What will the Denver Film Festival look like in the fall? What will its parent company look like after the pandemic? And, in the meantime, how will the state’s largest nonprofit film institution survive?
Answers to these questions are still materializing, but Denver Film has been able to clearly target a couple of them since it announced its new president and CEO on July 28, following a year-long, national search.
“It’s been a whirlwind, but it’s great to be here,” said James Mejia, who started his job on Aug. 10. “I’ve been getting to know everyone and wanting to understand it all as quickly as possible. But there are a lot of moving parts, and a lot of good people working on them.”
Mejia ran for Denver mayor in 2011 and finished a mere 1,491 votes behind our now three-term Mayor Michael Hancock (or third out of 10 candidates). Like Janice Sinden, Hancock’s former chief of staff who was selected to lead the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Mejia has forged valuable public and private connections that would be an asset to any nonprofit cultural organization.
At different points, Denver Mayors John Hickenlooper and Wellington Webb picked Mejia to serve as the founding president and CEO of the nationally recognized Denver Preschool Program, as well as project manager for the $425 million bond project to build the Denver Justice Center, Denver Film officials said.
Mejia has no movie experience. He’s not a film snob, or even an apparent film buff, based on a phone interview last week with The Denver Post. But he may be exactly what Denver Film needs right now.
With its home theater, East Colfax Avenue’s Sie FilmCenter, closed to the public and its hourly staff laid off, Denver Film has been running lean since mid-March. Its programmers responded to the pandemic by exploring digital streaming titles, which evolved into Denver Film’s own virtual, revenue-generating platform.
The organization’s leaders — including interim CEO Britta Erickson, Denver Film Fest’s longtime director — have begun figuring out what a film festival could (and should) look like during a global health crisis. The added complication is that some studios only lend out their films if they’re screened in a theatrical setting. The 42-year-old festival in recent years has drawn tens of thousands of visitors, acting as a crucial fundraiser for its producers at Denver Film. But no one is going to theaters right now.
Denver Film earlier this month announced its Film on the Rocks Drive-In series, which replaces its annual, wildly popular Film on the Rocks schedule at Red Rocks Amphitheatre. (Screenings now take place in a parking lot on a massive LED screen.) Then an idea swam into view: What if some of the Denver Film Festival, even opening night, happened at Red Rocks in a drive-in format?
RELATED: Film on the Rocks, drive-in style this year, kicks off its 2020 season at Red Rocks
All of these decisions were made more difficult by Denver Film’s lack of a permanent leader, following the surprise resignation of CEO and president Andrew Rodgers last year. Even shared, it was a burden on remaining staff.
Now that 53-year-old Mejia has arrived, some of that can be lifted.
Q: What was your first official duty?
A: Announcing the Film on the Rocks Drive-In series, which was pretty spectacular. People are so relieved to have entertainment at Red Rocks, judging by ticket sales, and it’s really resounding with our audience. It’s great fun and a good demonstration of what this organization is capable of.
Q: What can you bring to Denver Film that no one else can?
A: I think I complete the picture. They already have world-class programming, and my strengths can complement that. I can provide structure and tools to the people working on the artistic side. I can provide fundraising and the ability to collaborate with diverse communities, and hopefully gain more new audience members than we’ve ever had before. And I’m someone who grew up in city and state government while doing a lot of economic development work. All of my past lives play an important role in reaching out to the business community, educators and foundations. There’s no question that being a Denver native helps that. Before the conversation even starts, I’ve got a lot of friends out there.
Q: You mention diverse audiences, but Denver’s biggest arts nonprofits have been desperately trying to increase audience diversity for years now. How will you actually do that?
A: I’ve got a history with helping the indigenous community and their film series, and a long history with Tony Garcia of Su Teatro, who puts on Latino film events. Those are all positive conversations I’ve already had with folks who are excited about bringing Denver Film resources to bear. It’s going to take some time, and a combination of efforts, but we need to be laying the groundwork right now. Film is a powerful platform we can be using to discuss society, whether it’s John Lewis’ life in “Good Trouble” or a conversation about how Black Lives Matter should be perceived in Denver.
