The State Press spoke with Amy Ettinger, director of the 10th Annual Scottsdale International Film Festival. The festival will screen 27 films, including five Oscar contenders from the 2010 award season. The event begins on Oct. 1 at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts Virginia G. Piper Theater.
The State Press: Why do you think the Scottsdale International Film Festival is a significant event for moviegoers to attend?
Amy Ettinger: We’re a thriving metropolis in the Valley. Our particular festival promotes diversity because it brings in films from every conceivable country. We approach 70 countries worth of programming, which helps promote tolerance.
SP: Do you consider yourself to be a big film enthusiast?
AE: I’m a huge consumer of films. I am not a film critic though. I just love films.
SP: Have you seen any of the 27 films being screened? If so, what would you say is your personal favorite?
AE: I’ve seen 25 of the 27 films. My favorite film I’ve seen is “Time of the Comet,” an Albanian film. I just fell in love with it. It’s a very clever film that made me laugh out loud, which isn’t easy to do. It is not intended to be a laugh-out-loud comedy though. The film is much more subtle than that.
SP: The festival includes five Oscar contenders from the 2010 awards season. Do you think there are any films in the lineup that have been severely underappreciated critically and financially?
AE: Most of them haven’t had a chance to be underappreciated because they haven’t [been] picked up for distribution.
SP: The festival focuses heavily on foreign films? Why is that?
AE: Because I’m the programmer and founder. Over the years I have been asked to bring in films of a wider interest.
SP: Will there be any celebrities attending the event?
AE: I don’t know yet. Sometimes they show up. Sometimes not at all. There’s been early rumbling that a cast member of “Conviction” may attend.
SP: What would you say is the best film you’ve seen this year?
AE: I never do that. I do not make lists. I don’t have a favorite thing except chocolate. I am constitutionally incapable of making a list.
SP: Any final thoughts on the film festival?
AE: I think of the festival as a boutique with handpicked gems from around the four corners of the world. I want to have the selection be so tantalizing so people will have to see more than what they thought they would. This is the 10th year and I’m going big, but not in traditional red carpet sense. Our opening night film is the premiere of “The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest,” the third film in the “Millennium” trilogy.
SP: How do people go about purchasing tickets to the festival?
AE: We have a sales cycle available on our website [until] Sept. 30 at 5 p.m. Check the ticket and passes page.
Reach the reporter at nspake@asu.edu
