A little-known fact to those outside of the "industry” is that Colorado is actually a landmark in the history of cable television.

Thanks to Bill Daniels, aka “The Father of Cable Television,” Denver took an early lead in the cable race in the 1950s.

Today, a surprising amount of cable TV content is produced in our own backyard by a handful of independent producers and companies.

High Noon Productions produces shows for Discovery, HGTV and the Food Network. The Comcast Media Center creates cable specials and video-on-demand content.

Yet Kevin Shand, Colorado Film Commissioner, says TV commercials are the most consistent independent production work in the state.

But what about independent film? As with every metropolis, there’s a healthy contingency of film lovers, but what about filmmakers?

Turns out we have a number of production professionals in Colorado—videographers, directors, producers, lighting and sound experts—and actors?

Colorado has a lot of actors.

There’s also support for independent films. The Denver Film Society boasts 2,000 members, and approximately 20 of the films presented at the Starz Denver International Film Festival each year are homegrown.

Shand affirms: “Colorado has a solid crew base, infrastructure, equipment, and talented actors, and we're trying to build the industry here. We want to grow the film community to become less reliant on outside projects. We would love to see more local projects with the big-budget, outside jobs subsidizing independent productions.”

Unfortunately, too many of our talented professionals flee Colorado for the coasts, trying their luck in New York or Los Angeles.

There are, however, some who are determined not to leave Colorado.

Enter Donna Dewey and Carol Pasternak, who were honored with Oscars in 1997 for their documentary short, “A Story of Healing.”

Dewey has just finished producing a new feature, shot right here in Denver using local talent. “Skills Like This,” a wacky heist flick, opened the South By Southwest Film Festival in early March and is sure to make a buzz in the indie film world—it won the festival's Audience Award for Narrative Feature.

Darla Rae is also doing well. Her film “The Goal” starring and co-produced by Jason Regier, a local Paralympics wheelchair rugby player and actor, has won several awards around the globe. Rae is also starting a new dramatic feature.

Shand explains that although one might think the local film scene is making a comeback, it never really went away.

The 1980s saw a lot of production work in Colorado, but then came tax incentives that drew big-budget productions to places like Canada or New Mexico because they offered rebates for production spending.

Most state film commissions are funded by their governments and in Colorado, TABOR and low tax incentives steered many big-budget films away.

New legislation, House Bill 1206, proposes expanding our tax incentives to $600,000 annually—a drop in the bucket, and still not enough to attract most mainstream films with $30 million budgets.

To Make a Movie

For emerging and seasoned filmmakers, however, there are several resources to help make it—even on a small budget.

The Documentary Cinema Institute is a cultural and educational institution devoted to the study, development and exhibition of documentary cinema.

With classes and regular “Guest Forum” screenings with filmmakers from Colorado and beyond, the Institute offers both inspiration and networking.

Carol Bebe, director of the Documentary Cinema Institute, says “there’s a lot of appreciation for film culture here, and there has been for a long time. However, I think this region could become a more fertile ground for filmmaking of all kinds, with more unity among filmmakers, education, and support for the industry.”

The Bug Theatre presents the Emerging Filmmakers Project, which offers subsidized workshops and a monthly screening featuring films and discussions with regional filmmakers.

Another resource is Denver Open Media. As Denver's new public access TV station, Denver Open Media is a revolutionary approach to TV. Producers use their equipment, create the shows, provide feedback as viewers, and viewer votes determine the broadcast schedule: on Comcast channels 57, 58, and 59.

To Watch a Movie

For those who love film but prefer to watch rather than create, or for filmmakers in need of inspiration, there are lots of non-commercial indie screenings here.

Argus Fest offers thought-provoking, progressive films (mostly documentaries) in a laid-back environment like the coffee

Denver Film Society Co-Founder/Artistic Director Ron Henderson and actor Tim Robbins at the Starz Denver Film Fesitval in 2006

Another distinctive option is the weekly SAVAGE Film Series with Film Curator Michael Savage, who creates an intriguing  mix of film-clip viewing and critique.

And finally, for those needing a more traditional viewing environment (with popcorn and a big screen) there’s the Denver Film Society’s Starz FilmCenter.

Like Los Angeles' Nuart and New York’s Film Forum, Denver's Starz FilmCenter is a "calendar" film house. Every week new titles or new prints of classic titles open there and nowhere else in the Denver metro area.

Britta Erickson, director of media and industry relations of the Denver Film Society, says she's "excited about the growth of the local filmmaking community. Each year we are impressed with the rising quality of work being independently produced here in Colorado. As an organization, we are hopeful that the legislature will renew the film tax incentives so that more filmmakers will be attracted to living and working in our state.”

So, with all these resources, screenings, inspiring filmmakers and film groups, more Oscar winners should come from Colorado one of these days—or at least some more good films!

Photos courtesy of  "Skills Like This" /  DigiPicPhoto