Sedona Film Fest presents ‘The Keeper’ encore Oct. 23-28
Winner of the top two festival awards returns to Mary D. Fisher Theatre
The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to present the Northern Arizona encore of the multiple award-winning film “The Keeper” showing Oct. 23-28 at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre.
“The Keeper” was among the highest-rated films by the audience at the recent Sedona International Film Festival, where it earned the two top festival honors: Audience Choice Best Drama and Best of Fest. It has also won 10 Audience Choice Awards at several prestigious film festivals around the world.
He was their enemy … and became their hero.
“The Keeper” tells the incredible true story of Bert Trautmann (David Kross), a German soldier and prisoner of war who — against a backdrop of British post-war protest and prejudice — secures the position of Goalkeeper at Manchester City, and in doing so becomes a footballing icon.
His signing causes outrage to thousands of fans, many of them Jewish. But Bert receives support from an unexpected direction: Rabbi Alexander Altmann, who fled the Nazis.
Bert’s love for Margaret (Freya Mavor), an Englishwoman, carries him through and he wins over even his harshest opponents by winning the 1956 FA Cup Final, playing on with a broken neck to secure victory. But fate will soon twist the knife for Bert and Margaret, when their love and loyalty to each other is put to the ultimate test.
“Excellent! A heartfelt blend of romance and football.” — The Guardian
“An extraordinary love story.” — Daily Star
“Rousing, emotional, riveting!” — Daily Express
“The legendary goalkeeper overcame the fact that he was a captured prisoner of war to win an Englishwoman’s love, the 1956 FA Cup for Manchester City and, most difficult of all, the hearts of post-war British soccer fans.” — Dan Friedman, The Forward
“The Keeper” will be shown at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre Oct. 23-28. Showtimes will be 4 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 23, 24 and 25; and 7 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday, Oct. 26 and 28.
Tickets are $12, or $9 for Film Festival members. For tickets and more information, please call 928-282-1177. Both the theatre and film festival office are located at 2030 W. Hwy. 89A, in West Sedona. For more information, visit: www.SedonaFilmFestival.org.
Sedona Film Fest presents ‘Fisherman’s Friends’ premiere Oct. 23-28
Lighthearted, feel-good movie debuts at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre
The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to present the Northern Arizona premiere of the award-winning and acclaimed “Fisherman’s Friends” showing Oct. 23-28 at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre.
The fishermen of Cornwall are signed to Universal Records and achieve a top ten hit with their debut album of Sea Shanties in the lighthearted, feel-good movie “Fisherman’s Friends”, based on a true story.
A fast living, cynical London music executive (Daniel Mays) heads to a remote Cornish village on a stag weekend where he’s pranked by his boss (Noel Clarke) into trying to sign a group of shanty singing fishermen (led by James Purefoy). He becomes the ultimate “fish out of water” as he struggles to gain the respect or enthusiasm of the unlikely boy band and their families who value friendship and community over fame and fortune.
As he’s drawn deeper into the traditional way of life he’s forced to reevaluate his own integrity and ultimately question what success really means.
“Fisherman’s Friends” will be shown at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre Oct. 23-28. Showtimes will be 7 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 23, 24 and 25; and 4 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday, Oct. 26 and 28.
Tickets are $12, or $9 for Film Festival members. For tickets and more information, please call 928-282-1177. Both the theatre and film festival office are located at 2030 W. Hwy. 89A, in West Sedona. For more information, visit: www.SedonaFilmFestival.org.
Exhibition on Screen ‘Frida Kahlo’ premieres Oct. 27
Sedona Film Festival hosts big-screen presentation of art series at Mary D. Fisher theatre
Sedona International Film Festival presents the Exhibition on Screen series with “Frida Kahlo”. The event will show in Sedona on Tuesday, Oct. 27 at 4 and 7 p.m. at the festival’s Mary D. Fisher Theatre.
