The Sedona International Film Festival will present the Northern Arizona premieres of the 2017 Oscar Documentary Shorts Programs Wednesday and Thursday, Feb. 15 and 16, at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre.
Now an annual film festival tradition, Sedona audiences will be able to see all of the short documentary films nominated for Academy Awards before the Oscar telecast in late February.
The Oscar Documentary Shorts Program A will be Wednesday, Feb. 15, at 4 p.m., with these films:
n “Joe’s Violin” — During a drive to donate musical instruments to public schools, 91-year-old Holocaust survivor Joseph Feingold offers his beloved violin, which he has played for more than 70 years. The instrument goes to the Bronx Global Learning Institute for Girls, where young musician Brianna Perez is inspired to become friends with her benefactor.
n “Extremis” — At the Intensive Care Unit at Highland Hospital in Oakland, Calif., palliative care specialist Dr. Jessica Zitter treats terminally ill patients. As she and her team provide the best possible care, they try to help the patients and their loved ones make critical, often heartbreaking decisions.
n “4.1 Miles” — Kyriakos Papadopoulos, a captain in the Greek Coast Guard, is caught in the struggle of refugees fleeing the Middle East and traveling the short distance from the coast of Turkey to the island of Lesbos. Despite having limited resources, the captain and his crew attempt to save lives during the immense humanitarian crisis.
The Oscar Documentary Shorts Program B will be Thursday, Feb. 16, at 4 p.m., with these films:
n “Watani: My Homeland” — Four young children live with their mother and father, a Free Syrian commander, in a war zone in Aleppo, Syria. After their father is captured by ISIS, the children flee with their mother to Goslar, Germany, in a years-long journey that will test them all as they try to find a safe home in a foreign country.
n “The White Helmets” — In the chaos of war-torn Syria, unarmed and neutral civilian volunteers known as “the white helmets,” comb through the rubble after bombings to rescue survivors. Although they have already saved more than 60,000 lives since 2013, these brave first responders continue to place themselves in danger every day.
Tickets are $12, or $9 for Film Festival members. For tickets and more information, call 282-1177. Both the theater and Film Festival office are located at 2030 W. SR 89A, in West Sedona. For more information, visit SedonaFilmFestival.org.
