The Phoenix Film Festival is celebrating its 16th anniversary in the Valley this month. The week-long festival will be held from April 7-14 at Harkin’s Scottsdale 101 Theatres. Last years’ festival saw over 23,000 attendees and they are hoping to attract even more movie lovers this year. “We’re very excited about the wide variety of films that we’ve got lined up for 2016. Our expansion to over 175 screenings gives our audience even more opportunities to see great independent films,” says Jason Carney, director of the Phoenix Film Festival.
Two of the films in this year’s festival with Jewish themes are “Victor ‘Young’ Perez” and “Presenting Princess Shaw.”
The French 2013 documentary “Victor ‘Young’ Perez” tells the moving story of the Tunisian Jewish boxer and how he went from winning the International Boxing Union’s version of the World Flyweight crown to being arrested and transported to Auschwitz, where he was forced to participate in boxing matches for the amusement of the Nazis. Screenings of “Victor ‘Young’ Perez” will be on April 8 and 11.
The second movie, “Presenting Princess Shaw” is a documentary that examines loneliness, anonymity and connectivity in the Internet age. Samantha Montgomery, caregiver for the elderly by day, soulful singer Princess Shaw by night, shares her performance clips on YouTube. Little does she know that one of her followers is Kutiman (a.k.a. Ophir Kutiel), an Israeli musician living on a kibbutz outside Tel Aviv, who mashes up YouTube videos from all over the world. He discovers Princess Shaw and propels her into Internet fame. Screenings of “Presenting Princess Shaw” will be on April 12 and 13.
Tickets and passes are available through the Phoenix Film website or in person at the Phoenix Film Festival ticket center next to the Harkin’s Scottsdale 101 Theatre. Prices range from $13 for a single screening to $300 for a platinum pass. For more information, call 480-513-3195 or visit phoenixfilmfestival.com.
