But there are plenty of other film festivals in Colorado, from Oscar-bait showcases and mini-fests to touring, niche and genre-specific events that appeal to outdoor enthusiasts, the LGBTQ community, and horror fans — sometimes all at once.

So if you can only see one Colorado film festival this year, what should it be?

Here are some ideas, with a focus on independent features and documentaries. Most events have opening- or closing-night parties, filmmaker panels, VIP passes and other programming, although not all have schedules, tickets on sale or firm dates yet.

Durango Independent Film Festival

March 4-8: There’s still time to check out this 21st annual event along the Animas River in southwest Colorado, which runs through Sunday, March 8, with screenings that span adventure, music, animation, nature, comedy, shorts, documentaries, Indigenous cinema, narrative features and kid-friendly titles. More details at .

No Man’s Land Film Festival

March 7 in Denver: Expect roughly 25 titles at this 11th annual event that “un-defines” feminine by exploring and creating dialogue around the brilliance and influence of women filmmakers, particularly in the outdoors- and adventure-film categories. “From intimate portraits of resilience to explorations of identity, climate, and adventure — these films showcase the bold creativity of women, genderqueer, and Indigenous storytellers,” organizers wrote. Also expect several U.S. and world premieres.

Colorado Dragon Boat Film Festival

March 20-22 in Denver: The namesake of this Denver Film-produced event gathers colorful boats at Sloans Lake each year for races and partying. This festival offshoot is another wildly entertaining chance to introduce audiences to the diverse, underappreciated world of Asian and Asian American films. The Dragon Boat Race returns Aug. 29-30, but you can start building your schedule for the March film fest now..

Aspen Shortsfest

April 7-11 in Aspen and Carbondale: Think of this competitive, Oscar-qualifying gathering as a Telluride or Sundance just for shorts, where featured and award-winning titles annually get nominated for (and often win) the biggest awards in the industry. This year, the Oscars recognized a pair of 2025 Shortsfest titles (“Jane Austen’s Period Drama” and “Retirement Plan”) as nominees for Best Live Action Short and Best Animated Short (respectively), and you can bet the 2027 Oscars will feature a few from this year’s 35th annual event in Aspen and Carbondale.

Boulder International Film Festival

April 9-12: Founded in 2004 by sisters Kathy and Robin Beeck, this four-day event has been the city’s marquee film festival. But it’s already making room for Sundance, having pushed back this year’s 22nd anniversary event from its usual February/March dates to early April, in anticipation of Sundance’s January 2027 debut. Sundance does not, however, have the CineChef food program (this year celebrating Badass Women Chefs), established Colorado youth screenings and competitions, or tens of thousands of already-loyal, annual Front Range ticket-buyers. Details, tickets and schedule are available at .

ACT Human Rights Film Festival

April 9-12 in Fort Collins: This 11th annual, globally minded festival held at Colorado State University investigates the highs and lows of human dignity, violence and progress in a tightly curated set of always-relevant titles. What to make of the alarming global conflicts now proliferating? The ethics of citizenship? The crackdown of governments on their own people? They’ve got ideas. The schedule should post in the next week or two at .

Castle Rock Film Festival

April 9-12: Joining an already-crowded weekend for film festivals is the fourth annual Castle Rock Film Festival, a nonprofit event that benefits the Castle Rock Artist Alliance (CRAA), specifically its Veterans and First Responders Art Therapy program. Awards, student competitions, and more are in store. Check soon for the schedule.

Grand Mesa Short Film Festival

April 10-11 in Cedaredge: Most film events have their own shorts program, but there are precious few in Colorado that focus only on shorts (see Aspen Shortsfest, above). Now in its fifth year, the Grand Mesa Short Film Festival includes documentary, animation, drama, comedy, and action/adventure stories, along with a kid-appropriate matinee and a spotlight on young filmmakers.

Denver Silent Film Festival

April 10-12: It’s really saying something that this Denver event brings silent films to life in the most visceral, magnetic way, with rare and restored movies that predate the era of talking actors and in-film soundtracks. It’s your only chance to see these in Colorado on the big screen, with live music to boot, and it all takes place at the Sie FilmCenter. How much easier could it be?

5Point Film Flagship Festival

April 21-26 in Carbondale: Not long after Shortsfest is the 19th annual 5Point Film Festival in Carbondale, the flagship of a state-touring event that focuses on “humility, purposes, balance, commitment, respect” and other big-picture ideals while presenting screenings that tackle outdoor adventure and conservation. Sounds very Colorado, no?

Women+Film Festival

April 24-26 in Denver: This small but important festival complements fall’s Rocky Mountain Women’s Film Festival with more than a dozen features, shorts and documentaries “celebrating female filmmakers behind the camera and stories of women on the screen,” as producer Denver Film said online.

SeriesFest

May 6-10 in Denver: Technically a TV and streaming festival, SeriesFest has grown over its 12 years into one of the most important showcases of non-film and episodic work — much of it ending up on networks and major streaming services just a few weeks or months later. Amid the glitz and industry confabs are fun panels and parties (see the annual Red Rocks concert) that keep it top-of-mind for regular audiences, from true-crime and documentary fans to traditional sitcoms, animated series, pilots and social media experiments.

Telluride Mountainfilm

CinemaQ

May 29-31 in Denver: Denver’s only LGBTQ film festival takes place at the Sie FilmCenter with screenings, panels, discussions and events that highlight “queer voices, vision & visibility with the year’s best films,” according to producer Denver Film. The three-day event’s schedule and tickets will be online April 27.

Ouray International Film Festival

June 18-21: Shorts and features are on tap for this festival not far from Telluride, which caters to filmmakers and audiences with an unpretentious slate of adrenaline-pumping titles. It’s got awards and quasi-celebrity guests, but the real attraction is the mountain scenery and the vibe of progressive, open-minded creativity.

Telluride Film Festival

Aug. 29-Sept. 1: This fest is unapologetically elite and exclusive as it annually debuts up to 30 prestige films and other titles, all surrounded by the world’s biggest directors, stars and critics. It’s not industry; it’s influence and buzz-making and a celebration of movie geekery. And it’s highly unlikely to be affected by Sundance’s Boulder debut, given its wealthy, self-contained audience and setting.

Telluride Horror Show

Oct. 16-18: High and low art are artificial distinctions at this genre celebration, which defines itself not by Telluride’s ski-resort setting but by its passionate fans and expert curation of new and classic horror titles. The 17th iteration this year will include destination-worthy parties and gatherings, along with “an exciting mix of horror, suspense, thriller, dark fantasy & sci-fi and dark comedy in Telluride’s unique theaters, with most of the films having one of their first U.S. showings,” according to its website. Check back this fall for the lineup and tickets.

Aspen Filmfest

September: Marking 47 years, Aspen Film’s feature-length event (they also host Shortsfest) retains its modest footprint from last year, hewing close to the Aspen Isis Theatre. Dates (usually in mid-to-late September) and a schedule have not yet been finalized.

Winter Park Film Festival

Sept. 10-13: If you don’t think of Winter Park as synonymous with film, you’re not alone. But the competitive event in Grand County draws diverse filmmakers, families and film buffs with screenings and special events, including titles that highlight young people, disabled people, action-adventure seekers, and students.

Breck Film Festival

Sept. 17-20 in Breckenridge. With more than 100 films on tap annually, Breck Film Festival has already set its dates for 2026, and there’s sure to be more local and national filmmakers in attendance — 2025’s event included the Colorado-set film “Rebuilding,” starring Josh O’Connor (which was actually shot in Colorado).

Crested Butte Film Festival

Late September: This 16-year-old festival has a surprisingly robust schedule, presenting around 80 films spread across five days that allow attendees and filmmakers to stretch out in every way. Passes and a schedule are not yet available, but check in the fall for more.

Rocky Mountain Women’s Film Festival

Oct. 16-18 in Colorado Springs: The 39th festival returns to Colorado College in Colorado Springs with an international celebration of women filmmakers. This year, the event will have in-person screenings at Colorado College followed by a virtual encore. The full schedule will be available later this year at .

Denver Film Festival

Oct. 22-Nov. 1: The biggest film festival in Colorado may not hold that title much longer, given Sundance’s looming arrival, but it will be fascinating to see how this jam-packed, affordable, multi-venue event plays with Sundance in both programming and audiences. Expect the typically impressive schedule of screenings, parties, panels, themed packages and awards to again be spread across the Sie FilmCenter, Ellie Caulkins Opera House, Denver Botanic Gardens, MCA at the Holiday Theater and other locales.

Go West Film Festival

Nov. 9-14 in Greeley: Not many film events rustle up Western themes these days, even in Colorado, but Go West honors that tradition with titles that confront what it means to live in the West — the good, the bad and the unexpected. “We ride the range of cinema history, from the early years to feature films and documentaries about the modern West,” organizers wrote online. Giddy up!

