The Denver Film Society hosted Academy-Award-winning actress Marisa Tomei Wednesday during the grand opening of the Sie FilmCenter. Through a generous donation from Anna and John J. Sie, the Sie FilmCenter has undergone both an interior and exterior redesign and is now the permanent home of DFS.
The Sie FilmCenter is made up of 11,285 square feet, concessions, a bar and restaurant and three theaters with a total of 266 seats. The exterior signage of the Sie FilmCenter was designed by ArtHouse Design and the building and the interior were designed by Semple Brown Design.
“Film is truly a vessel for history – whether through documentaries or fiction representing a moment in time,” Tomei said. “How film brings the world and worldly topics to an audience can be truly transformational and I applaud the Sie family for investing in the Denver Film Society and the society’s film festival. Being of Italian descent, I’m especially excited about the Maglione Italian Filmmaker Award.”
In 2014, the Sie FilmCenter welcomed more than 73,000 movie-goers, presented 586 films and hosted more than 75 filmmaker guests. The state-of-the-art facility features carefully curated content, using film as a medium to bring diverse audiences unique and thought-provoking experiences. In addition to weekly calendar titles, the Sie FilmCenter offers film education courses, the Filmmaker Focus program, specialty programming like National Theatre Live! and various film series including Women+Film.
“The Sie Film Center is a testimony to the great legacy that Anna and John J. Sie have given to the city of Denver and to Colorado as a whole. Their legacy, through all their philanthropic investments will be celebrated through the Grand Opening of the Sie FilmCenter,” said DFS Board Chair James Bunch. “We cannot thank them enough for their foresight and their incredible generosity!”
“We are honored to celebrate this occasion with the Denver Film Society and our Colfax neighbors,” said John J. Sie. “The exterior sign solidifies the Sie FilmCenter as a cultural institution, nestled among some of Denver’s most cherished independent retailers, on Denver’s most infamous street. We look forward to continuing the legacy of bringing communities together through the power of film.”
John J. Sie, who is the retired founder of Starz Entertainment Group, LLC, together with his wife, Anna Maglione Sie, established the Anna and John J. Sie Foundation in 2003 to support philanthropic work about the world. The Sie’s have been generous supporters of DFS as far back as 2000 when John and Starz donated $5 million that secured the first theater location for the organization on the Auraria Campus. Later, in 2008, the Sies established an endowment fund at DFS to fund the Maria & Tommaso Maglione Italian Filmmaker award, honoring both Anna’s heritage and her parents.
“Ms. Tomei is a brilliant actress who embodies why we choose to celebrate contemporary Italian cinema each year,” said Anna Maglione Sie. “We are thrilled to have her participate in the dedication of the Sie FilmCenter to the Denver community.”
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