Denver Film Society Oscar Party “Hollywood Hustle”

This year more than 200 guests attended the Denver Film Society’s live Oscar viewing party held at the Sie FilmCenter for the 86th Academy Awards held on March 2, 2014 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Denver film lovers joined an estimated 45 million viewers worldwide for Hollywood’s most famous awards event.

This year’s live Oscar party titled “Hollywood Hustle” celebrated the year’s best films and, most importantly, served as the signature fundraising event benefiting the year-round programs of the nonprofit Denver Film Society.

The Society’s location at 2510 East Colfax Avenue has been home for two years. And, thanks to a $2.5 million donation from the Anna and John J. Sie Foundation, the DFS was able to buy the building and theaters, located across the street from East High School and next to The Tattered Cover Book Store.

The annual signature event promotes and raises funds for the non-profit Society’s year-round activities, programs, and educational events including more than 500 films shown per year. In addition, the Society sponsors Film on the Rocks, the Starz Denver Film Festival, various award ceremonies and special screenings year-round.

Chilly weather kept guests indoors most of the evening although a red carpet outside led the way to what is called Denver’s longest-running Oscars viewing party for the Academy Awards. The party’s salute to the Oscar-nominated 1970s-era movie “American Hustle,” invited many guests to wear aviator glasses, wide lapels, big hair and ascots.

Food and drinks kept the party alive with large HDTV screens found all around the bar area, otherwise know as Henderson’s Lounge, named after

long-time organizer and Film Festival co-founder Ron Henderson. Guests relied on tablets and smartphones to bid on silent auctions and were given an opportunity to vote their own predictions for Oscar winners for the evening.

According to DFS Festival Director Britta Erikson, ticket sales account for only half of the organization’s operating expenses, so individual and corporate donations, grants and other support are critical for future success. Among this year’s events is the Stanley Film Festival to be held April 24-27 at the historic Stanley Hotel in Estes Park. And, this summer, the Denver Film Society’s Young Filmmakers Workshops provide filmmaking camps for teens, ages 12-18 with introductory summer classes starting in June.

For more information visit denverfilm.org