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OUTSTANDING
ATTENDANCE AND AMAZING FILMS
RESULT IN SUCCESS FOR 2008 SCOTTSDALE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL!
SCOTTSDALE, AZ (October 14, 2008) — By the time the 2008 Scottsdale International
Film Festival wrapped up on October 9, over 5,500 people had visited
the
Harkins Camelview theatre to screen 26 different films from around the
globe. With several sold out showings,
the festival continues to be an important platform for international
independent films that embody courage, diversity, and artistic
innovation.
This year’s festival took
place from October 3-7 & 9 at the
Harkins
Camelview theatre, with 2 free screenings for college students at the
Harkins
Valley Art theatre. The 2008 festival consisted of many sold out
screenings of 26
films from 23 different countries.
Special guests
for 2008 included director Mike Leigh (Vera
Drake, Secrets and Lies) who presented his new film, HAPPY GO LUCKY, for the first time in Arizona.
Actor Waylon Payne (Walk The
Line)
also attended this years’ festival to present his new film, CRAZY. Other films that
enjoyed their Arizona premieres were WHAT
JUST HAPPENED, starring Robert
DeNiro and Bruce Willis, HOW ABOUT YOU,
starring Imelda
Staunton and Vanessa Redgrave, and PHOEBE IN
WONDERLAND, which stars
Bill Pullman, Felicity Huffman, and Patricia Clarkson.
This years’ Audience Award
for Best Film went to AMAL, a film
from both India and Canada. In this life affirming film, Amal, an
auto-rickshaw driver
is content with the small but vital role he serves - driving customers
around New
Delhi as
quickly and safely as possible. But his sense of
duty is tested by an eccentric, aging billionaire, who, moved by Amal's
humility, bequeaths him his entire estate before passing away. With
only one
month to discover and claim the inheritance, Amal's struggles with duty
and
wealth are threatened by all those around him - from a young injured
beggar
girl and a lovely store merchant, to the danger of the old man's
upper-caste
friends and siblings, all seeking to claim their share of the riches. This vividly textured portrait of
contemporary India is an extraordinarily ambitious and
heartfelt debut
from first-time director Richie Mehta. Showing us an unvarnished India rich in flavor, AMAL is a powerful and
touching story
of one man’s decency.
"The Scottsdale
International Film Festival’s mission is to be the undisputed Arizona leader in the use of film to
foster a
meaningful understanding of the world’s cultures, lifestyles,
religions, and
ethnicities,” explains Festival Director Amy Ettinger.
The 2009 Scottsdale International Film
Festival will
take place from October 2-6 next year. For information regarding
sponsorship
please contact Amy Ettinger at ScottsdaleIFF@aol.com or
by phone
at (602) 410-1074.
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