Ridgway Independent Film Festival

Nov. 13-15: The otherworldly San Juan Mountains play host to this event, which is marking its 12th year of showcasing indie films and filmmakers. Programs often feature fun options such as skygazing trips (it’s really, really dark there at night), an art show and lots of in-person meet-ups alongside the many screenings. Several events are free, too.

Vail Film Festival

Dec. 3-6: This late-season, competitive event is still taking submissions on its website, so a public lineup hasn’t even begun to take shape. But producers already revealed they’ll include a dedicated French Showcase this year, as part of their partnership with the ÉCU-Paris Film Festival (The European Independent Film Festival).

The curtain rises on Oct. 31 with a red carpet screening of “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery,” directed by Denver-reared Rian Johnson (“Glass Onion,” “Star Wars: The Last Jedi”) at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House. The Ellie, a longtime Denver Film Fest venue, was unavailable to book last year, which gives this year’s return a fresh veneer of glamor. (Denver cinephiles may also recall that Johnson visited the Ellie with the first “Knives Out” in 2019).

More than 130 other screenings of narrative features, documentaries, shorts, student films and additional programming will take place across the Ellie, Denver Film’s home base of the Sie FilmCenter, the Highland neighborhood’s MCA Denver at the Holiday Theater, and Denver Botanic Gardens.

“Selecting from so many accomplished works was an incredibly difficult process,” said Denver Film Festival artistic director Matthew Campbell in a statement. “But we’ve curated a lineup that reflects both the diversity and strength of contemporary storytelling with a remarkable selection of films, storylines and performances.”

Tickets for all events, including individual screenings, parties, panels, Red Carpets and Special Presentations, group passes and full-fest packages, go on sale to the public at 10 a.m. Monday, Oct. 6, at and (and one day earlier for Denver Film members).

Amid other big titles (the horror flick “Primate,” Bradley Cooper’s “Is This Thing On?”), the festival will close Nov. 8, with the world premiere of “Elway,” the Netflix and Omaha Productions-produced documentary on Hall of Famer and former Broncos quarterback John Elway.

“The film chronicles his early collegiate career at Stanford through his 16 seasons as the Denver Broncos starting quarterback,” according to a news release. “Elway will join co-directors Ken Rodgers and Chris Weaver to present the film at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House on Nov. 8.”

Other recognizable guests and award recipients this year include Delroy Lindo (“Sinners,” “Malcolm X”), who is receiving Denver Film’s Next50 Career Achievement Award (following a screening of “Sinners” at the Sie FilmCenter Nov. 1); acclaimed director Van Sant (“My Own Private Idaho,” “Milk,” “To Die For”), who is getting the Excellence in Directing Award for his work on “Dead Man’s Wire” (Nov. 4 at MCA Denver at the Holiday Theater); Lucy Liu (“Rosemead,” “Kill Bill”), receiving the John Cassavetes Award at a screening of “Rosemead”; and Niecy Nash-Betts (“All’s Fair,” “Reno: 911!”) who’s getting the fourth CinemaQ LaBahn Ikon Award presented to an entertainment contributor who uplifts the LGBTQIA+ community.

More notable titles and premieres include “Sentimental Value,” winner of the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival; “Hamnet,” directed by Oscar-winner Chloe Zhao; “The Testament of Ann Lee,” from writer-director Mona Fastvold (of Oscar-winner “The Brutalist,” directed by her husband, Colorado native and Denver Film Fest vet Brady Corbet); “Jay Kelly,” Noah Baumbach’s dramedy with George Clooney and Adam Sandler; Korean director Park Chan-woo’s “No Other Choice”; Brendan Frasier’s “Rental Family”; and Sydney Sweeney’s boxing movie “Christy”; as well as “Nuremberg,” “Man on the Run,” “The Secret Agent” and more prize winners.

The robust return is notable this year as the massive Sundance Film Festival looms in Boulder for 2027. That event, which draws international filmmakers and leads to big-budget deals in the film industry, will eat up plenty of film-fest oxygen in the state — even if Sundance officials have vowed to work with existing Colorado film festivals, of which there are more than a dozen. Those range from the tone-setting Telluride Film Festival to smaller events in Boulder, Colorado Springs and Aspen.

After months of multimillion-dollar funding appeals from cities across the country, the nonprofit film festival board announced Thursday that the famed event will move from its longtime home in Park City, Utah, to Colorado beginning in 2027.

Boulder beat out a combined bid from Park City and Salt Lake City, as well as one from Cincinnati, which revealed earlier Thursday that it was no longer in the running.

Boulder won due to its attractive mix of culture, including its mountain setting, technology sector, arts community, college population and community values, officials said at a celebratory press conference outside the Boulder Theater on Thursday afternoon.

The city is set to host the event from 2027 through 2036, with a potential 86,000 attendees and $132 million in economic activity, as Park City reported in 2024.

“Boulder will help write the future of the film industry,” Gov. Jared Polis said to raucous applause outside the Boulder Theater, echoing Sundance officials who praised the city’s amenities.

Dozens of people hugged and pumped their fists at the giddy Thursday event, where music played loudly and more than 100 people showed up to listen to the politicians, city boosters, and Sundance officials. Oscar-winning, Boulder-based filmmakers Daniel Junge and Paula DuPré Pesmen were also in attendance, with Pesmen praising the festival’s potential impact on local filmmakers from the stage.

The news means that Hollywood will now turn its focus toward the Front Range, which should benefit financially in January and February, when the trend-setting festival is held, an otherwise sluggish time of year for hotels and restaurants here. Add to that the promise of hundreds of Hollywood elite in limousines, dozens of red carpets and worldwide media coverage.

In response to a question from The Denver Post, Gov. Polis said the festival will become an “anchor tenant” in the state’s film culture, as it works with students and up-and-coming filmmakers and expands access to resources. He declined to say whether it would help encourage more legislative investment into the state’s film incentive programs, which have lagged far behind neighboring states in encouraging films to shoot here.

“This is an important part of showing how Colorado is here in the entertainment industry and the film industry, and of course, in and of itself, it’s an iconic event that we here in Colorado are going to help write a successful next chapter for.”

Colorado film commissioner Donald Zuckerman started the entire process about two years ago, having reached out to old friend and former producer Gigi Pritzker, who’s now vice chair of the Sundance board, Pritzker said.

Sundance sees the heart of the festival as centered in downtown Boulder, with a variety of existing theaters and venues, and adapted spaces around the pedestrian-only Pearl Street Mall. Various University of Colorado venues are also in play, said Todd Saliman, president of the University of Colorado, in an interview.

“Macky (Auditorium) is really the lynchpin,” added Lori Call, of CU Boulder’s communications department. “They’ve looked at Muenzinger Auditorium, they’ve looked at Glenn Miller Ballroom and they’ve looked at a host of venues affiliated with the (Folsom Field) stadium.”

As with Sundance officials, Gov. Polis has touted Boulder’s mountain backdrop, hotel capacity and Denver International Airport — not to mention festival founder Robert Redford’s ties to the University of Colorado, .

Polis and state legislators have been working since last year to shore up incentives for the event, with a potential $34 million state tax credit for Sundance. The incentives would be doled out over the next decade, or about $3 to $5 million per year. A revised legislative bill — which would also leverage $500,000 annually to support “small or existing local film festival entities,” as sponsors put it — passed , and is next headed to Polis’ desk.

While most legislators have supported the drive, State Rep. Bob Marshall of House District 43, called it a “taxpayer bribe” in a letter to The Denver Post.”

Now that it’s decided, officials from Sundance, the state, Boulder, and private donors and businesses will spend the next two years shoring up theaters, meeting and party spaces, and lodging options in a collaborative effort. It will include not only the state incentives but work from Boulder’s business boosters to meet Sundance’s high expectations for hosting, and surrounding cities that will absorb out-of-state travelers and related events.

Choosing Boulder cements Colorado’s reputation as a global film destination, joining prestigious events such as the Telluride Film Festival, Aspen Shortsfest, Boulder International Film Festival and Denver Film Festival, Sundance festival director Eugene Hernandez told The Denver Post on Thursday.

He has attended those events, and Sundance wants to play nice with all of them — including Denver’s SeriesFest, often called the “Sundance of television.” Hernandez, a former journalist who founded the respected film site IndieWire, has worked on SeriesFest’s staff in the past.

Like the 2025 Sundance event, which ran from Jan. 23 to Feb. 2 in the resort town of Park City, Boulder’s will be programmed during the early months of the year. The festival was running out of space and goodwill in Park City, especially during the height of its lucrative ski season, .

Sundance and business leaders vowed to make an impact outside of Boulder by continuing to support local filmmakers as part of its development programs, and to stay ahead of the festival’s needs, such as more venues and capacity for attendees at one of the world’s premiere independent film festivals.

“It all starts today,” festival director Hernandez said.

It did, and for its 21st year, the festival expects to welcome 25,000 film enthusiasts, media, industry members and movie stars (Shirley MacLaine, Alec Baldwin, and James Franco are just a few of the actors who have attended in the past) during its March 13-15, 2025, run.

