Throughout the years, the Denver Film Society has made great efforts to offer the Rocky Mountain region a rare and provocative look at local and world cinema. As the Society’s 26th Starz Denver International Film Festival continues, festival-goers thus far have been offered the unique cinematic privilege of interacting with the filmmakers on their artistic visions and creations.

In particular, festival attendees enjoyed the Hollywood premiere-style opening night with a screening of “The Human Stain,” featuring a cast of notable players, and the after-party at RISE, one of Denver’s newest nightclubs.

There was a guest appearance by noteworthy American independent film actress Lili Taylor, who answered questions and offered comments on two of her films screened at this year’s festival.

The Mayor’s Lifetime Achievement Award reception was held Oct. 12 with this year’s award presented to renowned American film director Francis Ford Coppola. The presentation featured a screening of “One From the Heart,” a film Coppola originally released in 1982, but pulled from theaters shortly after its release. There were several other guest appearances, receptions and award presentations that went on with great excitement.

Still to come are the 80 or so films remaining to be screened at the Starz FilmCenter along with highlighted guest appearances by actor and filmmaker Campbell Scott, American film actor Wes Studi, Colorado experimental filmmaker Phil Solomon and actor, screenwriter William H. Macy.

The Salute to Italian Cinema continues along with its accompanying art exhibit “The Origins of Cinema.”

The remaining highlights are the Campbell Scott tribute, the Krzysztof Kieslowski Award presentation and the John Cassavetes Award presentation, all taking place on or before closing night Oct. 19. The Krzysztof Kieslowski Award is presented to the best European film screened at this year’s festival and the John Cassavetes Award is given to an individual whose career and body of work represent major achievements in American independent filmmaking.
Campbell Scott will appear with three films, one of which he directed, Oct. 17-18.

The John Cassavetes Award presentation will occur at 4:30 p.m., Oct. 18 at the King Center on Auraria. William H. Macy is this year’s recipient and he’ll be presented the award following a clips program highlighting his work, and then will be interviewed from the stage. Later that evening, “The Cooler” will be shown, and both Macy and the film’s director, Wayne Kramer, will be at the Temple Hoyne Buell theatre, where the screening takes place. The awarding of the Krzysztof Kieslowski Award will also occur at that time.

Lastly, the highly coveted Starz People’s Choice Award will be given out at the end of the festival to the film (feature or short) which packed the house or left such an impression that festival-goers chose it as their “one to see.”

For additional information on remaining films, workshops, and seminars, go to www.denverfilm.org.