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A Great Awakening
“A Great Awakening” tells the true story of an unlikely friendship between the Reverend George Whitefield and Benjamin Franklin that resulted in one of the most defining moments in American history.
With the colonies on the brink of collapse, the Reverend George Whitefield ignites the first Great Awakening, uniting an entire generation with his thundering and faithful sermons and proclamations of liberty. In a miraculous turn of events, one of Whitefield’s closest friends and greatest promoters becomes none other than Benjamin Franklin.
With the nation’s freedom hanging in the balance, the founders discover true liberty cannot only be written into law — it must be awakened in the hearts of the people.
Through epic historical settings, powerful performances, and a story rooted in both faith and friendship, “A Great Awakening” invites audiences to rediscover a pivotal chapter in American history.
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Blind AF
An unflinching, emotionally raw story of courage, transcendence and the healing power of self-belief, “Blind AF” tells the journey of a blind female Paralympic champion and multiple world-record holder, Shawn Cheshire as she becomes the first blind person to ride a single, non-tandem bike across the United States — 3600 miles in 60 straight days — while confronting painful truths about her past that she spent a lifetime trying to outrun.
Driven as much by the determination to live independently as by the restlessness and vulnerability borne of her complex PTSD, Shawn forges a brave – and often dangerous – path through fear that stands as a powerful testament to the human spirit, and an encouragement for all of us to live our most authentic lives, whatever the risks.
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Cottonwood Premiere: Elton 60: Live at Madison Square Garden
The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to present “Monday Movies on Main” on Monday, May 18 with the Cottonwood premiere of “Elton 60: Live at Madison Square Garden” at 7 p.m. at Old Town Center for the Arts.
Elton John's record-breaking 60th sell-out performance at Madison Square Garden on his 60th birthday was recorded live on March 25, 2007. This awe-inspiring moment was captured in breath-taking high definition complete with 5.1 surround sound and stereo mixes.
The concert features many of his greatest hits, including Levon, Empty Garden, Daniel, Honky Cat, Rocket Man, I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues, Bennie and the Jets, Tiny Dancer, Philadelphia Freedom, Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me, I'm Still Standing, Crocodile Rock, Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting and many, many more!
For Elton John fans, this concert film experience is a must-see show!
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Doors of Deception with Paul Vigil
The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to present “Doors of Deception with Paul Vigil” on Friday, May 8 at 7 p.m. at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre.
Magician Paul Vigil comes direct from his full-time home in Las Vegas, where for many years he performed a highly acclaimed one-man magic show at the Mirage Resort. Paul has appeared regularly on TV, including Penn & Teller Fool Us, performances at every major Las Vegas casino, full house shows at the famous Hollywood Magic Castle, corporate events for fortune 500 CEOs, and private performances for Nobel Laureates.
Paul’s specialty is crafting incredibly fooling magic that is not only unique but regularly fools fellow performers. Paul now travels the globe performing his passionately powerful style of magic and mentalism, leaving audiences in a state of complete disbelief.
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Eagles of the Republic
“Eagles of the Republic” was Sweden’s official entry to the Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film.
Egypt’s most adored actor, George Fahmy (Fares Fares) is pressured to star in a film commissioned by the highest authorities. He reluctantly accepts the role and finds himself thrown into the inner circle of power. Like a moth drawn to the flame, he begins an affair with the mysterious wife of the general overseeing the film.
“A brilliantly executed satire … deftly and daringly blending fact and fiction.” — Deadline
“Smart and timely … a clever lesson in how truth can be scarier than fiction.” — The Hollywood Reporter
“Fascinating!” — Indiewire
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Flagstaff Premiere: Mr. Burton
The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to partner with Theatrikos Theatre Company to bring movies to Downtown Flagstaff!
This series continues on Wednesday, May 27 with the Flagstaff premiere of “Mr. Burton” at 7:00 p.m. at Theatrikos Theatre Company.
