Denver Film Festival returns for 2026, features works by Pedro Pascal, Adam Driver and more
Oct 23, 2026, 9:01 AM | Updated: 3:13 pm
The 49th annual Denver Film Festival runs Oct. 22-Nov. 1, 2026, bringing nearly 130 feature films, documentaries and shorts from around the globe to theaters across the city. The lineup includes major awards-season titles, international discoveries, filmmaker conversations, red carpets and tribute events.
The festival opened Oct. 22 at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House with the premiere of “I Play Rocky,” directed by Peter Farrelly. The film kicked off the festival’s 11-day run before the party moved to Market Station for the official opening night takeover.
Opening night at the Ellie is always one of the festival’s biggest moments, and this year’s launch set the tone for a packed program that stretches from big-name features to smaller films that will inevitably become someone’s entire personality for the next six months.
This year’s centerpiece presentations include “Behemoth!,” starring Pedro Pascal, who continues his ongoing campaign to appear in everything, everywhere, all at once — and honestly, good for him.
The festival also features “Ink,” directed by Danny Boyle. Set in the world of 1960s London tabloid journalism, the film stars Guy Pearce, Claire Foy and Jack O’Connell. A Danny Boyle movie about old-school media chaos? That one practically comes with cigarette smoke, deadline panic and at least one man shouting across a newsroom.
The festival wraps Nov. 1 with “Paper Tiger,” directed by James Gray and starring Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson and Miles Teller.
The 2026 Denver Film Festival is spread across several major venues, giving audiences plenty of chances to see movies in some of the city’s best cultural spaces.
Main venues include:
- Sie FilmCenter, Fries Theater
- Ellie Caulkins Opera House, home to red carpet events and major galas
- MCA Denver at the Holiday Theater
- Denver Museum of Nature & Science, Sturm Infinity Theater
The mix gives the festival a nice citywide footprint, from traditional cinema settings to large-format and special event spaces.
The 2026 festival also includes a strong slate of honorees, with actors, directors, sound designers and experimental filmmakers being recognized throughout the event.
Among this year’s honorees:
- Carrie Coon receives the Excellence in Acting Award for “The Liberation.”
- John Cho receives the Outlaw Award.
- John Leguizamo receives the John Cassavetes Award and appears with “The Odyssey” at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.
- Indya Moore receives the Labahn Ikon Award in support of the documentary “Watch You Rise.”
- Liz Sargent receives the Breakthrough Director Award for “Take Me Home.”
- Fred Hechinger receives the Rising Star Award.
- Benedetta Porcaroli receives the Maglione Italian Film Award.
- David Acord is honored for sound design.
- Michael Gitlin receives the Stan Brakhage Award.
The Denver Film Festival has always been more than a place to catch movies before they hit wider release. It is where audiences can hear directly from filmmakers, discover films that may not get a huge commercial rollout and watch the city briefly become a very respectable film town.
Film festivals force you to make choices. Do you see the buzzy centerpiece film? The international drama with no trailer? The documentary everyone is whispering about? The short film block that starts at a time that makes no sense with dinner? These are the hard questions. Denver is brave enough to face them.
Individual tickets, multi-film passes and full schedule details are available through
With nearly 130 films on the schedule, planning ahead is highly recommended. So is leaving extra time between screenings, hydrating occasionally and accepting that you will probably miss at least one thing you meant to see.
