Festival passes, including Early Bird and Platinum passes, are on sale as well on the PFF website.
“The Prescott Film Festival has been a labor of love for its founders and hundreds of dedicated volunteers since our beginning in 2009,” said PFF Co-Founder and Director Helen Stephenson. “We are excited to present our 15th annual collection of fantastic independent films from around the world and introduce audiences to the genius of independent films and the imaginative individuals bringing them to the big screen.”
This year’s festival will celebrate creativity, culture and community while harking back to PFF’s formative years. Among the variety of events planned will be themed parties, food and VIP experiences.
The festival also will offer its traditionally diverse mélange of independent films, international themes and educational workshops, topped by a rousing interactive sing-along to “The Wizard of Oz,” and a grand finale: “The Silent Symphony,” starring Prescott’s very own Tom Mix.
The specific lineup will be available in May, but the general PFF schedule is as follows:
- Independent Films – July 16-19, Yavapai College J&LLPAC (1100 E. Sheldon St.)
- Free Workshops – July 16, The Hazeltine (208 Marina St.)
- Free Workshops – July 17 & 18, Yavapai College Community Room
- Short Films Program – July 19, Hendrix Theatre (300 S. Granite St.)
- “The Wizard of Oz” Sing-Along – July 19, Hendrix Theatre
- Silent Symphony – 1922’s “Sky High” starring Tom Mix, July 20, Elks Theatre (117 E. Gurley St.)
“The Wizard of Oz” Sing-Along will be led by Prescott musical theater artist Nanette Hofer, YC’s Ginney Bilbray and a cadre of energetic volunteers cuing the audience with audio and visual mimicry, capturing the essence of the classic film.
The “Silent Symphony” will be performed by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra, of Boulder, Colorado, to the 1922 silent Western, “Sky High,” starring Tom Mix. The five-piece chamber ensemble compiles and performs original silent film orchestras.
“Our ‘Silent Symphony’ is always an opportunity to introduce new audiences to the history and nostalgia of the early days of film,” said Stephenson. “Tom Mix was an extraordinary talent in both acting and directing during the silent film era. Although ‘Sky High’ was shot in the Grand Canyon, Mix imaged many of his more than 100 films in the Granite Dells and his Bar Circle A Ranch, now the site of Yavapai Hills.”
Tickets for PFF special events are already on sale: “The Wizard of Oz” Sing-Along ($12 general admission; $7 for students) and “The Silent Symphony” ($25 per ticket). Festival passes, including Early Bird and Platinum passes, are on sale as well on the PFF website. Individual screening tickets, $12 general admission and $7 for students, go on sale May 20 at the Jim and Linda Lee Performing Arts Center Ticket Office, 928-776-2000.
The full PFF schedule will be announced May 13. For continuing updates, please visit the Prescott Film Festival website: www.prescottfilmfestival.com. QCBN
By Lisa B. Rhine
Lisa B. Rhine, Ph.D., is the president of Yavapai College.
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