Opening Night - Boulder International Film Festival
BIFF Opening Night 2024 - Ezra

Red Carpet Gala & Film

Followed by Awards Chatter with Tony Goldwyn

Opening night includes two pre-film parties at the Hotel Boulderado and Rembrandt Yard. Attendees will enjoy delicious food, live music, wines from Scarpetta, local craft beers and hard seltzer from Upslope Brewing, and specialty cocktails from WhistlePig Rye Whiskey. Long-time Boulder favorite Pasta Jay’s Catering will provide Italian signature dishes and house-made specialties. The parties will also feature tasty selections prepared by the Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts and Savory Cuisines Catering. The parties feature live music by Rex Peoples & XFactr and Stoned & Emotional. The 5280 Brass Band will lead attendees and revelers “second-line” style to the Boulder Theater for the screening of Ezra.

Opening night includes two pre-film parties at the Hotel Boulderado and Rembrandt Yard. Attendees will enjoy delicious food, live music, wines from Scarpetta, local craft beers and hard seltzer from Upslope Brewing, and specialty cocktails from WhistlePig Rye Whiskey. Long-time Boulder favorite Pasta Jay’s Catering will provide Italian signature dishes and house-made specialties. The parties will also feature tasty selections prepared by the Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts and Savory Cuisines Catering. The parties feature live music by Rex Peoples & XFactr and Stoned & Emotional. The 5280 Brass Band will lead attendees and revelers “second-line” style to the Boulder Theater for the screening of Ezra.

EZRA

US, Feature Film, 100 minutes, 2023

In this irresistibly charming dramedy about a father’s love taken to the extreme, we meet stand-up comic Max Bernal (Bobby Cannavale of The Station Agent) and his mildly autistic 11-year-old son Ezra (William Fitzgerald). Having recently blown up his career and his marriage, Max is living with his eccentric father Stan (Robert De Niro) and is profoundly at odds with his soon-to-be ex-wife Jenna (Rose Byrne of Bridesmaids) about what’s best for this precious little boy. When Ezra is expelled from yet another public school, Max makes the controversial decision to take him in the middle of the night, embarking on a fabulously unpredictable cross-country odyssey. Courtesy of Bleecker Street.

- Directed by Tony Goldwyn
- Produced by William Horberg, Jon Kilik, Tony Goldwyn, Tony Spiridakis
- Colorado Premiere

EZRA

US, Feature Film, 100 minutes, 2023

In this irresistibly charming dramedy about a father’s love taken to the extreme, we meet stand-up comic Max Bernal (Bobby Cannavale of The Station Agent) and his mildly autistic 11-year-old son Ezra (William Fitzgerald). Having recently blown up his career and his marriage, Max is living with his eccentric father Stan (Robert De Niro) and is profoundly at odds with his soon-to-be ex-wife Jenna (Rose Byrne of Bridesmaids) about what’s best for this precious little boy. When Ezra is expelled from yet another public school, Max makes the controversial decision to take him in the middle of the night, embarking on a fabulously unpredictable cross-country odyssey. Courtesy of Bleecker Street.

- Directed by Tony Goldwyn
- Produced by William Horberg, Jon Kilik, Tony Goldwyn, Tony Spiridakis
- Colorado Premiere

Tony Goldwyn Headshot - Photo by Victoria Will
Tony Goldwyn Headshot - Photo by Victoria Will

Hollywood Reporter's Scott Feinberg

Awards Chatter with Tony Goldwyn

Tony Goldwyn’s latest feature directing project, Ezra, with Bobby Cannavale and Robert DeNiro will be opening this summer. Goldwyn also has a role in the film, reuniting him with Ghost castmate Whoopi Goldberg. He can currently be seen in the much celebrated Christopher Nolan biographical film, Oppenheimer and in the original Law & Order” series talking over as the new DA. Other recent credits include the award-winning ensemble of King Richard with Will Smith and NatGeo’s limited series “The Hot Zone: Anthrax” streaming on Hulu.

Further film credits include Plane with Gerard Butler, Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House, The Belko Experiment and Divergent. Goldwyn first caught audiences’ attention in the box office smash Ghost. He appeared in numerous other films including The Pelican Brief, Kiss The Girls, Nixon, The Substance of Fire, The Last Samurai, and the remake of Wes Craven’s classic The Last House on the Left. He is familiar to children as the title voice in Disney’s Tarzan.

Goldwyn made his feature directorial debut with A Walk on the Moon. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, receiving praise from critics as well as special recognition from the National Board of Review for Excellence in Independent Filmmaking.

Other feature directing credits include The Last Kiss, for which Goldwyn received Best Director from the Boston Film Festival, and the romantic comedy Someone Like You. Conviction, starring Hilary Swank and Sam Rockwell, earned Swank a SAG Award nomination, won Best Film at the Boston Film Festival and was awarded a Freedom of Expression honor from the National Board of Review.

Hollywood Reporter's Scott Feinberg

Awards Chatter With Tony Goldwyn

Tony Goldwyn’s latest feature directing project, Ezra, with Bobby Cannavale and Robert DeNiro will be opening this summer. Goldwyn also has a role in the film, reuniting him with Ghost castmate Whoopi Goldberg. He can currently be seen in the much celebrated Christopher Nolan biographical film, Oppenheimer and in the original Law & Order” series talking over as the new DA. Other recent credits include the award-winning ensemble of King Richard with Will Smith and NatGeo’s limited series “The Hot Zone: Anthrax” streaming on Hulu.