But the city — a college town and bedroom community of 100,000 year-round residents — hasn’t really kept pace when it comes to venues, said Kathy Beeck, who co-founded the fest with sister Robin Beeck. “Venues have always been challenging for us, (whether) it’s having up-to-date technology or converting a high school or church into a movie theater.”

Park City, Utah, on the other hand, a ski town of just 8,250 people, is designed to host enormous influxes of tourists for both the resort (the largest in the U.S., with more than 300 trails and 41 lifts, ) and for the Sundance Film Festival, one of the movie industry’s annual, and most famous, galas.

Founded in 1978 by Robert Redford, Sundance has called Park City home since 1981, and the city has adapted, “which has allowed them to keep going there,” Beeck said.

But that could change. In April, with its contract in Park City expiring, Sundance announced that it would consider other cities to host the fest in 2027 and thereafter. Many municipalities applied, and Sundance narrowed the bids to 15 cities in May, including Cincinnati, San Francisco, Atlanta, Louisville, Ken., Santa Fe, a joint bid from Park City and Salt Lake City, and Boulder.

In September, Boulder was named one of three finalists, along with Cincinnati and Salt Lake/Park City. “January is a traditionally slow time for tourism in Denver and Boulder, and (Boulder) has the capacity to serve the people that would participate,” Gov. Jared Polis said then, touting the mountain backdrop, hotel capacity and Denver International Airport — not to mention Redford’s ties to the University of Colorado.

But is Boulder glitzy enough for the silver screen? And if so, does it have the amenities, venue space and the tourism infrastructure to handle 86,000 attendees, including hundreds of Hollywood elite in limousines, dozens of red carpets and worldwide media attention?

Maybe, and maybe not. Festival director Eugene Hernandez didn’t respond to requests for an interview with The Denver Post as he prepares for the 2025 iteration of Sundance, Jan. 23-Feb. 2. He’s said in the past that a decision on where to go will come in the late winter or early spring 2025.

But John Tayer, president and CEO of the Boulder Chamber of Commerce, which represents about 1,300 businesses, is confident that the city is ready for its shot at stardom.

“No disrespect to Cincinnati, but Boulder is accessible by an international airport,” he said. “We have incredibly convenient transportation, and all the amenities and theaters and services that you need are within walking distance of each other.”

“A tremendous honor”

Landing Sundance would be a full-circle moment for the city, said Mark Heinritz, co-owner of Boulder’s oldest restaurant, The Sink.

Not only is it already a hotbed of , but Redford himself worked at The Sink while attending CU in the 1950s. The Sink and its neighbors in The University Hill district would also get a lift from the potential blast of spending.

“We’re often rubbing our nickels together at that time of year to get through,” he said. “We get some four- or five-day periods that are really busy, like homecoming and (football games) and move-in week. As far as 10 straight days (of Sundance)? I don’t know.”

Heinritz said he foresees complaints about traffic and other congestion, but that the festival would be nothing but good for independent businesses.

Jocelyn Sarnow, director of events and marketing for the restaurants Corrida, Bellota and Michelin Guide-recommended OAK at Fourteenth — all of which have the quality of reputation, food and service to attract high-profile guests, agrees.

“During high-traffic events … OAK is typically fully booked with reservations from the moment we open our doors at 5 p.m. until our last seating at 9 p.m.,” she wrote in an email.

Events like CU’s graduation, the Bolder Boulder run, and games at the 50,183-capacity Folsom Field also “attract visitors from near and far, making Boulder a hub for celebration and culture, and we align our staffing and preparation to meet the demand,” she added.

The four-block-long Pearl Street Mall hosts more than 200 businesses alone, and there are 123 restaurants in downtown Boulder, with hundreds more in surrounding areas. Nine of those, like OAK, have been recognized by Michelin — including a coveted Michelin star for Frasca Food & Wine. Others, such as Flagstaff House, have a cachet that extends beyond Colorado.

Park City on the other hand has around 70 retail stores and 50 restaurants in its historic shopping district, according to Visit Park City. And since Michelin doesn’t review restaurants in Utah, it doesn’t have any listed in the guide.

As for hotels, the trendy Moxy chain recently opened in Boulder, adding , to a stable of about 4,300 hotel rooms spread across 50 hotels in Boulder and Longmont, according to a from Matthews Real Estate Investment.

Park City offers about 4,000 hotel rooms, said venue-sourcing company , but many more “beds” if you count house rentals and ski resorts.

“I was seeing houses for rent — for one week — in Park City for anywhere from $30,000 to $50,000. Houses where people wouldn’t even have their own bedrooms,” said Colorado producer and filmmaker Paula DuPré Pesmen.

She’s had a trio of high-profile films premiere at Sundance, and this summer was invited to speak with Sundance officials about potentially moving the festival to Boulder.

“But even with parking and transportation problems, it’s ultimately worth being (in Park City), because it’s an amazing festival and a tremendous honor,” she said.

“Colorado and Boulder are an enormous cost advantage over Park City, where often you can’t find hotel rooms around festival time,” Polis told The Denver Post. “We’ve worked with all hotels in the metro area to keep prices consistent mid-January, in the $150 to $200 range, and they were excited to do it. … Another major asset is our fan base. We have 3.5 million people within 100 miles of Boulder, and they’re ready to embrace this.”

A strong film culture

But is Hollywood ready to embrace Colorado?

The state already has a strong film culture, with the celebrity-studded Telluride Film Festival, the citywide Denver Film Festival, and dozens of smaller ones. But Sundance would be another level of publicity and branding, especially for Boulder.

There is some worry that recent Front Range movie-theater closures, including art houses that have hosted the Denver Film Festival in the past, will make the metro area less attractive when Sundance needs extra venues. Denver is down two legendary theaters as of summer 2024 — The Esquire and Chez Artiste — while Regal Continental multiplex and Meadows Stadium 12 in Littleton both erased nearly two dozen screens when they shuttered in 2023.

But others say that shouldn’t be a concern.

The University of Colorado’s historic, 2,036-seat Macky Auditorium has already been identified as a primary venue for Sundance, as well as other spots on campus.

“We and Sundance both think there’s not only room for both festivals, but for collaboration,” said BIFF’s Robin Beeck, who along with Kathy met with Sundance officials over the summer.

“We have host venues here that are up to date, like Cinemark (in the 29th Street shopping center), but Macky would benefit from a technology upgrade, and Sundance could make that happen,” she said.

As for other amenities, Park City may have an advantage. DIA is 50 miles from Boulder while Park City is only 35 miles from Salt Lake City International Airport.

Then there’s the skiing, a big draw for movie-industry folks in the winter. Some of Park City’s Ski Resorts are within walking distance of its main drag, and a chairlift ferries people from downtown to the massive Park City Ski Resort. But in Boulder, the closest ski area is Eldora, at 21 miles away, and it is the opposite of glitzy, offering 10 lifts and family-friendly skiing.

Most of Colorado’s biggest and best-known slopes, including Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, Copper Mountain and Crested Butte, are at least two hours away (in good traffic) from Boulder,, and Aspen if closer to three hours or more.

Connecting with audiences

Another area where Boulder’s bid lags is funding.

The University of Colorado has promised a “big commitment” to supporting the festival’s logistics and housing issues, said Eve Lieberman, executive director of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade.

That’s why her office felt comfortable providing a one-time, $1.5 million incentive through its strategic fund. The state’s film office, Creative Industries and tourism offices are combining for another $325,000. There’s also an unspecified tax credit in the governor’s budget, but it’s contingent on bringing the festival here.

The total incentive could rise to $3 million if you count City of Boulder contributions and in-kind services. Visit Boulder and other organizations also supported the bid.

Still, Colorado’s public bid looks paltry next to Cincinnati, which is dangling $5 million (including in-kind services), and Utah, with a combined $6 million (including corporate money and donors).

And there’s plenty on the line: Sundance would have a projected $100 million-plus economic impact on the Front Range if it came here, according to Polis.

Despite the problems, though, Sundance may have other reasons why it might be looking to move or expand, said Andrew Rodgers, a producer and the former CEO of Denver Film, which puts on the Denver Film Festival.

“Film festivals across the board have suffered since the pandemic and their models are really struggling,” he explained. “So festivals have to evolve and figure out new ways of connecting with audiences.

“What Sundance is facing right now is a future in which, if they do nothing, they could be radically different than they are now,” Rodgers said. “Its mix of venues is evolving, and in a small town like Park City, there’s just not much diversity. I think there’s a decent chance they’ll stay, but either way, if they move, it’s a fundamental change to the character of the event.

“Boulder has a deep artistic spirit, and moving there would generate a lot of new excitement for the festival,” he added.

That much is clear after watching a 90-minute documentary called “¡Casa Bonita Mi Amor!,” which follows the co-creator of “South Park” and partner Matt Stone on a journey to reopen the beloved Lakewood restaurant they visited as kids growing up in Colorado.

