berlin, Cannes and Toronto is what Denver Film Society’s artistic director Ron Henderson, program director Brit Withey and media and industry relations honcho Britta Erickson do with dedication to what cinema is and can be.
Yes, there will be shorts that aspire to something greater than youtube giggles. And features of impressive – sometimes even oppressive – length. There will documentaries, animation specials and two Colorado filmmaker showcases.
SDFF awards three juried prizes, announced on Nov. 18: the Krzysztof Kieslowski Award for best feature film; the Emerging Filmmakers Awards; and the Maysles Brothers Award for best documentary film. Looking to be your own festival jurist? You’ll have 21 films to see.
“Explore the fringes, and you’ll find some interesting films,” said Henderson recently. Until you see a really good film you normally wouldn’t go see, he said, you haven’t yet had the true fest experience. When you do, Henderson promised, “It transforms the way you perceive film. That’s what film festivals do.”
“Your seat is waiting” is this year’s come-hither tag line. And it’s a fine one, not least because it sounds like your reservation is being honored at a restaurant.
Film critic Lisa Kennedy can be reached at 303-954-1567 or lkennedy@denverpost.com.
Nutritious entrees
Documentaries can be good and good for you. Here are some to look for at the Starz Denver Film Festival:
“Shut Up and Sing”
The current election furor may subside later this week, but the Dixie Chicks are still dealing with partisan attacks. When they criticized President Bush from the stage, they were ostracized from American country radio. Award-winning documentarian Barbara Kopple directs a look at three years of turmoil in the Chicks’ musical, political and personal lives. 9 p.m. on opening night, Thursday, at the Tivoli.
“Beyond the Call”
Director Adrian Belic will be in person with his story about three former soldiers who started a food and medical relief effort that would satisfy their desires for high adventure. Knightsbridge International takes needed goods into war zones and disaster areas that other people are afraid to touch. Showing Nov. 13 at 8:45 p.m. and Nov. 18 at 7:15 p.m. at the Tivoli.
“Our Own Private Bin Laden”
Remember when catching Osama bin Laden was our government’s entire reason for existence? Director Samira Goetschel explores the myth and reality of bin Laden’s global image. Goetschel will be in person for showings Nov. 12 at 3:30 p.m. and Nov. 13 at 9:15 p.m. at the Tivoli.
Main Courses
The red-carpet events have a flurry of activity and anticipation all their own. What follows are a couple of the other should-sees.
“The Lives of Others”
Director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck’s tale of an obsessive East German secret police agent and his quarry – a playwright – is a gentle and edgy monument to art and reconciliation. Donnersmarck will be on hand for the 6 p.m. Friday screening. Also Sunday at 9:15 p.m.
“Pan’s Labyrinth”
“I have a feeling we’re not in Fascist Spain anymore.” OK, the girl protagonist of Guillermo del Toro’s exquisite fable set in Franco’s time never says that, but Ofelia’s meetings with a remarkable beast in the midst of wartime cruelty is as magical as it is meaningful. Friday, 11:55 p.m.; Nov. 13, 9:30 p.m.
Tasting menu
Want to get a taste of SDFF’s variety? Here’s a sampling that captures its complex flavors.
“Amazing Grace”
Director Michael Apted will be on hand when “Amazing Grace,” his drama about the British politician and abolition firebrand William Wilberforce, screens at the King Center. Nov. 17, 7:30 p.m.
“Bon Cop, Bad Cop”
Erik Canuel’s comedy opens the festival’s Focus on Canadian Cinema program and pairs a law-bending French-Canadian detective with a by-the-book English-Canadian to solve a murder on the Ontario-Quebec border. The film broke box-office records up north. Friday, 8 p.m.
“The Host”
Tribute honoree Scott Wilson appears in South Korean Bong Joon-ho’s monster-celebrating flick at the festival’s new midnight movie section. Saturday, 11:55 p.m.
“Day Night Day Night”
Video installation artist and doc maker Julia Loktev has made a much-heralded debut feature as methodical as her anonymous lead, whose painstaking prep turns out to be the rituals of a suicide bomber. Friday, 6:15 p.m.; Sunday, 9:30 p.m.
“Suzan Pitt: Persistence of Vision”
Festival head Ron Henderson learned of the visionary animator from Sandro Del Rosario, an artist in residence at the Platte Forum, run by Judy Anderson, his mate. Now, we’ll all know Pitt’s work when Blue and Laura Kraning’s doc precedes three of Pitt’s astonishing works. Nov. 17, 6:45 p.m.; Nov. 18, 1:45 p.m.
Lighter Fare
Yes, sitting through even the most admirable films can occasionally make a festival feel like too much work. When you’re ready to lighten up and see movies just for the fun of it, you might try these:
“Chalk”
It’s so deadpan, you’ll have to watch for a while to get in on the joke. But this mockumentary about high school teachers beginning a new year hits very close to the mark. Sample conversation of teachers in the break room: “Which one is ‘geometry’ again?” “It’s like … shapes.” Director Mike Akel is in person for showings Saturday, Nov. 11 at 3:45 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 12 at 4 p.m.
“Tenacious D in ‘The Pick of Destiny”‘
Stupid title, yes, but what would you expect from a Jack Black film? Black and music mate Kyle Gass star as wannabe rock gods who need to steal a magic guitar pick from a museum to launch their golden careers. Tim Robbins will be in person at 11:30 p.m. Nov. 16 after he accepts the Cassavetes Award during a clips program earlier in the evening.
“Cheech”
Some festival features are grainy and rough-cut – not this gem. French-Canadian director Patrice Sauve shows us a body and then flashes back to offer candidates for whodunit. Colors are rich, atmosphere is dense, and the images are crystal clear, even if the humor is very, very dark. Catch it Saturday at 9:15 p.m. and Nov. 12 at 6:45 p.m.
11 days of film, parties and panels
The Starz Denver Film Festival opens Thursday night and runs through Nov. 19, showing more than 200 films. Most films, except the special events, are at the Starz FilmCenter at the Tivoli:
OPENING NIGHT | “Breaking and Entering” at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, Denver Performing Arts Complex, 14th and Curtis streets; 8 p.m. Thursday | Party to follow at the Seawell Ballroom | Film and party $70-$75
BIG NIGHT | An Evening With Tim Robbins at the Temple Hoyne Buell Theatre, 14th and Curtis streets; 7:30 p.m. Nov 16 | Gala reception to follow at the Oxford Hotel | Film and party, $40
CLOSING NIGHT | “Rescue Dawn” at the Temple Hoyne Buell Theatre at Denver Performing Arts Complex, 14th and Curtis streets; 7:30 p.m. Nov 18 | Last Reel Party to follow at Mile Hile Station | Film and party, $40-$45
TICKETS | Festival tickets excluding red carpet events are $8-$10 | Box office hours at the Starz FilmCenter at the Tivoli, Ninth Street and Auraria Parkway, noon-8 p.m. through Thursday; Friday-Nov. 19 box office opens one hour before the first film of the day | Tickets also available online at denverfilm.org and are subject to a service charge.
