“Something About Each Film Is Extraordinary:” Screening Committee Co-Chair Says
From “Little Miss Dewie: A Duckumentary” to a new film starring Jane Seymour and James Keach to a documentary featuring a behind-the-scenes look at Warner Brothers, the 15th annual Sedona International Film Festival will offer a diverse selection of features, documentaries, shorts and foreign films from Sunday, Feb. 22 to Sunday, March 1.
A team of 30 screeners has officially announced its selection of the final 140 films to be shown on six screens at the Harkins Sedona 6 Theatres and at Sedona Red Rock High School, where additional screenings of the most popular films will be scheduled during the week.
“When we look at the films, we look for variety. We’re not trying to find films that every single person will love, but something great about each film,” said Sagan Lewis, who co-chaired the screening committee with Sheila Jackman. “There’s something great about each movie, whether it’s the cinematography, the stories, a provocative theme or a way of telling the story that’s unique. I’m looking for something about each film that is extraordinary.”
Lewis said that the selection committee this year took somewhat of a different overall approach in selecting the films.
“This year, because of the state of the world, we made an effort to find lighter films for our crowd,” she said. “People have been challenged this year. In the past, the percentage of dark films to light was about 70-30. This year that percentage is probably closer to 50-50.”
From more than 900 films submitted for consideration, screeners chose 13 animated films, 35 documentaries, 44 features and 64 shorts.
Oscar winners and nominees were prevalent among the filmmakers, directors, producers, actors and writers whose entries were selected.
Oscar winning documentary film director John Zaritsky (“The Fifth Estate: Just Another Missing Kid”) will be in Sedona discuss his newest film, “The Suicide Tourist”; “Touching Home”, a new film by Oscar nominees Ed Harris (“Apollo 13,” “The Truman Show,” “Pollock,” “The Hours”) and Brad Dourif (“One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”) will be screened as will two films by Oscar-nominated animator Bill Plympton, “Idiots and Angels,” and “Hot Dog,” and Oscar-winning animator John Canemaker’s “Chuck Jones: Memories of Childhood.” Canemaker won an Oscar for “The Moon and the Son: An Imagined Conversation.”
Ed Harris in a production still from "Touching Home"
In addition, Turner Classic Movies’ (TCM) Robert Osborn will host screenings of the Alfred Hitchcock thriller “Notorious” as well as “Singing in the Rain” with Gene Kelly and Cecil B. DeMille’s “The Greatest Show on Earth,” accompanied by Osborn’s 45-minute interview with the movie’s co-star, Betty Hutton.
The Sedona International Film Festival has screened several Oscar-nominated films during the past few years including “Man on Wire,” “Fuel” (originally called “Fields of Fuel”) and “Encounters at the End of the World.”
The Festival also features five Native-American themed films (“American Outrage,” “Power Paths,” “Raccoon and “Crawfish,” “Che ah Chi: The History of Boynton Canyon,” “Out in the Cold”) as well as films by Arizona filmmakers Daniel Pace of Tempe (“Appearance of Man”) and Phil Noyes (“Women in Boxes”), who graduated from The Verde Valley School.
A new ticketing system will allow pre-Festival purchases of tickets rather than having to wait on line at the venue.
Gold, Platinum and 10 or 20-Pack Holders will be able to buy tickets at least two weeks before the Festival and the general public can purchase tickets one week ahead “as opposed to exchanging tickets or getting in line that day for a specific movie. The tickets will be waiting for them when they arrive at the theater.”
The Festival officially opens Sunday, Feb. 22 with the 11th annual “An Evening at the Academy Awards. Monday, Feb. 23 is Preview Night with a reception at the theatre. The Festival officially begins Tuesday, Feb. 24 with a full day of screenings, a tribute to Seymour and Keach and the Opening Night Party at Sedona Rouge, presented by Reds Restaurant.
Screenings continue the rest of the week with Osborne’s Classic Series starting Wednesday, Feb. 25 with Singin’ In the Rain. A Meet the Filmmakers Reception is scheduled that evening at the Festival Pavilion, sponsored by the Sedona Film Office/Sedona Chamber of Commerce.
On Friday, Feb. 27, the “Cast Party” Gala and Honoree Tribute is scheduled at the Hilton Sedona Resort & Spa.
An Animation Workshop and Panel Discussion, with Oscar-winner Canemaker and nominee Plympton is planned on Saturday, Feb. 28. The closing night event is Sunday, March 1 at Reds Restaurant at Sedona Rouge.
Tickets can be purchased online at www.sedonafilmfestival.com or by calling (928) 282-1177. Packages begin at $95 for members for a 10-ticket package; $190 for members for a 20-ticket package; $350 for members’ Gold Priority Pass and $600 for Platinum All Access Priority Pass. Sedona Film Festival Members receive a 20 percent discount on all ticket packages.
For additional information, visit
www.sedonafilmfestival.com or call (928) 282-1177.
SEDONA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL FILM SELECTIONS
ANIMATION:
The Cave: An adaptation of Plato’s Allegory in Clay; Crema Suprema; Daniel Finds His Walking Stick; drop; The Gold of the Tigers; Hot Dog; Idiots& Angels; Plain and Simple; Profile; Raccoon and Crawfish; Sebastian’s Voodoo; Splinter; Zoologic.