The film has so far only played at prestigious events like Tribeca Film Festival and Telluride Film Festival, but locals will get to see it first when it comes to the . It then rolls out to select theaters across the U.S. and will stream on Paramount+ this fall.

“¡Casa Bonita Mi Amor!” is a must-see for Denver-area fans not only because the landmark is a local one, but also because it����ap hard to fathom just how decrepit the building was after decades of neglect.

“Have you ever seen ‘Kitchen Nightmares’? It����ap the very, very worst one of those you could possibly ever imagine,” Parker told The Denver Post in 2022.

When viewers see the dirt clogging the air vents and tumbling out of air ducts, metal posts rotting to become structurally unsound, and the layers of grime and fire damage throughout the kitchen, it����ap easy to understand why Casa Bonita’s renovation took nearly two years. That����ap even before you consider construction woes teams on the ground encountered, such as a 5,000-gallon-per-day leak in the new pool and having to redo a shoddy job on the kitchen floor.

“This is the single most dangerous thing I’ve ever seen,” the construction manager says in one clip, pointing to a narrow hole in the ground flanked by electrical boxes where cliff divers exit the pool.

It cost Stone and Parker an estimated $40 million-plus to, as they prefer to say, “restore” Casa Bonita. No level of business savvy could ever sign off on that type of project. It requires blind passion.

“¡Casa Bonita Mi Amor!” highlights how Parker was enchanted by and mildly obsessed with the Pink Palace from a young age. His father, Randy Parker, says in the movie that when the family visited Casa Bonita, the younger Parker would run around talking about what he’d change to improve the experience. In one prophetic clip from 2012, the “Book of Mormon” cast visits Casa Bonita and Stone jokes about how Parker may one day own the place.

Director Arthur Bradford and producer Jennifer Ollman aptly capture the Colorado culture surrounding the venue by visiting the annual Casa Bonita-themed art show NEXT Gallery and following the incessant media coverage about its promised reopening. As the deadline to open the doors draws closer, they interview fans who are camped out in the parking lot in hopes of being the first to dine there.

Denver Chef Dana “Loca” Rodriguez plays a starring role as the resolute leader of kitchen operations and it����ap a joy to watch her at work, especially when she’s using the colorful language characteristic of a conventional “South Park” episode.

There are other little details in “¡Casa Bonita Mi Amor!” to delight dedicated locals. For example, the documentary follows the restaurant����ap construction in the 1970s and sets the record straight about the original color. (It����ap “dusty pink,” according to one of its leading designers.) It also offers deep insight into Parker’s creative vision for the new and improved Casa Bonita.

The film is funny, of course, but it’s also heartfelt. As excitement builds for the grand reopening, it becomes clear the owners feel the weight of the public’s expectations. Fear about the concept not working is palpable from everyone involved. (Though as the documentary shows, that was a common sentiment in 1974 when Casa Bonita first opened, too.) Parker and Stone appear terrified to let fans down.

The good news is we know how this story ends. Casa Bonita reopened to much fanfare in 2023 and has since served about half a million guests, most of whom have shared rave reviews. In a post-screening panel at the Telluride Film Festival, Parker said Casa Bonita is not yet profitable, but the fact reservations open to everyone soon should help. The release of “¡Casa Bonita Mi Amor!” may also go a long way, as it inspired excitement to visit among many viewers.

The biggest takeaway from the film, however, should be that anyone will get to visit at all. It underscores the reality that Casa Bonita would have probably remained closed forever – relegated to a distant, cliff-diving, sopapilla-serving memory – without Stone and Parker’s intervention.

“No one would have done it the way we did because it didn’t make any sense and it wasn’t smart,” Stone says in the documentary. “I’m really proud.”

For the most part, big action movies are giving way to character-driven affairs, lots of scares starting several weeks before Halloween and a highly anticipated adaptation of a beloved work of musical theater.

Here’s a rundown of much of what����ap coming to a theater near you, as well as to your living room via streaming service. (As always, dates are subject to change.)

“Afraid” | Aug. 30 | Theaters >> AI causes big trouble at home for a family in this slice of science-fiction-meets-horror offering from “The Golden Compass” director Chris Weitz. The cast includes John Cho and Katerine Waterston.

“The Deliverance” | Aug. 30 | Netflix >> Already in select theaters, the latest from director Lee Daniels (of “Lee Daniels’ The Butler” fame) is a supernatural thriller inspired by a real case. Andra Day, who started in Daniels’ 2021 biopic/drama, “The United States vs. Billie Holiday,” is front and center here as the alcoholic mother of children thought to be demonically possessed. Glenn Close is among the film’s supporting cast members.

“1992” | Aug. 30 | Theaters >> Tyrese Gibson stars in this drama set on the night of the 1992 Los Angeles riots following the Rodney King verdict. With “The Iceman” director Ariel Vromen at the helm, the film also features actors Scott Eastwood and the late Ray Liotta.

“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” | Sept. 6 | Theaters >> We first met Beetlejuice — Michael Keaton’s pesky demon character, who’s summoned when his name is said three times in a row — more than three and a half decades ago in director Tim Burton’s “Beetlejuice.” Well, the guy still looks, um … great? Fellow “Beetlejuice” players Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara also return in this sequel, as Lydia and Delia Deetz, respectively, and Burton is again behind the camera. Front and center on screen this time is Jenna Ortega — who stars as the titular figure in the Burton-produced Netflix series “Wednesday” — as Lydia’s rebellious daughter, Astrid. Also around for the dark fun are fellow newcomers Justin Theroux, Monica Bellucci and Willem Dafoe. If this is the hit we expect, can “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” possibly be far behind?

“Rebel Ridge” | Sept. 6 | Netflix >> Aaron Pierre, Don Johnson and AnnaSophia Robb star in this action thriller from writer-director Jeremy Saulnier (“Green Room”) involving a conspiracy in a small town chock full of corrupt cops.

“The Killer’s Game” | Sept. 13 | Theaters >> In this action comedy, Dave Bautista plays a hitman who, after receiving tough medical news, arranges a hit on himself, only to then desperately want out of his would-be assassins’ crosshairs. The cast also includes Ben Kingsley, Sofia Boutella, Terry Crews and Bautista’s buddy from the last two “Guardians of the Galaxy” romps, Pom Klementieff.

“My Old Ass” | Sept. 13 | Theaters >> We’re very much looking forward to this unusual comedy in which the typically delightful Aubrey Plaza plays the older version of a teen girl (Maisy Stella of “Nashville”) who visits said younger version in a vision, warning her about becoming entangled with someone named Chad (Percy Hynes White). This is the second film, following the well-reviewed 2021 film “The Fallout,” from actress-turned-filmmaker Megan Park.

“Speak No Evil” | Sept. 13 | Theaters >> A remake of a 2022 Danish film, this fright fest stars James McAvoy, Mackenzie Davis and Aisling Franciosi. The tale revolves around a couple’s weekend at a country estate of a family the couple befriended on vacation. It “begins as a dream holiday” and “soon warps into a psychological nightmare,” according to press materials. James Watkins (“The Woman in Black”) directs.

“His Three Daughters” | Sept. 20 | Netflix >> In select theaters two weeks before it lands on the streamer, writer-director Azazel Jacobs’ latest stars the appealing trio of Carrie Coon, Elizabeth Olsen and Natasha Lyonne. They portray estranged sisters who must come together to care for their father in the drama.

“Transformers One” | Sept. 20 | Paramount >> Anyone imagine a day, long ago, when bitter enemies Optimus Prime and Megatron may have been buddies? Us neither. At least this animated film, which will explore that era, seems targeted more toward a younger audience and less toward adults who grew up with the toys and for some reason are still interested in the “more than meets the eye” robots. The impressive voice cast includes Chris Hemsworth (Optimus), Brian Tyree Henry (Megatron), Scarlett Johansson, Steve Buscemi, Laurence Fishburne and Keegan-Michael Key. Another appealing asset: Josh Cooley, who helmed “Toy Story 4,” directs.

“Wolfs” | Sept. 20 | Theaters >> There’s so much reason for optimism with this action comedy, starting with its pairing of “Ocean’s” series veterans George Clooney and Brad Pitt as fixers who prefer to work alone but who must team up on a job. And then there’s the fact “Wolfs” is directed by Jon Watts, who did an amazing job on the recent trilogy of “Spider-Man” movies. However, we can’t help but wonder that if this romp were as fun as its trailer suggests it will be, would it be getting only a limited theatrical release, followed only a week later by its debut on Apple TV+?

“Never Let Go” | Sept. 27 | Theaters >> Halle Berry portrays a mother of twin sons, all of whom are in danger after an evil sets up shop just beyond their doorstep in the next frightening offering from director Alexandre Aja (“The Hills Have Eyes,” “Crawl.”)

“Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story” | Sept. 21 and 25 | Theaters >> As we wait for Warner Bros. Pictures to launch the DC Universe next year with the movie “Superman,” the studio will roll out this documentary it acquired about the late actor who starred in the “Superman” movies of the late 1970s and ’80s. Very well-received since its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January, the film is said to focus largely on the life of Reeve, who also was an activist and author, after the horse-riding accident that left him paralyzed from the neck down.

“Killer Heat” | Sept. 26 | Prime Video >> No, this isn’t a documentary about climate change but instead a mystery-based drama in which Joseph Gordon-Levitt attempts to solve a case on a remote Greek Island.

“Bagman” | Sept. 27 | Theaters >> It����ap not even October, month of frights, and we have to deal with this dark horror film’s titular unpleasant-looking and malevolent creature. The Bagman haunted Patrick McKee (Sam Claflin) as a child and returns years later to endanger the lives of his family. Sounds like good times.

“Lee” | Sept. 27 | Theaters >> In the directorial debut of cinematographer Ellen Kuras (“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”), Kate Winslet stars as war correspondent and photographer Lee Miller, who made a name for herself covering World War II. (Her famous shots include one of herself in Nazi leader Adolf Hitler’s bathtub.) The cast also boasts Alexander Skarsgard, Andy Samberg, Andrea Riseborough and Marion Cotillard.

“Megalopolis” | Sept. 27 | Theaters >> We’ll finally get to see filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola’s long-ago-conceived, self-financed, and much-talked-about science-fiction epic, which, despite its ambitiousness, hasn’t exactly wowed many who’ve already experienced it. Set in a huge decaying city called New Rome, the film stars Adam Driver as an architect who can stop time. The cast also boasts Nathalie Emmanuel, Giancarlo Esposito, Aubrey Plaza, Jon Voight and, among others, a notable alum of Coppola’s “Godfather” films, Talia Shire. Its distributor, Lionsgate, recently got in some hot water for a trailer, which it has since recalled, reportedly boasting fabricated negative critics’ quotes about previous Coppola films to suggest the director’s work long has been initially misunderstood. Yikes.

“The Wild Robot” | Sept. 27 | Theaters >> We’ve seen this animated adaptation of Peter Brown’s book and can say the visuals are dazzling. Also, this tale of a robot (voiced by Lupita Nyong’o) who crash-lands on an island and makes what at first is an uneasy alliance with a fox (Pedro Pascal) to care for a just-hatched gosling (Kit Connor) also has a heart. Director Chris Sanders (“The Croods”) also penned the screenplay.

“Hold Your Breath” | Oct. 3 | Hulu >> Scare-tober begins with this straight-to-streaming offering from Searchlight Pictures about a sinister presence threatening a family amid the dust storms of 1930s Oklahoma. (Geez, aren’t the dust storms stressful enough?) The cast features Sarah Paulson, Annaleigh Ashford and, last but not least, “The Bear” standout Ebon Moss-Bachrach.

“House of Spoils” | Oct. 3 | Prime Video >> As if opening a restaurant isn’t difficult enough under normal circumstances, a chef (Ariana DeBose) working to get a new eatery going must contend with the nefarious spirit of the property’s old owner. This one comes from budget-minded horror masters BlumHouse.

“Joker: Folie a Deux” | Oct. 3 | Theaters >> Expect musical mayhem in this sequel to 2019’s acclaimed “Joker,” which earned Joaquin Phoenix the Best Actor Academy Award for his portrayal of the Clown Prince of Crime in the gritty psychological thriller. To help with the whole musical aspect of the film, pop star Lady Gaga has been cast as Harley Quinn, another character from the Batman comics; she traditionally transitions from psychologist Harleen Quinzel into the Joker’s love interest and sidekick. “Joker” director Todd Phillips (“The Hangover”) returns to guide this sure-to-be-dark-and-wild ride, which also boasts returning cast member Zazie Beetz as Sophie Dumond.

“The Outrun” | Oct. 4 | Theaters >> Saoirse Ronan stars as a woman returning home after undergoing treatment for her alcoholism in this drama, based on the 2016 memoir of Amy Liptrot, who co-wrote the screenplay with director Nora Fingscheidt (“The Unforgivable”).

“White Bird” | Oct. 4 | Theaters >> After multiple delays, we should finally get this half-prequel-half-sequel to 2017’s “Wonder.” Based on the 2019 graphic novel, “White Bird” sees “Wonder” bully Julian Albans (now portrayed by Bryce Gheisar) learning about the experiences of his grandmother (Helen Mirren) as a young girl (Ariella Glaser) in Nazi-occupied France. Marc Forster (“Finding Neverland,” “Christopher Robin” directs from a screenplay by Mark Bomback (“War for the Planet of the Apes”).

“Piece by Piece” | Oct. 11 | Theaters >> The latest animation feature built with Lego pieces and parts, “Piece by Piece” is a … telling of the story of music star Pharrell Williams??? Williams voices himself, with fellow music figures such as Gwen Stefani, Justin Timberlake, Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar and Snoop Dogg doing the same. This effort would seem to be in good hands with Morgan Neville, director of the acclaimed documentaries “20 Feet From Stardom” and “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”

“Saturday Night” | Oct. 11 | Theaters >> Director Jason Reitman (“Ghostbusters: Afterlife”) helms and is the co-writer (with Gil Kenan) of this dramatization of the coming together of the late-night sketch-comedy staple that would come to be known as “Saturday Night Live.” Gabriel LaBelle portrays showrunner Lorne Michaels, while Cory Michael Smith, Ella Hunt, and Dylan O’Brien portray Not Ready for Prime Time Players Chevy Chase, Gilda Radner, Dan Aykroyd and Laraine Newman, respectively.

“Brothers” | Oct. 17 | Prime Video >> In select theaters a week before hitting Amazon’s streaming service, this action comedy comes from Max Barbakow, the director of the enjoyable 2020 offering “Palm Springs.” And Josh Brolin and Peter Dinklage as the titular siblings? A very sincere “yes, please.”

“Flight Risk” | Oct. 18 | Theaters >> Mel Gibson directs and Mark Wahlberg stars in this up-in-the-air action thriller. The actor plays a pilot who’s more than he seems, while Michelle Dockery portrays an FBI agent and Topher Grace an informant.

“A Real Pain” | Oct. 18 | Theaters >> Jesse Eisenberg is the writer, director and co-star of this dramady, in which he and “Succession” star Kieran Culkin portray mismatched cousins taking a tour of Poland to honor their beloved grandmother. Against the backdrop of their family history, old tensions resurface.

“Smile 2” | Oct. 18 | Theaters >> In this sequel to 2022 creepy-fun flick “Smile,” the supernaturally induced grinning is surrounding Skye Riley (Naomi Scott), a famous pop singer. Parker Finn, the writer-director of “Smile,” returns.

“Canary Black” | Oct. 24 | Prime Video >> Kate Beckinsale stars as a CIA agent whose husband is kidnapped by terrorists in this action thriller from “Taken” director Pierre Morel.

“Venom: The Last Dance” | Oct. 25 | Theaters >> OK, the campy “Venom” movies aren’t our particular cup of Spider-Man-adjacent tea, but 2018’s “Venom” and its 2021 sequel, “Venom: Let There Be Carnage,” have been successful enough to justify this apparent series conclusion. Tom Hardy is back as Eddie Brock — the antihero joined with a loud-mouthed alien symbiote attached to him — and is supported by appealing newcomers Chiwetel Ejiofor (“12 Years a Slave”) and Juno Temple (“Ted Lasso”). A co-writer on “Venom” and the writer of “Carnage,” Kelly Marcel returns as this film’s writer, and she is making her directorial debut.

“Here” | Nov. 1 | Theaters >> We have a genuine “Forrest Gump” reunion in the offing, with Tom Hanks and Robin Wright starring in this drama directed by Robert Zemeckis. Co-penned by Zemeckis and Eric Roth — yes, the “Gump” screenwriter — “Here” chronicles one small bit of the planet over many many years, a few of which see it become home to the couple played by Hanks and Wright. The cast also features Paul Bettany, Kelly Reilly and Michelle Dockery.

“The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” | Nov. 8 | Theaters >> Judy Greer and Pete Holmes star in this adaptation of Barbara Robinson’s 1972 children’s book, with Dallas Jenkins (“The Chosen”) in the director’s chair.

“Conclave” | Nov. 8 | Theaters >> That this adaptation of the international bestseller by Robert Harris looks gorgeous in its advanced footage is hardly surprising considering it is the work of Edward Berger, director of 2022’s “All Quiet on the Western Front.” In the thriller, intrigue swirls as a new pope must be chosen as the secrets of the one recently deceased surface. Ralph Fiennes portrays the cardinal tasked with leading the papal conclave, while the cast also boasts Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow and Isabella Rosellini. Note this is the wide date, the film being slated to get a limited release a week earlier.