“Mr. Burton” was the winner of the Directors’ Choice Award for Best Feature Film Drama at the recent Sedona International Film Festival.
"Mr. Burton" tells the true story of the relationship between Port Talbot schoolmaster Philip Burton and a wild young schoolboy called Richard Jenkins, the son of a wayward drunk.
Richard dreamed of becoming an actor, but his ambitions were in danger of being derailed by a combination of family trouble, the pressure of war, and his own lack of discipline.
Mr. Burton recognized the raw talent in his pupil, becoming his tutor, strict taskmaster and eventually his adoptive father. And Richard Jenkins is transformed into Richard Burton — Wales's greatest star.
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Frequency: The Secret of Everything
The Sedona International Film Festival will present two special screenings of “Frequency: The Secret of Everything” — a powerful new documentary from filmmakers Kaia Roman and Zappy Zapolin — at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre on June 16 and 23.
More than a documentary, “Frequency: The Secret of Everything” is an urgent exploration into solutions that could transform how we heal, connect, and thrive.
Both events will take place from 4:00 PM to 6:30 PM, joined by filmmaker Kaia Roman and followed by live Q&A conversations with renowned experts from the film.
The June 16 screening will feature a live Q&A with Bruce Lipton and Gregg Braden via Zoom, while the June 23 screening will feature an in-person Q&A with Drs. J.J. Hurtak and Desiree Hurtak.
The Sedona screenings are part of a larger global tour beginning May 28, 2026, bringing the film to communities worldwide through live events, guest speakers, and immersive experiences.
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Frida Kahlo
Sedona International Film Festival presents the Exhibition on Screen series with the encore of “Frida Kahlo”. The event will show in Sedona on Tuesday and Sunday, May 19 and 24 at 3:30 p.m. at the festival’s Alice Gill-Sheldon Theatre.
Frida Kahlo is a phenomenon. She is arguably the world’s favorite female artist – beloved by young and old. Exhibition on Screen’s award-winning film — first released during covid to a restricted audience — is back by popular demand with an exciting new addition from the blockbuster transatlantic exhibition from Tate Britain and MFA Houston 'Frida Kahlo: the Making of an Icon'. Back in the cinemas in May 2026, one month before the Tate exhibition opens, allowing audiences to watch both the film and see the show.
Who was Frida Kahlo? Everyone knows her face but who was the woman behind the bright colors, the big brows and the floral crowns?
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Frontier Fiddles: Soundscapes of the Wild Southwest
The Sedona International Film Festival presents “Frontier Fiddles: Soundscapes of the Wild Southwest” concert live on Sunday, May 17 at 4 p.m. at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre.
Enjoy an evening where history, storytelling, and high-energy music meet on stage, in a special concert that brings together acclaimed violinist Arvel Bird and the Wild West Fiddle Project for an immersive performance filled with rhythm, images, and shared discovery.
The concert blends masterful fiddle and guitar with projected images that reimagine history and immerse us in landscapes from across Arizona. The music moves through Celtic, Hispanic, frontier, and Indigenous sound worlds that shaped the region’s cultural life, while stories and visuals reveal the people and places behind the tunes. The result is lively, welcoming, and designed for listeners of all ages, with moments of audience participation and musical dialogue.
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Granny's Got Game
Six fiercely competitive women in their seventies battle physical limitations and skepticism to compete for another national senior games basketball championship.
“Granny's Got Game” is a documentary film about a senior women's basketball team in North Carolina. These six women in their seventies battle physical limitations and social stigma to keep doing what they love.
They started playing 6-on-6 basketball in the 1950s but stopped after high school as there were no opportunities to keep playing in those pre-Title IX days. Now they must learn a new, physical style of play while overcoming the skepticism of their peers. The team has had great success together over the last two decades, winning a multitude of medals in senior games tournaments across the country.
Just like so many younger sports teams, this one includes a bossy captain, a guard who never runs the plays correctly, a tentative post-player, and a benchwarmer who wants to play more than anyone.