DOCUMENTARY:
American Harmony; American Outrage; Bending Space: Georges Rousse and The Durham Project; The Warner Brothers; Buddha’s Lost Children; Che Ah Chi: The His tory of Boynton Canyon; Children of All Ages; Chuck Jones: Memories of Childhood; Flow, The Garden; Little Miss Dewie: A Duckumentary; Long Road North; Lord, Save Us From Your Followers; Lost in the Fog; The Matador; Milking the Rhino; No Subtitles Necessary: Laszlo & Vilmos; Paper or Plastic?; The Perfect Cappuccino; Pink, Blue, Yellow, Green: One Man’s Flight to Bring Stevia to America’s Table; Power Paths; Pray the Devil Back to Hell; Raising Lucy; Reality Check; Return to the Honeybee; Salt Harvesters of Ghana; The Soviet Story; The Suicide Tourist; They Killed Sister Dorothy; The Truth In Terms of Beauty; An Unlikely Weapon; War Child; Wild Versus Wall; Women in Boxes; The Wrecking Crew.
FEATURES:
The Adventures of Food Boy; The Appearance of Man; The Baker; Blind Ambition; Blind Dating; A Deal is a Deal; Detached; Fashion Victims; Fermat’s Room; Fighter; Forgiveness; God’s Ears; Gospel Hill; The Great Buck Howard; In A Day; Irina Palm; Like Dandelion Dust; The Lives of Angels; Lokas; A Lonely Place for Dying; Mermaid; Newcastle; Nothing Really Matters; Ocean of Pearls; Of Boys and Men; Play the Game; Pretty Ugly People; Revance; Selfless; Shadowland; Shall We Kiss; The Speed of Life; Stellina Blue; Strangers; Summerhood; Touching Home; Touching Wild Horses; Under Our Skin; The Wave.
SHORTS:
15-40; 8 Ball; And Then She was Gone; And What Remains; At What Cost?; Birthdate; The Black Rose Or How Mr. Fossenrath Tried Not to Change the World; Body Job; Brothers; California King; Catching Rats.Charlie Thistle; CU@ED’s; The Day My Parents Became Cool; Desert Wedding; The Doll Hospital; End Zone; First Time Long Time; Foobie Jesus; Gone Fishing; Green; In the Name of the Son; Love and Roadkill; Lullabye; Magritte Moment; Mildred Richards; My Dad Ralph; No Polo Widow; No Strings; Open Air; The Orphan; Out in the Cold; A Piece of Pie; Secrets; Simon; Small Avalanches; Speed Relationship-ing; A Test of Faith; Time to Kill; Tough Crowd; Trip to Hell and Back; Wakulla; THE WALL; Warrior Queen; Water Falls; Whirling Dervish; Worth; Wounded.
SEDONA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL SCHEDULE
Sunday, Feb. 22
11th Annual “An Evening at the Academy Awards”
Monday, Feb. 23
Preview Night, Films. Celebrity Guests to be Announced at Harkins Sedona 6; Preview night reception presented by New Frontiers
Tuesday, Feb. 24
Official Opening Day Tribute to Jane Seymour and James Keach, Sneak Preview of “Waiting For Forever” at Harkins Sedona 6; Opening Night party at Sedona Rouge, presented by Reds Restaurant
Wednesday, Feb. 25
Film screenings at Harkins Sedona 6; Festival Pavilion officially opens. CLASSICS SERIES: Robert Osborne hosts “Singin’ in the Rain”; Filmmaking software demonstration; Evening Event: Meet the Filmmakers Reception, Sponsored by the Sedona Film Office/Sedona Chamber of Commerce at the Festival Pavilion, catered by Heartline Cafe
Thursday, Feb. 26
Film screenings at Harkins Sedona 6; Documentary workshop; filmmaker panel discussions; CLASSIC SERIES: Robert Osborne hosts “The Greatest Show On Earth”; Evening Event for Festival Filmmakers, Party at Troia’s Pizza Pasta Amore
Friday, Feb. 27
Film Screenings at Harkins Sedona 6; Documentary workshop, filmmaker panel discussions. CLASSIC SERIES: Robert Osborne hosts “Notorious”: “Touching Home” Premiere Screenings with honoree Ed Harris; Evening Event: “Cast Party” Gala and Honoree Tribute at Hilton Sedona Resort & Spa.
Saturday, Feb. 28
Film Screenings continue at Harkins Sedona 6, expanded screenings and special premiere events at Sedona Red Rock High School auditorium; Animation workshop and panel discussion with Oscar-winner John Canemaker and Oscar-nominee Bill Plympton. Film workshops, celebrity chats and panel discussions in the Festival Pavilion. Evening Events: “Play the Game” Premiere Screenings with celebrity honorees. Party for the filmmakers and panelists at followed by dancing, music and celebrating at the Festival Pavilion.
Sunday, March 1
Film Screenings continue at Harkins Sedona 6; Awards Brunch for filmmakers, panelists and guests at L’Auberge de Sedona. Audience Choice, Director’s Choice and Excellence in Filmmaking awards will be announced. Expanded screenings and special premiere events at Sedona Red Rock High School auditorium. “Festival Favorites” and award-winner screenings take place all afternoon and evening.
Evening Event: Closing Night Film: Special premiere presentation. Dinner to follow at Reds Restaurant.
For additional information, visit
www.sedonafilmfestival.com or call (928) 282-1177.
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