DocuWest enters its 17th season ready to expand its screenings while curating selections from our submissions, and as needed by inviting some docs to take audiences for a diverse documentary ride in Denver.
This fall DocuWest continues presenting an insightful, thought provoking, and awe-inspiring line-up of documentary titles from around the world - and allows filmmakers whose works are submitted and accepted into the festival the opportunity to monetize their screening via DocuWest's ticket sales revenue share program.

Screenings will be at the Sie FilmCenter Denver's only independent arthouse theater and home to the Denver Film Society will allow us to present audiences with a variety of documentary films in theater setting.

DocuWest explores the world of our people, our politics, our societies, our history and ourselves through the lens of filmmakers from around the globe. We embrace the idea that cinematic truth revealed in a non-narrative manner can allow the filmmaker to make choices that presents life either surreptitiously or purposely based on the choices they make.

The Denver Documentary Society's objective is to present our audiences with the stories that are not only astonishing and jarring, but awe-inspiring and thought provoking. We encourage more dialogue and discourse to take place with the filmmakers and subjects attending each screening, or presented in each film.

We stand with the Documentary Producers Alliance (DPA). We support the work of the Alliance of Documentary Editors (ADE). We mirror the DPA's and ADE's work on proper crediting and sustainability. Documentaries need to be better organized for access and sustainability - for all.
It is the only branch of filmmaking that is not organized to support docuentary filmmakers. We hope that changes. We present juried awards and recognition for editors and producers.

We look forward to receiving your submission to DocuWest.

Awards & Prizes

Selected documentary features, Medium length and short films participate in the Festival’s three competitive sections, which are chosen by special juries, we also present the "Women Who Doc" award to a deserving female filmmaker in each of our three categories.

All submissions are eligible for our Audience Award. They are chosen based on ballots submitted by festival audiences, and are presented in the following categories: Documentary feature, medium length, and short Film.

Rules & Terms

All films must have been completed after January 1, 2025.

People always comment on our low entry fees. The Denver Documentary Society is founded and run by award winning, and highly acclaimed documentary filmmaker Wade Gardner. Who personally attests to understanding how difficult and costly it is to create independent documentaries - and get them shown.

It is why the org continues to keep its submission costs low - and now offers filmmakers the opportunity to earn ticket sales revenue from their respective screenings.

The festival is recognized for screening submitted works. With the exception of a few films we present as part of our invited programming. The vast majority of the lineup is from submissions. It is something we are extremely proud of.

Please note as part of our diversity efforts we want to communicate, acknowledge & invite our deaf & heard of hearing friends and supporters to attend DocuWest.

To all filmmakers: We ask if your movie is selected to strongly consider providing closed captioning. For each subtitled film that screens, we will communicate to our audiences that the film will be offered to be viewed with english subtitles turned on.

Films in a language other than English must be subtitled in English for Festival presentation.

Please understand, the festival will not screen any films that screened prior as part of any program offered by our friends at the Denver Film Society.

Short films up to 30 minutes. Medium length films must have a running time between 31 and 60 minutes. Feature length films are more than 61 minutes.

Films that have been submitted for consideration in previous years are eligible for re-submission only if significant changes have been made to the film. A detailed list of the changes must be included in the submission packet.

For submission purposes, previews may be works-in-progress, films with temporary soundtracks or digital outputs.

Filmmakers must deliver final format (as indicated) for Festival screenings. No exceptions will be permitted.

Ticketing Revenue Share: For films that are submitted and selected to screen by the festival filmmakers are eligible to receive a portion of the ticket sales. Feature Films may earn 20% of the revenue received for their film screening. Medium Length films can earn 10% of the revenue for their film screening. Short films may earn 5% of the revenue generated via ticket sales for their screening.

How the program works: If accepted into the festival, each filmmaker will be given a code for their screening. For feature films, if the film team reaches a min of 20 seats sold using the code provided - they will earn 20% of the revenue from tickets sales. For medium length films, if they sell a min of ten tickets with the code, they will earn 10% of the ticketing revenue (we program two medium films together). Short filmmakers, with a min of 5 tickets sold using the code, will earn 5% of the revenue booked for the screening.

9 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Lisle Turner

    A friendly festival excellently run by film-makers for film-makers. We wish every festival on the circuit was like this. Thanks for including our film The Last Show. See you next time!

    October 2024
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Thank you Lisle. It was an honor to screen "The Last Show". Keep creating and we can't wait to provide an alumni fee waiver for your next movie. Best.

  • Ben Scholle

    DocuWest was a fantastic experience, and I only regret I never took the opportunity to attend before I had a film selected. I saw some great documentaries and met some wonderful people. It was amazing having so many film students from the neighboring school attend the screening, and I especially appreciated the unique addition of trivia contests between screenings.

    October 2023
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Hi Ben, thank you so much for the traveling to Denver, from STL. It was a pleasure hosting you and screening you awesome short, "Student of the Game". Thanks for also joining me on stage for the Q&A from the high school film students.

    Best,
    DocuWest

  • Nicole Emilíana Mendez

    A great festival in an arts loving city focusing on documentaries! Good communication from start through end of festival, with regular updates and press materials.

    October 2023
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Hi Nicole Emiliana,
    Thank you and it was fantastic screening your movie Bad Child. We hope to receive any other work in the future.

    All The Best,
    DocuWest

  • Nick Canfield

    Wade and his team put on a terrific festival, are passionate about independent documentary, and are great people. We had a great screening of our film The Reverend as the opening night film in 2022.

    April 2022
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Thank you Nick! We had a wonderful time hosting you and the Rev.

  • Hamilton Pevec

    I really enjoyed participating in this festival, it was my honor. Everyone i spoke to and interacted with was courteous, kind and supportive. I highly recommend it to all doc filmmakers and encourage you to enter your film.

    April 2022
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Appreciate ya Hamilton! We loved having you attend and participate.