{"id":127089,"date":"2025-11-11T07:31:22","date_gmt":"2025-11-11T07:31:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/127089\/"},"modified":"2025-11-11T07:31:22","modified_gmt":"2025-11-11T07:31:22","slug":"sirat-named-best-feature-at-denver-film-festival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/127089\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Sir\u0101t\u2019 Named Best Feature at Denver Film Festival"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tOliver Laxe\u2019s pre-apocalyptic rave and road trip odyssey Sir\u0101t<\/a> rolled through the 48th Denver Film Festival and emerged as the best feature.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe film, which had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival before going on to collect multiple awards throughout the year, earned the Krzysztof Kieslowski Award for best feature thanks to a jury comprised of veteran film critic and programmer David Ansen, Variety chief awards editor Clayton Davis and Bleeding Love actress and producer Clara McGregor.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cA movie you\u2019ll never forget, Oliver Laxe\u2019s Sir\u0101t immerses us in a terrifying and compassionate world we\u2019ve never seen on screen before, with brilliant performances, sound design and cinematography,\u201d the trio said in their official statement. \u201cNo one who sees it will be able to shake it off.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tOn the nonfiction front, jurors including Oscar-nominated Minding the Gap filmmaker Bing Liu, arts administrator Lisa Lucas and The Hollywood Reporter senior writer Chris Gardner got the assignment to pick the winner of the Maysles Brothers Award for best doc. They chose the Laura Poitras and Mark Obenhaus film Cover-Up about investigative journalist Seymour Hersh.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cFor its radically honest portrayal of one of America\u2019s most renowned and complicated investigative journalists, who shows us both the importance and the personal cost of speaking truth to power,\u201d the trio said in their official statement. \u201cA film that is at once a damning indictment of state-sanctioned violence; a sharply observed portrait of those who have the courage to say something about it; and a reminder of just how much fighting for a humane world costs.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tLiu, Lucas and Gardner also offered up a special mention to Brittany Shyne\u2019s Seeds: \u201cFor its beautiful documentation of an intergenerational community taking care of its own and standing together against a country that threatens to leave them behind, we, the jury, would like to give a special mention to Seeds. An unforgettable feature debut told with patience and love that, even under trying circumstances, insists on hope and reminds us how beautiful every life and community can be.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe American Independent Award \u2014 selected by Juror #2 screenwriter Jonathan Abrams, Deadline senior film reporter Matt Grobar and critic and TikTok breakout Megan Cruz \u2014\u00a0went to Joel Alfonso Vargas\u2019s Mad Bills to Pay (or Destiny, dile que no soy malo). They hailed it as \u201ca simple, humble and
emotionally compelling fly-on-the-wall look at the Dominican-American experience in the Bronx, New York\u201d that is anchored by \u201cincredibly authentic, understated and textured performances from its leads Juan Collado and Destiny Checo.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe shorts jury made up of Sinners actor Denzel Whitaker, Neon\u2019s Lucie Boulet and Task actress Coral Pe\u00f1a selected a slew of winners including Sam Davis\u2019s The Singers as grand jury winner, Eve Liu\u2019s Nervous Energy as best student live action short, Ruairi Bradley\u2019s We Beg to Differ as special mention, Ferdinand Ehrhardt\u2019s Detlev as the Marilyn Marsh Saint-Veltri Award winner for best student animation, and Shadab Shayegan\u2019s Pear Garden as special mention.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn the audience award categories, Maryam Touzani\u2019s Calle Malaga snagged best narrative feature, Vickie Curtis and Doug Anderson\u2019s Comparsa won best documentary feature and Davis\u2019s The Singers tallied enough votes to take home best short film. The fest also handed out some cash with its Music on Film \u2014\u00a0Film on Music documentary grants, chosen this year by jurors including music supervisor Jonathan Palmer, filmmaker Taylor McFadden and composer Mark Crawford. The grant winners included Nicole Teeny\u2019s Bulletproof Stockings and Mike Gill and Scott Evans\u2019 The Road to Ruane.<\/p>\n

