This year’s festival is coming off the year that wasn’t. Thanks to the spread of Covid-19 in 2020, flights were canceled, restaurants and bars weren’t serving, films halted production, schools closed their doors and we all stayed home.
One of the things we missed most… going to the movies. Though Covid-19 still haunts us, one thing moving forward is this year’s Phoenix Film Festival. Finally, a little normalcy!
We’ve waited a long time and it’s almost here! The festival, running for the first time during the summer months, is from this Thursday, August 12 through Sunday, August 22.
The theater hosting the 21st Annual Phoenix Film Festival will be the Harkins Scottsdale 101.
Spotlight
This year’s festival is coming off the year that wasn’t. Thanks to the spread of Covid-19 in 2020, flights were canceled, restaurants and bars weren’t serving, films halted production, schools closed their doors and we all stayed home. One of the things we missed most… going to the movies. Though Covid-19 still haunts us, one thing moving forward is this year’s Phoenix Film Festival. Finally, a little normalcy!
We’ve waited a long time and it’s almost here! The festival, running for the first time during the summer months, is from this Thursday, August 12 through Sunday, August 22.
The theater hosting the 21st Annual Phoenix Film Festival will be the Harkins Scottsdale 101.
Since Covid made last year’s festival impossible, I was curious as to what Jason Carney, the Executive Director of the Phoenix Film Festival, thought about how the Coronavirus has and will affect this year’s festival and perhaps those in the future. So, I asked him a few questions. I hope you enjoy this short interview.
Question: Is there a price increase from previous festivals due to Covid?
JASON: We have not made any price increases for this year’s festival. In fact, we adjusted down the price of Opening Night since we’ll have a scaled-down opening event. Otherwise, we kept everything at the same price.
Question: How does this particular festival differ from previous years?
JASON: A couple of big changes. The first is we won’t have our signature Party Pavilion. We’re scaling back our special events for this year and hosting them in sponsored locations on the Scottsdale 101 campus.
Another change is that we’ve converted to reserved seating to help eliminate people congregating in lines in the lobby.
Question: How has Covid affected things in these ways:
Are your numbers down?
JASON: I anticipate a drop much like other arts organizations and events are seeing. It’s definitely something we planned ahead for.
Did you have fewer films to offer?
We are very close to offering the same number of films we have in the past. There’s really no change there.
Are there fewer volunteers?
With switching to reserved seating and not hosting the Party Pavilion there was a natural necessity to reduce the number of volunteers for the festival.
Will you require mask-wearing for EVERYONE? What if someone is vaccinated? Can they show proof and not have to wear a mask?
JASON: For attendees, we will be following all mask guidelines and protocols put in place by Harkins Theatres. That info can be found here and will be updated if any changes are being made: https://www.harkins.com/welcome-back.
Our volunteers are required to wear masks. However, if they show proof of vaccination they will have the option to not wear a mask.
If there are any changes made to Harkins policy, we are prepared to make any adjustments we need to.
Were you excited to get the festival going or did you think announcing the return this year might have been a bit premature?
JASON: I am super excited to bring back the festival this year. It’s a tricky thing but I also think it’s an important thing to what we do as a non-profit for the community. What we’ve noticed is a huge number of filmmakers who have not had the experience of screening their films with a live audience.
With so many festivals pivoting to go virtual throughout 2020 and into 2021, the filmmakers have not had that opportunity. Getting filmmakers and filmgoers together to share the art of film is the best part of my job. So, to have excited filmmakers ready to screen their films, that’s all I need to get excited.
It’s always an honor for us to get to do this. But it feels a little more special this time around.
*Thank you for the chat, Jason. We here at tmc.io LOVE YOU and all you do!
HERE IS TICKET INFORMATION FOR YOU FOR THIS YEAR’S FESTIVAL:
Tickets and Festival Passes for the festival are now on sale and can be purchased either at the festival’s website at www.phoenixfilmfestival.com or by calling the film festival office at 480-513-3195.
Pricing for the tickets and festival passes are as follows:
Single Ticket – $15
Flex Pass – $45 – cannot be used for the opening or closing night films.
Super Flex Pass – $120
Festival Pass – $200
VIP Pass – $400
Platinum Pass – $425 – will be the only pass/ticket for access to the Opening Night Film
For more information, call 480-513-3195 or go to www.phoenixfilmfestival.com.
And of course, you can be sure that the festival will follow all safety protocols put in place by Harkins Theatres. If you’d like to know what those are, you can find them on the Harkins Theatres website at https://www.harkins.com/welcome-back or at https://www.phoenixfilmfestival.com/welcome-back.
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