The Denver Underground Film Festival premiered on November 21, 22 & 23, 1997 as a showcase for independent filmmakers from Colorado and beyond.

Inspired by the Sunday film parlors organized by Colorado's own Avant Garde filmmaker and film educator Stan Brakhage, DUFF aims to preserve Colorado's legacy of experimental filmmaking by exposing new audiences to classic and contemporary Avant Garde cinema, as well as new independent short and features in all genres.