Fandom is a universal language. Once a TV, book or game series has sunk its hooks into you, you begin to understand all those other weirdos. That’s part of what makes local documentary Mile High Magic a must-see for anyone who even dabbles in geek, whether they’ve ever picked up a Magic card or not. And they can see it at a special Sie FilmCenter night on March 31. “The [Starz Denver Film Festival] screenings did really well. People loved it, people were into it — even people who aren’t into Magic can appreciate fandom,” says Ernie Quiroz, programming director for the Denver Film Society. “I think for everyone who’s into one thing or another — Star Trek or Game of Thrones or whatever you’re into — it’s just about the love of something.”
And Magic is most definitely something people love. As Mile High Magic shows so well, the game is more than just a game for many of its players, maybe even more than just a fandom. It’s a full-blown lifestyle. Focusing on a handful of local players, the doc reveals the insular world of the game — one of the most popular in the world, with more than ten million players, twenty years of history and even a professional tournament circuit that awards hundreds of thousands of dollars annually to the top players — in a way that few but its most dedicated fans are even aware of.
Fans of the game have even more reason to head to the Sie, since they'll be able to meet one of the game’s early artists, Michael Kimble. “He’s going to come out and talk about the game, talk about the artwork and have some of his new stuff that he’s been working on,” Quiroz says. “He’ll be doing autographs for people if they want to bring out some of their older cards.”
Also on hand will be director Karen Cruz, a Denver native, who will introduce the film. Afterward, Cruz and Kimble will offer a Q&A to answer questions about the game and the documentary. Magic players can head down early to play some casual games in the lounge starting at 5:30 p.m., in case they need a fix of before the show.
See Mile High Magic at 7:15 p.m. Tuesday, March 31 at the Sie FilmCenter. Tickets are $10, or $7 for Denver Film Society members. For more information and tickets, visit the Mile High Magic event page of the Denver Film Society website.
Find me on Twitter, where I tweet about geeky stuff and waste an inordinate amount of time: @casciato.