Move over Beijing; Denver's in the house! No sooner had the last embers from the Olympic flame died out when Americans cast their TIVO'd eyes homeward, to the Mile High City, where, in concert with the Democratic National Convention, the Impact Film Festival is set to unspool a plethora of political docs, many of which will be followed by pol-studded panels. The slate includes I.O.U.S.A, Trouble the Water, Freeheld, The Black List, among others.
The festival, presented at the DNC by Denver-based Starz, was programmed by top festival programmers and industry visionaries including programmers from Toronto, Sundance, Tribeca, Los Angeles Film Festival, Full Frame and IFP among others. Key acquisition executives from POV, Netflix/Red Envelope and HBO also participated on the programming committee.
In addition to the feature films, IFF will show shorts from the Denver Film Society and Denver Office of Cultural Affairs, "Cinemocracy" online film contest, seeking films defining the meaning of democracy. More info at www.cinemocracy.org. IFF will also show winners from the 2008 "FYI-Film Your Issue" online film contest. FYI-Film Your Issue is a two minute online film contest for young people age 14-24 to make films on issues most important to them. More info at www.filmyourissue.com.
At the Democratic Convention, the films will screen at the Starz FilmCenter in Denver, Colorado, August 25-28 as part of the Starz Green Room, at 900 Auraria Parkway, across from the Pepsi Center in Tivoli Center. At the Republican Convention, the films will screen at the Landmark Center in St. Paul September 1-4, at 75 W. 5th Street, near the Xcel Center. In addition to the day-time screenings, Impact Film Festival is hosting late night parties celebrating the filmmakers and saluting the Screen Actors Guild. For more information on screen times and ticketing, visit impactfilmfestival.org.
The Impact Film Festival is a program of The Impact Film Fund, a 501 (c) 3 not-for-profit organization founded in 2008 by Jody Arlington, Jamie Shor and Kimball Stroud, three veterans of the Washington political and film arena.