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Holding Liat
“Holding Liat” has premiered to rave reviews at film festivals around the world and was shortlisted for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2026.
On the morning of October 7, 2023, Israeli-American Liat Atzili and her husband Aviv were at home when Hamas attacked their kibbutz. By nightfall, Liat and Aviv are captives in Gaza along with 250 other people — 12 of whom, like Liat, are American citizens.
Caught between international diplomacy and a rapidly escalating war, their family must face their own uncertainty and conflicting political perspectives in the pursuit of Liat and Aviv’s release. This agonizing process, and the ultimate fate of their loved ones, challenges how the members of the family understand themselves and their place in the conflict.
Through the intimate lens of a family’s experience, “Holding Liat” poses complex questions of identity across generations, as the family is thrust into the epicenter of a global conflict rapidly unfolding in real-time.
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Horseshoe
Four siblings. One will. With any luck, they won’t kill each other.
All families are mad … not least the Canavans. “Horseshoe” is a dramatic comedy with a twist set in the wild West of Ireland.
When Colm, the head of the family, dies, there are few who mourn his passing, not even his four estranged adult children. But the legalities of his will must be observed and more than one Canavan sibling is harboring secrets.
As the Canavans return to the family home, the fate of the family unit, their sanity and the Canavan estate all hang in the balance.
“Horseshoe” blends razor-sharp dialogue with raw emotional depth, with a cast that delivers powerful performances, including Carolyn Bracken, Lalor Roddy, John Connors, Mary Murray, Jed Murray, Neill Fleming, Eric O’Brien and Caroline Harvey.
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In the Living Room Music Series: Abigail Earthshine Fisher
The "In the Living Room Music Series" continues its eclectic season at the Sedona International Film Festival’s Mary D. Fisher Theatre with an evening of profound vocal power and spiritual resonance. Monday, May 18 at 7:00 p.m., series creator, award-winning songwriter, Shondra Jepperson hosts Abigail Earthshine Fisher, acclaimed opera singer who has graced the world’s most iconic stages and who is also a catalyst for transformational healing.
Abigail’s musical pedigree is extraordinary. Trained as a classical singer and cellist in a family of performers, her career includes appearances with the Los Angeles Opera, Cincinnati Opera, and the Beijing Music Festival, with performances at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall. She has been a muse for modern composers, premiering works like Missy Mazzoli’s Song from the Uproar and starring in the 2017 Pulitzer Prize-winning opera Angel’s Bone.
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Into the Canyon
In 2016 filmmaker/photographer Pete McBride and writer Kevin Fedarko set out on a 750-mile journey on foot through the entire length of the Grand Canyon. From the outset, the challenge was far more than they bargained for. More people have stood on the moon than have completed a continuous through hike of the Canyon.
McBride and Fedarko took a sectional approach, achieving a feat that many adventurers have taken decades to complete. Others have lost their lives trying. But their quest was more than just an endurance test – it was also a way to draw attention to the unprecedented threats facing one of our most revered landscapes.
Throughout their passage, McBride and Fedarko encountered an astonishingly diverse and powerful landscape, rich in history, that is now facing perhaps the gravest crisis in the 100-year history of the Grand Canyon National Park
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Just Sing
“Just Sing” follows a pivotal season with the SoCal VoCals, one of the country’s top collegiate a cappella groups, as they pursue a record-setting sixth ICCA title. With graduation looming and expectations high, the ensemble faces the pressure of competition alongside the uncertainty of what comes next.
Directors Angelique Molina and Abraham Troen take an intimate approach, capturing rehearsals, rivalries, and the personal histories that shape each performer’s voice. From campus practice rooms to national finals, the film balances dynamic performances with unguarded, behind-the-scenes moments, offering a close look at the discipline, camaraderie, and transition that define the chapter of the group's lives.
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Life is Life
At the turn of the new millennium, on an unspoiled stretch of coast in southern Sardinia, Efisio Mulas, a solitary shepherd and custodian of times seemingly long past, defends his land from Giacomo, a developer determined to turn it into a luxury resort.
