A community can never have too many film festivals.
Chicago has close to 30. Phoenix has a dozen. Albuquerque has 11.
Tucson has eight.
That number impressed Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild and led him to initiate the city’s newest film fest — this weekend’s Tucson Festival of Films, which features a lineup curated by programmers from each of the festivals.
“They are all successful and hardworking and take a lot of pride in what they do,” Rothschild said.
“Working with Visit Tucson (which promotes tourism), we brought them together and sold them on the idea that we want them to keep their festivals, but we would like to take their hard work for one weekend to show what kind of film community we have.”
The Tucson Film Office, part of Visit Tucson, took on the project, and hired Herb Stratford and Kerryn Negus to coordinate the festival. Stratford said about 2,000 people are projected to attend over the three-day fest. Organizers set a budget of about $100,000, and Cox Cable signed on as the major sponsor. Proceeds from the ticket sales for each film will go to the sponsoring festival.
Seven films and two showings of short films will screen at The Temple of Music and Art, allowing the structure to revisit what it once was — a movie theater. Patrons are encouraged to enjoy the Temple’s courtyard, where there will be occasional live music, along with film-centric conversation before and after each screening. The Temple’s bar and café will be open.
The eighth film, “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore,” directed by Martin Scorsese and filmed in Tucson, will screen at The Loft Cinema.
“We asked everyone to bring their best films,” says Rothschild. But they didn’t stop there: Some festivals will bring in directors for a post-screening talk, and there will even be a concert after the Tucson Film and Musical Festival’s screening of “Sounds of Tucson.”
“It’s really a crazy idea the mayor had,” said Mia Schnaible, the Arizona International Film Festival’s director of marketing and development.
“Hopefully, the fans of our fest will check out the Jewish Film Fest and the Native American Showcase. … This increases visibility for all festivals.”
“I always feel like if we bring our efforts together it is possible to make something bigger,” said Michael Toubassi, the Tucson Film and Music Festival’s founder and director. “I appreciate the support we’re getting from the city.”
The showings will not only celebrate cinema, some of the movies will show off Tucson’s movie-location chops.
“Alice” is among those. Diane Ladd, the brassy, countrified waitress Flo in the film, won’t be in Tucson for the screening, but she has sent a videotaped message to be played after the movie.
“It was wonderful,” she said in a phone conversation last month.
Ladd warmly remembers the two spring months she spent here filming, her mother and then-6-year-old daughter, Laura Dern, with her.
Ladd received her first Oscar nomination for her portrayal of Flo and remembers that she and director Scorsese thought the movie would shake up Hollywood.
“We thought it would change things for women, bring back good leads for women, but it didn’t,” she said. “The studios were hell-bent on violence and crashes.”
Ladd’s next-up movie is the much anticipated “Joy,” which reunites “Silver Linings Playbook” stars Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper and Robert De Niro in another film directed by David O. Russell.
Scorsese has fond memories of making the film here, too.
“I loved Tucson with its enormous desert skies and expanses and its beautiful light,” he said in a press release. “It was an extraordinary place to shoot a movie.”
And a pretty good place to see them.
“Raise the Roof”
Presented by: Tucson International Jewish Film Festival.
Directed by: Yari Wolinsky. In English and Polish. The documentary tells the story of two Boston artists, Rick and Laura Brown, who recruited hundreds to help rebuild — with historical and architectural accuracy — one of the many synagogues destroyed by the Nazis during World War II.
When: 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8.
Why this film: The Jewish Film Fest’s committee was eager to select a film with an eclectic appeal, says Lynn Davis, the Tucson Jewish Community Center’s director of arts and culture. “This film speaks to collaboration, legacy and memory, art history, culture,” she said. “Above all, it’s a story of triumph. Hundreds of Jewish synagogues were destroyed. Burning them to the ground was easy; what went in to the rebuilding was astounding.”
Running time: 84 minutes.
Extras: Rick and Laura Brown will participate in a post-screening discussion.
More online: tucsonjcc.org/arts/tucson-jewish-film-festival
“Maïna”
Presented by: Native Eyes Film Showcase.
Directed by: Michel Poulette. Two of Canada’s indigenous communities, the Innu First Nation and the Kuujjuaq Inuit joined together to finance this film. After a bloody confrontation between the Inuit and Innu, Maïna, an Innu, goes into enemy territory to find a friend’s son stolen by the tribe. In English and Inuktitut with subtitles. The 2013 film was named Best Picture at the American Indian Film Festival, and its star, Roseanne Supernault, won Best Actress.
When: 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8, and 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9.
Why this film: “It’s a gorgeous film and has some incredible acting,” said Lisa Falk, director of education at the Arizona State Museum, which sponsors Native Eyes. Native Eyes doesn’t have a traditional festival format but showcases films over the year.
