Five members of Denver’s City Council and Mayor Mike Johnston were out in full fancy force on a snowy Friday night to celebrate the completion of colleague Kevin Flynn’s monumental creative accomplishment four decades in the making.

“The Order,” a new dramatic film starring Jude Law and based largely on Flynn’s reporting about the supremacist hate group that assassinated Jewish radio host Alan Berg in 1984, was the centerpiece screening of the 2024 Denver Film Festival at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House. It was also the film’s U.S. premiere in advance of its wider release on Dec. 6.

“Who knew that this gentleman would be the impetus for a major-motion picture?” asked a grinning Councilman Chris Hinds, sporting a tuxedo on the red carpet.

Flynn called it all an out-of-body experience.

I asked his political colleagues, tongue only slightly in cheek, if Flynn’s book “The Silent Brotherhood,” co-authored with the late Gary Gerhardt when they were both hardscrabble reporters for the Rocky Mountain News, proves that there is still hope for journalists. And journalism.

“Absolutely,” they all seemed to say in unison. Flynn’s journalism training, Sarah Parady said, turns out to have made him the ideal council historian. “And he actually reads every word of every contract,” she said with a laugh.

On a more serious note, Darrell Watson added: “The Fourth Estate is important. It is vital. And we understand that importance is not just because of the great work that Councilman Flynn has done on this movie – but because of the change that is underway within our entire country. We need to make sure that the press is respected, listened to, and that you have the ability to report on what we as politicians do.”

Hinds said the problem is not individual journalists – it is the corporations that own many newspapers. “That’s the concern,” Hinds said. “When we have venture capital firms owning major publications of record, that is damaging and dangerous both to our democracy and to the Fourth Estate.”

Also top of mind along the red carpet, naturally, was Tuesday’s election, which swept Donald Trump back into the presidency and made plain that Denver is largely out of step with much of the country. In Denver, where the mayor and the entire City Council are (non-declared) Democrats, voters chose Kamala Harris over Trump 77% to 20%. I asked the council members what they would say to the vast majority of their constituents who are likely feeling adrift.

Parady: “That we should not let their voices be louder than ours. That when they start floating their trial balloons, we need to make it really clear to anyone watching that there is a loud and strong and powerful counterforce. And that would include everybody on city council, by the way.”

Diana Romero Campbell: This is really a chance where we can stand together for so many things in terms of protections – not only for people who are living here in Denver, but all across Colorado and the country.”

Watson: “The arc of justice bends towards truth. No matter what the election outcomes were, we are here to say that we support individual rights. And that we’ll fight for those rights. And we need to stand up and be loud about that.”

Flynn delivered his answer with a wink. “Right now, stay active,” he said. “Keep your eyes open. Stay vigilant. Always remember that sunshine is the best disinfectant – not bleach.”

JOHNSON LEADS TALKBACK

Speaking of journalism, Johnston showed some Kyle Clark-worthy chops nimbly asking (rather than answering) the questions for the obligatory post-screening conversation with Flynn and Kate Susman, who is: 1. An executive producer on the film, 2. The daughter of former Denver City Council President Mary Beth Susman, and 3. Married to “The Order” screenwriter Zach Baylin.

Flynn pointed out the roots of antisemitism go back millennia. And Denver’s history of hate goes back much further than Berg, given the KKK’s hold on the city a century ago. Two key figures in The Order’s movement grew up in Denver. Susman makes the chilling point that, at its heart, this film is really the story of three families. And one of its most chilling scenes is ostensibly sweet. It shows Neo-Nazi leader Robert Mathews reading a bedtime story to his son. But the book is “The Turner Diaries,” the same book Timothy McVeigh would later use as his playbook for the Oklahoma City bombings.

“When you see young boys and girls growing up in that same milieu,” Flynn said, “that basically assures that this is going to continue for almost forever.”

Johnston ended by playing Roger Ebert, offering his assessment of the film.  “I think this incredible Denver dynamic duo here brought you one of the most compelling stories I think you’ll see in any film this year,” he said.

WAYNE’S WORLD

Flynn had hinted about bringing a surprise guest to Friday’s premiere, which led to speculation that it might be Wayne Manis, the retired FBI special agent who, largely working alone, put the pieces together that finally smashed The Order in 1984.

Manis is such a straight-shooter, though, that filmmakers decided to make Jude Law’s character (Terry Husk) a more flawed, fictional amalgam of a brilliant cop who drinks, smokes, curses and has lost his family – none of which is true about Manis (except the brilliant cop part). So, in advance of the film’s release, promoters have made the point at every turn: Husk is not Manis.

