Sedona Film Festival presents ‘Merchant Ivory’ premiere Sept. 14-19

Sedona News – The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to present the Northern Arizona premiere of “Merchant Ivory” showing Sept. 14-19 at the Alice Gill-Sheldon Theatre.

“Merchant Ivory” premiered to rave reviews at the recent Sedona International Film Festival. James Ivory was presented with the festival’s prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award.

“Merchant Ivory” is the first definitive feature documentary to lend new and compelling perspectives on the partnership — both professional and personal — of director James Ivory, producer Ismail Merchant and their primary associates, writer Ruth Prawer Jhabvala and composer Richard Robbins.

Footage from more than fifty interviews, clips, and archival material gives voice to the family of actors and technicians who helped define Merchant Ivory’s Academy Award-winning work of consummate quality and intelligence.

Merchant Ivory became synonymous with quality filmmaking over a period of more than 40 years, earning particular acclaim for “A Room with a View” (1985), “Mr. and Mrs. Bridge” (1990), “Howards End” (1992), and “The Remains of the Day” (1993). They were life partners from 1961 until Merchant’s death in 2005.

With six Academy Award-winners among the notable artists participating — including Emma Thompson, Vanessa Redgrave, Helena Bonham Carter, and Hugh Grant, among others — the documentary provides new and compelling perspectives on a unique partnership that produced seminal films over four decades.

These close and often long-term collaborators intimately detail the transformational cinematic creativity and personal and professional drama of the wandering company that left an indelible impact on film culture.

“Merchant Ivory” will be shown at the Alice Gill-Sheldon Theatre Sept. 14-19. Showtimes will be Saturday, Sunday and Monday, Sept. 14, 15 and 16 at 6:30 p.m.; and Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, Sept. 17, 18 and 19 at 3:30 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.