Though the story takes place 600 years ago, it feels very contemporary, she said.
“It’s a story about differences, about learning to understand ... about how you don’t sometimes fit in.” While the director is not a Native American, all the actors are, and the two tribal nations were closely involved.
Running time: 102 minutes.
Extras: Director Poulette will answer questions after the screening.
More online: statemuseum.arizona.edu/public/native_eyes
“Dropkick”
Presented by: Arizona International Film Festival.
Directed by: Robert Loomis. When a teammate dies, a group of women rugby players sets out to fulfill her last wish, though it will defy her family and the law.
When: 9 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8.
Why this film: “It was our closing night film at (the April, ’15) festival,” said Mia Schnaible, the festival’s director of marketing and development.
“It was a huge hit. Robert (Loomis, director) has won the festival’s ‘Best of’ twice. Everyone loved this and had a great time, and we thought it would be a great addition to the festival.”
Running time: 85 minutes.
Extras: Loomis will answer questions after the screening.
More online: filmfestivalarizona.com
“Sounds of Tucson”
Presented by: Tucson Film and Music Festival.
Directed by: Guillaume Dero. The documentary takes a look at Tucson’s rich music scene. It features big names in the Old Pueblo, including Howe Gelb, Billy Sedlmayr, Al Foul, Pork Torta, Brian Lopez and Los Mariachis Luz de Luna.
When: 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9.
Why this film: “It’s kind of the ideal film,” said Michael Toubassi, the director of the Tucson Film and Musical Festival.
“It marries both Tucson and music. … It’s great we have so many incredible musicians here who are still releasing albums and performing live.”
Running time: 63 minutes.
Extras: Director Dero will be on hand for post-screening questions. And this is very cool: Some of the musicians featured in the film will jam after the movie.
More online: tucsonfilmandmusicfestival.com and on Facebook.
“Death in the Desert”
Presented by: Arizona Underground Film Festival.
Directed by: Josh Evans. Based on the story of Ted Binion, owner of Las Vegas’ Binion Horseshoe Casino in Las Vegas. He died from an overdose of heroin and Xanax, and Binion’s lover and her boyfriend were accused of killing him and staging his death to look like a suicide.
When: 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9.
Why this film: “It’s the type of film that fits the Underground — independent,” said David Pike, the festival’s founder and director.
“It’s a fabulous movie.”
Running time: 80 minutes.
Extras: Director Evans, son of Ali McGraw and director Robert Evans, will answer questions after the screening.
More online: azuff.com
“Alice Doesn’t
Live Here Anymore”
Presented by: Loft Film Fest.
Directed by: Martin Scorsese. A woman flees her abusive husband and sets up life in Tucson. Stars Ellen Burstyn, Kris Kristofferson, Harvey Keitel, Jodie Foster and Diane Ladd.
When: 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10.
Why this film: “It’s by one of the greatest filmmakers of all time,” said Jeff Yanc, the Loft’s program director.
“And I think it’s one of the best films made in Tucson by a long shot. … I think it really captures Tucson and the female perspective.”
Running time: 112 minutes.
Extras: Videotaped conversations with Ladd, Scorsese and Ellen Burstyn follow the film.
More online: loftcinema.com/event/loft-film-fest2015
“Güeros”
Presented by: Tucson Cine Mexico — this is a free screening.
Directed by: Alonso Ruizpalacios. The winner of five Ariel Awards, Mexico’s equivalent of the Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director. The 2014 film is about Tomas, a young boy who has given his mother so much trouble she sends him off to his older brother, a college student in Mexico City. Student unrest erupts while Tomas is there, giving this comedy a darker turn. In Spanish, with subtitles.
When: 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10.
Why this film: The movie was part of Cine Mexico’s festival earlier this year, and it was a popular one, says Vicky Westover, director of the University of Arizona’s Hanson Film Institute, which mounts Tucson Cine Mexico.
“It got rave reviews. … There was a lot of buzz about it and only about 230 people got to see it (at the festival). … It’s such an amazing film.”
Running time: 106 minutes.
More online: tucsoncinemexico.org
“Landmine Goes Click”
Presented by: Tucson TerrorFest.
Directed by: Levan Bakhia. A trio of American tourists is in isolated Georgia when one of them steps on an armed landmine. Unable to step off, he watches helplessly as a psychopath torments and assaults the woman he loves. In English, Georgian and Russian, with subtitles.
When: 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10.
Why this film: “It’s a thriller,” says the festival’s founder, David Pike (he founded the Underground Film Fest as well).
“There’s a lot of edge-of-your-seat stuff. It’s perfect horror. But it’s not a good date movie.”
Running time: 110 minutes.
More online: tucsonterrorfest.com