Q: What are some challenges that Denver Film faces?
A: I think we can be better collaborators. We can (contribute to) what’s going on around us, because film engages people in a real and authentic way. We can be more involved with the Latino and indigenous communities, and the arts and culture conversations going on in different parts of the city, like the (Art District on Santa Fe). My role is to identify where we can have the most impact.
Q: You’re the ninth of 13 children, and the product of two self-made, educator parents. What did you learn from them?
A: Only everything. My father had never taken a day off from work because he knew the kids (at the school where he taught) counted on him — except for one day, and that one day was voting day. Without telling us it was important to vote or to be involved in the electoral system, to serve the community and volunteer and be a neighbor, he just did it. And you couldn’t help but soak up things like that by osmosis. There were 13 of us running around the house, which is crazy. I have three girls and raising them is consuming, so it’s hard to fathom what that was like for my mother, in addition to the day care in her home. Everything was a learning opportunity in the presence of my mother.
Q: Are your parents still around?
A: Yes, in the same house where I grew up. They’ve been there for over 45 years. They raised us in Park Hill, and last year I was very intentional about moving back to the neighborhood. I live three blocks from where I was born, and six blocks from my parents.
Q: And the Sie FilmCenter is right across the street from where you went to high school.
A: East High was not only my alma mater for high school, but my favorite years of education anywhere, and that includes college and a couple of graduate programs. There was a premium on being a good student and a good athlete in the most diverse environment I’ve ever been in. It was nothing short of profound for me.
Q: You declined to endorse Mayor Michael Hancock after losing to him in 2011. How important is your relationship with his office?
A: It’s incredibly important, not only for the obvious transactional value with Denver Arts & Venues (which owns Red Rocks Amphitheatre and other major venues) but also for remaining at the forefront of the city’s conversations. So automatically we’d be looking to collaborate with them, because their success is our success. I’ve got a very good relationship with the mayor. There are things I’ve agreed with and things I’ve disagreed with, but I have been very intentional about taking a step back from city politics after 2011. Rumor has it that his chief of staff, Alan Salazar, is a pretty big film buff, so we hope to see him around at many of our events as well.
Q: How do you respond to people who say, “Well, he has no film experience … .”
A: I would say they are completely right. I have zero film experience other than being an appreciator thereof, and (I’m) thoroughly entertained and connected with my family over this magical medium. Is it a deficit? It depends on who you talk to, but if there is a strength in this organization, it’s our programming and knowledge of film. Can I ever be the film critic or programmer? No. We’ve got that part of it down. My job is to support that. I like my view of cinema where it is. I don’t want to know too much. It’s too much of a medium that I enjoy to have to dig into the warts of it all.
Q: How are Denver Film’s finances?
A: Like everyone else, we’re struggling in the time of COVID. Our gross revenues are down year over year about 50 percent. That’s a dramatic drop. We have been able to rebound by some reinvention, like the Film on the Rocks Drive-In series, and renting the Sie FilmCenter for small groups while being cautious and continuing to monitor health guidelines. Like many other organizations, unfortunately, we’ve had to furlough some employees, and that’s tough coming off of a very strong year previous to the pandemic. But my part in this is to make sure we emerge as a stronger organization.
Q: What’s your favorite movie?
A: “The Princess Bride.” It’s something my (family) can all together, regardless of our other likes and activities. It’s one of the few that I actually own.
Q: What are you most looking forward to?
A: One thing is being able to show movies and have bands at Red Rocks again. In my opinion, Red Rocks is literally the best place in the world to hear music and my favorite place to a movie, and it’s a unique Colorado experience. Another is trying to have the film festival in person. I love the excitement of bringing together producers and directors and actors with my friends and neighbors while sharing our love of cinema. We want to have in-person premieres and a red carpet event, and maybe even open that up to new communities that haven’t been a part of that before.
