It is hard to believe that the holiday season is just about over. But wait, there’s one more way to bid adieu to them — with one more installment of the FREE Texas Gas Service Holiday Movies at the Plaza Theatre.
We’ll close out the City of El Paso’s third annual WinterFest with free showings of Disney’s Frozen at 1 p.m. and the first installment of the Ice Age series at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, January 6 in the Plaza Theatre.
That’s the last day that the ice rink in Arts Festival Plaza and other WinterFest activities will be offered.
We’re doing it Plaza Classic Film Festival style, with Laurie Koval performing on the theater’s original Wyler Mighty Wurlitzer Pipe Organ at 12:30 p.m. and Rick Garven at 3 p.m.
Admission is FREE. No tickets are required. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.
Thanks to our sponsor, Texas Gas Service, and our partners at El Paso Live.
The 12th annual Plaza Classic Film Festival will be August 1-11, 2019. We are in the process of booking movies now that we know you’ll want to see then!
In the meantime, Festival Passes are available at plazaclassic.com/tickets or by calling 915-533-4020.
The pass sells for $200 and includes admission to all ticketed events, special events, reservations in the Philanthropy Theatre, discounts at nearby eateries and a jump-the-line express lane.
Looking for something special for the film lover in your world this holiday season?
How about a 2019 Plaza Classic Film Festival Pass?
Festival Passes for the 2019 edition of the El Paso Community Foundation’s Plaza Classic Film Festival are now on sale for the discounted price of $175.
The 12th annual Plaza Classic will be August 1-11, 2019 in and around the Plaza Theatre.
Remember how much fun the 2018 PCFF was? Sam Elliott, Bruce Dern, Ali MacGraw and theater organist extraordinaire Walt Strony all made appearances. Classic movies such as The Godfather, Amadeus, Vertigo, The African Queen and Lady and the Tramp all played the Plaza Theatre. For a recap of last year’s festival, click here.
A Festival Pass is your ticket to all things Plaza Classic Film Festival. It includes admission to all ticketed events, invitations to receptions and other special events, discounts at nearby eateries and your own express lane so you don’t have to stand in line.
And the pass is transferable, meaning you can loan it to a friend or family member.
The sale ends at 11:59 p.m. Monday, December 31. Go to plazaclassic.com/tickets or call 915-533-4020 to purchase yours now.
Festival Passes will be available for sale at the full price of $200 beginning January 1, 2019.
One special way to keep warm at this year’s third annual WinterFest — enjoy the FREE Holiday Movies at the Plaza Theatre. Beloved classics It’s a Wonderful Life and Miracle on 34th Street will be shown along with modern favorites such as Elf and Frozen, over five Sundays beginning November 18 and ending January 6.
Texas Gas Service is sponsoring the FREE Holiday Movies at the Plaza in partnership with the El Paso Community Foundation, the Plaza Classic Film Festival and El Paso Live. WinterFest is presented by The Hospitals of Providence and Providence Children’s Hospitals.
The series opens with Elf, starring Will Ferrell, at 3 p.m. Sunday, November 18, followed by a double bill of the 1966 TV special How the Grinch Stole Christmas! and Robert Zemeckis’ animated The Polar Express, starting at 3 p.m. Sunday, November 25.
The movies continue two weeks later with 1947’s Miracle on 34th Street, starring then child-actor Natalie Wood, at 3:30 pm Sunday, December 9, followed by a double bill of 1983’s A Christmas Story at 1 p.m. and Jimmy Stewart in It’s a Wonderful Life at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, December 16.
The series concludes with two wintry titles, Disney’s Frozen at 1 p.m. and Ice Age at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, January 6, the last day of WinterFest.
In true Plaza Classic style, organists Ken Fedorick, Richard Garven and Laurie Koval will perform on the Plaza Theatre’s original, restored Wyler Mighty Wurlitzer Pipe Organ before each movie.
WinterFest, which includes ice skating in Arts Festival Plaza, runs November 17 through January 6. The 12th annual Plaza Classic Film Festival will be August 1-11, 2019.
Go to epwinterfest.com and plazaclassic.com for more information.