The foreman at the site, Mariano, tries to convince Efisio to sell, while his daughter Francesca is torn between her attachment to her roots and the urgent need for change that grips her community. When the dispute winds up in court, a local judge from the area, Giovanna, finds herself deciding the case.
“‘Life is Life’ is not only the story of a man who had the courage to say no. It is also the tale, based on a real-life case, of a community in our country forced to choose between respecting the land and giving people employment,” said director Riccardo Milani. “It is in stories like this that I seek out the humanity that is hidden in each of us, still.”
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Linda Perry: Let It Die Here
Linda Perry is one of the most recognizable artists of the past 30 years. The hat, tattoos and her hit single “What’s Up?” with 4 Non Blondes made her an icon.
In the decades since that song topped the charts, Linda has reinvented herself as a songwriter and producer, penning hits for artists like Dolly Parton, Christina Aguilera and Pink. This film offers an intimate look at a vulnerable and courageous woman who dreams big, yet still struggles with the past and present, with fear, identity and family, as she grapples with the same big question we all do: Who am I?
“Linda Perry: Let It Die Here” features appearances by Linda Perry, Dolly Parton, Kate Hudson, Christina Aguilera, Brandi Carlile and Sara Gilbert.
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LIVE THEATRE: Penelope
Penelope has been waiting… and waiting… and waiting for her husband, Odysseus, to return from a decade-long war. Given the rest of the soldiers came home years ago – forgive her, but she’s going to need a drink while she tells you about it. With a beautiful folk-inflected pop score backed by an onstage band of strings, piano and drums, Penelope opens up about her loneliness, her son’s disappearance, her suitors, her gods, her faith in her marriage – and ultimately, the faith that she must have in herself. So go ahead and grab a drink, too, and listen to this ancient tale made new: A woman wondering who she is if she’s alone, and discovering that she has been, is and will always be complete – with or without her husband by her side.
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Lorne
From Morgan Neville — Academy Award-winning filmmaker of “20 Feet from Stardom” and “Won't You Be My Neighbor?” — comes “Lorne”, an unprecedented, behind-the-scenes glimpse at the man who built the inimitable empire of comedy, shaping television and culture for generations: Lorne Michaels.
The documentary features exclusive footage, archival treasures, and candid interviews with Saturday Night Live’s most iconic cast members and writers including Tina Fey, Maya Rudolph, John Mulaney, Andy Samberg, Conan O’Brien, Chris Rock and many more.
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manos Percussion Quarter Millennium Concert
manos Percussion takes the stage at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre on Thursday, May 21 at 7:00 p.m., bringing their special journey of rhythm and sound to Sedona audiences.
In celebration of the United States’ 250th birthday year, manos Percussion Group presents a Quarter Millennium Concert, honoring the nation’s rich cultural tapestry through rhythm, history, and global musical traditions. This special program highlights the diverse influences that have shaped American music over the past 250 years—from European classical roots to Afro Caribbean rhythms, jazz innovations, and contemporary expressions. With 53 instruments, the trio weaves a musical journey that reflects the creative and exuberant spirit that defines the American story.
manos Percussion brings together three classically-trained percussionists — Maria Flurry, Bensen Kwan, and Joshua Ferrell — for a journey through the world of rhythm and sound.
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Met Live Opera: El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego
The Metropolitan Opera’s 2025–26 Live in HD season comes to a close with a live transmission of American composer Gabriela Lena Frank’s first opera, a magical-realist portrait of Mexico’s painterly power couple Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, with libretto by Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright Nilo Cruz. Fashioned as a reversal of the Orpheus and Euridice myth, the story depicts Frida, sung by leading mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard, leaving the underworld on the Day of the Dead and reuniting with Diego, portrayed by baritone Carlos Álvarez. The famously feuding pair briefly relive their tumultuous love, embracing both the passion and the pain before bidding the land of the living a final farewell. Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts the Met-premiere staging of Frank’s opera, a “confident, richly imagined score” (The New Yorker) that “bursts with color and fresh individuality” (Los Angeles Times).
