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WEST VALLEY VIEW NEWS | SEPTEMBER 15, 2021
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Local film festival returns after pandemic hiatus BY CONNOR DZIAWURA West Valley View Staff Writer
P
eoria Film Festival Executive Director Jason Carney sees film festivals as fostering their own little community. “There’s just that sense of comradery from film lovers,” Carney described. “It’s not your casual filmgoer, so everybody’s just got this sense of belonging and really wanting to discover the next great film.” Perhaps that “next great film” will be screening at this year’s Peoria Film Festival, the first since the COVID-19 pandemic forced organizers to put it on pause last year. This year’s event will run from Friday, Sept. 17, to Sunday, Sept. 19, at Harkins Arrowhead 18, hosting a variety of short and feature-length films, as well as Q&As with filmmaker participation. An opening-night cocktail party at Headquarters will kick the weekend off, benefiting parent organization Phoenix Film Foundation’s education programs. Then, the screenings will formally begin at Harkins with director Maria Schrad-
er’s “I’m Your Man,” about a scientist living with a humanoid robot designed as her perfect partner for three weeks as part of a study. On the closing night, the festival will screen director Franz Kranz’s “Mass,” in which two sets of parents attempt to overcome a tragedy together. Additionally, winners for Best Feature Film and Best Short Film will be announced. Common throughout the festival, Carney said, are lighter themes about overcoming obstacles. Tying in with current events, for one, is the Kristine Harrington-directed documentary “Empty Seats, Full Hearts.” “It’s about a teacher working through COVID guidelines and COVID rules when she’s trying to educate her students,” Carney summarized. “This documentary was made by a local television station, and so we’re going to be showcasing a longer version of it.” More “Rocky-esque,” according to Carney, is “Platform,” or “a great documentary about three Iranian sisters competing to become international champions of a martial art (Wushu).”
Then there are narrative features like Jarrett Bryant’s “Maxie,” about two unalike but drug-addicted teens (Miles Dixon and Liv Tavernier) who “form a bond as they try to get clean over a weekend,” Carney said. As for Tim Dahlseid’s music-based drama “Sold Out,” Carney previewed it as telling the story of “a talent scout who takes an unknown under “Sold Out” is a music-based drama about a female talent her wing and tries to help scout who takes a down-on-his-luck construction workmold him and be successful.” er under her wing and helps him rise to his potential as In addition to a variety of a singer-songwriter. (Photo courtesy of the Peoria Film Festival) newly selected films — and Programs under the Phoenix Film free screenings of family films — award Foundation, the Peoria and Phoenix winners from the Phoenix Film Festi- film festivals were postponed when the val, the Peoria festival’s sibling event, pandemic hit last year. The usual spring will offer an extra chance to catch up on Phoenix Film Festival was impacted recent releases viewers may have previ- first, and as summer rolled on, Carney ously missed. said, it became clear the fall Peoria fes“Because that way, if folks might’ve tival would be halted as well. missed our Best Picture (‘Trees of “It just didn’t make sense for us to try Peace’) or a couple other award winners, to put on the Peoria Film Festival when they can catch them at Peoria and get a Film...continued on page 18 chance to see them there,” Carney said.
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