9th ANNUAL
PHOENIX FILM FESTIVAL
PHOENIX FILM FESTIVAL
KICKS OFF THIS
THURSDAY, 4/2!
THURSDAY, 4/2!
WHAT:
The 9th Annual Phoenix Film Festival – Arizona’s largest film festival.
WHEN:
Thursday, April 2nd through Thursday, April 9th, 2009
WHERE:
Harkins Scottsdale 101 & Cine Capri
5000 Mayo Blvd. – PHX
(one block South of LOOP 101 & one block East of Scottsdale Rd.)
CELEBRITIES:
Bill Engvall (Blue Collar Comedy Tour) Virginia Madsen (Sideways), Amy Smart (Crank), Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me), Yeardley Smith (The Simpsons), Johnathan Schaech (That Thing You Do!)
OPENING NIGHT:
• The 9th Annual Phoenix Film Festival kicks off at 7:30 p.m. with the screening of showcase
feature The Answer Man, starring Jeff Daniels. Director John Hindman will be in attendance.
• Filmmaker Morgan Spurlock will be on hand for a Q&A following a screening of the film Hi
My Name Is Ryan, about a local Phoenix performance artist, at 10 p.m.
FRIDAY:
• Public Film Screenings begins at 9a.m.
• Friday morning marks the 3rd Middle and High School Educational Outreach Seminar.
Students will engage in panel discussions with local, national, celebrity, and independent
filmmakers on topics such as documentary films and narrative films
• Jonathan Schaech (That Thing You Do!) will attend the screening if his new film Poker Club
at 7:40 p.m.
• Jolene, a film staring Chaz Palminteri, Durmot Mulroney, and Denise Richards shot entirely in
Arizona, screens at 7:30 p.m.
• You can see the Sundance hit, Fuel, a documentary about our dependence on oil, at 7:15 p.m.
• Friday Night Party from 9p.m. to 1a.m.
• Friday morning marks the 3rd Middle and High School Educational Outreach Seminar.
Students will engage in panel discussions with local, national, celebrity, and independent
filmmakers on topics such as documentary films and narrative films
• Jonathan Schaech (That Thing You Do!) will attend the screening if his new film Poker Club
at 7:40 p.m.
• Jolene, a film staring Chaz Palminteri, Durmot Mulroney, and Denise Richards shot entirely in
Arizona, screens at 7:30 p.m.
• You can see the Sundance hit, Fuel, a documentary about our dependence on oil, at 7:15 p.m.
• Friday Night Party from 9p.m. to 1a.m.
SATURDAY:
• Public film screenings begin at 9a.m.
• The gorgeous new Disney documentary Earth, will screen at 4:45 p.m.
• Waiting For Ophelia will screen at 9:15 p.m. Actress Yeadley Smith (the voice of Lisa
Simpson) will host a Q&A session after the film.
• Virginia and Elaine Madsen will host a Q&A after a screening of their film I Know a Woman
Like That at 7:30 p.m.
• The world premiere of Official Rejection, a documentary about film festivals featuring
interviews with Kevin Smith, Jenna Fischer, and Bryan Singer.
• The gorgeous new Disney documentary Earth, will screen at 4:45 p.m.
• Waiting For Ophelia will screen at 9:15 p.m. Actress Yeadley Smith (the voice of Lisa
Simpson) will host a Q&A session after the film.
• Virginia and Elaine Madsen will host a Q&A after a screening of their film I Know a Woman
Like That at 7:30 p.m.
• The world premiere of Official Rejection, a documentary about film festivals featuring
interviews with Kevin Smith, Jenna Fischer, and Bryan Singer.
SUNDAY:
• Public Film Screenings begin at 9a.m.
• Screening of the short film Cowboy Dreams, starring Bill Engvall. He will host a discussion immediately following at 5 p.m.
• The Merry Gentleman, the directorial debut from Michael Keaton, will show in the Cine Capri
at 7:00 p.m.
