Denver Film Festival Announces Opening- and Closing-Night Films and More

The Denver Film Festival is back for its 41st edition, running October 31 through November 10 and showcasing more than 250 movies.

While most of the titles will be announced next week, the Denver Film Society, which runs the festival, rolled out the red-carpet screenings this morning.

The opening-night film, which will play at 8 p.m. October 31 at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, will be director Yorgos Lanthimos's The Favourite, an eighteenth-century period piece starring Emma Stone.

The centerpiece movie, which screens at 6 p.m. November 2, will be Neil Burger's buddy comedy The Upside, starring Bryan Cranston, Kevin Hart and Nicole Kidman. It's a reboot of a classic that tells the story of a paralyzed Park Avenue billionaire and an ex-con.

The so-called Big Night will showcase Jason Reitman's The Front Runner, starring Hugh Jackman, Vera Farming and J.K. Simmons, about Gary Hart's 1988 presidential run and the scandal surrounding it.

The festival closes on November 10 with director Brady Corbet's Vox Lux, starring Natalie Portman in a film about childhood tragedy, stardom and the struggle to survive violence.

"This year's Red Carpet Presentations showcase strong cinematic voices,” says festival director Britta Erickson in a statement. “From Yorgos Lanthimos's hilarious and tragic The Favourite, to Neil Burger's comedic and heartfelt remake The Upside, to Brady Corbet's challenging film Vox Lux, audiences will find something to celebrate throughout the twelve-day Festival."

Ticket packages to the festival are on sale, and individual tickets go on sale to Denver Film Society members October 10 and the general public on October 12. Tickets can be purchased online at the Film Society's website or at the main box office, 2510 East Colfax Avenue.