Reality has crept into this year’s Arizona International Film Festival.
The 12-day festival, which launches Wednesday, April 19, will feature 26 films and 70 shorts. Those were culled from over 600 entries from around the world, says Mia Schnaible, the festival’s director of marketing and development.
“There were a heck of a lot of documentaries,” among those submissions, she said.
So it makes sense that docs are well represented at the festival, now in its 26th year.
But there is much more to appeal to movie lovers: horror, fantasy, comedy, drama and even animation.
“You can’t go wrong with the animations,” says Schnaible. “We like to bring a wide spectrum of animation. It’s cool to be able to see the different styles.”
The Arizona Film Festival brings in filmmakers, as well. That means discussions after screenings, and chances to ask the artists about the work.
We asked Schnaible to select the five must-see movies of the fest. She insisted on seven, with this caveat: We are asking her to do the impossible.
“It’s incredibly difficult to narrow down,” she says.
And you may not have to, she adds. The schedule is such that “the great thing is if you get a pass you can see every single movie.”
Schnaible’s top picks
“Given” — Directed by Jess Bianchi (and with cinematography by Devin Whetstone, who grew up in the Old Pueblo), “Given” follows surfers Aamion and Daize Goodwin around the world in search of waves. Along for the ride and to learn the story of his family’s history and their reverence for nature is their 6-year-old son Given, who narrates the movie. “It takes you to 15 different countries, and is about how the surf calls to them,” says Schnaible. The film opens the festival at 7:30 p.m. April 19.
“Passing the Torch” — Jazz musician Jimmy Heath has played with jazz towerhouses, such as John Coltrane, Charlie Parker and Miles Davis. When he played at last year’s Tucson Jazz Festival, he was onstage with the Tucson Jazz Institute’s prize-winning Ellington Band, made up primarily of teens. The 90-year-old was impressed. He returned later in the year and recorded a CD with the students. Bret Primack documented it all. “I’m really excited about this one,” says Schnaible. It will be screened at 6 p.m. April 21.
“The Sounding” — The mystery is, says Schnaible, “One of those unique films you don’t see everyday. … Take a chance on this one.” The Catherine Eaton-directed film is about a woman who has been silent for years. When she does begin to speak, it’s all in Shakespearean prose. Naturally, she is assumed to be psychotic. 7 p.m. April 22.
“Take My Nose … Please!” — Filmmaker Joan Kron makes her film debut with this documentary. Not bad for an 89-year-old. Kron was a journalist covering beauty and fashion for such papers as The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, and plastic surgery for Allure magazine for a couple of decades. She follows two women who make a living in comedy as they discuss the pressures to look good. “Joan made this incredibly emotional film that follows two comediennes as they deliberate going under the knife,” says Schnaible. You can catch it at 6 p.m. April 23.
“Man in the Camo Jacket” — When Mike Peters, lead singer of the ’80s group The Alarm, was diagnosed with cancer, he decided to try to save the world one song at a time. “He was going to climb Mount Everest and do a concert at the highest peak, until they explained to him that you can barely breath up there,” says Schnaible. Russ Kendall, a big fan of The Alarm, has followed Peters as he tries to make a difference song by song. 7:30 p.m. April 26.
The last two Schnaible picks are the film fest’s way of marking Earth Day, which falls on April 22:
“First Daughter and the Black Snake” — This is a documentary about a Canadian woman who successfully stopped a pipeline that was to go through land her tribe owns. Keri Pickett directs. 6 p.m. April 24.
“RiverBlue: Can Fashion Save the Planet?” — The doc looks at the dark — and water polluting — sides of the fashion industry. David McIlvride and Roger Williams direct. 8 p.m. April 24.