“Back in Action” | Nov. 15 | Netflix >> Cameron Diaz and Jamie Foxx play former spies pulled back into the world of espionage after their identities are exposed in this action comedy from “Horrible Bosses” director Seth Gordon. Other notable cast members include Glenn Close, Kyle Chandler and Andrew Scott.

“Heretic” | Nov. 15 | Theaters >> The autumnal scares continue into November with this horror film about Mormon missionaries (Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East) who get more than they were looking to convert a man played by Hugh Grant. This is the latest from “Haunt” and “65” writing-and-directing duo Scott Beck and Brian Woods.

“Red One” | Nov. 15 | Theaters >> Jake Kasdan (“Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle”) directs an impressive cast — Dwayne Johnson, Chris Evans and J. K. Simmons being among the notable names — in this Christmas-themed action-comedy. Johnson plays the head of North Pole security, who, after Santa Claus (Simmons) is kidnapped, must team with a bounty hunter (Evans) for the rescue. The screenplay is by Chris Morgan, best known for his work on the “Fast and Furious” franchise.

“Gladiator II” | Nov. 22 | Theaters >> In this sequel talked about for decades, Paul Mescal (“Aftersun,” “All of Us Strangers”) portrays the grown Lucius, who years earlier had witnessing the death of the heroic Maximus — Russell Crowe’s character from director Ridley Scott����ap 2000 Academy Award winner, “Gladiator,” in case the name somehow doesn’t ring a bell — is now a gladiator himself. Scott returns, directing from a screenplay by David Scarpa (Scott����ap “All the Money in the World”), as does “Gladiator” cast member Connie Nielsen, as Lucilla, mother of Lucius. Notable actors new to Scott����ap spin on ancient Rome include Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal and Joseph Quinn (“Stranger Things”).

“Spellbound” | Nov. 22 | Netflix >> The latest animated offering from “Shrek” director Vicky Jenson is set in the magical world of Lumbria, where a young girl voiced by Rachel Zegler must break a powerful spell. Others contributing voice work include Nicole Kidman, Javier Bardem, Nathan Lane and “Shrek” alum John Lithgow.

“Wicked” | Nov. 22 | Theaters >> You sometimes will see this film referred to as “Wicked: Part One,” and we have come to believe, rather strongly, that when you break a piece of source material into two movies, the second will be the stronger of the two because it tells the conclusion of a story. This film may be the exception, as we’ve also come to believe, almost as strongly, that the first act of a piece of musical theater tends to be stronger than the second, as their creators have a habit of packing Act I with more topnotch songs. And knowing that “Part One” is almost sure to end with the banger that is composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz’s “Defying Gravity” has us thinking “Wicked: Part Two” — slated to ride a broom into theaters on Nov. 26, 2025 — will have a tough time topping it. The beloved stage musical is loosely based on Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel, “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West,” which, of course, wouldn’t exist without L. Frank Baum’s 1900 novel, “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” and the movie made from it, 1939’s “The Wizard of Oz.” In this screen version of “Wicked,” penned by the book writer of the show, Winnie Holzman, and directed by Jon M. Chu (“Crazy Rich Asians”), Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande lead the cast as witch pals Elphaba Thorpp and Galinda Upland, respectively. The cast also includes Jeff Goldblum and Michelle Yeoh.

But post-pandemic and after last year’s dual labor strikes — which prevented actors from attending film fests to support their work — something feels different headed into the Labor Day weekend ritual.

“I feel like the program has an element of exuberance to it,” executive director Julie Huntsinger said in a call. Programming Telluride is an act of mirroring more than molding, she believes, so Huntsinger offered her customary  (if humble) caveat. “We just reflect. All glory goes to filmmakers — but there is a reflection of a hopefulness that everybody not only needs but is also entitled to.”

In a hallowed Telluride tradition, the fest announced the four-day program on the cusp of the gathering. The festival begins Friday and ends Monday evening. This is the first peek at what festivalgoers will line up for, ride the occasional gondola to get to and immerse themselves in. The fest will screen feature films, shorts, revival programs, along with tributes, panels, conversations and student programs. As a festival founded on a love of international cinema, it����ap no surprise that 26 countries will be represented among the 60 or so films.

At a festival that has never shied away from the dark and demanding — and doesn’t for this edition, either — signs of the upbeat and exhilarating include “Saturday Night.” Director Jason Reitman’s film unfurls in the 90 minutes before the first airing of a little show called “Saturday Night Live” in 1975. As with so many innovations, creator Lorne Michaels’ idea of a show written by young firebrands and packed with unknowns who would in fairly short order become pop cultural quasars got lots of pushback.

As if to nod to the durability of the show, two of its stars who’ve gone on to first-rate film careers will appear onscreen in different movies. Will Ferrell and his dear friend Harper Steele, who is transgender, hit the road in the documentary “Will & Harper,” about the deep truths of friendship, directed by Jeff Greenbaum. And Bill Murray appears alongside Naomi Watts, Carla Gugino and Bing, a harlequin Great Dane, in directors David Siegel and Scott McGehee’s adaptation of “The Friend,” novelist Sigrid Nunez’s National Book Award-winning novel about an author who adopts the dog of her departed mentor. News has it the giant pup will be on hand. (In the unabashedly dog-friendly town, that won’t give anyone paws.)

Also in the ebullient department, director Morgan Neville’s “Piece by Piece” tells the story of Pharrell Williams, the singer-songwriter-producer responsible for one of the most titularly happy songs ever. To accentuate childlike wonder, the biopic is told using animation with Lego bricks.

The documentary “Casa Bonita Mi Amor!” will introduce those not in the know (i.e., not from the Denver area) to the pink palace of entrancing cliff driving and legendarily so-so (OK, not good) Mexican food, Casa Bonita. Director Arthur Bradford follows “South Park” creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone on their passionate quest to reopen the iconic restaurant (yes, with a great chef). It screens in the Backlot, the festival’s most accessible venue, which means non-passholders have a shot at seeing the film. (Also of note in the Backlot: the Irish drama ��ٷɲ������Ƿ�,” which features Brenda Fricker as a ruminative solitary figure living in a seaside home, who begins writing a letter to an unknown correspondent.)

Films that premiered at the Cannes Film Festival to acclaim — either whole-hearted or prickly —  will be well represented with Sean Baker’s Palme d’Or-winning “A�Դǰ���” and festival honoree Jacque Audiard’s “Emilia Pérez.” Both make the argument that the language of filmmaking is often buoyant and wowing beyond its subject matter. Baker (“Tangerine,” “Red Rocket”) has made the loving centering of sex workers his oeuvre. “A�Դǰ���” features a Brooklyn call girl who snags the affection of a scion of a Russian oligarch. When the news hits Russia, the fantasy Ani (Mickey Madison) hopes to live out gets complicated. Audiard’s latest features a quartet of lauded performances in a sumptuously shot musical about a transgender drug lord: Zoe Saldaña, Selena Gomez, Adriana Paz and Karla Sofía Gascón, as the cartel boss of the title, all took the best actress prize at Cannes earlier this year.

This year’s guests are scheduled to include Angelina Jolie, star of Pablo Larrain’s Maria Callas film, “M��������”; Danielle Deadwyler and John David Washington of “The Piano Lesson,” directed by Malcom Washington, making good on father Denzel’s promise to produce August Wilson’s 10-play cycle for the screen; Martha Stewart, the fascinating, resilient subject of R.J. Cutler’s documentary of the same name; Embeth Davitz, who directed but also acts in the adaptation of Alexandra Fuller’s “Don’t Let����ap Go to the Dogs Tonight,” about her childhood in Rhodesia (Zimbabwe); guest director Kenneth Lonergan; and Amanda Zurawski (who, along with husband Josh, made indelible the outrages of the Dobbs decision at the DNC) in the documentary “Zurawski v Texas,” about Texas abortion ban and the women fighting it.

Also attending: Saoirse Ronan, who will receive a tribute and one of the fest’s three silver medallions. Her latest, “The Outrun,” directed by Nora Fingscheidt, is based on Amy Liptrot����ap celebrated memoir about her downward spiral into alcoholism.

Telluride is known for its deeply enjoyable and illuminating program notes (hats off to Larry Gross, who authors many of them). The one on Ronan was written by Greta Gerwig, who directed the actor in “Ladybird” and “Little Women.” “The word ‘prodigy’ is thrown around a lot, but in her case, it is fitting,” Gerwig writes of the four-time Oscar nominee, who made such a disquieting impression in “Atonement” at the age of 12. Her work has only deepened in films as varied as “The Lovely Bones,” “Hanna” “Brooklyn” and “Ammonite.”

“Her gift is incredibly rare, but how she’s cared for it and grown it to become the formidable artist she is today is rarer still,” Gerwig continues. “She is a translucent actor — she somehow makes her external life transparent so we can all see her soul. But every character she plays is unique, wildly different from the others, so each soul she shows us is a new revelation.” That should be one helluva tribute reel.

