The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to present the Northern Arizona premiere of the critically-acclaimed new documentary “Mike Wallace Is Here,” showing Friday, Aug. 16, through Wednesday, Aug. 21, at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre.
“Mike Wallace Is Here” offers an unflinching look at the legendary reporter, who interrogated the 20th century’s biggest figures in his over 50 years on air and his aggressive reporting style and showmanship that redefined what America came to expect from broadcasters. Unearthing decades of never-before-seen footage from the “60 Minutes” vault, the film explores what drove and plagued Wallace, whose storied career was entwined with the evolution of journalism itself.
Never before has journalism in America been so hotly debated. At a time when it seems like the hard-hitting question is fighting for its right to be asked, “Mike Wallace Is Here” turns the tough question loose on its inventor to understand how we got here and what’s really at stake. We witness now on a daily basis the dangers of a fractured and disrespected press. Echo chambers abound, talking heads toe party lines, and politicians attempt to convince the public that facts and truth don’t matter. The sharp-edged, astute documentary “Mike Wallace Is Here” looks for inspiration in a different time, in the work of one of the most fearless, confrontational broadcast journalists of the last 50 years … and finds motivation for those holding truth to power in the present day.
“Mike Wallace Is Here” is told exclusively through archival footage, without one talking-head commentary or backward-looking interview diluting the immediacy and power of Wallace’s work. The film traces his career on the air from his invention of the “tough question” in his 1950s interview show “Night Beat” to his news specials of the 1960s and his four decades on CBS’ “60 Minutes,” examining how his genre-defining work changed the standards of broadcast journalism for good and for ill, while unpacking the personal qualities that made Wallace tick.
“Mike Wallace Is Here” will be shown at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre Aug. 16 through 21. Showtimes will be 4 p.m. on Friday, Saturday, Monday and Wednesday, Aug. 16, 17, 19 and 21; and 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 20.
Tickets are $12, or $9 for Film Festival members. Call 282-1177 for tickets and more information. Both the theater and film festival office are located at 2030 W. SR 89A in West Sedona. Visit SedonaFilmFestival.org for more information.
