Yavapai College’s immersive theatre anchors Prescott Film Festival’s first day, July 13
Prescott, Arizona — Ancient metaphor collides with edgy storytelling and innovative technology on the first day of the Prescott Film Festival, when Jessie Bertel’s short film, “Imagine a Cave,” enjoys a 360-degree screening at Yavapai College’s revolutionary YMAX Theatre, Monday, July 13, from 3:15 to 5 p.m., at the Center for Learning and Innovation, in Prescott.
“The story, the film and [the YMAX] seem like a perfect fit,” Bertel said.
A modern re-imagining of Plato’s Allegory for a Cave, the nine-minute film brings Plato’s ideas out of ancient literature and into disturbing proximity. Using satire and silent cinema techniques, Bertel explores how seclusion and half-truths can blind us to the realities of the wider world. “Like Plato’s story, this film is not meant to give answers, but to spark reflection,” he said at its October premiere. “Ultimately, it’s an exploration of the role art and education play in shaping a just society.”
The film’s themes of immersion and seclusion have found an architectural soulmate at the YMAX Theatre. A wraparound projection space – which tells its stories on walls, ceiling, and floors – the YMAX is a technological marvel, designed to immerse its viewers in innovative storytelling. “I originally designed [“Imagine a Cave”] as an art film, for a gallery space.” Bertel said. “I was revising it for a film festival, when Robyn Bryce [Executive Director for Yavapai College’s Center for Learning and Innovation,] approached me and said, ‘Hey, we’re building this room, and I heard you’re working on a film about a cave…’”
The film has evolved since its October premiere at the Prescott Campus Art Gallery last Fall. A homegrown creation, with local actors, locations in Meyer and a musical score from the Arizona Philharmonic’s Henry Flurry, Bertel adapted “Imagine a Cave” for competition at the Covellite International Film Festival, where it won the Company Town Award for Best World Building last Spring. This third iteration, seizing upon YMAX’s abilities to literally embrace its audience, has been especially fulfilling.
“Presenting it in the YMAX 360 environment is the full realization of the vision I had when I filmed it a year ago,” he said. “Seeing it come to life projected on the walls, ceiling and floor really brings the viewer into the experience.”
“Imagine a Cave” will screen continuously, from 3:15 to 5 p.m. on Monday July 13, in the YMAX Theatre on the second floor of Yavapai College’s Center for Learning and Innovation (CLI). Admission is free.
The film anchors the first day of the 16th Annual Prescott Film Festival, running through July 18. Tickets for PFF screenings and events are available at the Jim & Linda Lee Performing Arts Center Ticket Office, 1100 E. Sheldon Street, Prescott, (928) 776.2000, or online at www.YCPAC.com. Trailers and film information are available at www.prescottfilmfestival.com.
Yavapai College operates seven campuses and centers throughout Yavapai County and offers over 100 degrees and certificates, six baccalaureate degrees, student and community services, and cultural events and activities. To learn more about Yavapai College, visit www.yc.edu.