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Met Live Opera: Eugene Onegin
Following her acclaimed 2024 company debut in Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly”, soprano Asmik Grigorian returns to the Met as Tatiana, the lovestruck young heroine in this ardent operatic adaptation of Pushkin.. Baritone Iurii Samoilov reprises his portrayal of the urbane Onegin, who realizes his affection for her all too late. The Met’s evocative production, directed by Tony Award–winner Deborah Warner, “offers a beautifully detailed reading of … Tchaikovsky’s lyrical romance” (The Telegraph).
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Midwinter Break
“Midwinter Break” is a stirring meditation on faith, commitment, and the enduring power of love, as a longtime couple takes a life-changing trip to Amsterdam.
Retired long-time couple Stella and Gerry (Academy Award nominees Lesley Manville and Ciarán Hinds) travel from their home in Glasgow to Amsterdam for an impromptu holiday.
Traversing the beautiful European city, they find themselves freed from the staid routines that have come to define their lives. But as the hours pass, Stella and Gerry realize that after decades together, their relationship has reached a crossroads. After so much time and so many memories, long-held promises and deeply concealed wounds threaten to come to light and force them to confront their future.
Based on the acclaimed novel by Bernard MacLaverty, director Polly Findlay crafts a powerful debut that poses important questions about the nature of faith and commitment, and the enduring power of love.
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Next Goal Wins
“Next Goal Wins” features a stellar ensemble cast, including Michael Fassbender, Oscar Kightley, David Fane, Will Arnett and Elisabeth Moss.
“Next Goal Wins” follows the infamously terrible American Samoa soccer team, known for a brutal 2001 FIFA match they lost 31-0.
With the 2014 World Cup Qualifiers approaching, the team hires down-on-his-luck, maverick coach Thomas Rongen (Michael Fassbender) hoping he will turn the world’s worst soccer team around in this humorous and heartfelt underdog story.
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Notorious
Northern Arizona University and the Sedona International Film Festival are partnering to present The Classics, a monthly classic film series.
NAU/SIFF Classics will be curated and hosted by School of Communication Professor Emeritus Paul Helford.
The series will continue on Wednesday, May 20 with “Notorious” — from 1946 — directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman and Claude Rains. The film was nominated for two Academy Awards — Best Supporting Actor (Claude Rains) and Best Original Screenplay (Ben Hecht).
“Notorious” is a romantic spy thriller where Alicia Huberman (Ingrid Bergman), the daughter of a convicted Nazi, is recruited by U.S. agent T.R. Devlin (Cary Grant) to infiltrate a Nazi group in Rio de Janeiro. While falling for each other, Devlin forces Alicia to seduce and marry a high-ranking Nazi, Alex Sebastian (Claude Rains), leading to intense psychological drama and deadly peril.
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Outdoor Film: Back to the Future
It’s “Big Screen at Basecamp” as the Sedona International Film Festival partners with Sedona Beer Company for its “Movies on the Move” cinema under the stars outdoor film experience at Basecamp in West Sedona — every Thursday in the summer season!
Join us on Thursday, May 21 as we present “Back to the Future” at Basecamp/Sedona Beer Company at dusk.
“Back to the Future” was nominated for four Academy Awards, winning one Oscar for Best Sound Effects Editing.
In this 1980s sci-fi classic, small-town California teen Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) is thrown back into the '50s when an experiment by his eccentric scientist friend Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd) goes awry. Traveling through time in a modified DeLorean car, Marty encounters young versions of his parents, and must make sure that they fall in love, or he'll cease to exist. Even more dauntingly, Marty has to return to his own time and save the life of Doc Brown.
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Pink Floyd in Surround Sound
The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to partner with award-winning surround sound composer and producer Koz Mraz for “Pink Floyd in Surround Sound” on Thursday, May 14 at 7 p.m. at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre.
