I Play Rocky - Opening Night Presentation

I Play Rocky opens the 49th Denver Film Festival at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House on Thursday, October 22, at 7 PM. It's Peter Farrelly's fictionalized account of Sylvester Stallone preparing to write and star as Rocky Balboa: an unknown actor who believed he was meant to be Rocky, not just to write him, and who held the line on playing the lead after being told no at every turn. The film is introduced by its screenwriter, Peter Gamble.

It's billed as the ultimate underdog story behind the ultimate underdog movie, and it kicks off a festival that runs for 11 days, screening 129 feature films, documentaries, and shorts across the Sie FilmCenter, the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, MCA Denver at the Holiday Theater, and the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. Artistic director Matthew Campbell noted a strong crop of sports documentaries in this edition, and the festival hands out awards including the Maglione Italian Film Award, the Excellence in Acting Award, and the Outlaw Award.

Tickets are sliding-scale or pay-what-you-can at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, so you can decide what you want to pay. The screening starts at 7 PM on October 22.