The Sedona International Film Festival is one of Sedona’s most celebrated events. The city’s scenery coupled with its passion for the arts make it an ideal place for a film festival to thrive. Roughly 10,000 people are expected to attend. “People should consider going to the film festival because they are going to experience more than 150 of the most incredible, best, award-winning independent films from around the world, some that will likely have Oscar nominations, and many of these are films that they would never be able to see other than at a film festival,” says Patrick Schweiss, executive director of the Sedona International Film Festival.
On the first night of the nine-day festival, legendary designer Bob Mackie – who created iconic gowns worn by Cher and Madonna – will be honored on the first night. Attendees can watch a documentary about his life called “Bob Mackie: Naked Illusion.” A few film highlights include a Jeremy Piven film called “The Performance,” which is about a Jewish entertainer and tap dancer whose troupe does a special performance for Hitler; a new Alan Cumming film called “Drive Back Home,” which centers around two brothers with a rocky relationship who take a long road trip together; a film starring Patricia Clarkson called “Lilly,” which is about activist Lilly Ledbetter; “Midas Man,” which tells the story of The Beatles manager Brian Epstein. The festival gives attendees a chance to fully immerse themselves in the medium of film. They can look forward to free workshops along with Q&As with filmmakers to learn more about these works of art. “That’s what the allure of a festival is: to just get that much more than an experience of just watching the film. Our new tagline has become ‘More than a film. It’s an experience,’” says Patrick.
The festival would have never stuck around for as long as it has – over 30 years – without the support of the community. “We are one of the biggest member supported organizations in Sedona, and our members sustain us, not only at the festival, but all year long here at the theaters,” he says. “This community is literally the reason we exist, and we couldn’t be more grateful.” − Teresa K. Traverse
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