In the weeks leading up to the Sedona International Film festival, Patrick Schweiss’s desk often looks like a giant puzzle.
That’s because the festival’s executive director goes a bit old school when preparing the schedule for the year’s list of films, with this year being no exception.
He laid out each’s days schedule and then systematically placed colored Post-it Notes with the name of each film — for documentaries, shorts and narrative films — and filled each time slot to get as balanced of a line-up as possible.
“The public has never seen this — they don’t know how this starts,” he said, smiling.
The festival, now in its 26th year, will feature nine days of films, workshops, events and special guests from Feb. 22 through March 1 at Mary D. Fisher Theatre, Harkins Theaters and the Sedona Performing Arts Center. This year they received more than 1,200 films with 160 from 22 different nations making the cut.
“Things are shaping up really well,” he said. “Our screening committee once again did an amazing job picking films. We had so many good films this year. We probably turned away 40 to 60 films that really should have made the line-up. We just don’t have enough spaces for them. We could almost do another festival thanks to how many great films were submitted.”
A lot of that has to do with the advancement in movie-making technology.
“There are some movies that within three minutes we know aren’t going to fly,” he said. “But generally speaking, the quality of films this year was leagues above any other year. It’s a testament to technology. We’re seeing a much better quality of film, which makes our job really hard. This is their livelihood, for many. They rely upon festivals to launch their films and have them seen. The only reason we’re saying no to many is simply because we don’t have the time slots.”
All the film name’s — along with a synopsis of each — will be on the SIFF’s website by the end of January. The annual 200-page guide will be distributed just prior to the festival.
Schweiss said that in the early years of the festival it was often difficult to find enough quality films to fill those time slots. Now, it’s the exact opposite.
“I get the luxury and joy of calling each filmmaker, letting them know they are in the film festival,” he said. “I always get an incredibly enthusiastic response from each one.”
With more than a quarter century under its belt, the festival has established itself as a much desired event of its kind within the filmmaking industry. Not only that, but moviegoers have set the bar high in their minds of what they expect to see when buying their tickets. Schweiss said because of that there is a bit of pressure, but not necessarily in a bad way.
“The pressure is to always outdo the previous festival or to at least meet the standards of the previous year,” he said. “The quality of the films and the quality of the experience for the filmmakers and audience is what’s most important. We are known as a filmmaker’s festival and a lot of that is due to the outpouring of support from the community, whether that’s from the business and hospitality community or our amazing group of volunteers.”
On Saturday, Feb. 29, Emmy-winning and Oscar and Golden Globe-nominated actor, director and producer Rob Reiner will receive the festival’s Lifetime Achievement Award for his work in front of and behind the camera and his commitment to the art of independent filmmaking.
Reiner, who rose to fame as Mike “Meathead” Stivic on “All in the Family,” has seen even more success behind the scenes as director or producer of films such as “This is Spinal Tap,” “When Harry Met Sally,” “A Few Good Men,” “The Princess Bride,” “Misery” and “LBJ.”
His 1995 film “The American President,” starring Michael Douglas and Annette Bening, will be shown prior to Reiner receiving his award. Marc Shaiman, Reiner’s lifelong friend and an award-winning composer in his own right, will be assisting in presenting Reiner the lifetime achievement award.
“He is amazing and could not be a nicer human being,” Schweiss said of Reiner. “We’re really excited and honored that he was able to say yes.”
SIFF will open on Saturday, Feb. 22 with a tribute to Leslie Uggams as part of the festival’s celebration of Black History Month. The event will include clips from the iconic TV series “Roots,” in which Uggams appeared as Kizzy and earned both Golden Globe and Emmy Award nominations for her performance.
Uggams won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for the Broadway musical “Hallelujah, Baby!” Recently, she appeared alongside Ryan Reynolds in “Deadpool” and in a recurring role on “Empire.”
Joining Uggams for the tribute to “Roots” will be co-star Ben Vereen as well as Kim Fields, one of the stars of “Roots: The Next Generation.” The event will feature roughly 90 minutes of clips from the miniseries and a discussion with a Q&A from the audience.
On Friday, Feb. 28, there will be a special presentation by Bella Gaia, which features a live concert that mixes music, film, dance and NASA imagery. The performance is being gifted to the SIFF through a donation from the Arcos Cielos Foundation and the Avanti Consortium.
Headlining the week of workshops and roundtables will be Bryan Cogman, a writer on “Game of Thrones.” He is also known for his work on “The Sword in the Stone” and “Magic: The Gathering.”
Additional celebrities will be announced in the upcoming weeks. Schweiss said when it comes to the celebrities they are the icing on the cake, but their appearance is always subject to change.
“We love having celebrities but for us it’s all about the films,” he said. “That’s why the filmmakers love us so much — because they become the celebrities for that week.”
For more information on dates for ticket sales, visit sedonafilmfestival.com.