So, too, will be the one for film editor Thelma Schoonmaker, whose work as Martin Scorsese’s longtime collaborator is unparalleled. The Oscar nominations started in 1971 with Michael Wadleigh’s documentary “Woodstock” and continued to last year’s “The Killers of the Flower Moon.” The wins began in 1981 with Scorsese’s “Raging Bull” and include “The Aviator” and “The Departed.” Schoonmaker was married to British film director Michael Powell (who died in 1990). In an elegant gesture both cinematic and familial, Schoonmaker will be interviewed onstage by Powell’s grandson, director Kevin Macdonald (this year’s TFF doc “One to One” John & Yoko”).  She’ll also be in conversation with film editing’s wise practitioner and champion Walter Murch.

If the festival were as tall as one of the nearby mineral-specked peaks, this preview would barely get us to the first steep incline. With films by Errol Morris (��ٱ�貹�����ٱ��” about families cleaved at the U.S.-Mexico border), Matt Tyrnauer (“Carville: Winning Is Everything, Stupid”) and Bonnie Cohen (“In Waves and War” with Jon Shenk and “The White House Effect” with Shenk and Pedro Kos) among others, the documentary slate is better than robust, it����ap edifyingly timely.

One film sure to arrive with the aura of discovery is “Nickel Boys.” The book it hails from is well known, but its budding director, RaMell Ross, is a cherished secret. His much-anticipated film is based on Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel that focuses on friends Elwood and Turner, who meet at a harsh Florida reformatory in the 1960s. That literary provenance might be reason enough for attendees to queue for the film, but it is Ross, in his narrative feature debut, who holds such great promise.

“It’s a remarkable achievement,” Huntsinger said of the film, which screens in the Herzog venue, an ice rink transformed into an arthouse with impossibly pristine sound. The film also opens the New York Film Festival next month.

“I just want everybody to understand how privileged we are to witness this,” Julie Huntsinger said. “I wish I could be in the screening at the Herzog to watch everybody discover this movie and feel it and go through the things that the characters go through. I’m very happy for everybody involved. May it be as beloved when it’s finally out there in the world.”

And with that benediction, the Show, as it����ap dubbed, begins.

Telluride’s Aug. 30-Sept. 2 event, however, is long sold out. Here are more ideas for Colorado film festivals through the rest of the 2024 awards season, with a focus on independent features and documentaries — plus the occasional “Wild Robot.”

San Souci Festival of Dance Cinema

The 21st version of this unique festival mixes in-person and virtual screenings, including titles streaming through the end of the year and in person at the Dairy Arts Center’s Boedecker Theater. The Aug. 30-Sept. 1 opening events on the Museum of Boulder’s rooftop patio include films, live performances and art installations, along with food and drink. Futures events, such as the Sept. 10 short-film screenings at the West Age Well Center, include discussion and a low-mobility-friendly dance class — free to the public age 60 “and better.”

Aspen Filmfest

Celebrating 45 years, Aspen Film’s feature-length event (they also run the excellent, Oscar-qualifying Shortsfest) retains its modest footprint from last year, hewing close to the Aspen Isis Theatre, Sept. 17-22. It retains the well-balanced programming of last year too, with more than a dozen buzzy indies and Hollywood features. The titles range from the opening film “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story,” an audience favorite from Sundance, but also the big-budget Dreamworks animated film “The Wild Robot,” and the Jesse Eisenberg family comedy “A Real Pain.”

Crested Butte Film Festival

This 14-year-old gem has a lightness to it that’s reinforced with the stunning mountain views. A nonprofit event running Sept. 18-22, the Crested Butte Film Festival has documentaries, narrative features, shorts, local entries, and in-person filmmakers. We like the high placement of “Kneecap,” the feature dramedy about an Irish hip-hop group that features real musicians. Also keep an eye out for the all-ages highlights, including a children’s film workshop on Sept. 21.

Breck Film Festival

Breckenridge waves goodbye to summer with its mix of independent and festival-track films screened at The Eclipse Theater, The Riverwalk Center, and the Breck Backstage Theater, Sept. 19-22. Like most high country film confabs, this is a walkable and casual event that last year presented about 100 titles, typically with a genre-agnostic approach. This year’s schedule and film guide are expected to be released Sunday, Sept. 1, at .

Denver Silent Film Festival

Don’t sleep on the chance to see film’s bedrock works illuminated in new and stunning ways. In addition to nine, lovingly restored silent films programmed from around the world, the Sept. 27-29 screenings at the Sie FilmCenter are presented with live musical accompaniment by local artists like the world-renowned Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra. Seriously, this is one of the coolest little fests anywhere.

Telluride Horror Show

The new golden age of horror movies we’re living in draws its lifeblood from fests such as these. This one’s marking 15 years with another round of murderously fun high-country screenings, guests, panels and parties — although the lineup has not yet been announced. Expect that shortly before the fest, which takes place Oct. 11-13.

Rocky Mountain Women’s Film Festival

The 37th festival returns to Colorado College in Colorado Springs with an international celebration of women filmmakers. This year, the event will have in-person screenings at Colorado College Oct. 18-20, followed by a “virtual encore” Oct. 24-27. The full schedule will be available Oct. 1 at .

Denver Film Festival

The program and guest list is still firming up, but passes are already on sale to the 47th Denver Film Festival, the city’s largest and most prestigious movie party. Expect to see the lineup the first week of October when single tickets go on sale to subscribers (Oct. 3) and the general public (Oct. 4). The event runs Nov. 1-10 and includes the typically impressive schedule of screenings, parties, panels, themed packages, and awards spread across the Sie FilmCenter, as well as the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, Denver Botanic Gardens, MCA at the Holiday Theater and others.

Ridgway Film Festival

The lineup’s not out yet for this 10th event in the San Juan Mountains, running Nov. 14-17, but last year’s program featured fun options such as skygazing trips (it’s really, really dark there at night), an art show and lots of in-person meet-ups alongside the many screenings. Lost of events are free, too.

Vail Film Festival

This late-season, competitive event is still taking submissions on its website, so a public lineup hasn’t even begun to take shape. There’s a screenplay competition open now for features, shorts and TV pilots. The schedule for the 21st event, which will again feature dozens of films in the high country ski town, will be announced in the coming weeks. Dec. 7-10.

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While other cities like Atlanta and Minneapolis are among the places bidding for the Sundance Film Festival’s new home beginning in 2027, I hope that Boulder will earn the bid. For film festival enthusiasts, the 50-year success of the Telluride Film Festival has shown that small Colorado mountain towns can host great entertainment showcases. Also, the 20-year success of the Boulder International Film Festival (BIFF) has demonstrated an appetite for these festivities in the Boulder community. Sundance and BIFF can build on one another, integrate lessons learned and engage meaningfully with local Boulder creatives. 

While Boulder is deservedly seen as a base camp for nearby mountain activities, our community offers an appealing January destination for these entertainment and cultural endeavors among our residents and visitors. Further partnerships with CU can bring energy, talents and insights from students, staff and faculty and it can help to amplify interdisciplinary and integrative as well as humanities-centered pursuits from campus. The influx of visitors would bolster the local economy while bringing new jobs to the Boulder community.

Certainly, if Boulder were to earn the bid, it would motivate many important and critical discussions regarding how the city can successfully accommodate — and entertain — tens of thousands of new visitors over the subsequent years. That would be an exciting challenge that could spark thoughtful transportation policy action along with pedestrian- and tourism-friendly decision-making. For instance, public transportation options could be put in place to help visitors and residents move pleasantly and efficiently throughout the city (think creatively about trams or gondolas that could link CU Boulder with University Hill, Foothills Community Park area, Chautauqua and the downtown). Moreover, planners could advance public-private partnerships to transform surface parking and other underutilized spaces into multi-purpose housing units, plazas and pocket parks. Earning the bid to host Sundance can also further catalyze the development of new entertainment venues in the Boulder area like the still-dormant civic use pad. 

For years Boulder has been an engaged community where we wrestle with various narratives about how to live, and what stories we tell about ourselves and others. The Sundance Film Festival holds the potential to deepen those productive considerations while welcoming and engaging with those who would visit and take part in the film festival. This could mark a positive inflection point for the Boulder community, addressing chronic challenges while advancing many longstanding goals and commitments to inclusion, enrichment and diversity.

Max Boykoff, mboykoff@gmail.com

My initial reaction was, “Why would we want Sundance HERE?” It����ap so identified with Park City, Robert Redford in a snow-dusted Stetson and all that. However, giving it a little more thought, it doesn’t seem like the worst sort of event/enterprise to add to Boulder’s collection (and I don’t blame Sundance for wanting to get out of Utah with all the anti-gay and anti-trans legislation being passed there). One big caveat: We really wouldn’t want a bigger, more famous festival to elbow in and suck life out of our homegrown and wonderful BIFF, which recently celebrated 20 years. If we land Sundance, one of the festivals would need to shift seasons so they don’t happen too close together.

