Latest news with #PlazaClassicFilmFestival
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Luis Valdez to appear at El Paso's Plaza Classic Film Festival with 2 film screenings
Legendary writer and director Luis Valdez is the first guest announced for the 2025 Plaza Classic Film Festival. This will be the 18th year for the El Paso Community Foundation's film series, which will run from July 17-27 in and around the Plaza Theatre. Valdez will appear for on-stage interviews before two of his classic movies — 1987's "La Bamba", about Mexican American rocker Ritchie Valens, at 7 p.m. Friday, July 18, and "Zoot Suit" (1981), considered the first major Chicano feature film, at 3 p.m. Saturday, July 19. Both events will take place at the Plaza Theatre. Tickets for each program will be $10 and will go on sale with the rest of the Plaza Classic Film Festival schedule, starting Tuesday, June 10, at the Plaza Theatre box office (no service fees) and (with service fees). Valdez is one of the most important American playwrights and filmmakers living today. He has been successful in theater, television and film. He wrote "Zoot Suit," which explored Los Angeles' racially motivated Sleepy Lagoon murder trial of 1942 and 'Zoot Suit Riots' of 1943, debuted in Los Angeles in 1978 and became the first Chicano play on Broadway a year later. La Bamba was written for the screen and starred Lou Diamond Phillips. Both films are preserved in the National Film Registry. Valdez founded the Obie Award-winning theater company El Teatro Campesino in 1965 in California's Central Valley, joining César Chávez in his United Farm Workers' rights movement. It is the longest-running Chicano theater in the United States, according to a news release. The prolific 84-year-old debuted his latest play, "Adiós Mamá Carlota," on May 10 at El Teatro Campesino Playhouse. Valdez's honors include the Presidential Medal of Arts, Mexico's Aguila Azteca Award, and the Peabody Award for his 1987 PBS documentary, Corridos: Tales of Passion and Revolution. The 18th Annual Plaza Classic Film Festival will take place from July 17 to 27. This year's Plaza Classic Film Festival will feature 100 movies over 11 days, including "Cabaret," "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade", "The Godfather Part II", "Notting Hill", "Saving Private Ryan", "Toy Story", "Schindler's List", "Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back", and many more. Festival passes are on sale for $200 now and include access to almost all ticketed festival movies, reservations for Philanthropy Theatre movies, special events, and discounts at nearby eateries. Festival tickets go on sale June 10 at the Plaza Theatre box office and Ticketmaster. More: Free summer concert series in El Paso: Your guide to outdoor music María Cortés González may be reached at 915-546-6150; mcortes@ @ on Bluesky, and @eptmariacg on TikTok. This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: 'La Bamba' director Luis Valdez joins Plaza Classic Film fest lineup
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Al Pacino stars in new exorcism movie 'The Ritual' produced by NMSU professor Ross Marks
The new exorcism horror movie "The Ritual" starring Al Pacino has strong ties to Las Cruces. New Mexico State University professor Ross Marks recruited top-tier talent to star in the first film he has produced while not also directing. More: Luis Valdez to appear at El Paso's Plaza Classic Film Festival with 2 film screenings Marks, the founder of the Las Cruces International Film Festival, announced that Pacino agreed to star in "The Ritual" which opens nationwide on Friday, June 6. 'I am incredibly proud of this project and the opportunity to collaborate with a legendary actor like Al Pacino,' Marks said in a news release. 'This film is not just a work of art, it's a mirror reflecting the complexities of the human experience.' "The Ritual" is described as a horror film about two priests, one in crisis with his faith and the other confronting a turbulent past, who must overcome their differences to perform a risky exorcism. The film is based on a true story about the last officially ordained exorcism in the United States. More: Las Cruces film makers debut '3' at Las Cruces International Film Festival The film also stars Dan Stevens, Ashley Greene, Abigail Cowen and Patricia Heaton. The film was written and directed by Las Cruces International Film Festival alum David Midell. The Clarion Ledger, part of the USA Today network, reported that filming for the supernatural horror movie took place in the historic St. Mary Basilica in Natchez, Mississippi. Marks said the the film was born at the LCIFF, which recently celebrated its 10th year. Marks first became familiar with Midell during the 2020 LCIFF when Midell's 2019 film "The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlin" was screened. That film won the LCIFF Grand Jury Prize. 'I was so impressed by David and his film that I offered to help get his next film off the ground," Marks said in a news release. "David gave me the script for 'The Ritual,' and I knew right away the film would make for great cinema. I asked David who he wanted in the lead role, and he said without hesitation, Al Pacino. Through some industry contacts, I was able to get the script to Al, and we were off and running." Marks said pivoting to producing was initially a challenge, sacrificing the creative control and direct relationships with actors that are enjoyed by a director. "Producing is about mentorship and finding and creating the resources necessary for the director to succeed," Marks told the Las Cruces Sun-News in an email. "In some ways, it's all the fun of making a movie without the added stress and headaches of being director. Having directed many movies, I have a strong sense of what a director needs and how to provide it." Marks has since produced "Love on Tap", directed by former NMSU student Keagan Karnes. Marks is current in the process of producing "The Mensch" for director David Shapiro and "A Silent Violence" for director Norberto Barba. Those films will both be shot in Las Cruces in the fall. Movies: Renée Victor, 'Coco' and 'Weeds' star, dies at 86 "I am able to make more movies and employ more New Mexicans as a producer," Marks wrote in an email. "I can produce 3-4 movies a year. I can only direct one movie every year or so." This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: 'The Ritual': NMSU professor produces new Al Pacino exorcism movie