Experience both “Dark Side of the Moon” and “Wish You Were Here” in a way you’ve never heard before that will blow you away!
A no-visuals, sonic experience, reminiscent of lost art of listening to music in the dark. This Dark Room Experience is in Sedona’s best sound system: the Mary D. Fisher Theater.
Everyone has experienced 5.1 surround in movie theaters, but hearing Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon” and the follow up album “Wish You Were Here” mixed specifically for six speakers is simply astounding. Mixed by Alan Parsons himself (the original engineer on Dark Side of the Moon) listeners are immersed in this lavish ever-evolving sonic landscapes that only Pink Floyd commands.
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Revolutionary America
“Revolutionary America” tells the story of the American Founding, the greatest political achievement in history. The American colonists had developed a unique way of life as they practiced self-government for 150 years.
In the struggles between the colonies and the mother country that followed the French and Indian War, Britain declared that Americans had no right to rule themselves. This went against everything the Americans knew. In response, our ancestors risked their “lives, fortunes, and sacred honor” to fight the War for Independence. Against all odds, they won, and in victory formed a stable, lasting republic.
This documentary — narrated by Tom Selleck and featuring interviews with prominent scholars and commentators — will help you see the Revolution through the eyes of the Americans who lived through it. With expert commentary, historical documents, compelling cinematography, and beautiful music, experience the Revolution like never before!
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Richard Smith Concert
From Bach to the Beatles and barn-burners to ballads, audiences delight when world-renowned fingerstyle guitarist Richard Smith returns with his solo concert to Sedona by popular demand.
There will be one show on Friday, May 15 at 7 p.m. at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre, presented by the Sedona International Film Festival.
Richard Smith is a British fingerstyle guitarist, renowned for his variety of styles and techniques, entertaining performances and engaging charisma.
Inspired by iconic guitarists like Chet Atkins, Merle Travis, Jerry Reed, Django Reinhardt and Joe Pass, Smith's unique style blends country, jazz, classical and ragtime influences. In his very early years, he received mentorship from guitar greats, laying the foundation for his future success.
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Sedona Comedy Night with Emmy Award Winner Brian Kiley
The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to present Sedona Comedy Night with Emmy Award Winner Brian Kiley live onstage at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre on Friday, May 29 at 6:00 p.m.
Brian Kiley is a two-time Emmy Award-winning comedian and writer who’s been a fixture in late-night TV for decades. He’s made multiple appearances on The Late Show with David Letterman, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and Late Night with Conan O'Brien, and can still be seen performing regularly at comedy clubs around Los Angeles.
For 27 years, Brian was a staff writer for Conan, winning an Emmy in 2007 for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy/Variety Series and getting nominated 16 times. He also worked on the final season of Ellen, picking up a Daytime Emmy in 2022.
Brian even ended up in The New York Times Sunday Crossword Puzzle — though he admits he’s never actually finished the puzzle himself. Beyond writing, Brian’s been on TV in all kinds of ways.
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Sedona Poetry Slam
The Sedona Poetry Slam will take the on Saturday, May 9. Performance poets bring high-energy, competitive spoken word to the Mary D. Fisher Theatre starting at 7:30 p.m.
A poetry slam is like a series of high-energy, three-minute one-person plays, judged by the audience. Anyone can sign up to compete in the slam for the $100 grand prize, $50 second-place prize and $25 third-place prize.
Open Slam
To compete in the slam, poets will need three original poems, each lasting no longer than three minutes. The poets are judged Olympics-style by five members of the audience selected at random at the beginning of the slam.
Slam poetry is an art form that allows written page poets to share their work alongside theatrical performers, hip-hop artists and lyricists.
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Sentimental Value
“Sentimental Value” won the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film and was nominated for eight other Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director (Joachim Trier), Best Original Screenplay and Best Film Editing. All four principle actors were nominated for Academy Awards for their performances: Best Actress (Renate Reinsve), Best Supporting Actor (Stellan Skarsgård) and Best Supporting Actress (for both Elle Fanning and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas).
