Sie FilmCenter
Audio By Carbonatix
Back in February, the Sie FilmCenter closed for a few days — just a Monday through a Thursday, protecting those sweet weekend plans full of popcorn and big-screen panache. At the time, details were scant — just that there were some big changes coming, and for the better.
Now those changes are clear, and so is the projection capability of the new tech that was installed. A more than $500,000 investment has elevated the moviegoing experience at pretty much every level, with new screens, Christie 4K laser projection, enhanced sound and new premium seating in the Clasen Screening Room. The upgrades were supported by key donors, including Liane and Robert Clasen, the Anna & John J. Sie Foundation, Mike Fries, the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade, and the Colorado Office of Film, Television and Media.
Denver Film CEO Kevin Smith says that the “upgrades were done in anticipation of our 50th anniversary in 2027 and our desire to ensure that the Sie FilmCenter remains the best theatrical movie-going experience in the state.”
Some of these changes will be directly evident to Sie patrons. Others will be working behind the scenes to offer a better experience overall. “While there are some subtleties to some of the technical upgrades that can be challenging to the naked eye, our audiences will notice improvements in the overall image quality, sound and comfort,” Smith says.
Specifically, the Christie 4K laser projectors will deliver sharper resolution, higher brightness, better color accuracy and smoother motion, with high frame rates of up to 120 frames per second. Combined with newly installed cinema screens, the system is designed to maximize visual acuity and image uniformity. “Our audiences will experience films with unprecedented visual depth and realism,” Smith says.
Meanwhile, the new premium seating in the Clasen Screening Room “delivers maximum comfort, quality sightlines and an intimate theater feel,” Smith adds. These improvements bring the third and final screening room at Sie into compliance with the other two theaters, the Maglione and Fries, which were upgraded in 2021 to better serve the ongoing needs from not only film screenings, but also filmmaker conversations, special events, private rentals, community conversations and more.
The improvements come just in time for Colorado’s sesquicentennial summer celebration this year. The Colorado150 will be a film series highlighting the most notable films with Colorado ties. That event begins in June, when Sie FilmCenter will join more than thirty independent, community-based venues throughout Colorado in screening selections from the best 25 films Colorado’s helped produce since the late 19th century, as chosen by Colorado film programmers, theater managers, creative district administrators, and other industry professionals.
In addition, Colorado film fans can help fill in the list of the top Colorado 150 movies by voting for their favorite Colorado-related film. The Colorado150 will also showcase short films, music videos and presentations from filmmakers, artists, critics and other Colorado creative workers prior to each screening.
Sie FilmCenter will collaborate with Downtown Colorado, the Boettcher Foundation and Switchboard Strategies for the Colorado150 events. “The CO150 is a fun, accessible way to combine our love of movies and our state to celebrate 150 years of Colorado history,” says Switchboard CEO Rob DuRay. “By showing selections from the CO150 in a slew of diverse and hyper-local venues, we will open the sesquicentennial to Coloradans across the state.”
“Colorado has been the backdrop for some truly iconic films,” adds Smith. “The Shining, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, True Grit, and the stories keep coming. Film is one of the most powerful ways we connect, reflect, and celebrate who we are, and there’s no better time to do that than Colorado’s 150th anniversary. At Denver Film, we’re thrilled to support this statewide celebration that not only honors our film history but shines a spotlight on the incredible stories being told by today’s local filmmakers. We hope this inspires a new wave of creativity and reminds everyone that Colorado is and always has been a great place to make movies.”
And the new tech? Sort of the icing on Colorado’s 150th birthday cake, movie-style.
Sie FilmCenter is at 2510 East Colfax Avenue; check out its website to see what’s showing. For more on CO150, including participating locations around the state, see the event website.
