Denver Film Festival 2026

The Denver Film Festival returns from October 22 to November 1, 2026, running across eleven days at the Sie FilmCenter, the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, MCA Denver at the Holiday Theater, and the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. It's the city's longest-running celebration of cinema, with films from around the world, panels, and parties.

The lineup opens on October 22 with I Play Rocky. Centerpiece presentations Behemoth! and Ink follow on October 24, and the festival closes on October 31 with Paper Tiger. Between those, the program fills in with independent, international, and emerging cinema. There's also a Colorado Spotlight section that features premieres made right here in the state, and the whole thing is rounded out with parties, receptions, conversations, and Q&As.

This year's awards go to a wide range of names: Carrie Coon for Excellence in Acting, John Cho for the Outlaw Award, Liz Sargent for Breakthrough Director, Benedetta Porcaroli for the Maglione Italian Film Award, David Acord for Excellence in Sound Design, Michael Gitlin for the Stan Brakhage Award, and Fred Hechinger for the Rising Star Award.

Founded in 1978, the festival was one of the first of its kind in the country and has since become Denver's premier cinema event. It's run by Denver Film, the city's only non-profit film organization, and presented at the Sie FilmCenter, the organization's neighborhood theater. Artistic director Matt Campbell programs without an overarching theme, instead chasing a balance of story variety and voice diversity; the team reviews thousands of submissions each year to pick the films. Tickets are sliding-scale or pay-what-you-can at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House and for select general-admission screenings.