Sisters Nora and Agnes reunite with their estranged father, the charismatic Gustav, a once-renowned director who offers stage actress Nora a role in what he hopes will be his comeback film. When Nora turns it down, she soon discovers he has given her part to an eager young Hollywood star.
Suddenly, the two sisters must navigate their complicated relationship with their father — and deal with an American star dropped right into the middle of their complex family dynamics.
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Sirsy Concert
Back by popular demand: The Sedona International Film Festival announces award-winning recording duo Sirsy will be performing live in concert Thursday, May 7 at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre in Sedona at 7 p.m.
It’s hard to imagine a sound this big coming from just two people. The Boston Globe calls Sirsy the “little band with the big sound.” Fans call them the little band with big heart.
Hailing from NY, Sirsy plays compelling singer-songwriter rock and pop with a charming intensity, a bit of sass, lots of soul, and loads of heart. They write honest, engaging songs that are instantly relatable and catchy. The Times Union says “Sirsy’s clever, smart songs have more hooks than a tackle box”. Sirsy’s passionate and down-to-earth live shows also include storytelling and even some nerdy jokes. They can somehow make an audience sing along, dance, laugh, and cry — all at the same show.
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Sport Shorts
Flow
Directed by Andy McCandlish
Flow features The Trailrippers — a mountain biking family from the Dyfi Valley in Mid Wales who are making their mark on the British and international riding scenes. Mountain biking means everything to Nathan and Ruben and this short film tells their family story with the help of their Mum, Ina. Together, they tell us how they first got into riding and then racing and the benefits and challenges that neurodivergence brings to their riding and how riding bikes helps them regulate their lives.
Go Dani Go
Directed by Chelsea Patricia Ramirez
When the biggest soccer tryout of her life lands on the same day she must help her mother pick fruits in the fields, a spunky young athlete has to choose between chasing her dreams or staying stuck in the strawberry fields.
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Stand-Up Comedy Night with Max Meisel
The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to present Stand-Up Comedy Night with Max Meisel live onstage at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre on Sunday, May 10 at 7:00 p.m.
Max Meisel is an LA-based, New York-born comedian currently featuring for Tom Arnold on his sixty city, twelve-month stand-up tour around the United States and Canada aptly titled “My Crazy X-Wife” Comedy Tour.
Max is also the host and producer of BackDoor Comedy, a monthly comedy party combining music, a dance party, food pop-up, social mixer, and great comedy show. The event has been featured in E! News showcasing its unique take on live comedy and made its festival debut at the New York Comedy Festival in November 2025. After bringing the show to both coasts over the course of three years, BackDoor Comedy will be at the Netflix is a Joke Festival in Los Angeles in May 2026.
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Strong As They Are Fragile
"Strong As They Are Fragile" deals with the taboo subject of mental health in high-level sport. Athletes share with us their weaknesses, their ailments, their burnouts and sometimes their depression but above all their reconstruction. The film showcases the resilience and promotes mental well-being among elite athletes in sports. It's a compelling story of strength and redemption, featuring testimonies from champions such as Jeremy Flores, Perrine Laffont, Camille Lacourt, Ysaora Thibus, and Valentin Porte.
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Texas Music Revolution
Get ready for a toe-tapping, edge of your seat, behind the scenes look at the 25th anniversary of one of the most treasured, Americana/Folk/Country music festivals — Texas Music Revolution — based in McKinney, TX.
“Texas Music Revolution” — featuring Kiefer Sutherland, Charley Crockett & Ray Wylie Hubbard — follows the journey of indie radio station KHYI-FM GM and music festival founder Joshua Jones as he produces the silver anniversary of this iconic event.
As much a document of reintroducing live music in the wake of a pandemic, it is a celebration of Texas and its roots — where, at the crossroads of purist country and Americana has evolved the iconic 'red dirt' Waylon-and-Willie style considered one of three pillars of American country music.
