Denver Film Festival Goes Virtual For An At Home Experiences
DENVER (CBS4) – In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the Denver Film Society has completely reimagined its 43rd Annual Denver Film Festival. Instead of doing in-theater screenings, the festival is largely virtual. Ticket holders can watch the movies online, or on Roku TV or Apple TV.
The Festival has hosted three drive-in events in the parking lot at Red Rocks.
"We decided to transition to holding films in the parking lot, a drive-in in the parking. A beautiful 60-foot LED screen up there. It's a beautiful picture, on that you would see like at a sports venue. We actually had 32 films this summer, and building on that idea, three films are featured in this year's Film Festival," said James Mejia, CEO of the Denver Film Society.
The Festival is limiting in-person experiences, but the virtual offerings are still the same diverse, and thought provoking titles that Festival-goers have come to expect. There are feature films, shorts, student shorts, music videos, and episodic content, all available for a few clicks on the computer. The virtual format allows movie lovers from across the state to participate.
"There is a tremendous section on Colorado spotlight, where we feature filmmakers from Colorado, and content about Colorado, so that's a pretty exciting space," Mejia explained.
One of the challenges of having a virtual festival is facilitating the conversations that the titles inspire. The Denver Film Society is using several platforms to make sure those conversations can happen. There are pre-taped dialogues that you can get when you download some films, some discussions are happening via zoom, and some are actually happening in-person.
"Last night, we had 10 people in a 179-seat theater for a question and answer about climate change. After watching 'I Am Greta' virtually, they came together and had an hour-long conversation about climate change, using Greta Thornburg's experience and bio as a backdrop," Mejia told CBS4.
LINK: For Tickets & Information about Denver Film Festival
The Denver Film Festival runs through November 8, 2020.
