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The quarter century mark is no minor milestone. But Jason Carney and the team at Phoenix Film Festival feel confident that they have put together a formidable lineup for the festival’s 25th anniversary, running March 27 through April 6 at Harkins Scottsdale 101. “Opening night is always exciting,” says Carney, the annual shindig’s longtime executive director. “This year, we have The Ballad of Wallis Island. It’s full of charm and comedy.” The film stars Carey Mulligan...

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Concerns about anti-Semitism even made it into Super Bowl ads this year. It may never have been more important to acknowledge, explore, support and celebrate Jewish tradition and history in any of the other 28 years in which the Greater Phoenix Jewish Film Festival has been held than it is this troubled year. The event, which kicks off on Sunday, February 18 and runs through March 3, features a variety of films from across the...

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Still from The Proposal, a film by Jill Magid Steve Weiss loves film, and he loves architecture. He also loves Arizona. So, it’s only natural that Weiss would get around to launching the Arizona Architectural Film Showcase. The all-day series presents three indie documentaries on architectural themes on Saturday, April 22; two of them during the day at Phoenix Center for the Arts Third Street Theater, and a third as an outdoor screening that evening...

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Will it play in Peoria? The classic question, deriving from the vaudeville theater, asks whether a given act will appeal to middle American audiences. It originally referred to Peoria, Illinois, but it could just as easily be applied to its namesake city in Arizona. The programmers of the Peoria Film Festival will learn the answer to that question this weekend, with regard to the festival’s slate of features and shorts. The fourth edition of the...

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While the big story on Oscar night was, of course, The Slap, among the minor stories was the winner for Best Picture: Sian Heder’s comedy-drama CODA. As with Mesa native Troy Kotsur’s award for Best Supporting Actor for that same film, the win has a local angle here in the Valley: CODA was the Opening Night selection in last year’s Phoenix Film Festival. As PFF Executive Director Jason Carney crowed on Facebook after the win:...

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Year in and year out for the past quarter century, the Greater Phoenix Jewish Film Festival has been one of the more interesting flick fests around the Valley. This year, however, it’s almost as interesting for the way in which it’s delivered to audiences as for the diverse and fascinating selection of films. This year GPJFF, as with almost everything else in society, has been affected by COVID-19 precautions, and is therefore an entirely virtual...

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January and February tend to be the doldrums of the moviegoing year, full of titles that the studios want to unload with a quick release before blockbuster season, and don’t care if they’re forgotten by awards season. One remedy for this drought is to catch up on the high-profile stuff from last year you may have missed; FilmBar, for instance, is showing Bong Joon Ho’s horrifying, hilarious, wildly original surprise Best Picture winner Parasite, the...

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Peoria Film Festival—This weekend, through Sunday, October 13, marks the second annual edition of the west side fest, a presentation of Phoenix Film Festival. With the exception of a “Family Film Day” from 9:30 to 11 a.m. at nearby Huntington University and an afterparty Saturday evening across the street from the multiplex, all of the Peoria festival’s events are conveniently located at one venue: Harkins Arrowhead 18. Features this year include: The Cat and the...