The Scottsdale International Film Festival is back and in its 15th year of bringing quality foreign and arthouse films to the Valley. Last year, SIFF nabbed the Arizona premiere of Oscar-winning, fan favorite “The Imitation Game” two months ahead of its release.
This year is arguably stronger, bringing a couple foreign Oscar submissions and some of the buzziest titles of the festival circuit to Harkins Shea 14 in Scottsdale. The festival takes place from Thursday, Nov. 5 to Monday, Nov. 9.
Festival director Amy Ettinger created SIFF 15 years ago. Her involvement in the Scottsdale film community goes back even further, as she helped helm the Scottsdale LGBT Film Festival until it merged with SIFF.
“My inspiration (for starting the festival) was when I visited a movie theater in Paris, France in the year 2000 and I realized that in Paris, they were showing hundreds of films in the next couple of months that were never going to make it to the Scottsdale-Phoenix metropolitan area,” Ettinger said.
This year’s festival is loosely based thematically on the fine arts, which is especially apparent on the opening and closing nights. On Thursday, the Paraguay Recycled Orchestra will be performing after the screening of their new documentary “Landfill Harmonica.” The film screens at 7:30 p.m., but a reception kicks the night off at 6 p.m. at the S
The festival closes out on Monday with Paolo Sorrentino’s “Youth.” The film is a reflection on old age and the arts, starring Michael Caine as Fred Ballinger, a retired composer a conductor, and Harvey Keitel as Mick Boyle, a famous working filmmaker. The supporting cast is full of stars including Oscar winners Jane Fonda and Rachel Weisz.
The festival is also bringing a few foreign film Oscar submissions including India’s “Court,” Jordan’s “Theeb” and Spain’s Basque language “Loreak.”
ASU film freshman Daniel Kibbe is especially looking forward to some of the most critically revered films of the year that are screening at the festival.
“I think the festival is a great way for people to see works of art that might have escaped them otherwise,” Kibbe said. “Personally, I've been excited for films like 'Carol' and 'Anomalisa' all year, and this might be my one chance to see them on the big screen.”
“Anomalisa” is the new project by Charlie Kaufman and his first endeavor into stop motion. The film, like much of Kaufman’s work, focuses on the banality of life, but flips the perspective into something insightful and deeply affecting.
Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara join together playing the infamous lesbian couple from Patricia Highsmith's “The Price of Salt” in Todd Haynes’ adaptation “Carol.” The film follows the forbidden love the two explore in New York City in the ‘50s.
Tickets are still available for most films and can be obtained by calling the box office at 866-811-4111. For more information, click here.
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Reach the reporter at tanner.stechnij@asu.edu or follow @tannerstechnij on Twitter.
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