FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Denver Film Media Contacts:
Marty Schechter: marty@denverfilm.org
Jon Ewing: jon@denverfilm.org
Shea Martin: shea@denverfilm.org
DENVER – Oct. 16, 2025 – Denver Film announced today an expanded list of special guests, award recipients, screenings and special events for this year’s Denver Film Festival, in addition to naming the Festival’s jury. The Denver Film Festival runs from Oct. 31 – Nov. 9, 2025. The complete schedule of films, screening times and locations, as well as ticketing information and access to special presentations and unique Festival events is available at: https://www.denverfilm.org/denverfilmfestival/.
Highlighting the growing list of award honorees are actors Zoey Deutch and Ben Foster, as well as directors Charlie Polinger and Peggy Ahwesh.
Deutch will appear in-person on Wednesday, Nov. 5 to receive the Rising Star Award following the Festival’s newly-added screening of Nouvelle Vague, Richard Linklater’s love letter to French New Wave cinema set during the making of Jean-Luc Godard’s Breathless. Deutch, who plays Jean Seberg in Nouvelle Vague, is also known for her work in films such as Everybody Wants Some!!, Juror #2, and Set It Up, alongside her fellow Denver Film Festival honoree Lucy Liu.
Also on Wednesday, Nov. 5, Foster will appear in-person in support of Christy, a biographical sports drama about former professional boxer Christy Martin, directed by David Michôd. Portraying Martin’s trainer and manager-turned-husband in the film, Foster, who specializes in playing complicated men straddling the line between right and wrong in films like Hell or High Water and Leave No Trace, will fittingly accept the Festival’s inaugural Outlaw Award. Denver Film Festival’s Outlaw Award honors excellence in antagonistic performances. The award aims to recognize the fearless dedication an actor must apply to their craft to excel in transforming into an unsavory character.
“Zoey Deutch and Ben Foster add energy and excitement to every movie they’re in,” said Denver Film CEO Kevin Smith. “We can’t wait to bring that same enthusiasm to this year’s festival with an amazing lineup of guests, conversations, and experiences you won’t have anywhere else.”
Polinger is set to receive Denver Film’s Breakthrough Director Award for The Plague, a psychological drama starring Joel Edgerton. The Plague, which premiered at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, will screen on Saturday, Nov. 1 and Thursday, Nov. 6. Polinger will attend the Nov. 1 screening.
Ahwesh will be honored with DFF48’s Stan Brakhage Vision Award, which is given every year to filmmakers whose work represents courage, boldness, uncompromising integrity, and vision. The presentation of the award will take place following a special event at which seven of the director’s short films will be screened. An Evening with Peggy Ahwesh is scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 2 at the Sie FilmCenter.
Also added to the DFF48 lineup is Rose of Nevada, Director Mark Jenkin’s (Enys Men, Bait) time-travel drama centered around two men (George MacKay and Callum Turner) lost at sea for over thirty years, who then mysteriously reappear in the harbor of their remote fishing village. The film, which had its North American premiere in September at the Toronto International Film Festival, will screen as part of the Sheila K. O’Brien U.K./Ireland Cinema Showcase on Sunday, Nov. 2 at the Sie FilmCenter.
Retrospective Screenings
The Denver Film Festival will also proudly screen a series of special retrospective films honoring the legacy of a group of indelible artists who recently passed away. The selected films include:
Special Event
Awards Editor Katey Rich and Deputy Editor Christopher Rosen of The Ankler will record an interview with previously-announced DFF48 honoree, Director Gus Van Sant, for the weekly Prestige Junkie podcast following the screening of his latest film, Dead Man’s Wire, on Nov. 4 at The MCA Denver at the Holiday Theater presented by Amazon.
A film & television critic and reporter for almost twenty years, Katey Rich started her career at the movie theater-focused trade magazine, Film Journal International, before moving on to become editor-in-chief of Cinema Blend and then spending more than a decade as an editor at Vanity Fair. She launched Vanity Fair‘s online Hollywood, Vanities and Awards Insider verticals and founded and hosted the awards podcast Little Gold Men. In addition to serving as the awards editor at The Ankler and host of the Prestige Junkie podcast, as well as the subscription-only spinoff, Prestige Junkie After Party, Rich also hosts the independent pop culture podcast, Fighting in the War Room, which has built a devoted audience over the past 15 years.
Christopher Rosen is the deputy editor at Ankler Media and a frequent co-host of Katey Rich’s Prestige Junkie podcast. Previously, Chris worked at Vanity Fair, TV Guide, Entertainment Weekly, HuffPost and, most recently, Gold Derby, where he co-created the long-running podcast, Awards Magnet.
