Academy Award and Golden Globe-nominated films premiere at the Fisher Theatre
Sedona AZ (March 4, 2016) – The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to present the Northern Arizona premieres of “The Danish Girl” (nominated for four Academy Awards, winning one) and “Carol” (nominated for six Academy Awards) showing March 11-17 at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre.
THE DANISH GIRL
“The Danish Girl” was nominated for four Academy Awards, winning an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for Alicia Vikander. It was also nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role for Eddie Redmayne, Best Costume Design and Best Production Design. The film was nominated for three Golden Globe Awards (Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress and Best Original Score).
“The Danish Girl” is the remarkable love story inspired by the lives of Lili Elbe and Gerda Wegener, portrayed in the film respectively by Academy Award-winner Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything) and Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina), directed by Academy Award-winner Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech, Les Misérables).
In 1926 in Copenhagen, artist Einar Wegener is married to Gerda Wegener and is revered for landscape paintings. Gerda is also an artist, less renowned but steadily working as a portraitist of prominent citizens. Theirs is a strong and loving marriage, yet personal and professional epiphanies have eluded them both.
That all begins to change one day when, on deadline for a portrait, Gerda asks her husband to fill in for a model by putting on a dress so that she can finish the painting. The experience is transformative, as Einar soon realizes that being Lili is an expression of her truest self, and she begins living her life as a woman. Gerda unexpectedly finds that she has a new muse, and renewed creative ferment. But the couple soon brush up against society’s disapproval.
They leave their homeland for the more open-minded world of Paris. There, it is Gerda’s career that continues to flourish. The couple’s marriage evolves -and not without strain. But again and again Gerda supports Lili during her journey as a transgender woman. Through the other, each of them finds the courage to be who they are at heart.
“The Danish Girl” will be shown at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre March 11-17. Showtimes will be 4 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Wednesday, March 11, 12 and 16; 1 p.m. on Sunday, March 13; and 7 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday, March 15 and 17.
CAROL
“Carol” was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Actress (Cate Blanchett), Best Supporting Actress (Rooney Mara), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design and Best Original Score. It also received five Golden Globe nominations, including Best Picture.
In an adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s seminal novel The Price of Salt, “Carol” follows two women from very different backgrounds who find themselves in an unexpected love affair in 1950s New York. As conventional norms of the time challenge their undeniable attraction, an honest story emerges to reveal the resilience of the heart in the face of change.
A young woman in her 20s, Therese Belivet (Rooney Mara), is a clerk working in a Manhattan department store and dreaming of a more fulfilling life when she meets Carol (Cate Blanchett), an alluring woman trapped in a loveless, convenient marriage. As an immediate connection sparks between them, the innocence of their first encounter dims and their connection deepens.
While Carol breaks free from the confines of marriage, her husband (Kyle Chandler) begins to question her competence as a mother as her involvement with Therese and close relationship with her best friend Abby (Sarah Paulson) come to light.
“Carol” is directed by Todd Haynes and written by Phyllis Nagy with moving performances from Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Sarah Paulson, Kyle Chandler, Jake Lacy and Cory Michael Smith.
“Carol” will be shown at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre March 11-17. Showtimes will be 7 p.m. on Friday and Sunday, March 11 and 13; 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 12; and 4 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday, March 15 and 17.
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.