Between the wrestling tights and the hockey masks, you could have mistaken Auraria Campus for a sports arena yesterday. Until, that is, you entered the theater to get an eyeful of The Wrestler - starring a startlingly, stirringly beaten-but-not-bowed Mickey Rourke - or the rootin' tootin' serial-killer parade that is His Name Was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th. Then you could see for yourself SDFF 31 was already in full swing - especially if you caught glimpses of some of the Festival's most prestigious special guests milling around the lobby, the filmmakers' lounge and the late-night lounge, among them Majid Majidi, Bruce Bickford, and Wally Pfister. All three will be on hand to present screenings of their films in the hours leading up to Big Night.

-Ruth Tobias


The 31st Starz Denver Film Festival is proud to honor legendary actor Richard Jenkins (The Visitor, among 50+ other gems) with the 2008 Excellence in Acting Award at tonight's event: An Evening with Richard Jenkins, at 5:30pm. The evening will include a clips program featuring highlights from the acclaimed actor's distinguished career, along with a one-on-one interview with the actor and Lisa Kennedy, film critic from The Denver Post.