Sedona’s history is rich with pioneers. People like J.J. Thompson, Sedona’s first settler in 1876, fruit-farming entrepreneurs Will and Annie Jordan and the Schnebly family helped define — and in the Schneblys’ case give a name to — today’s Red Rock region.
Annie Jordan may also have helped shape Sedona’s headstrong nature when she defied her Baptist minister father’s wishes by going to local dances where Will played the piccolo. They eventually married in 1889 and had nine children, but that’s a story for another day.
And then there’s Sedona’s historic connection to the film industry dating back to 1923. By the time “Harry & Tonto” wrapped in 1973, more than 60 movies — including “Riders of the Purple Sage” [1925], “Broken Arrow” [1950] and “Johnny Guitar” [1954] — were set in and around Sedona’s breathtaking vistas.
Fast forward to 2014 and the stage was unknowingly set for a modern-day groundbreaker at the inaugural Illuminate Film Festival, the nation’s first mind-body-spirit cinema event.
“One thing I’ve learned is that we are essentially leading a movement, something I didn’t realize from the start,” said Illuminate founder and executive director Danette Wolpert. “The ‘conscious cinema’ movement is built on our belief that this emerging genre is a viable and promising sector of the global independent film business. The more I speak with national film industry players about the genre’s recent developments, the more major companies we see move into this space, the more acquisition deals are made at Illuminate and the more titles we see in theaters.”
The third annual Illuminate Film Festival, being held Wednesday through Sunday, June 1 through 5, will reflect that growing interest not just through the 25 feature-length and short films from around the world, but through the 75 filmmakers and national film-expert panelists attending, the 50 sponsors generously supporting the event and the projected attendance of more than 4,500 from across the country and around the world.
“We’re seeing registrants from Canada, Australia, Germany, Israel and Great Britain, among others, as well as volunteers coming in from more than 15 states,” Wolpert said. “Equally as exciting is the tremendous support we’re receiving from the local community.”
Illuminate begins June 1, at The Collective in the Village of Oak Creek with a festival launch party and free outdoor screening of work-in-progress “Be More,” a stirring documentary narrated by Joaquin Phoenix, about seven activists whose mission is to create a more compassionate world. Their goal is to transform the lives of 17 teenagers in seven days. Filmmaker Justin Haulbrook will be in attendance.
The official June 2 opening night film is “Maya Angelou and I Still Rise,” a look at the vibrant spirit of the author, poet, Grammy winner and civil-rights activist. Directed by Bob Hercules and Rita Coburn Whack, the film features interviews with Oprah Winfrey, James Earl Jones, Alice Walker and Hillary Clinton. Whack will be in attendance.
The festival’s spotlight will be the emotional tour de force, “Tony Robbins: I Am Not Your Guru,” directed by Academy Award-nominated Joe Berlinger. This film pulls back the curtain on the internationally renowned life and business strategist and his mammoth annual seminar, capturing the life-changing transformations of the participants in real time.
The closing film event will be a sneak peek of “Mantra —Sounds Into Silence” about the revolution underway in world Kirtan, yoga’s call-and-response form of devotional music.
Sneak peek clips of the film will be followed by a Q-and-A and live concert with world-renowned Kirtan sensation Jai Uttal. Filmmaker Georgia Wyss will be in attendance.
Festival screenings will take place at the Sedona Performing Arts Center and the Mary D. Fisher Theatre. Festival parties will be hosted by The Collective Sedona, Tlaquepaque Arts & Crafts Village and Picazzo’s Organic Italian Kitchen. The full list of films and more information is available at the Illuminate Film Festival website.
Chaz Ebert, wife of the late film critic Roger Ebert and CEO of several Ebert enterprises, will keynote the Conscious Film Convergence and speak on the role of transformational entertainment and its potential impact on humanity.
Also scheduled at the convergence are the Spotlight Conversation: Norman Seeff On Creativity: The Power of A Dream; Behind The “Seen” — Investing In Transformational Entertainment; Conscious Media & The Mainstream: Finding Your Audience; Act of Transformation — A Screenwriter’s Workshop; Distribution Therapy; Tools Of Immersive Cinema — Virtual Reality Workshop with Sandy Smolan.
New this year, the festival will feature a virtual-reality zone where visitors will experience virtual-reality filmmaking by viewing The Click Effect with 360-degree Gear VR headsets. The film offers the transcendent experience of being suspended 30 feet beneath the ocean’s surface amid the staggeringly intelligent communication of dolphins and whales.
The inaugural Illuminate Film Festival Conscious Visionary Award, honoring a pioneer in the world of conscious cinema, spirituality, and life achievement as a teacher and facilitator of human transformation, will be presented to the Rev. Michael Bernard Beckwith for his unparalleled record of bringing hope, love and encouragement to millions of spiritual seekers.
Single tickets for films, based on availability, are $14. Individual tickets to events are $25 to $35. Packages are $50 to $125. Conscious Film Convergence pass is $249.
To purchase passes and tickets, visit the Illuminate Film Festival website.