Though Manis was not in Denver for the screening. Flynn says he has seen the film. His reaction was surprising: “He told me he was a little annoyed that they keep saying Terry Husk isn’t him. Because so much of what Terry does in the film is what Wayne did in real life – except for the drinking, smoking and cussing,” Flynn said. “Although he did say to me, ‘I didn’t know my middle name was ***k.’”

LAYING DOWN THE LAW

So who was Friday’s surprise guest? Well it was Law, sort of. The affable Brit sent a video message that was played just before the film. His message?

“Hello everyone. My name’s Jude Law, and I’m thrilled to present Justin Kurzel’s film ‘The Order.’ Now, you may know that your city councilman Kevin Flynn wrote the book ‘The Silent Brotherhood,’ which this film is based upon. And I wanted to thank him for his involvement and generosity in the making of this film. And a special thank you also to the Denver Film Festival for selecting the film for this centerpiece screening. I hope you enjoy watching.”

COLORADAN MAKES HISTORY 

Local filmmakers who submit their short films to the festival have no delusion of ever monetizing their works. They do it for the (expensive) love of it. There is very little reward beyond the satisfaction of having their work recognized and presented at the Denver Film Festival.

But Bruce Tetsuya has something more than pride to show for his remarkable run at the festival, and that is a place in the record books. (If there is, indeed, an actual record book.)

Tetsuya made it into the Colorado Narrative Shorts category for the sixth straight year, which is a record surely as unbreakable as baseball pitcher Old Hoss Radbourn‘s 60 wins in 1884.

“I definitely don’t take anything for granted,” said Tetsuya. ”I don’t expect to get in every year. I am always nervous to hear back. It means everything to me, honestly, that the Denver Film team consistently thinks that our work is up to snuff.”

His latest entrant, “Procession,” is an 18-minute drama about 1940s incarceration camps, based on interviews with surviving family members. “It was initially going to be really small,” he said, “but when we brought on Patrick Dingman as our cinematographer, the scale just blossomed into something way bigger than we imagined.”

“Procession” cost $8,000 to make, Tetsuya said, half of which was his own funds. That’s just what it takes.

Tetsuya was born in Denver to a Japanese mother who had met her third-generation husband at Colorado College. Bruce went to Cherry Creek High School and graduated magna cum laude from the University of Colorado Boulder. He’s since carved himself an idyllic life with his life and producing partner, Jade Tsumura.

“I’ve been making a living doing film full-time for the past six years now,” he said, with a side goal of creating one narrative short film each year in his dwindling free time.

“For my job, I direct and produce commercials – just creative marketing stuff,” he said. “But this January, Jade and I are starting our own ad agency. So instead of being managed by someone else, we’re branching off and doing our own thing, which I’m really excited about.

“We have a 4-year-old boy and a 1-year-old girl at home, so we definitely could not do this if this were not a full partnership.”

SCREENING OF THE DAY

When Denver Film first announced a 10 a.m. screening today of Adrian Brody’s 3½-hour epic “The Brutalist” (captured entirely on 35mm film), it almost instantly sold out. So a second screening has been added for 2 p.m. at the Sie Film Center. It’s about an accomplished Hungarian Jewish architect and World War II survivor who reconstructs his life in America.

TODAY’S GUEST OF HONOR

Closing Day of the 2024 fest brings the biggest name of all this year’s guests. Joan Chen, who came to the attention of American audiences in the 1987 film “The Last Emperor,” (which won nine Academy Awards including Best Picture), will receive Denver Film’s Career Achievement Award following a screening of her latest film, “Dìdi,” at 1:15 p.m. at the Sie FilmCenter.

“Didi” is set In 2008, during the last month of summer. Just before high school begins, an impressionable 13-year-old Taiwanese American boy learns how to skate, flirt and love his mom. There’s chatter the role could land Chen the first Oscar nomination of her career as a supporting actress.

WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER

If you have heavily invested yourself in the 2024 Denver Film Festival, you can be among the first to know who the category winners are. They will be announced at a $50 awards brunch starting at 11 a.m. Sunday at the Jacquard Hotel, 222 Milwaukee St.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“We often think of Denver as a great outdoor city, as a great sports city, as an economic city. But the truth is that Denver is an incredible arts city. It is full of creators and builders and visionaries and dreamers.” – Denver Mayor Mike Johnston.

INFORMATION AND TICKETS

Go to denverfilm.org

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