\n\tThose weren\u2019t the only prizes handed out during this year\u2019s Denver Film Festival. A long list of bold-faced names made the trip to Denver for a spin in the spotlight. Those included Rosemead star Lucy Liu<\/a> (John Cassavetes Award), Sinners actor Delroy Lindo (Next50 Career Achievement Award), Dead Man\u2019s Wire helmer Gus Van Sant<\/a> (Excellence in Directing Award), The Chronology of Water star Imogen Poots (Excellence in Acting Award), Christy actor Ben Foster<\/a> (Outlaw Award), Niecy Nash-Betts<\/a> (CinemaQ LaBahn Ikon Film Award), The Plague<\/a> filmmaker Charlie Polinger (Breakthrough Director Award), Nouvelle Vague star Zoey Deutch<\/a> (Rising Star Award), filmmaker Peggy Ahwesh (Stan Brakhage Vision Award), and Hamnet filmmaker Chloe Zhao (Rare Pearl Award).<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThis year\u2019s Denver Film Festival celebrated an extraordinary lineup of films, visionary storytellers, and unforgettable experiences,\u201d said Denver Film Festival artistic director Matthew Campbell of the fest, which ran Oct. 31 \u2013 Nov. 9. \u201cThe winners and honorees of the 48th festival represent the very best of bold, authentic storytelling \u2014 works that move us, challenge us, and expand the way we see the world. These films and filmmakers embody the spirit of creativity and community that defines Denver Film and we are proud to honor their achievements and share their voices with our passionate Denver audiences.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tSee highlights below. <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tLucy Liu on Nov. 8, 2025.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCredit: Beau Ngu\/Courtesy of Denver Film<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tThe Plague filmmaker Charlie Polinger on Nov. 1, 2025. <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t(Photo by Kyle Cooper\/Denver Film Festival)<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tBen Foster walks toward the stage to accept his award.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCredit: Jason DeWitt\/Courtesy of Denver Film<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tDelroy Lindo and Matthew Campbell on Nov. 1, 2025.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t(Photo by Rachel O\u2019Driscoll\/Denver Film Festival)<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tImogen Poots poses with her award for The Chronology of Water.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCredit: Beau Ngu\/Courtesy of Denver Film<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tZoey Deutch appears on stage with Matthew Campbell.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCredit: Beau Ngu\/Courtesy of Denver Film<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tGus Van Sant holds up his award, which he received from Denver Film CEO Kevin Smith on Nov. 4, 2025. <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t(Photo by Kyle Cooper\/Denver Film Festival)<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tNiecy Nash-Betts poses with her award.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCredit: Jason DeWitt\/Courtesy of Denver Film<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tJohn Elway walks the red carpet on closing night ahead of the world premiere of Netflix\u2019s Elway on Nov. 8, 2025.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCredit: Jason DeWitt\/Courtesy of Denver Film<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tComposer Mark Crawford, filmmaker Taylor Mcfadden, critic Megan Cruz, critic David Ansen, Deadline\u2019s Matt Grober, Variety\u2019s Clayton Davis, screenwriter Jonathan Abrams, actress Coral Pe\u00f1a, actor Denzel Whitaker, actress and producer Clara McGregor, arts administrator Lisa Lucas, THR\u2019s Chris Gardner, Neon\u2019s Lucie Boulet, filmmaker Bing Liu, music industry veteran Jonathan Palmer, Denver Film\u2019s Matthew Campbell and Kevin Smith pose on stage during the awards brunch at The Jacquard Autograph Hotel on Nov. 9, 2025. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Oliver Laxe\u2019s pre-apocalyptic rave and road trip odyssey Sir\u0101t rolled through the 48th Denver Film Festival and emerged…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":127090,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[2027,146,80143,85,399,46,8994,80144,80145,79608,6408],"class_list":{"0":"post-127089","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment","8":"tag-ben-foster","9":"tag-entertainment","10":"tag-gus-van-sant","11":"tag-il","12":"tag-international","13":"tag-israel","14":"tag-lucy-liu","15":"tag-niecy-nash-betts","16":"tag-sirat","17":"tag-the-plague","18":"tag-zoey-deutch"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127089","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=127089"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127089\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/127090"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=127089"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=127089"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=127089"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}