Peter Bogdanovich to receive Lifetime Achievement nod

No doubt Peter Bogdanovich loves films. In fact, he loves everything about them.

Throughout his career, which started when he lied about his age to study the craft in the mid-1950s, Bogdanovich has been an American film historian, director, writer, actor, producer and film critic. His most famous and most successful film was “The Last Picture Show” in 1971. The film received eight Academy Award nominations, including Best Director for Bogdanovich. It won only two for Cloris Leachman and Ben Johnson as Best Supporting actors.

Bogdanovich will be in Sedona to receive the 18th annual Sedona International Film Festival’s Lifetime Achievement Award. He will also introduce “The Last Picture Show” and another of his films, “They All Laughed.” “They recently showed ‘The Last Picture Show’ for a 40th anniversary. More people showed up than when it first ran,” Bogdanovich said and laughed. “‘They All laughed’ was a fun film. It’s my personal favorite. It’s funny but also very touching.”

Bogdanovich was born to immigrant parents. His mother was pregnant with him when they fled Nazi Germany in 1939. In his youth and since, Bogdanovich attended many films, sometimes 400 a year. He also acted on television and in summer stock. In the 1960s, Bogdanovich gained notoriety as a film programmer for the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

He went on to become a film critic and a writer. During a stint as a journalist, Bogdanovich struck up a lifelong friendship with Orson Welles while interviewing the director on the set of “Catch-22.”

Later, in 1992, Bogdanovich wrote a book about him, “This Is Orson Welles.” He also wrote a book about American directors like John Ford and Howard Hawks.

Bogdanovich became a director in 1968 and created a long list of films both acclaimed and panned by critics: “Targets,” “What’s Up, Doc?” “Paper Moon,” “Noises Off,” “At Long Last Love” and “The Thing Called Love.” His acting credits include parts in movies and on television, and Bogdanovich has 13 books to his credit.

“Directing pictures is the most fun. You take a script and make a film that is entertaining. I’ve done a lot in my life. I don’t regret any of the things I’ve done, but I like to make a good picture,” Bogdanovich said.

He is currently preparing a comedy, “Squirrel to the Nuts.”

“We’re going to shoot in July and August in New York City,” he said. “This one’s a lot of fun about a female escort who gets into a lot of trouble. We’re casting it right now.” In 1998, the National Film Preservation Board of the Library of Congress named “The Last Picture Show” to the National Film Registry as a culturally significant film. The international Federation of Film Archives gave Bogdanovich an award at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival for his outstanding contributions to film preservation.

Bogdanovich joined the directing faculty at the School of Filmmaking at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in 2010. The same year, he received the Master of Cinema Award at the 12th annual RiverRun International Film Festival, followed the next year with the Auteur Award by the International Press Academy.

“I keep getting these awards for doing what I love,” he said.

Although Bogdanovich has never been to Sedona, his parents lived in Scottsdale for a while. They drove to Sedona often, mainly for the scenery. His father, Borislav Bogdanovich, was a painter.

“I think he painted [Sedona]. It looks beautiful. I’m looking forward to it,” Bogdanovich said.

“The Last Picture Show” will screen Saturday, Feb. 18, at 7 p.m. in the Sedona Performing Arts Center. “They All laughed” will be shown Sunday, Feb. 19, at 6 p.m. also in the Sedona Performing Arts Center.