With its close proximity to California, and its stunningly unique landscapes, Arizona is a popular location for film production. The Grand Canyon State also has film-friendly policies, and has been the setting for many feature films and home to several well-known actors and actresses. The state is also a prime location for Native American cinema.
Popular movies that have been made in Arizona include Raising Arizona, Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, Psycho, Waiting to Exhale, U-Turn, Fire in the Sky, and Tombstone. Many famous film actors are from Arizona, including Ted Danson, Lynda Carter, and David Spade. Although not a true native of Arizona, critically acclaimed American movie director Steven Spielberg spent his teenage years in Scottsdale, where he made his first films. At the age of 16-years old, Spielberg created the 140-minute adventure film Firelight while living in his childhood Arizonan home.
Arizona is far more than just a cactus-filled Hollywood playground when it comes to popular filming locations. The state has a highly dedicated community of filmmakers and film fans, and hosts many film festivals. Along with being a great film location, Arizona is a center for a growing Native American film industry. The state also boasts hundreds of conventional movie theaters, both small and large, which provide the perfect opportunity to escape Arizona's mid-afternoon desert heat.
Film Festivals
The Southwest Native American Film and Video Festival takes place every July in Flagstaff. The festival is hosted by the Museum of Northern Arizona, and specializes in works by Native American filmmakers. Though the event has a Native American focus, and seeks to educate and elevate Native American filmmakers, the festival also seeks to educate visitors about local issues, and welcomes everyone to its screenings. The two-day festival features a full afternoon schedule of films of various lengths and genres, as well as a panel discussion and a special event for experimental films. The festival is a great way for visitors to learn about contemporary Native American life, culture, and issues.
In the Phoenix area, the Heard Museum, which has three locations, is one of the largest Native American institutions in Arizona. The downtown Phoenix wing of the Heard Museum hosts an annual, mid-October film event known as the Heard Museum Film Festival. Organizers of the event screen films, including professional, amateur, and student films, about Native Americans and other worldwide indigenous peoples. All of the screenings are held in the museum's own theater.
One of the largest and most popular film events in the state is the Sedona International Film Festival. The five-day event takes place annually at the beginning of March, and screens over 125 films, including feature-length documentaries and fiction movies, shorts, animation, and student films. Throughout the festival's history, it has premiered many popular Hollywood movies, and has welcomed countless famous actors and directors. The event hosts the Festival Workshop, founded by Academy Award winner Frank Warner, and invites filmmaking professionals to share their knowledge and expertise of the film industry.
Another popular event is the annual Arizona International Film Festival, which takes place during late April in locations around the Tucson area. With a focus on independent and international films, the festival screens over 115 movies from countries like Poland, Canada, Australia, Spain, South Korea, Kuwait, Scotland, and Japan. The festival also features a number of other events, including workshops, music performances, and an awards ceremony.
For a vastly different sort of film festival, the Flagstaff Mountain Film Festival highlights provocative social, environmental, and adventure-related films about experiences in the outdoors. With films from all over the world, the festival is great for outdoors enthusiasts and extreme sports participants. The festival takes place in March, and hosts a variety of events, including student film screenings and a photography exhibit. The festival also holds workshops and talks with filmmakers, environmentalists, and outdoor adventurers.
Another major film event in the state is the Phoenix Film Festival, which is affiliated with the Sundance Channel, and takes place over a week-long period in early April. The Phoenix Film Festival focuses on feature films and the people who make them. Originally created as a forum for small, low-budget films, the festival has since expanded its scope, developing a reputation as a prestigious and filmmaker-friendly event. Screenings take place at the 101 Theatre in Scottsdale, and visitors are welcome to attend the opening night event, as well as the awards ceremony on the festival's final day.
Film Locales
Arizona visitors seeking a uniquely modern and immersive movie-going experience, the Phoenix suburb of Tempe is home to the IMAX Theatre Arizona Mills, located in the Arizona Mills Mall. The IMAX is a film format with a higher resolution than that of standard film stocks, almost like a 3-D movie, but with a higher degree of verisimilitude. Because of its realistic qualities, IMAX is often used as an exciting educational tool, with films that shed new light on natural, anthropological, and historical phenomena. The IMAX Theatre in Tempe screens all of the nationwide IMAX hits.
Most towns in Arizona have at least one movie theater playing nationally run movies. Larger cities like Phoenix and Tucson are also home to smaller theaters running independent and foreign movies that often can't be found in smaller towns. For movie listings, local newspapers are a great source, as is the Web. In beautiful Arizona, where the weather is often hot, the darkened air-conditioned interiors of movie theaters are popular and pleasant escapes for vacationers who may need a break from the sultry Southwestern sun.