Who was Frida Kahlo? Everyone knows her, but who was the woman behind the bright colors, the big brows, and the floral crowns? Take a journey through the life of a true icon, discover her art, and uncover the truth behind her often turbulent life.
Making use of the latest technology to deliver previously unimaginable quality, we take an in-depth look at key works throughout her career. Using letters Kahlo wrote to guide us, this definitive film reveals her deepest emotions and unlocks the secrets and symbolism contained within her art.
Exhibition on Screen’s trademark combination of interviews, commentary and a detailed exploration of her art delivers a treasure trove of color and a feast of vibrancy. Filmed extensively at The Blue House in Mexico City, this personal and intimate film offers privileged access to her works, and highlights the source of her feverish creativity, her resilience, and her unmatched lust for life, politics, men and women.
Delving deeper than any film has done before, engaging with world-renowned Kahlo experts, exploring how great an artist she was, we discover the real Frida Kahlo.
“Directing this film has totally changed my view on Frida Kahlo as an artist,” said director Ali Ray. “Now, having studied her works closely and understanding their context of time and place, I am utterly gripped. Having access to her personal letters was a key part of making the film, and in my own understanding of her work. It enabled me to see how the fragility and insecurities revealed in her letters were processed through the act of painting. Her meticulously painted canvases were how she interpreted the world, her politics, passions and emotions, transforming them into images of strength, defiance and understanding.”
The festival is proud to be the official host of the Exhibition on Screen Series, joining hundreds of theatres around the globe for this special exhibition on screen. Cinema guests can now enjoy unprecedented high definition access into the lives of renowned artists, their art and the fabulous museums and galleries that are the custodians of such masterpieces.
The Exhibition on Screen Series is generously sponsored by Goldenstein Gallery.
“Frida Kahlo” will be shown at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre on Tuesday, Oct. 27 at 4 and 7 p.m. Tickets are $15, or $12.50 for Film Festival members. Tickets are available in advance at the Sedona International Film Festival office or by calling 928-282-1177 or online at www.SedonaFilmFestival.org. Both the theatre and film festival office are located at 2030 W. Hwy. 89A, in West Sedona.
Sedona Film Fest presents ‘Top End Wedding’ premiere Oct. 30-Nov. 4
Lighthearted, feel-good movie debuts at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre
The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to present the Northern Arizona premiere of the light-hearted, feel-good romantic comedy “Top End Wedding” showing Oct. 30-Nov. 4 at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre.
Engaged and in love, Lauren and Ned have just ten days to find Lauren’s mother who has gone AWOL somewhere in the Northern Territory, reunite her parents and pull off their dream “Top End Wedding”. As the couple travel through the wild beauty of Australia’s Northern Territory landscapes they meet unforgettable characters, find fulfilment and Lauren learns why her mother had to leave to find home.
At the beginning of the Australian romantic comedy “Top End Wedding”, affable Ned (Gwilym Lee) proposes to his girlfriend, Lauren (Miranda Tapsell). Lauren, of course, says yes. She also just became a partner at her firm. As such, she is only able to get ten days off from work for the wedding. That’s correct, Ned and Lauren have to plan and have a wedding in ten days.
But, Lauren, who is an Aboriginal, wants to have the wedding in her hometown. Ned agrees, but once they get there, they discover that her mom Daffy (Ursula Yovich) has left her dad with just a post-it note explaining that she can’t handle it anymore. So now, Lauren and Ned need to plan their wedding while undertaking a road trip to find Daffy … and all in only ten days.
The “top end” in “Top End Wedding” refers to the remote Northern Territory of Down Under, where things are done a little differently from what its young townies from bottom-end Adelaide are used to.
“Top End Wedding” will be shown at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre Oct. 30-Nov. 4. Showtimes will be 4 p.m. on Friday and Sunday, Oct. 30 and Nov. 1; 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31; and 7 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday, Nov. 2 and 4.
