FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Denver Film Media Contacts:
Ambriehl Turrentine: ambriehl@denverfilm.org
Marty Schechter: marty@schechterpr.com
DENVER – June 20, 2023 – Denver Film and the Denver Museum of Nature & Science announced the line-up for the 2023 Sci-Fi Film Series, beginning July 12 and running through August 16 at the Sie FilmCenter, 2510 E. Colfax Ave. and the Denver Museum of Nature & Science’s new Infinity Theater, 2001 Colorado Blvd. Series passes are $35 for Denver Film Members/$50 Non-Member, and individual film tickets are $12 for Denver Film Members/$15 Non-Member. Passes and individual tickets go on sale June 23 at 10 a.m. at denverfilm.org.
Founded in 2011, the weekly series kicks off its 2023 lineup on July 12 at the Sie FilmCenter with a presentation of the 1954 black-and-white creature feature Them! The series will conclude Aug. 16 at the Sie FilmCenter with a presentation of Little Shop of Horrors, the 1986 musical comedy adapted from the 1982 off-Broadway production of the same name.
Each film presentation begins at 6:30 p.m., followed by a discussion immediately after the film. Museum scientists and Vincent Piturro, English and Film professor at MSU Denver, screen classic sci-fi films and lead discussions exploring where science and film meet. Scientists include Educations Collections Manager and Museum Science Liaison Jeff Stephenson, Peak Nova Solutions Owner & Astronomer Naomi Pequette, Senior Curator of Invertebrate Zoology Dr. Paula Cushing, Assistant Curator of Space Science Dr. Ka Chun Yu, Dr. Gussie Maccracken, Assistant Curator of Paleobotany, and more.
“We’re excited to continue our partnership with Denver Museum of Nature & Science to showcase some of the most iconic Sci-Fi films and bring in the experts to help untangle fact from fiction and join in the conversation with our audiences,” said Denver Film CEO Kevin Smith.
Click to see the full schedule and purchase tickets and passes.
THEM!
Director: Gordon Douglas
Wednesday, July 12, 6:30 p.m.
While investigating a series of mysterious deaths, Sergeant Ben Peterson (James Whitmore) finds a young girl (Sandy Descher) who is unable to speak. As Peterson joins forces with FBI agent Robert Graham (James Arness) and scientist Dr. Harold Medford (Edmund Gwenn), he discovers that all the incidents are due to giant ants that have been mutated by atomic radiation. Peterson and Graham, with the aid of the military, attempt to find the queen ants and destroy the nests before the danger spreads.
Screening at the Sie FilmCenter
Includes post-film discussion featuring Vincent Piturro and Jeff Stephenson
EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE
Directors: Daniel Scheinert, Daniel Kwan
Wednesday, July 19, 6:30 p.m.
Directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, collectively known as Daniels, the film is a hilarious and big-hearted sci-fi action adventure about an exhausted Chinese American woman (Michelle Yeoh) who can’t seem to finish her taxes. When an interdimensional rupture unravels reality, she must channel her newfound powers to fight bizarre and bewildering dangers from the multiverse as the fate of the world hangs in the balance.
Screening at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science Infinity Theater
Includes post-film discussion featuring Vincent Piturro and Naomi Pequette
NOPE
Director: Jordan Peele
Wednesday, July 26, 6:30 p.m.
A man and his sister discover something sinister in the skies above their California horse ranch, while the owner of a nearby theme park tries to profit from the mysterious, otherworldly phenomenon.
Screening at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science Infinity Theater
Includes post-film discussion featuring Vincent Piturro and Dr. Paula Cushing, Ph.D.
THE MUMMY (1999)
Director: Stephen Sommers
Wednesday, Aug. 2, 6:30 p.m.
The Mummy is a rousing, suspenseful and horrifying epic about an expedition of treasure-seeking explorers in the Sahara Desert in1925. Stumbling upon an ancient tomb, the hunters unwittingly set loose a 3,000-year-old legacy of terror, which is embodied in the vengeful reincarnation of an Egyptian priest who had been sentenced to an eternity as one of the living dead.
Screening at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science’s Infinity Theater
Includes post-film discussion featuring Vincent Piturro and Erin Baxter, Ph.D.
BEYOND THE INFINITE TWO MINUTES
Director: Junta Yamaguchi
Wednesday, Aug. 9, 6:30 p.m.
A cafe owner discovers that the TV in his cafe suddenly shows images from the future, but only two minutes into the future.
Screening at the Sie FilmCenter
Includes post-film discussion featuring Vincent Piturro and Dr. Ka Chen Yu, Ph.D.
LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS
Director: Frank Oz
Wednesday, Aug. 16, 6:30 p.m.
Meek flower shop assistant Seymour (Rick Moranis) pines for coworker Audrey (Ellen Greene). During a total eclipse, he discovers an unusual plant he names Audrey II, which feeds only on human flesh and blood. The growing plant attracts a great deal of business for the previously struggling store. After Seymour feeds Audrey’s boyfriend, Orin (Steve Martin), to the plant after Orin’s accidental death, he must come up with more bodies for the increasingly bloodthirsty plant.
Screening at the Sie FilmCenter
Includes post-film discussion featuring Vincent Piturro and Dr. Gussie Maccracken, Ph.D.
Members of the press interested in covering the Sci-Fi Film Series may contact Denver Film’s Ambriehl Turrentine at ambriehl@denverfilm.org or Marty Schechter at marty@schechterpr.com.
Bonfils-Stanton Foundation, Colorado Creative Industries, Denver Museum of Nature & Science, National Endowment for the Arts, SCFD
In addition, Vincent Piturro and the MSU Film Club will be “foodraising” at each screening so please donate non-perishable food items to restock Rowdy’s Corner – on the MSU campus – Rowdy’s Corner is working to “reimagine food support and destigmatize the need for assistance and to help ensure there is Food for All.”
Founded in 1978, Denver Film is a membership-based, 501(c)(3) nonprofit cultural institution that produces film events throughout the year, including the award-winning Denver Film Festival and the popular, summertime series Film on the Rocks. With a vision to cultivate community and transform lives through film, Denver Film provides opportunities for diverse audiences to discover film through creative, thought-provoking experiences.
The permanent home of Denver Film, the Sie FilmCenter is Denver’s only year-round cinematheque, presenting a weekly-changing calendar of first-run exclusives and arthouse revivals both domestic and foreign, narrative and documentary – over 600 per year, all shown in their original language and format. Denver Film’s one-of-a-kind programs annually reach more than 200,000 film lovers and film lovers-in-training.
The Denver Museum of Nature & Science is the Rocky Mountain Region’s leading resource for informal science education. Our mission is to be a catalyst and ignite the community’s passion for nature and science. The Museum envisions an empowered community that loves, understands and protects our natural world. A variety of engaging exhibits, discussions and activities help Museum visitors celebrate and understand the wonders of Colorado, Earth and the universe. The Museum is located at 2001 Colorado Blvd., Denver, CO, 80205. To learn more about the Museum, visit dmns.org or call 303.370.6000. Many of the Museum’s educational programs and exhibits are made possible in part by the citizens of the seven-county metro area through the Scientific & Cultural Facilities District (SCFD). The Museum is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. Connect with the Museum on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.
