Five Picks from Colorado Filmmakers at the Denver Short Film Festival

The Mayan Theatre is rolling out the red carpet for Colorado filmmakers — at least for a day. Sixteen short films will be screened at the Mayan on Thursday, February 20, at the Denver Short Film Festival.

This year's festival is only the second iteration of the biennial event, which Artistic Director Gio Toninelo says has been met with overwhelming success.

In 2023, the inaugural year, the fest "received over 380 film submissions from all over the world," Toninelo offers. "The response from filmmakers and audiences was incredible, and it really confirmed that there's a hunger for a dedicated short film festival in Denver. For our 2025 edition, we're seeing even more momentum. Submissions have increased by 30 percent."

Out of this year's festival selections, twelve are from Colorado filmmakers; others come from California, Idaho, Mexico and Canada. Most of the filmmakers will be in attendance at the festival.

"Colorado has a thriving film scene, but it doesn't always get the attention it deserves," Toninelo says, noting that Colorado has a long history of filmmaking, from classic Westerns to modern indie gems. The DSFF highlights the work being done by Colorado writers, directors, crews and actors, as well as other creatives around the country.

"The more we showcase homegrown talent, the more we can position Colorado as a true player in the film world," Toninelo says. "We just need the state government to work on a better tax incentive credit for film, TV and commercial productions that want to shoot here."

In the meantime, here are five standouts from Colorado filmmakers coming to the festival:
All Choked Up
Duration: 4 minutes
Director Allison Volk offers All Choked Up, a dramedy in which a woman must decide whether to save her husband when he starts choking on a sandwich during lunch.

The Golden Lion
Duration: 10 minutes
The Golden Lion, directed by Evan Mann, explores the struggles of addiction through the lens of a seemingly functional family man. The film is inspired by personal experience, and Mann uses the myth of Hercules and the Nemean Lion as a symbolic backdrop to explore themes of courage and resilience.

Black Metal
Duration: 15 minutes
In Black Metal, directed by Michael Hyon Johnson, a Korean Air Force veteran, a Black teen is determined to become a heavy metal artist, despite his father's expectations and legacy as a failed jazz musician. This drama deals with themes of generational conflict, cultural identity and artistic passion.
You Wake to Find Yourself Alone in the Woods
Duration: 9 minutes
In Brad McHargue's You Wake to Find Yourself Alone in the Woods, a lost hiker wakes up alone in the woods, except he isn't really alone: He is guided by an omnipresent and annoying narrator as he tries to escape before a masked serial killer finds him.

Never Too Old
Duration: 5 minutes
Directors Stash Wislocki and Patty J. Arndt bring Never Too Old, a mini-documentary featuring Colorado Running Hall of Famer Libby James, who holds multiple American records despite starting her running career at 35. James has now been running for over fifty years.

The Denver Short Film Festival, 7 p.m. Thursday, February 20, Mayan Theatre, 110 Broadway. Tickets are $18; purchase them here.