“We’re thrilled to expand upon our already robust lineup of in-person guests and screenings by welcoming even more of the film industry’s most accomplished and inspiring talents to this year’s Festival,” said Denver Film Festival Artistic Director Matthew Campbell. “The awards, panels, and conversations with the creators behind the work give audiences a rare opportunity to engage directly with the voices shaping today’s cinematic landscape. That exchange—between the artists, both on screen and behind the camera, and the audiences who celebrate them—is what has always defined and distinguished the Denver Film Festival as a truly special experience.”
Creative Conversations
In addition to the expanded list of guests and films, the Festival program will include five
Creative Conversations delivering intimate discussions with filmmakers and industry experts covering a range of timely and provocative topics. All Creative Conversations will be held in the lower level of The Tattered Cover (2526 E. Colfax Ave.) and include:
DFF48 Jury for In-Competition Films
Featuring films from across the world, this year’s selection of in-competition films will be screened and judged by a panel of industry professionals and entertainment industry media. DFF48 jurors include:
Krzysztof Kieslowski Award for Best Feature Film
David Ansen (Film Critic & Programmer)
Clayton Davis (Chief Awards Editor, Variety)
Clara McGregor (Actress/Producer, Bleeding Love)
Maysles Brothers Award for Best Documentary
Chris Gardner (Senior Writer, The Hollywood Reporter)
Bing Liu (Director, Minding the Gap)
Lisa Lucas (Arts Administrator)
American Independent Award
Jonathan Abrams (Screenwriter, Juror #2)
Megan Cruz (Film Influencer, @JStoobs on TikTok)
Matt Grobar (Senior Film Reporter, Deadline)
Shorts Competitions
Lucie Boulet (Manager, Screening Events & Festivals, NEON)
Coral Peña (Actress, Swiped, Task)
Denzel Whitaker (Actor, The Great Debaters)
The Press Accreditation application process for the 48TH Denver Film Festival (DFF48) closes Oct. 24 at 11:59 p.m. The application to be considered for accreditation can be found on the DFF48 website or by clicking here.
2025 Denver Film Festival Sponsors:
Branding Designed By
AOR
Thank You To Our Sponsors
Colorado Office of Film, Television and Media
Amazon
Liberty Global
Next50
Anna John Sie Foundation
Dormer Harpring Personal Injury Lawyers
Kicking Horse Coffee
Sheila K O’Brien
Wana Brands Foundation
William LaBahn
HW Home
Center for Judaic Studies, University of Denver
GHP Investment Advisors, Inc.
BOK Financial
Katie Reilly & Shane Harvey
Meow Wolf
Taloma Partners
PNC Bank
Mary Watson
Snarfs Sandwiches
Olive & Finch
Visit Denver
Gary Community Ventures
Bennett Thrasher
Gloria Campbell and John Verwys
Susan Capitelli
L’Alliance Française de Denver
Suzanne Siteman
Colorado Environmental Film Festival
Consulate General of Canada in Denver
Media
5280 Magazine
Axios
CBS News Colorado
City Cast Denver
Colorado Public Radio
Denverse
KBCO (97.3 FM)
Metromode Magazine
Rocky Mountain PBS
theBulletin.io
Additional Thanks To
Eldorado Natural Spring Water
AVFX
Best Day Brewing
Butler Rents
Delicato Family Wines
Denver Screen Print & Embroidery
IndyInk
Jay’s Valet
MiHi Entertainment
milkhaus
Newberry Brothers Florist
Ratio Beerworks
Serendipity Catering
Sexy Pizza
Spirit Hounds
Topo Chico
Total Wine & More
Wander Beats
Wild Common Agave Spirits
Denver Arts & Venues
Denver Botanic Gardens
Four Mile Historic Park
MCA Denver at the Holiday Theater
Tattered Cover
The Jacquard, Autograph Collection
Venture X Denver Lodo
Denver Community Media
Dulin McQuinn Young, LLP
Barcelona Wine Bar
Black Pride Colorado
CFVA (The Colorado Film and Video Association)
Colorado Dragon Boat
Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival
SAG-AFTRA
SeriesFest
YouthSeen
Proudly Funded By
Bonfils Stanton Foundation
SCFD (Scientific & Cultural Facilities District)
About Denver Film
Denver Film has been transforming and entertaining the Colorado community through the power of diverse voices in film since 1978. Operating as the region’s only membership-based, 501(c)(3) nonprofit film institution, Denver Film has grown into a signature cultural organization in the West, screening international and independent movies found nowhere else in the region.
Serving more than 160,000 patrons annually through 600-plus screenings that include year-round programming at Denver Film’s flagship home the Sie (pronounced SEE) FilmCenter, the annual Denver Film Festival celebration, the iconic Film on the Rocks program at Red Rocks Amphitheater, and Spotlight Festivals including CinemaQ, Women+Film, and the Colorado Dragon Boat Film Festival. Spotlights highlight underrepresented communities and foster inclusivity. Denver Film works to build resilience across all of its programming and events by amplifying diverse voices, promoting equity, and fostering community connections.
For more information or to explore the full suite of Denver Film programming, events, and ticketing visit: denverfilm.org.
