From March 23 to April 2, the Phoenix Film Festival will be held at Harkins Scottsdale 101 Theatre for the 23rd consecutive year.
The festival will showcase more than 200 films from various countries and welcome filmmakers from all over the world. You can find the full schedule of films to be shown HERE.
Apart from the movies, the event will also have several other attractions such as the Party Pavilion, Industry Night, Film Prom, Kids Day, and Opening Night.
Tickets for Opening Night are available now for $60 per ticket as well as part of the Platinum Pass for $450. Opening Night tickets will also provide access to the party pavilion, featuring food & cocktails prior to the film showing.
Tickets for Closing Night are available now for $15 per ticket as well as part of the Platinum Pass for $450.
For more information and to purchase tickets, call 480-513-3195 or go to www.phoenixfilmfestival.com.
A look at some of the highlights of this year’s festival:
ROADSIDE ATTRACTIONS’ “SOMEWHERE IN QUEENS” STARRING RAY ROMANO LANDS COVETED OPENING NIGHT SLOT AT 2023 PHOENIX FILM FESTIVAL
The 23rd annual Phoenix Film Festival will premiere Roadside Attractions’ “SOMEWHERE IN QUEENS” as the opening night film. The movie features Ray Romano and Laurie Metcalf and will be shown on March 23rd, at 6:00 pm at Harkins Scottsdale 101. Ray Romano directs the movie, which also stars Jennifer Esposito, Jacob Ward, Sebastian Maniscalco, and Tony Lo Bianco.
Synopsis: Leo Russo (Romano) lives a simple life in Queens, New York with his wife Angela (Laurie Metcalf), their shy but talented son “Sticks” (Jacob Ward), and Leo’s close-knit network of Italian American relatives and neighborhood friends. Happy enough working at the family construction business alongside his father (Tony Lo Bianco) and younger brother (Sebastian Maniscalco), Leo lives each week for Sticks’ high-school basketball games, never missing a chance to cheer on his only child as he rules the court as a star athlete.
When the high-school senior gets a surprising and life-changing opportunity to play basketball in college, Leo jumps at the chance to provide a plan for his future, away from the family construction business. But when sudden heartbreak threatens to derail Sticks, Leo goes to unexpected lengths to keep his son on this new path.
APPLE ORIGINAL FILMS’ “STILL: A MICHAEL J. FOX MOVIE” MAKES ITS ARIZONA DEBUT AT 2023 PHOENIX FILM FESTIVAL
One of the successful movies at the Sundance Film Festival this year, “STILL: A Michael J. Fox Movie,” produced by Apple Original Films, is set to be showcased at the 23rd annual Phoenix Film Festival as one of the Centerpiece Films. The film will have its Arizona premiere on Sunday, March 26th at 7:00 pm.
STILL: A Michael J. Fox Movie is directed by Davis Guggenheim and stars Michael J. Fox and Tracy Pollan.
Synopsis: The film, which will incorporate documentary, archival and scripted elements, will recount Fox’s extraordinary story in his own words – the improbable tale of an undersized kid from a Canadian army base who rose to the heights of stardom in 1980s Hollywood. The account of Fox’s public life, full of nostalgic thrills and cinematic gloss, will unspool alongside his never-before-seen private journey, including the years that followed his diagnosis, at 29, with Parkinson’s disease. Intimate and honest, and produced with unprecedented access to Fox and his family, the film will chronicle Fox’s personal and professional triumphs and travails and will explore what happens when an incurable optimist confronts an incurable disease. With a mix of adventure and romance, comedy and drama, watching the film will feel like…well, like a Michael J. Fox movie.
PRIME VIDEO’S SUNDANCE HIT “JUDY BLUME FOREVER” MAKES ITS ARIZONA DEBUT AT 2023 PHOENIX FILM FESTIVAL
One of the popular films at the Sundance Film Festival, “JUDY BLUME FOREVER,” which is available on Prime Video, has been selected as one of the Centerpiece Films at the 23rd annual Phoenix Film Festival. The documentary, directed by Davina Pardo and Leah Wolchok, features Judy Blume, Molly Ringwald, Samantha Bee, Lena Dunham, Tayari Jones, and Alex Gino. The movie will have its first screening in Arizona at the Phoenix Film Festival on April 1st at 7:00 pm.
Synopsis: Generations of readers have found themselves in a Judy Blume book. Her name alone launches a flood of memories for anyone who’s gripped one of her many paperbacks. For decades, Blume’s radical honesty has comforted and captivated readers – and landed her at the center of controversy for her frankness about puberty and sex. Now the beloved American author candidly shares her own coming-of-age story.
Emmy-winning filmmakers Davina Pardo and Leah Wolchok trace Blume’s journey from a fearful, imaginative child to a storytelling pioneer who elevated the physical and emotional lives of kids and teens, to a banned writer who continues to fight back against censorship today. Playful and poignant animations celebrate the magic and awkwardness of being young, while intimate conversations with acclaimed authors and artists reveal Blume’s profound impact on readers. Long-standing fans share open-hearted letters they wrote to Blume over the decades.
With humor, sensitivity, and a healthy dose of adolescent cringe, Judy Blume Forever tells the story of the woman whose trail-blazing books changed the way millions of readers understand themselves, their sexuality, and what it means to grow up.
APPLE ORIGINAL FILMS AND A24’S “STEPHEN CURRY: UNDERRATED” MAKES ITS ARIZONA DEBUT AT 2023 PHOENIX FILM FESTIVAL
One of the popular features presented at the Sundance Film Festival this year was “STEPHEN CURRY: UNDERRATED,” a collaboration between Apple Original Films and A24. This documentary, directed by Peter Nicks and produced by Ryan Coogler, Sean Havey, Marissa Torres Ericson, Erick Peyton, and Ben Cotner, is set to be screened at the 23rd annual Phoenix Film Festival. The film will have its Arizona debut on Friday, March 31st at 7:00 pm.
Synopsis: The remarkable coming-of-age story of one of the most influential, dynamic, and unexpected players in the history of basketball: Stephen Curry. This feature documentary – blending intimate cinema verité, archival footage, and on-camera interviews – documents Curry’s rise from an undersized college player at a tiny backwater Division I college to a four-time NBA champion, building one of the most dominant sports dynasties in the world.
UNIVERSAL PICTURES’ “RENFIELD” STARRING NICOLAS CAGE WILL CLOSE OUT THE 2023 PHOENIX FILM FESTIVAL
The 23rd annual Phoenix Film Festival will feature the Closing Night Film “RENFIELD”, which will be released by Universal Pictures and stars Nicolas Cage and Nicholas Hoult. The movie, directed by Chris McKay, who has also directed “THE TOMORROW WAR” and “LEGO BATMAN MOVIE”, will premiere on Sunday, April 2nd at Harkins Scottsdale 101 at 7:15 pm. The cast also includes Awkwafina, Ben Schwartz, Adrian Martinez, and Shohreh Aghdashloo.
Synopsis: Evil doesn’t span eternity without a little help. In this modern monster tale of Dracula’s loyal servant, Nicholas Hoult (MAD MAX: FURY ROAD, X-MEN Franchise) stars at Renfield, the tortured aid to history’s most narcissistic boss, Dracula (Oscar winner Nicolas Cage). Renfield is forced to procure his master’s prey and do his every bidding, no matter how debased. But now, after centuries of servitude, Renfiedl is ready to see if there’s a life outside the shadow of the Prince of Darkness. If only he can figure out how to end his codependency.
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