Documentary 'The Holly' reveals corruption, abuse in a Denver neighborhood

Denver Film added a Red Carpet presentation to the 45th Denver Film Festival. "The Holly" will screen at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House on Thursday, November 10, 2022. The film is a documentary focused on a Denver activist, and a neighborhood redevelopment project, but the years-long project uncovered some pretty shocking revelations.

"The story, to me, said so much about what was going on with urban redevelopment, as well as our efforts to stop gang violence, and just violence in general, in our most vulnerable neighborhoods," said Julian Rubinstein, the filmmaker.

The Holly is a square block in Denver's Park Hill neighborhood. It was once a midcentury shopping center, a site of gang violence, the center of a redevelopment plan, the scene of a shooting, and now it's the subject of Rubinstein's documentary and his book.

"The book is a multigenerational story of a neighborhood and a city over decades, and generations, mostly through one family, and one main character, Terrance Roberts, a former gang leader turned activist," Rubinstein explained.

The documentary follows Roberts as he faces charges from a 2013 shooting at The Holly. The film is the result of several years of investigative reporting on Rubinstein's part, looking into gang violence, the officers who police it, and the dollars meant to stop it.

"I did find corruption in a federally funded anti-gang effort here in Denver. I did find the misuse of informants. I did find the targeted take-down of a prominent activist. And I did find a connection between gentrification and violence," Rubinstein told CBS News Colorado.

Rubinstein hopes the book and the film will open people's eyes beyond just the headlines, and get them to question exactly how their tax dollars are being spent.

LINK: Information & Tickets for 45th Denver Film Festival

The Denver Film Festival runs through November 13, 2022 with nearly 230 films being screened.