Movie magic: Scottsdale International Film Festival offers ten days of films and events

By Amy Young, November 2019 Issue.

If stimulating your

senses through cinematic experiences puts you in a happy place, a trek to the

Scottsdale International Film Festival should have you awash in a state of

bliss.

The annual festival launched in 2001. It

runs from November 1-10 in multiple theaters, and true to form, this year’s

schedule is loaded. From centerpiece films and Scottsdale premieres, this

destination event also includes documentaries, children’s animated shorts,

foreign films, and a selection LGBTQ-focused flicks.

Founder Amy Ettinger loves that the

festival has gotten so much bigger over the years but emphasizes that, no

matter the size, selecting quality films is always her team’s number one

mission. “We have definitely grown in terms of audience development,” she tells

Echo, “but quality has always been, and will always be, our mainstay.”

Festival founder Amy Ettinger.

Ettinger has a team of programmers who work

throughout the year to find the movies they want to screen. “We comb the globe

for films,” she says, “we are at festivals and take all avenues to continuously

hunt for movies that we feel are well done.”

For her and the crew, “well done” means

films that aren’t easy to figure out. Talking with her about it, you understand

the team’s collective penchant for showcasing movies that have interesting

angles and don’t lose themselves to staid formulas.

Balloon is

one on this year’s roster that Ettinger refers to as “so thrilling.” The 2018

German film is based on a true story of resistance and takes place during the

Cold War. Her goal is to find movies that “throw you a curve ball,” and this

one seems to have hit her mark.

Another one she is excited to show is Taranta

on the Road. Salvatore Allocca’s movie is set in the wake of the Arab

Spring uprisings in the early 2010s. In this comedy-drama, two Tunisian

migrants with nothing in common find themselves traveling partners. Ettinger

likes that the movie finds humor and tenderness despite the tragedy.

Special events are part of what make this

yearly happening a must-attend — an opportunity to meet some of the

behind-the-scenes folks involved in these thoughtfully-crafted productions.

Hear firsthand from people like Lindsey

Seavert, who wrote and directed the documentary, Love Them First: Lessons

from Lucy Laney Elementary, about Minneapolis public school principal Mauri

Friestleben ,who rallied to get her school off a list of “failing” schools.

Beyond that, it offers a look at issues our public school system face.

A scene from Love Them First: Lessons from Lucy; photo courtesy of KARE 11 Originals.

This is another area where Ettinger says

quality is crucial. The festival has seen its share of big names throughout the

years, like actors and directors Mike Leigh and John Sayles, and stars like

Jennifer Tilly, Lesley Ann Warren, and Patrick Warburton.

Ettinger says that it isn’t uncommon to get

feedback from attendees who are looking for the festival to serve them a

heartier diet of famous folks, and she gets that. “We do try,” she says. “We

strive to have a world class event annually, but we aren’t alone. There are a

lot of festivals that happen and often, it can be a matter of scheduling that

makes it hard to acquire specific guests.”

She knows that for true film lovers, all of

the guests are welcome, as they offer very particular insights into the

processes that it takes to bring these films to life. “It’s really terrific,

what we learn from them, and those presentations and interactions resonate with

our attendees.”

“We have an impactful year,” she offers,

“there’s lots of revelatory filmmaking.”

Marriage Story shows at this year’s SIFF; photo courtesy of Netflix/Wilson Webb.

And regarding the future of the event? “I

am very proud of what we’ve done so far,” Ettinger tells us. “We want to

continue in the same direction — creating a destination for film fans. There are

so many amazing stories to tell and we want to show the filmmakers who are

telling those stories.”

For a complete schedule of events, tickets, and all SIFF information, visit scottsdalefilmfestival.com.


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