For your consideration: Denver Film Festival recommendations | Arts & Entertainment

If you are dipping your toes into the 45th Denver Film Festival from Nov. 2-13, here’s a swath of suggested films, from red-carpet blockbusters to smaller films by genre:

SPOTLIGHT SCREENINGS:

• Opening Night: “Armageddon Time”: James Gray’s semi-autobiographical retelling of his coming-of-age as a dreamy sixth grader in 1980 Queens. With Anthony Hopkins as the grandpa. 8 p.m. Nov. 2, Ellie Caulkins Opera House

• Centerpiece: “Empire of Light” is the story of a British woman who forges an unlikely friendship with a young Jamaican man she works with at the local cinema. Directed by Sam Mendes and starring Olivia Colman. 8 p.m. Nov. 4, Ellie Caulkins Opera House

• Big Buzz: “The Holly”: Denver journalist Julian Rubinstein dives deep inside a gentrifying section of Park Hill where a shooting involving local activist (and now Denver mayoral candidate) Terrance Roberts provides a window into the political machinations of urban development and the city of Denver’s gang activity . 8 p.m. Nov. 10, Ellie Caulkins Opera House

• Closing Night: “Women Talking”: In 2010, the women of an isolated religious community grapple with reconciling their faith with their everyday reality. Featuring Frances McDormand. 8 p.m. Nov. 12, Ellie Caulkins Opera House

MUST-SEE FILMS:

• “She Said”: Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan star as the New York Times reporters who broke the story that shattered decades of silence around the subject of sexual assault in Hollywood and altered the everyday American work culture forever. 7 p.m. Nov. 7, Denver Botanic Gardens

• “Loudmouth”: Documentary about the Rev. Al Sharpton, who often found his way to the center of national conversations revolving around race in the 1980s and beyond. 7 p.m. Nov. 9, Sie FilmCenter. (Note: Sharpton no longer will be appearing at this screening, as had been previously announced.)

• “The Inspection”: Raúl Castillo stars in this true story of a sympathetic Drill Sergeant who affords a young gay Black man unexpected camaraderie and support in the deep-seated prejudice of the US Marines. 7 p.m. Nov. 9, Denver Botanic Gardens

• “The Whale”: Oscar-buzz drama about a reclusive 600-pound English professor (Brendan Fraser) who is hoping to reconnect with his angry teenage daughter (Sadie Sink of “Stranger Things”) before it is too late. 4 p.m. Nov. 12, Denver Botanic Gardens

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION:

• Feature Movie: “Living”: In 1952 London, a civil servant begins to question the meaning of life when his dull life suddenly turns into something wonderful. 7 p.m. Nov. 8, Denver Botanic Gardens

• American Indie: “Land of Gold”: A Sikh truck driver goes on an improbable cross-country drive to Boston with an undocumented immigrant girl from Mexico. 7 pm Nov. 4 and 1 pm Nov. 5 at the Sie FilmCenter

• Colorado Spotlight: “How to Blow Up a Pipeline”: Boulder native Daniel Goldhaber follows a crew of environmental activists who plot to disrupt an oil pipeline. 7:15 pm Nov. 3, AMC 9+CO10

• US Documentary: “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed”: Follows artist Nan Goldin and her efforts to shed light on the opioid epidemic – and the manufacturer of OxyContin. 6:25 pm, Nov. 5, Sie FilmCenter

• International Documentary: “All That Breathes”: This chronicle of two brothers who are saving birds that are dropping from New Delhi’s smoked-clogs skies at an alarming rate, is the first film ever to be named Best Documentary by both the Cannes and Sundance film festivals. 7:30 pm Nov. 9 and 4 pm Nov. 10, AMC 9+CO 10

• International Drama: “Godland.” A young Danish priest in the late 19th century travels to a remote part of Iceland, and the deeper he goes, the more he strays from his purpose. 3:45 pm Nov. 12, 4 pm Nov. 13, AMC 9+CO10

• International Action: “Hunt”: This 1980s directorial debut from South Korean “Squid Games” star Lee Jung-jae is a mile-a-minute CIA thriller filled with political intrigue and blown-up cars. 6:45 pm Nov. 11, Sie FilmCenter