• The Sunday night Awards Party begins at 9:00 p.m.
• Screening of the short film Cowboy Dreams, starring Bill Engvall. He will host a discussion immediately following at 5 p.m.
• The Merry Gentleman, the directorial debut from Michael Keaton, will show in the Cine Capri
at 7:00 p.m.
• The Sunday night Awards Party begins at 9:00 p.m.
MONDAY:
• Public film screenings begin at 5p.m.
• Baby Boomerang, a WWII documentary that took over 14 years to make, will be shown at 5:30
p.m.
• Baby Boomerang, a WWII documentary that took over 14 years to make, will be shown at 5:30
p.m.
TUESDAY:
• Public screenings begin at 5p.m.
• Another chance to see the film that wins Best Picture at the festival, at 7:10 p.m
• American Violet, starring Alfre Woodard, Michael O’Keefe and Tim Blake Nelson screens at
7:00 p.m.
• At 7:20 p.m. you can see The Burning Plain, starring Kim Basinger and Charlize Theron.
• Another chance to see the film that wins Best Picture at the festival, at 7:10 p.m
• American Violet, starring Alfre Woodard, Michael O’Keefe and Tim Blake Nelson screens at
7:00 p.m.
• At 7:20 p.m. you can see The Burning Plain, starring Kim Basinger and Charlize Theron.
WEDNESDAY:
• Public screenings begin at 5p.m.
• 500 Days of Summer, the highly buzzed about film starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and
Zooey Deschanel screens at 7:20 p.m.
• 500 Days of Summer, the highly buzzed about film starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and
Zooey Deschanel screens at 7:20 p.m.
THURSDAY:
• Public screenings begin at 5p.m.
• Screening of Closing Night film, Love N’ Dancing, followed by a discussion with stars Amy
Smart and Tom Malloy.
• Screening of Closing Night film, Love N’ Dancing, followed by a discussion with stars Amy
Smart and Tom Malloy.
LATE NIGHT:
New this year, The Midnight Movie Mamacita will present a series of horror and
SNACKS: thriller films on Friday and Saturday nights. These will include Grace, Alien Trespass,
and Bronson, among others. These start at 10:00 p.m. both nights.
EDUCATIONAL:
The Phoenix Film Festival and IFP Phoenix invites teachers and
OUTREACH students interested in the art of filmmaking to participate in a series of educational
Seminars that take place during the day throughout this year’s festival.
TICKETS:
• Opening Night Event - $40
• Individual - $10
• Flex - $30
• Festival - $150
• VIP - $425
Visit the Official Phoenix Film Festival Website for More Information
Explore Some of 2008's
Acclaimed PFF Features
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SHOWCASE FILMS
I Know a Woman Like That
Directed by: Elaine Madsen
Run Time: 101 minutes
Screening Time: Saturday, April 4th at 7:30 PM
A documentary exploring the lives and discovery of opportunities that women ages 64 to 94 have.
500 Days of Summer
Directed by: Marc Webb
Starring: Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Run Time: 95 minutes
Screening Time: Wednesday, April 8th at 7:20 PM
An offbeat romantic comedy about a woman who doesn't believe true love exists, and the young man who falls for her.
Official Rejection
Directed by: Paul Osborne
Featuring: Kevin Smith, Jenna Fischer and Andy Dick
Run Times: Saturday, April 4th at 7:00 PM; Sunday, April 5th at 4:35 PM
A documentary that follows filmmakers along the film festival circuit and the pitfalls, triumphs and comic tragedies that they encounter.
The Poker Club
Directed by: Tim McCann
Starring: Johnathon Schaech, Judy Reyes and Johnny Messner
Run Time: Friday, April 3rd at 7:40 PM
A poker night with the guys turns deadly when they accidentally kill a burglar in this horrifying thriller.