Tickets are $12, or $9 for Film Festival members. For tickets and more information, please call 928-282-1177. Both the theatre and film festival office are located at 2030 W. Hwy. 89A, in West Sedona. For more information, visit: www.SedonaFilmFestival.org.
Sedona Film Fest presents ‘The Donut King’ premiere Oct. 30-Nov. 4
Award-winning documentary debuts at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre
The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to present the Northern Arizona premiere of the award-winning, acclaimed documentary “The Donut King” showing Oct. 30-Nov. 4 at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre.
“The Donut King” is the rags-to-riches story of a refugee escaping Cambodia, arriving in America in 1975 and building an unlikely multi-million-dollar empire baking America’s favorite pastry, the donut.
Weaving together two histories hidden in plain sight, the film is a heartwarming yet three-dimensional portrait of a man who lifted hundreds of his shell-shocked countrymen out of poverty and despair, but was later consumed by his own ambition and zeal.
The titular donut king is 77-year-old Ted Ngoy, who has attained mythic status among many Cambodian Americans in Los Angeles and Orange County since his arrival in the U.S. more than four decades ago. By 1979 he was living the American Dream. But, in life, great rise can come with great falls.
The sponsor of more than 100 refugee families, Ngoy is almost single-handedly responsible for his compatriots’ domination of the mom-and-pop donut shops in Southern California, of which 80 percent were owned by Cambodians by the mid-1990s.
It’s an improbable achievement, and each biographical detail that we get from Gu’s film underscores just how unlikely Ngoy’s entire life has been, from his innovation of carnation pink as the donut-box color to his marriage to the daughter of a wealthy and influential family as the son of an impoverished single mother (herself a Chinese migrant to Cambodia).
You get the sense that a man with Ngoy’s restless enterprise and financial savvy would have been a runaway success at any place and time. But it was late 20th-century America that placed him in a unique position to help so many people — and then to ruin himself in spectacular fashion.
“The Donut King” will be shown at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre Oct. 30-Nov. 4. Showtimes will be 7 p.m. on Friday and Sunday, Oct. 30 and Nov. 1; and 4 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday, Nov. 2 and 4.
Tickets are $12, or $9 for Film Festival members. For tickets and more information, please call 928-282-1177. Both the theatre and film festival office are located at 2030 W. Hwy. 89A, in West Sedona. For more information, visit: www.SedonaFilmFestival.org.
Met Opera encore of ‘Cavalleria Rusticana’ and ‘Pagliacci’ on Oct. 31
Encore series will feature popular Met Operas returning to the big screen
The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to present the encore of the Met Opera productions of Mascagni’s “Cavalleria Rusticana” and Leoncavallo’s “Pagliacci” (from the 2015 season) on Saturday, Oct. 31 at 10 a.m. at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre.
There will be a pre-opera talk at 9 a.m. led by Russell Fox.
The cast of “Cavalleria Rusticana” and “Pagliacci” includes Eva-Maria Westbroek (Santuzza), Patricia Racette (Nedda), Marcelo Álvarez Turiddu/Canio), George Gagnidze (Alfio/Tonio). Fabio Luisi is the conductor of the operas.
Director David McVicar’s new production brings opera’s favorite double bill to new life, setting the two operas in the same Sicilian setting, separated by two generations. Marcelo Álvarez takes on the rare feat of singing both leading tenor roles. In Cavalleria, he is Turiddu, the young man who abandons Santuzza (Eva-Maria Westbroek) in his pursuit of the married Lola (Ginger Costa-Jackson)—and ends up being killed in a duel with her husband, Alfio (George Gagnidze). In Pagliacci, Álvarez is Canio, the leader of a traveling vaudeville troupe. Patricia Racette sings Nedda, his unfaithful young wife, whose plans to run away with her lover are foiled by her spurned admirer Tonio (George Gagnidze) — with equally tragic consequences. Met Principal Conductor Fabio Luisi is on the podium.
CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA
A village in Sicily, circa 1900. At dawn on Easter Sunday, Turiddu sings in the distance of his love for Lola, wife of the carter Alfio. She and Turiddu had been a couple before he joined the army. When he returned and found her married to Alfio, he seduced Santuzza but now has abandoned her and rekindled his relationship with Lola. Later in the morning, a distraught Santuzza approaches the tavern of Mamma Lucia, Turiddu’s mother, who tells her that her son is away buying wine. But Santuzza knows that Turiddu has been seen during the night in the village. Alfio arrives with a group of men, boasting of his horses—and of Lola. He asks Mamma Lucia if she has any more of her good wine. When she says that Turiddu has gone to get more, Alfio replies that he saw him near his house that same morning. Lucia is surprised, but Santuzza tells her to keep quiet. As the villagers follow the procession to church, Santuzza stays behind and pours out her grief about Turiddu to Mamma Lucia. The old woman expresses her pity, then also leaves for Mass. Turiddu arrives in the piazza. When Santuzza confronts him about his affair with Lola, he denies her accusations. Just then Lola passes by on her way to church. She mocks Santuzza, and Turiddu turns to follow her. Santuzza begs him to stay and implores him not to abandon her. Refusing to listen, Turiddu leaves, and Santuzza curses him. Alfio appears, late for Mass. Santuzza tells him that Lola went to church with Turiddu and reveals that she has been cheating on him. In a rage, Alfio swears to get even and rushes off, leaving behind the now conscience-stricken Santuzza.
Returning from the church the villagers gather at Mamma Lucia’s tavern. Turiddu leads them in a drinking song, but the atmosphere becomes tense when Alfio appears. He refuses Turiddu’s offer of wine and instead challenges him to a knife fight. Turiddu admits his guilt but is determined to go through with the fight, for Santuzza’s sake as well as for his honor. The two men agree to meet outside the village. Alone with his mother, Turiddu begs her to take care of Santuzza if he doesn’t come back, then runs off to the fight. As Mamma Lucia waits anxiously, shouts are heard in the distance. A woman runs in screaming that Turiddu has been killed.
PAGLIACCI
Tonio the clown announces that what the audience is about to see is a true story and that actors have the same joys and sorrows as other people.
Act I
The same Sicilian village, 1949. A small theatrical company has just arrived and Canio, the head of the troupe, advertises the night’s performance to the gathered crowd. One of the villagers suggests that Tonio is secretly courting Canio’s young wife, Nedda. Canio warns them all that he will not tolerate any flirting offstage—life and theater are not the same. As the crowd disperses, Nedda is left alone, disturbed by her husband’s jealousy. She looks up to the sky, envying the birds their freedom. Tonio appears and tries to force himself on Nedda, but she beats him back, and he retreats, swearing revenge. In fact, Nedda does have a lover—Silvio, a young peasant, who suddenly appears. The two reaffirm their love, and Silvio persuades Nedda to run away with him that night. Tonio, who has returned and overheard the end of their conversation, alerts Canio, but Silvio manages to slip away unrecognized. Canio violently threatens Nedda, but she refuses to reveal her lover’s name. Beppe, another member of the troupe, restrains Canio, and Tonio advises him to wait until the evening’s performance to catch the culprit. Alone, Canio gives in to his despair—he must play the clown even though his heart is breaking.
Act II
That evening, the villagers assemble to watch the performance, Silvio among them. Beppe plays Harlequin, who serenades Columbine, played by Nedda. He dismisses her buffoonish servant Taddeo, played by Tonio, and over dinner the two sweethearts plot to poison Columbine’s husband Pagliaccio, played by Canio. When Pagliaccio unexpectedly appears, Harlequin slips away. Taddeo maliciously assures Pagliaccio of his wife’s innocence, which ignites Canio’s jealousy. Forgetting his role and the play, he demands that Nedda tell him the name of her lover. She tries to continue with the performance, the audience enthralled by its realism, until Canio snaps. In a fit of rage he stabs Nedda and then Silvio, who rushes to her aid. Turning to the horrified crowd, Tonio announces that the comedy is over.
