The Sedona International Film Festival is the official, exclusive Northern Arizona home for the New York Film Critics monthly series debuting new films weeks prior to their theatrical release. The series is hosted by Rolling Stone Magazine’s Peter Travers, via satellite, and features a Q&A with the filmmaker and stars from the film each month.
The October premiere event will feature the debut of “The Journey is the Destination” — the true story of Dan Eldon, one of the youngest photographic stringers in Africa — for one show, one night only on Tuesday, Oct. 10 at 7 p.m. Claudia Puig from USA Today will host and introduce the film; and the Q&A following the film will feature Maria Bello, one of the stars of the film, plus director Bronwen Hughes and Dan Eldon’s real-life mother, Kathy Eldon.
“The Journey is the Destination” is inspired by the true story of Dan Eldon, a charismatic young activist, artist, photographer and adventurer. By the age of 22, Dan had traveled to 42 countries, created a series of fine art journals that would become international best sellers, worked in refugee camps, opened a business, became the youngest staff photojournalist at Reuters, fallen in love and accumulated more life experience than most in a lifetime.
Visually stunning and wildly inspiring, “The Journey is the Destination” follows a young man’s tumultuous coming of age, his exploration of love and his struggle to create positive change in an increasingly violent and dangerous world. Dan was a unique person who woke up every day with the drive to make the world a little better before he went to sleep.
Dan was covering the violent famine in Somalia when, on July 12, US Marines made the fateful mistake of bombing what they mistakenly thought was a council of warlords in Mogadishu. Many innocent lives were lost, and in the ensuing riot, Dan and three other journalists were killed.
Dan was a bright light, extinguished at a young age. But thanks to a collection of his journals, The Journey is the Destination: The Journals of Dan Eldon (Chronicle Books), his life has ignited sparks in millions around the world. This film — an exuberant, yet moving tribute to him — will inspire viewers to live more fully, love more, and realize that in giving, they receive, and of course, that the Journey is truly the Destination.
Join us for a special evening and sneak premiere of this new drama, hosted by Claudia Puig from USA Today via satellite, and stay for the Q&A with actress Maria Bello, director Bronwen Hughes and Dan Eldon’s real-life mother, Kathy Eldon.