Jolene
Directed by: Dan Ireland
Starring: Denise Richards, Dermot Mulroney and Michael Vartan
Run Time: 120 minutes
Screening Times: Friday, April 3rd at 7:30 PM; Sunday, April 5th at 3:45 PM
Jolene follows a young girl on her quest to find herself as she passes through a series of relationships, adventures and misfortunes which take her across America.
The Merry Gentleman
Directed by: Michael Keaton
Starring: Michael Keaton, Kelly Macdonald and Tom Bastounes
Run Time: 110 minutes
Screening Times: Sunday, April 5th at 7:00 PM
A young woman moves to Chicago to start a new life where she meets a suicidal hit man and a worn, alcoholic detective.
Waiting for Ophelia
Directed by: Adam Carl
Starring: Yeardley Smith, Patrick Day and Amy Sloan
Run Time: 99 minutes
Screening Times: Saturday, April 4th at 9:15 PM; Tuesday, April 7th at 5:20 PM
A couple celebrates their anniversary with friends and family, but as they wait for a guest to show, it is clear that the night is not shaping up to be what they expected.
Were the World Mine
Directed by: Tom Gustafson
Starring: Judy McLane, Tanner Cohen and Nathaniel David Becker
Run Time: 95 minutes
Screening Times: Saturday, April 4th at 7:15 PM
In this musical film, Timothy stumbles upon a love potion while preparing for his high school play and he creates a fantasy dream world where most of the town is gay.
Earth
Directed by: Alastair Fothergill and Mark Linfield
Run Time: 90 minutes
Screening Time: Saturday, April 4th at 4:45 PM
Feature-length version of the documentary TV series "Planet Earth" (2006), following the migration paths of four animal families. Narrated by James Earl Jones.
Is There Anybody There?
Directed by: John Crowley
Starring: Thelma Barlow, Michael Caine
Run Time: 95 Minutes
Screening Time: Friday, April 3rd at 8:30 PM; Wednesday, April 8th at 7:10 PM
Edward is an unusual ten year old boy growing up in an old people's home run by his parents. His days are spent tape-recording the elderly residents to try and discover what happens when they die. Increasingly obsessed with ghosts and the afterlife, he meets Clarence, the latest recruit to the home, a retired magician with a liberating streak of anarchy.
The Burning Plain
Directed by: Guillermo Arriaga
Featuring: Kim Basinger, Charlize Theron
Run Time: 106 Minutes
Screening Time: Tuesday, April 7th at 7:20 PM
A drama with a two-tiered storyline concerning a mother and daughter who try to form a bond after the young woman's difficult childhood.
Fuel
Directed by: Joshua Tickell
Run Time: Friday, April 3rd at 7:15 PM
An insightful portrait of America’s addiction to oil and an uplifting testament to the immediacy of new energy solutions. A surprising array of environmentalists, policy makers, and entertainment notables take us through America’s complicated, often ignominious energy past and illuminate a hopeful, achievable future, where decentralized, sustainable living is not only possible, it’s imperative.
American Violet
Directed by: Tim Disney
Starring: Alfre Woodard, Nicole Beharie, Michael O’Keefe, Will Patton
Screening Date: Saturday, April 4th at 8:30 PM; Tuesday, April 7th at 7:00 PM
A twenty-something African-American single mom struggles to make ends meet in a small Texas town. When cops arrest her in a drug sweep, she insists on her innocence. Refusing a plea bargain that would allow her to avoid jail time, she stands up against a corrupt law enforcement and judicial system.
Alien Trespass
Directed by: R.W. Goodwin
Starring: Eric McCormack, Jenny Baird
Run Time: 90 minutes
Screening Time: Saturday, April 4th at 10:10 PM; Sunday, April 5th at 5:15 PM
A spaceship crash in 1957 California leads to the escape of the alien life form Ghota.In order to capture the Ghota, a benevolent alien named Urp takes over the body of an astronomer and enlists the aid of a waitress named Tammy. But, unless Urp and Tammy are successful, mankind is doomed.
