'Potential Oscar contenders' you should see at the annual Phoenix Film Festival
It seemed like a simple enough request: Ask Jason Carney, the executive director of the Phoenix Film Foundation, to pick five must-see movies playing in the 2024 Phoenix Film Festival.
He couldn’t.
Instead, because, as he said, “I like to break the rules” — and because of the number of films he’s excited about this year — Carney listed six.
Fair enough. The Phoenix Film Festival, the largest in the state, is known as a haven for directors, so the lineup is always solid. This year is no exception.
“I'm extremely pleased with the line-up we've put together this year,” Carney said. “I think we legitimately have potential Oscar contenders in our opening night film, "Sing Sing," and our closing night film, "Thelma."
When is the Phoenix Film Festival?
The Phoenix Film Festival takes place from Thursday, April 4 through Sunday, April 14. All of the films are screened at Harkins Scottsdale 101. But there’s more to the festival than screenings. This year there is a new section called “More Than Movies.”
“This program includes stand-up comedy paired with short comedy films, a staged reading of ‘Raising Arizona,’ an extended workshop about filmmaking in video games, a filmmaker walking an audience through the filmmaking process in ‘How I Made I’ and a showcase of film trailers in the very popular ‘The Art of the Trailer,’” Carney said.
Still, the movies are the big draw. These are the five — er, six — Carney counts as can’t-miss, along with his commentary.
The six movies not to miss at the Phoenix Film Festival
'Sing, Sing'
“How could I not put this one up top,” Carney said of the opening-night film. “It's amazing. Colman Domingo is marvelous. Plus, director Greg Kwedar will be in the house.”
'Babes'
“It has been a long, long time since I laughed this hard,” Carney said. “It's like ‘Bridesmaids’ for pregnancy, but the comedy is even a bit filthier. Ilana Glazer wrote it and stars in it.”
'Tuesday'
"This one from A24 Films stars Julia Louis-Dreyfus,” Carny said. “This one will stun you a bit. I need lots of people to see this so I can talk with them about it.”
'Avenue of the Giants'
“This film about a holocaust survivor and a young woman dealing with their traumas is the perfect film if you're looking for great performances and a tear-jerker,” Carney said.
'The Idea of You'
“Of course I'm going to put the Anne Hathaway movie on the list,” Carney said. “It's funny, romantic, and there's some great drama happening here. There's a lot of charm in this one.”
'Everything Fun You Could Possibly Do in Aledo, Illinois'
“This one is my sleeper pick,” Carney said. “Speaking of charm, this women-driven film is fun and it even has country-music star Suzy Bogguss in it. I've heard that she'll be here for the screening on April 5th.”
Where is the Phoenix Film Festival?
When: April 4-14.
Where: Harkins Scottsdale 101, 7000 E. Mayo Blvd., Phoenix.
Admission: Passes range from $45 to $350; tickets for individual films are $15.
Details: phoenixfilmfestival.com, 480-513-3195.
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Reach Goodykoontz at bill.goodykoontz@arizonarepublic.com. Facebook: facebook.com/GoodyOnFilm. X: @goodyk. Subscribe to the weekly movies newsletter.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 'Oscar contenders:' 6 don't-miss movies at Phoenix Film Festival 2024
