Sedona AZ (February 24, 2020) – Three feature documentaries nominated for Academy Awards, five films shortlisted for Oscar consideration and an impressive list of films with significant “star power” highlight the more than 170 films accepted into the 26th annual Sedona International Film Festival, Feb. 22 through March 1.
Films will be screened at three venues in Sedona: the Mary D. Fisher Theater, Harkins 6 and the Sedona Performing Arts Center at Sedona Red Rock High School.
“This year’s lineup certainly stands among the most diverse, thoughtful and creative expression of filmmaking we’ve ever had,” said Sedona International Film Festival Artistic Director Patrick Schweiss. “The three screening committees spend countless hours watching, assessing and ranking more than 1,400 films that were submitted, and the decisions are never easy. I believe those decisions were even more difficult this year given the quality, content, production and sheer entertainment value of the films.”
Patrick Stewart and Katie Holmes
Three Oscar-nominated documentary features – For Sama, The Cave and Honeyland, also nominated for Best International Film – are among 45 full-length documentaries selected for screening. Five films – The Apollo (documentary feature), Midnight Family (documentary feature), One Child Nation (documentary feature), Portrait of a Lady (Best International Feature) and Those Who Remained (Best International Feature) – were short-listed for Academy Award consideration.
“There are literally films for every interest, every taste and every issue,” Schweiss said. “The most compelling outcomes of every Sedona International Film Festival are the post-film conversations, both in the theaters with filmmakers and over dinner tables across the city. And that is what we want: conversation starters and conversation stimulators and we have them again this year.”
Javier Bardem
Among the films with acclaimed actors are Sanctuary (documentary feature) with Javier Bardem; Driveways (narrative feature) with Brian Dennehy; Standing Up, Falling Down (narrative feature) with Billy Crystal and Ben Schwartz; Coda (narrative feature) starring Patrick Stewart and Katie Holmes; Heartland (a narrative feature being screened as a sneak preview) with Mariel Hemingway, Frances Fisher and David Arquette; Foster Boy (narrative feature) with Matthew Modine; The Samuel Project (narrative feature) with Hal Linden; and The Truth (narrative feature), the closing-night film starring Juliette Binoche, Catherine Deneuve and Ethan Hawke.
The Festival officially opens Saturday, Feb. 22 with the sneak preview of Heartland at the Sedona Performing Arts Center. On Saturday, Feb. 29, Emmy-winning and Oscar and Golden Globe-nominated actor, director and producer Rob Reiner will receive the festival’s prestigious “Lifetime Achievement Award” for his work in front of and behind the camera and his commitment to the art of independent filmmaking. Reiner, who rose to fame as Mike “Meathead” Stivic on All in the Family, has been at the helm of award-winners including When Harry Met Sally, A Few Good Men, Stand By Me, The Princess Bride, LBJ.
Also on opening day, actress and singer Lainie Kazan will return to the Sedona International Film Festival to introduce the 2019 film Shepherd: The Story of a Jewish Dog, written and directed by Lynn Roth. Shepherd is based on the award-winning and bestselling Israeli novel, “The Jewish Dog,” by Asher Kravitz.
On Friday, Feb. 28, there will be a special presentation by Bella Gaia, “a live concert that mixes music, dance and NASA immersive imagery that turns the stage planetary. Bella Gaia is an award-winning unprecedented NASA-powered immersive experience, inspired by astronauts who spoke of the life-changing power of seeing the Earth from space.
Priority Passes are now on sale. The Platinum All Access Priority Pass includes access to all Festival activities, films, events and parties and includes priority seating. The price for Sedona International Film Festival members is $1,193. Nonmembers pay $1,325. Gold Priority Passes, with priority tickets, seating to all films and a pass to one of the evening parties, are $562 for members and $625 for nonmembers.
Ticket Packs, which include tickets for any films plus preview nights two weeks prior to the festival, are $245 (member price) for the 20-ticket packs and $260 for nonmembers and $125 (member price) for 10-ticket packs and $135 for nonmembers.
Individual tickets, which go on sale on Feb. 17, are $15.
Sedona Film Festival memberships range from $75 for a basic membership to $50,000 for Film Star level, each with appropriate benefits.
