Denver — The Holly, a documentary filmed in Colorado by director and producer Julian Rubinstein, with support from the Colorado Office of Film, Television, and Media, received a national Emmy at the 46th News and Documentary Emmy Awards held this summer. The film, based on Rubinstein’s book of the same name, won the award for Outstanding Regional Documentary. The Holly investigates gentrification, gang violence and activism in Denver. Rubinstein and producers donnie l. betts and Dia Sokol Savage are longtime Colorado residents. The Holly is available to stream on Prime Video, Apple TV+, and Tubi. Rocky Mountain PBS will also air an encore broadcast of the documentary on Thursday, August 7 at 7 p.m.
The Colorado Economic Development Commission approved a Colorado Film Incentive for The Holly in 2015, which hired 19 Colorado cast and crew members. This support encourages film and media production in Colorado with a performance-based tax incentive for up to 20% of qualified expenses for productions that hire local cast and crew, providing an average 18-to-1 direct return on investment to the economy. In 2024, the Colorado Film Incentive program supported 370 Colorado cast and crew hires.