Not Forgotten
Directed by: Dror Soref
Starring: Simon Baker, Paz Vega
Run Time: 100 minutes
Screening Time: Saturday, April 4th at 10:30 PM; Monday, April 6th at 7:10 PM
Set in a Tex-Mex border town, Not Forgotten is a classic psychological thriller about Jack and Amaya Bishop, a couple who must come to terms with their tortured pasts in order to save their kidnapped daughter. It is a tale taut with intrigue and steeped in Latino mysticism, where the line between what's real and what's imagined becomes hopelessly blurred.
Plague Town
Directed by: David Gregory
Run Time: 88 minutes
Starring: Josslyn DeCrosta, Erica Rhodes
Run Times: Friday, April 3rd at 10:20 PM; Saturday, April 4th at 10:15 PM
An American family visiting their Irish roots accidentally stumbles on a horde of bloodthirsty mutant children.
My Apocalypse
Directed by: Chris LaMont
Run Time: 82 minutes
Screening Time: Friday, April 3rd at 9:45 PM
Stewart Savage lives in a soft-focus universe, where his girlfriend adores him and his family is wholesome. He also lives in a world where he strangles his girlfriends, hates his job and prefers the psychotic solace of the world inside his head. Unaware of the rift between preferred and actual reality, Stewart brings his latest girlfriend home to meet the parents for a family birthday celebration, not fully realizing that she is his latest victim.
Grace
Directed by: Paul Solet
Starring: Jordan Ladd, Gabrielle Rose
Run Time: 85 minutes
Screening Time: Friday, April 3rd at 10:10 PM; Wednesday, April 8th at 9:20 PM
Madeline Matheson is eight months pregnant and determined to deliver her unborn child, Grace, naturally. When an accident leaves Grace dead inside her, Madeline insists on carrying the baby's corpse to term. Weeks later, when Madeline delivers, the baby miraculously returns to life... With an appetite.
Bronson
Directed by: Nicolas Winding Refn
Starring: Tom Hardy, Matt King
Run Time: 92 minutes
Screening Time: Saturday, April 4th at 10:00 PM; Tuesday, April 7th at 9:20 PM
In 1974, a misguided 19 year old named Michael Peterson decided he wanted to make a name for himself and so, with a homemade sawn-off shotgun and a head full of dreams he attempted to rob a post office. Swiftly apprehended and originally sentenced to 7 years in jail, Peterson has subsequently been behind bars for 34 years, 30 of which have been spent in solitary confinement.
Red Corvette
Directed by: Brenton Covington
Starring: Patrick Adam, Cristen Irene
Run Time: 89 minutes
Screening Times: Friday, April 3rd at 10:00 PM
A young man finds a lost cache of marijuana and turns his life and the life of his friends upside down.
Wet Hot American Summer
Directed by: David Wain
Starring: Janeane Garofalo, David Hyde Pierce
Run Time: 97 minutes
Screening Time: Friday, April 3rd at 10:30 PM
It's the last day of summer camp before everyone goes back to the real world, but there's still a summer's worth of unfinished business to resolve. Camp director Beth struggles to keep order while she falls in love with the local astrophysics professor who is busy trying to save the camp from a deadly piece of NASA's Skylab which is hurtling toward earth. All that, plus: a dangerous waterfall rescue, love triangles, misfits, cool kids, and talking vegetable cans.
Directed by: Elaine Madsen
Run Time: 101 minutes
Screening Time: Saturday, April 4th at 7:30 PM
A documentary exploring the lives and discovery of opportunities that women ages 64 to 94 have.
500 Days of Summer
Directed by: Marc Webb
Starring: Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Run Time: 95 minutes
Screening Time: Wednesday, April 8th at 7:20 PM
An offbeat romantic comedy about a woman who doesn't believe true love exists, and the young man who falls for her.