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The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist
From the Academy Award-winning filmmakers behind “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and “Navalny”. A father-to-be tries to figure out what is happening with all this AI insanity. “The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist” is a hand-made, eye-opening documentary about the most powerful technology humanity has ever created … and what’s at stake if we get it wrong.
A vital exploration of the revolutionary technology and the people behind it — from the major figures fast-tracking its development to the ones warning us about its dangers — the film, directed by Daniel Roher and Charlie Tyrell, is at once a thrilling primer, a call to attention, and an intimate personal story about what it means to look toward an uncertain future.
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The Christophers
Julian Sklar (Ian McKellen) was once a star of London’s 1960’s and 70’s pop art explosion, but he hasn’t painted in decades and has been broke for years.
His two estranged children (James Corden, Jessica Gunning), desperate for an inheritance, hire Lori, an art restorer and former forger (Michaela Coel), to pose as a prospective assistant in order to access 8 unfinished canvases Julian has buried deep in storage.
Her plan is to complete them, then return them to storage, where they are to be “discovered” upon Julian’s death.
“A sparkling, funny, wise movie. I have rarely enjoyed watching two actors’ rapport the way I loved watching McKellen and Coel.” — Alissa Wilkinson, New York Times
“One of the best films of the year. Extraordinary. The kind of movie only a master filmmaker could have made.” — Stephanie Zacharek, Time
“Two of the best performances you’ll see all year.” — David Fear, Rolling Stone
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Thinking Like Water
The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to present the one-night-only Northern Arizona premiere of “Thinking Like Water” on Wednesday, May 20 at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre.
“Thinking Like Water” is a 5-part documentary series that features watershed restoration pioneer Bill Zeedyk and showcases low-tech, low-cost methods to restore watersheds. Episode 1 of the series will be featured at this special premiere and will be followed by a Q&A with the filmmaker and special guests.
All are welcome! It also serves as the kick-off for the second annual Sedona Water Festival happening May 20-22 at the Sedonya Conscious Living Centre.
“Thinking Like Water” offers the pioneering work of 91-year-old “water wizard” Bill Zeedyk, and his proteges and allies, who have continually devised ways of transforming degraded wetlands and drylands into more resilient ecosystems that help gird against drought and climate change.
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Two Pianos
After years of self-imposed exile, pianist Mathias (François Civil) returns to France, where his former mentor, Eléna (Charlotte Rampling), has invited him to perform a series of concerts with her in his hometown of Lyon. Once a rising star of the French musical scene and Eléna’s prized pupil, Mathias has spent many years teaching and performing in Japan.
Soon after his arrival, a chance encounter with a child who looks just like him throws Mathias into turmoil, threatening to drag him down, and leads him back to his first love, Claude (Nadia Tereszkiewicz).
French master Arnaud Desplechin returns to some of his favorite themes – psychologically charged homecomings and unexpected reunions (romantic and otherwise) – in this sensual, Hitchcockian melodrama featuring one of Rampling’s most delicious roles in years.
“A rhapsodic piece about love, death, music and memory.” — Jonathan Romney, Screen International
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Whale Fall
Sedona International Film Festival presents the Northern Arizona premiere of “Whale Fall” on Tuesday, June 9 at 7:00 p.m. at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre.
Choreographer and artistic director, Mayfield Brooks, will be in Sedona to host the film and Q&A discussion following the screening.
"Whale Fall" is an award-winning experimental dance film by choreographer Mayfield Brooks, which won a 2021 Bessie Award (New York Dance and Performance Award). The film explores the decomposition of a whale on the ocean floor, blending themes of black life, ecology, and the afterlife of the carcass.
‘Whale Fall” considers how a whale’s life of darkness, codas, echolocations, and vertical slumbering can choreograph a time of grief. No theater lights. No sets. No performance. No narrative. This is an encounter. What can a barren theater teach me? How does a Black artist dance in the abyss? How can the sperm whale’s life of darkness, codas and echolocations choreograph this time of grief?
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