The Denver Film Society, the University of Colorado at Denver's College of Arts & Media and Starz Encore Group today announced that the Starz FilmCenter (formerly announced as the Starz Encore FilmCenter) at the Tivoli will unveil an enhanced theater including improved lobby and concession areas, a new ticketing system with online ticketing and at-home printing capabilities, and a rich diversity of daily public programming on Friday, April 5, 2002. The public opening will be preceded by several special invite-only preview events and a gala film premiere.

The Starz FilmCenter will offer programming on at least six screens every evening and all day on weekends. The cinematic offerings will range from the latest in independent and foreign film to cinematheque-type programming including classic re-releases and cutting-edge experimental works. The Starz FilmCenter will play host to panels and discussions with filmmakers from around the world as well as numerous Denver film festivals, including the Starz Encore Denver International Film Festival.. During daytime hours, the theater will be utilized to provide educational programming for K-12 and college audiences.

The Starz FilmCenter will operate with interim physical enhancements until completion of the previously announced (11/28/00) capital campaign being led by John J. Sie, founder, chairman and CEO of Starz Encore Group. The campaign plans are being finalized now that the project has received approval from the Auraria Higher Education Center (AHEC) for signage on Auraria Parkway. Upon completion of the campaign, the theater will be renovated into a state-of-the-art cinematheque to include larger theaters, educational editing bays, a gallery, a café and the same unique mix of programming.

“With the help of the Denver Film Society and CU-Denver, the Starz FilmCenter will create a global recognition of Denver as a vital center for film education, and also create a greater appreciation for the art of motion pictures,” said Sie. “As we move forward toward the completion of the project, the Starz FilmCenter will further the goal of the Anna and John J. Sie Foundation to create new educational opportunities that will ultimately lead to better film and television for all people.”

“The CU-Denver College of Arts & Media is proud to be part of the team that is making the Starz FilmCenter a reality,” said Vice Chancellor Mark Alan Heckler. “The partnership between the University and the Denver Film Society is collaborative and completely interdependent; each of us doing more than we could ever do alone. CU-Denver’s students, staff and students on the Auraria campus, and the filmgoers of the greater Denver community will be the biggest winners because they’ll get to see a greater variety of high quality films and learn about this art form in an exciting and provocative way.”

"We are absolutely delighted to begin offering regular programming at the Starz FilmCenter," said Film Society Executive Director Ron Henderson. "We are committed to creating a truly unique environment--a film center in the best sense--where the art of film will be celebrated in all of its manifestations seven days a week, 52 weeks a year. We are committed to making the Starz FilmCenter an inviting and comfortable home for film-lovers throughout the region…and it will be a community resource where film artists interact with Rocky Mountain audiences and where film education will flourish."

For more information:
Britta Erickson, Starz FilmCenter, (303) 595-3456 x 20, britta@denverfilm.org [Email]