2009 Sedona Film Festival announces its choice awards

Online ticketing and local support make 2009 Sedona Film Fest a success

by Carl Jackson

SEDONA, AZ - March 2, 2009 - Last week more than 7,000 attendees descended upon Sedona for the 15th Annual Sedona Film Festival, about the same attendance as last year despite a rough economy.  Patrick Schweiss, Executive Director of the film festival attributes the strong turnout to local support and an extra day added to festival week. 

Festival Honoree Doris Roberts at the Q&A session for "Play the Game" at the 2009 Sedona Film Festival.

According to Schweiss about 35% of the attendees were local, 30% from Phoenix, and the remainder from elsewhere.  Said Schweiss, "We're fortunate to have very strong local support at a time when many film festivals around the country are struggling."

Despite the packed theaters inside, outside was relative calm. This hasn't always been the case. Last year the festival almost became the victim of its own success with long lines and waiting times in the Harkins Theater 6 soliciting grumbles from some who said they might not attend this year. 

But thanks to a new online ticketing system that allowed film goers to book their tickets over the Internet about two weeks ahead of the event, the long lines and waiting times evaporated.  This, along with new electronic billboards at the box office that displayed which films were available, in limited seat supply, or sold out made it easy to buy or exchange tickets for one of the 140 films.

One thing that hasn't changed at the Sedona Film Festival is the great films looking to be picked up for national distribution.

This year's line up offered an array of documentaries on environmental, political and social issues; as well as big name features along with small budget films.

Some of the festival celebs in attendance were actress Jane Seymour ("Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman") and her husband/director James Keach (brother of actor Stacy Keach), actress Doris Roberts ("Everybody Loves Raymond"), and actor/director Giancarlo Esposito ("Gospel Hill").  Seymour, Keach, and Roberts were Festival Honorees this year.

Ms. Seymour has become a fixture in Sedona over the past year promoting her own jewelry line called Open Heart Jewelry based on her mantra, and a new book entitled "Open Hearts."  She is also the spokesperson for Camp Soaring Eagle in Sedona that offers children with serious illnesses a place where they can build self-esteem in a medically safe environment.  This year the couple was also promoting their new film "Blind Dating" starring Seymour and directed by Keach.

Doris Roberts was here to promote her new film starring Andy Griffith entitled "Play the Game" about a young man who teaches dating tricks to his widowed grandfather.  This funny, heart warming film crosses all age groups and Mr. Griffith's wonderful performance reminds us why he has been a fixture in movies and television for over 50 years.  Ms. Roberts spoke after the film and was also part of the Acting in Film workshop panel.

This year's Audience Choice for Best Feature Film went to "Like Dandelion Dust" starring Mira Sorvino.  Although a familiar story line about a rich couple who adopt a child only to have the actual parents want the child back, the acting is superb and the tale heart wrenching.

This year's Directors' Choice for Best Feature Film went to "Gospel Hill" starring Danny Glover, Angela Bassett, Julia Stiles, and Giancarlo Esposito (who also directed the film).    The film tells the story of the residents of a black neighborhood in Julia, South Carolina who are being forced out of their homes to make way for a multi-million golf course development.

The most controversial award this year went to "The Suicide Tourist" about 59-year old Craig Ewert with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) seeking assisted suicide from the Swiss non-profit Dignitas, the only place in the world where, regardless of nationality, those seeking assisted suicide can legally be helped to die. Both the director John Zaritsky and Mr. Ewert's wife spoke after the showing.

To watch daily video blogs of the 2009 Sedona Film Festival, click here.

[Home] [News] [Community]