Official Rejection
Directed by: Paul Osborne
Featuring: Kevin Smith, Jenna Fischer and Andy Dick
Run Times: Saturday, April 4th at 7:00 PM; Sunday, April 5th at 4:35 PM
A documentary that follows filmmakers along the film festival circuit and the pitfalls, triumphs and comic tragedies that they encounter.
The Poker Club
Directed by: Tim McCann
Starring: Johnathon Schaech, Judy Reyes and Johnny Messner
Run Time: Friday, April 3rd at 7:40 PM
A poker night with the guys turns deadly when they accidentally kill a burglar in this horrifying thriller.
Jolene
Directed by: Dan Ireland
Starring: Denise Richards, Dermot Mulroney and Michael Vartan
Run Time: 120 minutes
Screening Times: Friday, April 3rd at 7:30 PM; Sunday, April 5th at 3:45 PM
Jolene follows a young girl on her quest to find herself as she passes through a series of relationships, adventures and misfortunes which take her across America.
The Merry Gentleman
Directed by: Michael Keaton
Starring: Michael Keaton, Kelly Macdonald and Tom Bastounes
Run Time: 110 minutes
Screening Times: Sunday, April 5th at 7:00 PM
A young woman moves to Chicago to start a new life where she meets a suicidal hit man and a worn, alcoholic detective.
Waiting for Ophelia
Directed by: Adam Carl
Starring: Yeardley Smith, Patrick Day and Amy Sloan
Run Time: 99 minutes
Screening Times: Saturday, April 4th at 9:15 PM; Tuesday, April 7th at 5:20 PM
A couple celebrates their anniversary with friends and family, but as they wait for a guest to show, it is clear that the night is not shaping up to be what they expected.
Were the World Mine
Directed by: Tom Gustafson
Starring: Judy McLane, Tanner Cohen and Nathaniel David Becker
Run Time: 95 minutes
Screening Times: Saturday, April 4th at 7:15 PM
In this musical film, Timothy stumbles upon a love potion while preparing for his high school play and he creates a fantasy dream world where most of the town is gay.
Earth
Directed by: Alastair Fothergill and Mark Linfield
Run Time: 90 minutes
Screening Time: Saturday, April 4th at 4:45 PM
Feature-length version of the documentary TV series "Planet Earth" (2006), following the migration paths of four animal families. Narrated by James Earl Jones.
Is There Anybody There?
Directed by: John Crowley
Starring: Thelma Barlow, Michael Caine
Run Time: 95 Minutes
Screening Time: Friday, April 3rd at 8:30 PM; Wednesday, April 8th at 7:10 PM
Edward is an unusual ten year old boy growing up in an old people's home run by his parents. His days are spent tape-recording the elderly residents to try and discover what happens when they die. Increasingly obsessed with ghosts and the afterlife, he meets Clarence, the latest recruit to the home, a retired magician with a liberating streak of anarchy.
The Burning Plain
Directed by: Guillermo Arriaga
Featuring: Kim Basinger, Charlize Theron
Run Time: 106 Minutes
Screening Time: Tuesday, April 7th at 7:20 PM
A drama with a two-tiered storyline concerning a mother and daughter who try to form a bond after the young woman's difficult childhood.
Fuel
Directed by: Joshua Tickell
Run Time: Friday, April 3rd at 7:15 PM
An insightful portrait of America’s addiction to oil and an uplifting testament to the immediacy of new energy solutions. A surprising array of environmentalists, policy makers, and entertainment notables take us through America’s complicated, often ignominious energy past and illuminate a hopeful, achievable future, where decentralized, sustainable living is not only possible, it’s imperative.
American Violet
Directed by: Tim Disney
Starring: Alfre Woodard, Nicole Beharie, Michael O’Keefe, Will Patton
Screening Date: Saturday, April 4th at 8:30 PM; Tuesday, April 7th at 7:00 PM
A twenty-something African-American single mom struggles to make ends meet in a small Texas town. When cops arrest her in a drug sweep, she insists on her innocence. Refusing a plea bargain that would allow her to avoid jail time, she stands up against a corrupt law enforcement and judicial system.
