Festival teams up with Northern Arizona University for Classics Series and discussion
Sedona, AZ– Northern Arizona University and the Sedona International Film Festival are partnering to present The Classics, a monthly classic film series on the third Thursdays of January, March and April, 2026.
NAU/SIFF Classics will be curated and hosted by School of Communication Professor Emeritus Paul Helford.
The series will kick off on Thursday, Jan. 15 with “The Maltese Falcon” — from 1941 — directed by John Huston and starring Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Sidney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre and Elijah Cook Jr.
“The Maltese Falcon” was the third film version of Dashiell Hammett’s mystery classic. Hollywood screenwriter and first-time director John Huston created shot-for-shot storyboards and maintained much of Hammet’s dialogue. Bogart was 41 and had never had a starring role. The supporting cast is tremendous. Many consider it the first film noir. The American Film Institute has named it the sixth Greatest Mystery of All Time.
In this noir classic, detective Sam Spade (Humphrey Bogart) gets more than he bargained for when he takes a case brought to him by a beautiful but secretive woman (Mary Astor). As soon as Miss Wonderly shows up, trouble follows as Sam’s partner is murdered and Sam is accosted by a man (Peter Lorre) demanding he locate a valuable statuette. Sam, entangled in a dangerous web of crime and intrigue, soon realizes he must find the one thing they all seem to want: the bejeweled Maltese falcon.
Paul Helford will introduce each film, provide historical and artistic context, and lead a discussion following the movie.
A lifelong film lover Helford has taught and written about films for over 50 years. As a television station manager and award-winning producer, he produced and hosted a weekly classic TV film show. He’s taught high school and college film classes. At NAU he started the film program major in 2006 and has co-directed and co-hosted the NAU College of Arts and Letters film series since 2004.
“The Maltese Falcon” will be shown at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre on Thursday, Jan. 15 at 3:00 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.