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THE MESA TRIBUNE | JANUARY 9, 2022
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Lovin’ Life Expo features The Duttons BY ALLISON BROWN GetOut Staff
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nown for their upbeat, familyfriendly shows, The Duttons weren’t always performers. In fact, matriarch Sheila Dutton admits she never really saw the value in performing until she had the chance to do it with her kids. “As a matter of fact, if you were to pick someone, the most unlikely thing that I would be doing would be performing out on a stage with my family, but the kids really wanted to do it together as a family,” she says. “We never made a conscious decision to be performers or entertainers. It was just one thing kind of led to another.” The Duttons will show off their performance chops as the musical
entertainment at the Lovin’ Life Expos on Jan. 24, at the Sundial Recreation Center in Sun City and Jan. 26 at the Mesa Convention Center. The family has been hitting stages full time since 1991 and has since become a force. They landed among the top 10 finalists on “America’s Got Talent,” voted America’s most musical family by Nickelodeon, won several awards for performance and entertained thousands at their theaters, including one in Mesa. The Duttons first brought their show to sunny Arizona in the winter of 2005 and have since made it their winter home. In 2010, the Duttons partnered with East Valley High School in Mesa to renovate and update their auditorium. Shows that blend bluegrass and country kick off on Jan. 14, and
continue every weekend through March 31. What began as just mom, dad and their four children has grown to include their in-laws and grandchildren. Dutton says the family ties run deep. Everyone is closely involved in all aspects of the business. She says working, performing and touring with family has brought them closer together. “We traveled over a million miles giving all these concerts around the United States,” she says. “So, they grew up together in the bus and I always said that the best way to help families be together is to get in a bus and then if they have issues, they have to work them out. “They can’t run to their bedrooms Ben and Sheila Dutton will be bringing their upbeat music to the Lovin’ Life Expos this month in Sun City and Mesa. (Special
see DUTTONS page 28 to GetOut)
Chandler Film Festival getting ready to roll
BY KEN SAIN Staff Writer
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unning a film festival during a pandemic is a challenge. It was more so last year, when most Americans had not been vaccinated. The president and director of the Chandler International Film Festival says they still managed to hold a great event in 2020. “Luckily, nobody got sick,” Mitesh Patel said. “And it was a really good event.” This year, the festival returns for the sixth time and it won’t have the restrictions it faced a year ago, which included a 33 percent maximum occupancy in theaters and 50 percent at the after-parties. The festival, Jan. 18-23, is also returning to downtown with showings at the LOOK Dine-In Cinemas. With fewer restrictions and most Americans vaccinated, Patel expects an even better festival. “It’s a whole one year of work, and we worked so much this year. We thought it
Mitesh Patel, president and director of the Chandler International Film Festival, is excited that the fest is moving back to downtown Chandler with fewer pandemic-related limits. (David Minton/GetOut Photographer)
was going to be full-on again,” Patel said. He said that was why they decided to expand the festival from four to six days. What they didn’t know was that the Omicron variant would have the number of
COVID-19 cases soaring to record highs just before the festival begins. “Definitely, it’s challenging, but I’m a filmmaker and I accept challenges.” Patel said he plans to offer rapid CO-
VID-19 testing at the theater. And like last year, if patrons are uncomfortable coming to the theater, they can buy a digital pass to stream movies at their homes. About 115 films were selected for this year’s festival. The opening night film is “American Cherry.” It won two jury prizes at the Cannes Film Festival for first-time filmmaker and producer. It was also named the best film of the Berlin Movie Awards. The story is about a teen-age girl who must deal with family issues, including mental illness and drug abuse. She does that while falling in love the mysterious boy next door. The movie is described as a psychological romance-thriller. It was directed by first-time filmmaker Marcella Cytrynowicz. The other films include some foreign entries, from about a dozen other countries. They include movies from Argentina, China, Japan, and a number of European
see FILM FEST page 27