Alien Trespass
Directed by: R.W. Goodwin
Starring: Eric McCormack, Jenny Baird
Run Time: 90 minutes
Screening Time: Saturday, April 4th at 10:10 PM; Sunday, April 5th at 5:15 PM
A spaceship crash in 1957 California leads to the escape of the alien life form Ghota.In order to capture the Ghota, a benevolent alien named Urp takes over the body of an astronomer and enlists the aid of a waitress named Tammy. But, unless Urp and Tammy are successful, mankind is doomed.
Not Forgotten
Directed by: Dror Soref
Starring: Simon Baker, Paz Vega
Run Time: 100 minutes
Screening Time: Saturday, April 4th at 10:30 PM; Monday, April 6th at 7:10 PM
Set in a Tex-Mex border town, Not Forgotten is a classic psychological thriller about Jack and Amaya Bishop, a couple who must come to terms with their tortured pasts in order to save their kidnapped daughter. It is a tale taut with intrigue and steeped in Latino mysticism, where the line between what's real and what's imagined becomes hopelessly blurred.
Plague Town
Directed by: David Gregory
Run Time: 88 minutes
Starring: Josslyn DeCrosta, Erica Rhodes
Run Times: Friday, April 3rd at 10:20 PM; Saturday, April 4th at 10:15 PM
An American family visiting their Irish roots accidentally stumbles on a horde of bloodthirsty mutant children.
My Apocalypse
Directed by: Chris LaMont
Run Time: 82 minutes
Screening Time: Friday, April 3rd at 9:45 PM
Stewart Savage lives in a soft-focus universe, where his girlfriend adores him and his family is wholesome. He also lives in a world where he strangles his girlfriends, hates his job and prefers the psychotic solace of the world inside his head. Unaware of the rift between preferred and actual reality, Stewart brings his latest girlfriend home to meet the parents for a family birthday celebration, not fully realizing that she is his latest victim.
Grace
Directed by: Paul Solet
Starring: Jordan Ladd, Gabrielle Rose
Run Time: 85 minutes
Screening Time: Friday, April 3rd at 10:10 PM; Wednesday, April 8th at 9:20 PM
Madeline Matheson is eight months pregnant and determined to deliver her unborn child, Grace, naturally. When an accident leaves Grace dead inside her, Madeline insists on carrying the baby's corpse to term. Weeks later, when Madeline delivers, the baby miraculously returns to life... With an appetite.
Bronson
Directed by: Nicolas Winding Refn
Starring: Tom Hardy, Matt King
Run Time: 92 minutes
Screening Time: Saturday, April 4th at 10:00 PM; Tuesday, April 7th at 9:20 PM
In 1974, a misguided 19 year old named Michael Peterson decided he wanted to make a name for himself and so, with a homemade sawn-off shotgun and a head full of dreams he attempted to rob a post office. Swiftly apprehended and originally sentenced to 7 years in jail, Peterson has subsequently been behind bars for 34 years, 30 of which have been spent in solitary confinement.
Red Corvette
Directed by: Brenton Covington
Starring: Patrick Adam, Cristen Irene
Run Time: 89 minutes
Screening Times: Friday, April 3rd at 10:00 PM
A young man finds a lost cache of marijuana and turns his life and the life of his friends upside down.
Wet Hot American Summer
Directed by: David Wain
Starring: Janeane Garofalo, David Hyde Pierce
Run Time: 97 minutes
Screening Time: Friday, April 3rd at 10:30 PM
It's the last day of summer camp before everyone goes back to the real world, but there's still a summer's worth of unfinished business to resolve. Camp director Beth struggles to keep order while she falls in love with the local astrophysics professor who is busy trying to save the camp from a deadly piece of NASA's Skylab which is hurtling toward earth. All that, plus: a dangerous waterfall rescue, love triangles, misfits, cool kids, and talking vegetable cans.
