It’s showtime. The Sedona International Film Festival has unveiled its schedule for its new “Movies on the Move” program that will bring outdoor screenings of feature films to locations throughout Sedona, the Verde Valley and Flagstaff.
“[People should come out] to have that community experience with the flashback to the old drive-in movies. Our evenings are so beautiful here,” SIFF Executive Director Patrick Schweiss said.
The inaugural season for the program is still being finalized, with additional screenings likely to be announced, but it will run at least through September and possibly into the first half of October. All showtimes will start at dusk, which is currently around 7:45 to 8 p.m.
On Saturday, July 13, SIFF will offer a free screening of 2023’s
“The Marvels” as part of Camp Verde Community Children’s Library’s summer reading program at the Community Center Park at E. Hollamon Street and Main Street in Camp Verde.
Tuesday night screenings will take place on a rotating schedule: n Tuesday, July 16: “Mamma Mia!” in the parking lot at Hillside, 671 SR 179
☸ Tuesday, July 23: “The Greatest Showman” on the grass at The Collective, 7000 SR 179 in the Village of Oak Creek
☸ Tuesday, July 30: “Dirty Dancing” at Hillside
Attendees will need to bring their own seating such as a blanket or lawn chairs. August and September selections will be announced later.
Starting on Wednesday, July 24, The Wilde Resort and Spa at 2250 SR 89A will also present a weekly Wednesday screening of concert films, starting with “Chicago LIVE 2024.” The movie premiered at this year’s 30th SIFF in a sold-out Sedona Performing Arts Center.
“We’re always going to try to have some fun things before a screening,” Schweiss said. “At ‘Hairspray’ we’re encouraging people to come in costume or to sing along. At ‘Mamma Mia,’ there’s going to be an ABBA singalong before the film. We will have trivia on some nights because people are going to get there early to stake their claim with their lawn chairs. And they’ll have time to kill, so we’ll try to figure out some fun things to do with them while they wait.”
Concession options for moviegoers will be available.
“We do have wine and beer available because our liquor license allows us to travel with that,” Schweiss said. “[But] we do stop that service if there’s a merchant at one of the places that wants to [sell alcohol] … Where it’s appropriate where and we can we will sell [alcohol], but mostlyit’s sodas, waters, popcorn and movie snacks.”
Movies on the Move merchandise will be available for purchase. Stickers will be $3 and magnets $4; T-shirts have been ordered and are on the way.
The season will end on Saturday, Oct. 12, at the Sedona Arts Festival on the athletic field at Sedona Red Rock High School.
SIFF has hired three part-time “roadies,” according to Schweiss, to operate the new program.
“Otherwise, everything was paid for by [the donor] campaign,” Schweiss said. “That’s why we’re able to keep the price low. It’s just a $7 price, and kids 12 and under can come for free. That was our way of thanking the community and making this affordable and accessible to everybody.”
The goal of Movies on the Move is to raise funds, to market SIFF to the local audience and to bring more people to its physical theatres.
“We realize that there will be some screenings that will be rescheduled because of the monsoons,” Schweiss said. “But our plan is to just move to the next night if that happens. If there’s a storm on Tuesday, we’ll just shift to Wednesday and if it storms [again] on Wednesday, we’ll shift to Thursday. We’re not ever planning on canceling a film.”
SIFF is looking to partner with other local businesses and organizations to bring the movie truck to new locations. It has a 32-foot high screen that requires a team of six SIFF staff to set up and operate and costs $1,500 to operate for the evening. SIFF has also recently purchased an additional 25-foot screen that can be run for $800 a night.
For additional information and to purchase advance tickets, visit SedonaFilmFestival.org or call (928) 282-1177.