The cool factor aside, the primary motivation for going after Sundance is pure business: to get more visitors staying, eating and shopping in Boulder year-round by boosting tourism in January when it����ap supposedly “quiet” here. We do have all these large new hotels in town, including the Limelight on the Hill which will open next year, that I suppose need to be filled. There’s also an expectation that Sundance would create possibly hundreds of jobs, though I assume they’d be for only part of any given year.

The proposal (with plenty of financial incentives) has already been submitted, backed by the City of Boulder, Colorado Creative Industries, Gov. Polis, and state offices related to the film industry, business and tourism. I hope if we do get Sundance, the city will lean hard on the Sundance Institute to truly become a part of our community and not an invasive species that just wants to plant itself somewhere pretty (and possibly crowd out smaller events). What will they contribute to Boulder besides $$? It would be neat if students at CU’s department of Cinema Studies and Moving Image Arts could work with the Festival, just as working with the Colorado Shakespeare Festival is an enriching opportunity for CU’s theatre and dance department.

I guess we’ll see about Sundance. My crush on Robert Redford dates back to the ’70s and neither of us is getting any younger. In the meantime, Boulder has lots to offer us already. The Boulder Environmental/Nature/Outdoors Film Festival is coming up at the Dairy in mid-July, so check it out!

Diane Schwemm, parksidediane@gmail.com

“Reservoir Dogs,” “Napoleon Dynamite,” “Little Miss Sunshine,” “The Blair Witch Project,” “Get Out.” These are just some of the famous movies that had their premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. The festival has been a launching pad for many influential and critically acclaimed films over the years. With such a prestigious history, the prospect of Boulder hosting the festival is both thrilling and daunting.

The logical part of my brain says, “130,000 film enthusiasts (with 20,000 being out-of-state) descending on Boulder over a 10-day period? In the middle of winter and the Spring semester?! It����ap a madhouse!” But I love watching movies. It relaxes me to the point where my Fitbit often gets confused and thinks I’ve been sleeping for two hours. So, I would be lying if I didn’t say I’m incredibly excited about the prospect of Boulder hosting the festival.

However, I do recognize that Boulder needs to prepare meticulously to host an event of this magnitude. Transportation will be a significant factor. As seen in Park City, Utah (where the event is currently held until 2026), shuttle services have proven to be effective in managing the influx of visitors. Establishing a robust shuttle system to ferry attendees between venues, hotels and other key locations can help mitigate traffic congestion. Boulder should focus its planning and resource allocation on the first weekend, when most actors, directors and tourists arrive for premieres and Q&A sessions. Fortunately, the city already has experience with similar programs, like the Chautauqua Park shuttles.

Accommodation is another piece of the puzzle. Boulder will have to ensure there are enough lodging options to accommodate the influx of visitors. This might involve working with nearby cities to provide additional accommodations and ensuring efficient transportation links to Boulder. Local businesses should also be prepared for the surge in customers, which could significantly boost the local economy if managed correctly — potentially in the tens of millions of dollars, based on Park City’s economy.

Nevertheless, there are potential detriments that Boulder must tackle if selected. The sudden influx of tens of thousands of visitors could overwhelm local infrastructure, requiring detailed planning to manage increased traffic congestion, higher volumes of waste and interruptions to daily life for residents. Effective crowd management strategies will be necessary to maintain order, including setting up clear signage and coordinating with local law enforcement to handle the surge in attendees. Engaging with the community through City Council meetings and feedback sessions will help address residents’ concerns, providing transparent updates and involving locals in the planning process to foster support and minimize disruptions.

The Sundance Film Festival moving to Boulder could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship. While my excitement is palpable, I recognize it����ap important to balance enthusiasm with practical considerations and thorough planning. If Boulder can successfully address these challenges, it could not only host a world-renowned event but also enhance its reputation as a vibrant cultural hub.

Hernán Villanueva, chvillanuevap@gmail.com

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Director Andrew Haigh based his film on Taichi Yamada’s novel, “Strangers.” A “thinking man’s ghost story,” is how one reviewer described the darker work.  It was translated from Japanese into English in 2003.

In Haigh’s hands, something touchingly grounded was discovered in the translation. At the core of “All of Us Strangers” resides a haunting love story and a naturalistic ghost yarn. Andrew Scott (the hot priest in “Fleabag”) plays screenwriter Adam, who connects to his long-lost parents at the same time he is embarking on a relationship with a mysterious neighbor named Harry (Paul Mescal).

“All of Us Strangers” has garnered critics’ accolades and awards nominations — for its four leads, in particular Andrew Scott, but also for Haigh’s screenplay. This should keep the delicate drama in the cultural conversation until the Academy Awards nominations are announced on Jan. 23 and on through to the televised ceremony on March 10.

The film was an audience favorite when it screened for the first time at the Telluride Film Festival in late summer. And its emotional tug was confirmed in November when the Denver Film Festival gave Haigh its LaBahn Ikon Award.

“He was an amazing choice to receive our second Ikon Award,” said Keith Garcia, founder of the film organization’s Cinema Q banner and annual LGBTQ+ film festival, now entering its 16th year. “He’s similar to Coleman Domingo,” honored in 2022 and an amazing acting talent, “who has such a great career behind him but also an amazing future going forward. That����ap like Haigh’s trajectory as a filmmaker.”

Haigh’s filmography provides evidence of his ascendant place among LGBTQ+ filmmakers, but also, like directors Todd Haynes and Ira Sachs, cinema in general. “Not just ‘Weekend’ but also ‘Looking’ [the HBO series about three gay male friends in San Francisco] have become staples,” Garcia continued. “But he’s been able to mix in other works that aren’t necessarily queer in their nature but are queer in that they’re made by a queer filmmaker. It����ap a very important distinction for us, this notion that the people we want to honor have that diversity and have that ability to be relevant to everyone. ‘All of Us Strangers’ is a nice convergence of that.”

What binds Haigh’s movies is the palpable intimacy he injects into the space between his characters: whether they are two men who surprise themselves by falling in love (“Weekend,” which has become something of a queer cinema classic); a husband and wife in the midst of celebrating a milestone when an out-of-the-blue discovery vexes their rapport (“45 Years,” featuring a fierce Charlotte Rampling); or a wounded teen and the horse he tries to save ( “Lean on Pete,” an under-the-radar gem).

Hauntings are often the stuff of the betwixt-and-between spaces, which are the domain of “All of Us Strangers.” There is the nearly deserted high-rise that Adam and Harry appear to be the sole occupants of as well as the train that ferries Adam to and from his childhood home in a London suburb to that eerie apartment tower.

The ability to move between two worlds or occupy a liminal space provides an apt description of Haigh’s own dual role as writer and director, splitting his time between Los Angeles and London. “It’s like there are two different sides of me when I’m working. Even just in a physical sense,” he said, drinking orange juice at Denver’s Four Seasons hotel the morning after his Denver Film award reception.

“My front room is where I write, and I’m listening to music. I’m in my own head, I’m in my own world, and it����ap all in here.” Haigh points to his temple, then adds, “Then suddenly you’re trying to make it for real in a new situation with 100 people and with actors and everybody else’s personality. They’re such different jobs.”

Different jobs that he does remarkably well. The quartet in “All of Us Strangers” does sublime work. Scott carries the melancholy, the need and a hint of hope as Adam, a screenwriter shaped by the early deaths of his parents. Mescal is gently magnetic as Harry, the fellow who knocks on Adam’s door and asks if he might like to share a drink. Foy and Bell offer magical, heartbreaking — and believable — performances as the parents who meet the son they were separated from by untimely deaths. “I feel like my job on the set is to make [the actors] feel like they are the most important people in the room, which they are essentially in that moment,” he says of his cast.

At the Denver Film Festival screening, two patrons seated nearby whispered to each other about the relationship of Scott����ap Adam to Foy and Bell’s characters. The proximity in age threw them. It����ap true: The man who the couple invite into their modest home in the London suburbs of Croydon is a tad older than they are. Uncanny to be sure, but Haigh plays the reunited family’s interaction with a naturalism that values warmth over spookiness. And he’s at peace with some uncertainty on the part of viewers. It is, after all, a strange world he’s invited us into.

Haigh admits that the writer in him felt at times like he was teetering on the edge of going off the rails. “Constantly, actually,” he says with a smile. But he hewed to writing scenes that made the most sense to him emotionally.

“I asked myself a lot of questions like, ‘Would it make sense? Is that going to confuse the story in a bad way? Not necessarily in a good way?’ There were many times I thought, ‘This really could go wrong.’ But I always knew that it was doing something to me when I read it. And I knew when I gave it to other people, it was doing something to them.”

It is that welling up of feeling, amid the understatedly supernatural, that has marked the film’s first public screening at Telluride, followed up by Haigh’s Denver Film Festival award and deep into the awards season.

Early on, Haigh gave the script to his longtime editor, Jonathan Alberts. “You often don’t cry with a script,” Haigh said. “He cried a lot.”

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