“Cavalleria Rusticana” and “Pagliacci” from the Metropolitan Opera will be shown at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre on Saturday, Oct. 31 at 10:00 a.m. with a pre-opera talk by Russell Fox starting at 9 a.m. Tickets are $15, or $12.50 for Film Festival members. Tickets are available in advance at the Sedona International Film Festival office or by calling 928-282-1177. Both the theatre and film festival office are located at 2030 W. Hwy. 89A, in West Sedona. For more information and to order tickets online, visit www.SedonaFilmFestival.org.
Great Art on Screen ‘Bernini’ premieres Nov. 3
Sedona Film Festival hosts big-screen presentation of art series at Mary D. Fisher theatre
Sedona International Film Festival presents the Great Art on Screen series with “Bernini”. The event will show in Sedona on Tuesday, Nov. 3, at 4 and 7 p.m. at the festival’s Mary D. Fisher Theatre.
Great Art on Screen is a series of documentaries featuring an in-depth look at the most extraordinary and groundbreaking art masters of their time.
No artist defined 17th-century Rome more than Gian Lorenzo Bernini did, working under nine popes and leaving an indelible mark on the Eternal City. And there is probably no better place to appreciate his talent and genius than the Borghese Gallery in Rome.
During the remarkable exhibition titled “Bernini”, visiting may be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
The selection of more than 60 masterpieces on display at the Villa Borghese in Rome has been defined by art experts as Bernini’s return home. Five centuries have passed since the birth of the artist’s magnificent sculptures and through exclusive, never-before-seen footage, the curators of this stunning exhibition uncover the details of these treasures, on loan from the world’s most prestigious museums for this extraordinary cinematic experience.
The Great Art on Screen Series is generously sponsored by Goldenstein Gallery.
“Bernini” will be shown at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre on Tuesday, Nov. 3 at 4 and 7 p.m. Tickets are $15, or $12.50 for Film Festival members. Tickets are available in advance at the Sedona International Film Festival office or by calling 928-282-1177 or online at www.SedonaFilmFestival.org. Both the theatre and film festival office are located at 2030 W. Hwy. 89A, in West Sedona.
Film Fest presents ‘#Anne Frank: Parallel Stories’ premiere Nov. 5
Academy Award-winner Helen Mirren brings the pages of diary to life in new film
The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to present the Northern Arizona premiere of “#Anne Frank: Parallel Stories” showing one day only, Thursday, Nov. 5 at 4 and 7 p.m. at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre.
“#Anne Frank: Parallel Stories” is a powerful retelling of Anne Frank’s life through the pages of her extraordinary diary guided by the Academy-Award winning actress Helen Mirren, and through the lives of five women who, as young girls, were also deported to concentration camps but survived the Holocaust.
As a dedication to what would have been her 90th anniversary — and in cooperation with the Anne Frank Foundation — the documentary takes audiences into Anne’s room within the secret annex of her family’s hiding place before being deported, and through read excerpts of her diary intertwined with the experiences of the survivors who lived to tell their own parallel stories.
The film firmly roots Anne as a reference point as she wrote about what was happening to a Europe in flames at the time, about Nazism, her fears, hopes and dreams, while also providing the context of past human experiences for understanding our own present and future.
“#Anne Frank: Parallel Stories” will be shown at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre on Thursday, Nov. 5 at 4 and 7 p.m. Tickets are $12, or $9 for Film Festival members. For tickets and more information, please call 928-282-1177. Both the theatre and film festival office are located at 2030 W. Hwy. 89A, in West Sedona. For more information, visit: www.SedonaFilmFestival.org.
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“#Anne Frank: Parallel Stories” is a powerful retelling of Anne Frank’s life through the pages of her extraordinary diary guided by the Academy-Award winning actress Helen Mirren.
