The highly acclaimed Denver Film Festival, the largest of its kind in the region, will celebrate its 48th edition in 2025. This intense and concentrated exposition showcases more than 180 new films from around the world with over 100 international filmmakers, directors, actors, and other film artists participating in the ten-day event. The majority of these films would never be seen or discovered in the Rocky Mountain region outside the venue of the film festival. The annual celebration of film provides an important showcase for the best of world cinema, a platform for international film artists, and promotes dialogue among filmmakers and the public.

The award-winning film festival is one of Denver's most popular and publicized events. The annual festival is a high-profile, glamour-filled event that is the focus of an enormous amount of media attention beginning in September and continuing through November.

New international feature releases, independently produced fiction films and documentaries, animation, experimental works, children's programs, and short subjects are included in the festival. In addition, a number of acclaimed international film artists are honored with tributes and special "evenings with..."

The festival presents the following honorary awards:

5280 Award
Presented to a creative team of filmmakers, writers, and producers recognizing their exceptional cinematic work and collaboration to achieve new heights.

Breakthrough Director Award
Juried award presented to the director and film that best displays technical proficiency, originality, artistic excellence, and visual awareness while maintaining a consistent directorial vision.

Career Achievement Award
Presented to a film artist for extraordinary contributions to world cinema.

Excellence in Acting Award
Presented to a film performer who stands out as the finest of the year.

John Cassavetes Award
Presented to an American director or actor for outstanding achievement in independent filmmaking.

Maria and Tommaso Maglione Italian Filmmaker Award
$10,000 Cash award.

Rare Pearl Award
The Rare Pearl Award highlights a film whose beauty and uniqueness stand out as the finest of the year.

Rising Star Award
Presented to an up-and-coming film performer who stands out as the finest of the year.

The festival presents the following juried awards:

American Independent Award
$2500 Cash Prize for best American Independent Narrative feature.

Krzysztof Kieslowski Award For Best Feature Film
A juried prize honoring the best narrative feature film.

Maysles' Brothers Award for Best Documentary
$2500 Cash Prize for best Documentary feature.

Grand Jury Prize for Best Short Film
Juried award presented to the short film.

Best Student Short
Juried award presented to the best student short film.

Marilyn Marsh Saint-Veltri Award for Best Student Animation Short
Juried award presented to the best student animated short.

People's Choice Award
An audience award given to the most popular feature-length fiction film, feature-length documentary, short and music video.

Music on Film-Film on Music Documentary Grant Program
Grant to provide $20,000 annually in finishing funds for US-based documentary productions specifically for music licensing, scoring, and composition.

All films must have been completed after August 2024.

Feature films must not have screened on U.S. television, in commercial/theatrical release, or on the Internet, including VOD services, prior to the dates of the festival. They may not have screened in the Denver/Boulder metro area prior to the dates of DFF.

While a Colorado premiere is not a requirement for DFF, it is taken into account when selecting the final program.

Short films have no premiere requirement but must have been completed after August 2024.

All films not in English must be subtitled in English for presentation.

Submission Categories:

Narrative Features
Documentary Features
Short Films
Student Short Films

Submission Materials
In order for a film to be properly submitted and checked in, it must include:
Online Screener Link provided either via FilmFreeway or link emailed to dff@denverfilm.org.

Proper Entry Fee

Multiple entries may be submitted by one person, but each film must come on a separate screener with a separate entry form.

If Your Work is Selected - Screening Requirements
DFF can project works in 35mm, BluRay, digital file, and DCP.
An electronic press kit, complete with production stills, 300 word synopsis and biography of the director must be sent to the DFS office as soon as possible.

Films that are accepted into the Denver Film Festival should NOT have screened on television or the Denver metro area prior to the dates of the festival.

The filmmaker is responsible for clearing all rights to the material in their film.

Denver Film Festival is hereby granted the right to utilize an excerpt from any film submitted and accepted for exhibition at the Festival for promotional purposes.

The individual or corporation submitting the film hereby warrants that it is authorized to commit the film for screening, and understands and accepts these requirements and regulations.

The undersigned shall indemnify and hold harmless Denver Film Festival from and against any and all claims, liabilities, losses, damages, and expenses (including but not limited to attorney's fees, and costs of the court) which may be incurred by reason of any claim involving copyright, trademark, credits, publicity, screening, and loss of or damage to the screening videos entered.

Refunds of any kind will not be granted.

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Madeleine Wynn

    Very caring, friendly communications and a great festival to be a part of. Thank you Denver!

    November 2024
  • Excellent festival and venue. It was awesome to see and hear Thunder Rises at the packed Sie Film Center.

    March 2022
  • Sara Terry

    What a great festival and a perfect world premiere for my film, A Decent Home. Such a helpful and responsive team, on every level. Highly recommend!

    November 2021
  • Had such a wonderful time!! Everyone involved was so nice and accomodating! I hope I can bring more films here in the future!

    November 2021
  • They had a nice selection of films. Hard to judge anything else since it was online. Stupid virus!

    November 2020