An acclaimed documentary about late Colorado poet Andrea Gibson, and a new narrative feature inspired by a Denver family’s tragic loss, are leading the state’s film buzz this week with an Oscar nod and Sundance premiere, respectively.
“Come See Me in the Good Light,” a documentary produced in part by former Denverite, actor and writer Tig Notaro, traces Longmont/Boulder poet Gibson’s work and life as they (Gibson used nonbinary pronouns) and their wife navigate Gibson’s 2021 ovarian cancer diagnosis. Gibson died in July at the age of 49.
The film was nominated on Thursday for a 2026 Academy Award for Best Documentary, alongside titles such as Netflix’s “The Perfect Neighbor” and the political-minded “Mr. Nobody Against Putin.” The movie is currently available for streaming, and locals can watch the Oscars telecast on ABC on Sunday, March 15, to find out how it fares.
Last year’s Oscars featured an arguably all-time best Colorado contingent, with Best Picture, Best Director and Best Animated Feature nominees all led by Colorado natives. There were also Best Documentary nominations for the Boulder-produced film “Porcelain War,” and the Denver-driven sweatshop story “Anuja.”
Despite the raft of nominations, only “The Brutalist” director Brady Corbet could claim wins — in this case for star Adrien Brody winning Best Actor, and other awards for Best Original Score and Best Cinematography for “The Brutalist.”
The Sundance Film Festival, which runs Jan. 22 to Feb. 1, also kicked off this week in Park City, Utah, with filmmakers and producers hunting for theatrical and streaming distribution for hundreds of titles.
Among the buzziest is the narrative feature “See You When I See You,” which is based on Denver comedian and writer Adam Cayton-Holland’s 2018 memoir “Tragedy + Time.” It delved into the 2012 suicide of his younger sister Lydia Cayton-Holland and the emotional and psychological aftermath. Rolling Stone on Wednesday named it to its 22 Most Anticipated Films at Sundance list, noting “If anyone can pull this off without turning it into quirky indie grief-porn, it’s (Jay) Duplass.”
Directed by Duplass and written by Cayton-Holland, it stars Cooper Raiff, David Duchovny, Kaitlyn Dever, Hope Davis, Lucy Boynton and Ariela Barer. The film has its coveted Sundance premiere on Jan. 27 and screens through Feb. 1 at the fest, according to an online program guide.
Along with his Grawlix comedy-trio mates Andrew Orvedahl and Ben Roy, Cayton-Holland co-created and co-starred in the Denver-based sitcom “Those Who Can’t,” which ran on truTV for three seasons.
Cayton-Holland was not immediately available for comment.