Five Best Places to Watch Documentaries in Metro Denver

If you're looking for the truth, Colorado's a great place to be. Our state's documentary directors have made movies that brought home Oscars, became Sundance selections and won prestigious festival awards, and movie programmers work tirelessly to bring the best of contemporary and historical nonfiction films to local audiences. Here...

By Kyle Harris

February 3, 2015

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If you're looking for the truth, Colorado's a great place to be. Our state's documentary directors have made movies that brought home Oscars, became Sundance selections and won prestigious festival awards, and movie programmers work tirelessly to bring the best of contemporary and historical nonfiction films to local audiences. Here are five of our favorite places to check out documentaries.

5) Colorado Environmental Film Festival If you get excited about films about ecological issues, look no further than Golden, where the Colorado Environmental Film Festival brings Front Range audiences a wide selection of international and local content. This year's festival takes place February 19 through February 21, features an entire series of movies about wolves, and tackles issues from climate change to water pollution. For more information, go to the festival website. 4) DocuWest International Film Festival DocuWest International Film Festival is a yearly celebration of some of the best documentary films from around the world. Programmer Wade Gardner curates movies that look at historical, political and cultural issues. If you're looking for a one-stop shop for quirky, compelling and terrifying docs, this is it. The 2015 festival runs from September 10-15 and the lineup was just posted on the festival website. 3) International Film Series The Front Range's only repertoire cinema, the International Film Series screens a wide variety of fiction and non-fiction fare each year. For audiences looking to develop cinematic literacy across genres, IFS programs must see independent films each night. Audiences develop a well-curated film education without having to go to back to school. For more information about the series' winter programs, go to the website.

Keep reading for two more places to watch documentaries.

2) Sie FilmCenter The Sie FilmCenter hosts a variety of cutting-edge programs, small festivals and the annual Starz Denver International Film Festival, featuring a wide range of documentaries. The FilmCenter's ongoing documentary programming is more expansive than at any other all-year venue; be sure to check out a variety of one-night only docs, often presented by the filmmakers themselves. To find out what the FilmCenter will be playing next, go to the Sie website. 1) The Denver Museum of Nature & Science If you want to go big with independent documentaries, head to the Denver Museum of Nature & Science's spectacular IMAX theater, where you can watch nonfiction flicks about geography, biology, space and oceanic exploration -- all in 3D. Replete with sweeping scores and voice-of-God narrators, these documentaries are as educational as they are magnificent.

Let's talk documentary on Twitter: @kyle_a_harris.

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