Further film credits include Plane with Gerard Butler, Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House, The Belko Experiment and Divergent. Goldwyn first caught audiences’ attention in the box office smash Ghost. He appeared in numerous other films including The Pelican Brief, Kiss The Girls, Nixon, The Substance of Fire, The Last Samurai, and the remake of Wes Craven’s classic The Last House on the Left. He is familiar to children as the title voice in Disney’s Tarzan.

Goldwyn made his feature directorial debut with A Walk on the Moon. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, receiving praise from critics as well as special recognition from the National Board of Review for Excellence in Independent Filmmaking.

Other feature directing credits include The Last Kiss, for which Goldwyn received Best Director from the Boston Film Festival, and the romantic comedy Someone Like You. Conviction, starring Hilary Swank and Sam Rockwell, earned Swank a SAG Award nomination, won Best Film at the Boston Film Festival and was awarded a Freedom of Expression honor from the National Board of Review.

Television acting credits include Goldwyn’s sensational performance of ‘President Fitzgerald Grant’ in Shonda Rhimes’ “Scandal,” a scene stealing guest appearance on HBO’s “Lovecraft Country” and co-starring with Uma Thurman in the Netflix series, “Chambers.” Also “The Good Wife,” “Dexter,” “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” “Without A Trace,” “The L Word,” the HBO Mini-Series “From The Earth To The Moon,” “Frasier,” “Murphy Brown,” and “Designing Women.”

In addition to acting on the shows, Goldwyn directed multiple episodes of “Scandal” along with episodes of “Chambers,” “Dexter” and “The L Word.” More television directing credits include “Justified,” “Law & Order,” “Damages” and “Grey’s Anatomy,” among others”

Goldwyn began his acting career on the stage, spending seven seasons at the Williamstown Theater Festival. New York theater credits include The Water’s Edge and Spike Heels at Second Stage Theater, The Dying Gaul at Vineyard Theater, Holiday at Circle in the Square Theatre, The Sum of Us at the Cherry Lane Theatre, for which he won an Obie Award, Digby at Manhattan Theatre Club and the revival of Promises, Promises on Broadway. Additionally, he starred in back-to-back critically acclaimed Broadway productions: Tony and Olivier Award-winner The Inheritance from Matthew Lopez, directed by Stephen Daldry and Ivo van Hove’s Network with Bryan Cranston.

He also dedicates much of his personal time to philanthropic work. Goldwyn serves as an Ambassador for Stand Up To Cancer, is a board member for the humanitarian relief organization Americares, a Trustee for Second Stage Theater, sits on the MPTF Foundation Board of Governors and is on the Board of Trustees at the Innocence Project.

Television acting credits include Goldwyn’s sensational performance of ‘President Fitzgerald Grant’ in Shonda Rhimes’ “Scandal,” a scene stealing guest appearance on HBO’s “Lovecraft Country” and co-starring with Uma Thurman in the Netflix series, “Chambers.” Also “The Good Wife,” “Dexter,” “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” “Without A Trace,” “The L Word,” the HBO Mini-Series “From The Earth To The Moon,” “Frasier,” “Murphy Brown,” and “Designing Women.”

In addition to acting on the shows, Goldwyn directed multiple episodes of “Scandal” along with episodes of “Chambers,” “Dexter” and “The L Word.” More television directing credits include “Justified,” “Law & Order,” “Damages” and “Grey’s Anatomy,” among others”

Goldwyn began his acting career on the stage, spending seven seasons at the Williamstown Theater Festival. New York theater credits include The Water’s Edge and Spike Heels at Second Stage Theater, The Dying Gaul at Vineyard Theater, Holiday at Circle in the Square Theatre, The Sum of Us at the Cherry Lane Theatre, for which he won an Obie Award, Digby at Manhattan Theatre Club and the revival of Promises, Promises on Broadway. Additionally, he starred in back-to-back critically acclaimed Broadway productions: Tony and Olivier Award-winner The Inheritance from Matthew Lopez, directed by Stephen Daldry and Ivo van Hove’s Network with Bryan Cranston.

He also dedicates much of his personal time to philanthropic work. Goldwyn serves as an Ambassador for Stand Up To Cancer, is a board member for the humanitarian relief organization Americares, a Trustee for Second Stage Theater, sits on the MPTF Foundation Board of Governors and is on the Board of Trustees at the Innocence Project.

Friday March 1, 2024

Tickets - $95

– 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm: Opening Night Red Carpet parties at      the Hotel Boulderado and Rembrandt Yard
– 7:00 pm: Doors open at Boulder Theater
– 7:30 pm: BIFF Introduction, Film Screening Ezra
– Followed by Awards Chatter with Tony Goldwyn

*One Opening Night ticket is included with the purchase of each BIFF Festival Pass (RSVP required).
*Ticket Packs are not redeemable for this event.

Purchase Opening Night Tickets

Friday March 1, 2024

Tickets - $95

– 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm: Opening Night Red Carpet parties at the Hotel Boulderado and Rembrandt Yard
– 7:00 pm: Doors open at Boulder Theater
– 7:30 pm: BIFF Introduction, Film Screening Ezra
– Followed by Awards Chatter with Tony Goldwyn

*One Opening Night ticket is included with the purchase of each BIFF Festival Pass (RSVP required).
*Ticket Packs are not redeemable for this event.

Purchase Opening Night Tickets

Thank You to Our Opening Night Sponsors
Thank You to Our Opening Night Sponsors