For more information, visit www.sedonafilmfestival.com.
NARRATIVE FEATURES
- The American President
- And Then We Danced
- Babysplitters
- Balloon
- Being Dead
- Cabarete
- Coda
- The Crossing
- Driveways
- The Etruscan Smile
- Fiela’s Child
- Foster Boy
- From the Vine
- The Garden Left Behind
- God of the Piano
- Hell of a Heartache
- How About Adolf?
- An Impossible Love
- In Safe Hands
- Incitement
- Into Invisible Light
- The Keeper
- Martin Eden
- Olympic Dreams
- Portrait of a Lady on Fire
- The Samuel Project
- Senior Love Triangle
- She’s in Portland
- Shedding
- Shepherd: The Story of a Jewish Dog
- The Silent Revolution
- Someone, Somewhere
- Sorry We Missed You
- Standing Up, Falling Down
- Tainted Canvas
- Team Marco
- Those Who Remained
- The Truth
- The Wall Between Us
- ¡Gaytino! Made in America
DOCUMENTARY FEATURES
- Acid Horizon
- Alan Magee: Art is Not a Solace
- Anthropocene: The Human Epoch
- The Apollo
- Botero
- The Cave
- Chuck Leavell: The Tree Man
- The Corporate Coup d’État
- Cowboys: A Documentary Portrait
- The Dog Doc
- The Doors: Break On Through — A Celebration of Ray Manzarek
- Eating Up Easter
- Ella Fitzgerald: Just One of Those Things
- For Sama
- Fram
- Going Attractions: The Definitive Story of the Movie Palace
- The Great 14th: Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama in His Own Words
- Grit
- HAK_MTL
- A Home Called Nebraska
- Honeyland
- However Long
- Human Nature
- Jim Allison: Breakthrough
- Kifaru
- Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound
- Medicating Normal
- Microplastic Madness
- Midnight Family
- Nothing Fancy: Diana Kennedy
- Oli Otya?
- One Child Nation
- Picture Character
- The Pollinators
- Resistance Fighters
- Return to Hardwick
- Right to Harm
- Sanctuary
- Sea of Shadows
- Stuntwomen: The Untold Hollywood Story
- Thirst for Justice
- To Be of Service
- Toxic Beauty
- WeRiseUP
- A Woman’s Work: The NFL’s Cheerleader Problem
NARRATIVE SHORTS
- Acuitzeramo
- All Boys Die
- Baby Kate
- Blue Dress
- Bright Side Up
- Champion
- Churubusco
- Cookaphony
- Demand Curve
- Detained
- Dying Breed
- Entwined
- Erin
- Extra Innings
- Feeling Flush
- Flora
- Free
- Greed Incorporated
- Human
- In Colors
- The Interview
- InTime
- The Last Supper
- The Lessons Shorts Program
- Locks
- The Lost Weekend
- Masters
- Mother
- Ms. Rossi
- New York Rhapsody
- Odd Bird
- Oh My Stars
- One Hot Day
- Osuba
- Overshare
- The Perfumer
- Pipe Dream
- Portraitist
- Postal
- The Prisoner’s Song
- Reflections
- Relationship Deli
- Resemblance
- Ring
- Silver Moon
- Still Happy
- The Still Life of Annika Myers
- Thank You Kindly
- Thin Walls
- Today You, Tomorrow Me
- Tree #3
- TXT…
- Utopia
- Variables
- The Watchmaker
- The Way the Future Was
- When You Know You Know: A Brief and Thorough Investigation Into Mysterious Sources of Glitter
- Wish You Were There
- Zugzwang
DOCUMENTARY SHORTS
- … And Then There’s Anthony Palmer
- Alpharaoh
- And The Brave Shall Rise
- Ashes to Ashes
- Band Geeks
- Camp ALEC
- Crescendo: Michael Fabiano On How Not To Remain Quiet
- From Beacon To The Border
- Ghost Mountain
- The Last Harvest
- Liberation Heroes: The Last Eyewitnesses
- Los Otros
- Love is…
- Minor Accident of War
- Monsoon V
- No Shame No Blame
- YAH WAVE
ANIMATED SHORTS
- Amaterasu
- Mister Monster
- Preheated
- The Ribbon