Holiday Movies at the Plaza Theatre
Free
Sunday, November 18
2:30 p.m. — Organist Laurie Koval
3 p.m. — Elf (2003)
Sunday, November 25
2:30 p.m. — Organist Richard Garven
3 p.m. — How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966)
3:30 p.m. — The Polar Express (2004)
Sunday, December 9
3 p.m. — Organist Ken Fedorick
3:30 p.m. — Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
Sunday, December 16
12:30 p.m. — Organist Ken Fedorick
1 p.m. — A Christmas Story (1983)
3 p.m. — Organist Richard Garven
3:30 p.m. — It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
Sunday, January 6
12:30 p.m. — Organist Laurie Koval
1 p.m. — Frozen (2013)
3 p.m. — Organist Richard Garven
3:30 p.m. — Ice Age (2002)
Sam Elliott will appear at the El Paso Community Foundation’s Plaza Classic Film Festival for the U.S. premiere of his much-buzzed about new movie The Man Who Killed Hitler And Then The Bigfoot at 10:30 p.m. Friday, August 10 in the Plaza Theatre. Tickets are $10, on sale at the Plaza Theatre box office, Ticketmaster.com and 800-745-3000.
Elliott, writer-director Robert Krzykowski, El Paso-based producer Lucky McKee, El Paso-based editor Zach Passero and El Paso-based sound designer Andrew Smetek will participate in a Q&A after the screening.
The Plaza Classic Film Festival runs August 2-12, 2018, features more than 90 movies and special guest appearances by Ali MacGraw and Bruce Dern. Go to plazaclassic.com for more information.
This will be the first U.S. premiere of a new feature film in the Plaza Classic’s 11-year history.
In Epic Pictures’ The Man Who Killed Hitler And Then The Bigfoot, Elliott plays Calvin Barr, who has kept his role in the Nazi leader’s death a secret. The burden grows heavier with the years — and the loss of his true love. Barr must face his demons after U.S. and Canadian agents hire him to kill the elusive Bigfoot before it spreads an infectious disease.
The cast includes Aidan Turner (The Hobbit movies), Ron Livingston (Office Space) and Caitlin FitzGerald (Masters of Sex). It was coproduced by indie film icon John Sayles (Lone Star, Matewan) and visual effects wizard Douglas Trumbull (2001: A Space Odyssey). Richard Yurich (Blade Runner, Close Encounters of the Third Kind) supervised the visual effects, with creature work by Spectral Motion (Hellboy, Stranger Things).
Although he’s most often identified with westerns and cowboys, Elliott has amassed extensive TV and film credits over his 50-year career. They include the movies Tombstone, Mask, The Big Lebowski, Road House and Lifeguard, TV’s The Ranch, Justified and The Sacketts and voice-over work (he’s the voice of Coors and Dodge Ram Trucks commercials). He has family roots in El Paso dating back to 1883. His father was born in El Paso, his mother graduated from the University of Texas at El Paso, and Elliott has several relatives in the area.
Scheduling note: Kill Bill: Volume 2 moves from 10:30 p.m. August 10 to 11 p.m. August 11 in the Plaza Theatre ($8). The Royal Tenenbaums has been canceled. Tickets for the original show of Kill Bill: Volume 2 will be honored on the new date. Tickets for The Royal Tenenbaums may be exchanged for a ticket voucher for another PCFF movie. Refunds also are available.
Call the Plaza Theatre Box Office at 915-231-1100, ext. 0 for ticket inquiries. Call 915-533-4020 or go to plazaclassic.com for questions about the Plaza Classic Film Festival.
A documentary about a forgotten Chicano leader, short films about human trafficking and success at all costs, animation and music videos are among this year’s selections for the El Paso Community Foundation Plaza Classic Film Festival’s annual Local Flavor showcase.
Sponsored by the Texas Film Commission, Local Flavor was curated by El Paso-based filmmakers Zach Passero and Lucky McKee. They sifted through nearly 50 entries, which were made in or connected to the El Paso-Ciudad Juarez-Las Cruces, N.M. area. The selected entries will be shown during the 11th annual Plaza Classic Film Festival from August 2-12, 2018 (plazaclassic.com).
The first Local Flavor Awards, sponsored by the Public Relations Association of the Southwest, will be announced in a special presentation at the end of the festival. The first place Local Flavor Award is worth $1,000. Audiences will vote for the Audience Flavorite Award, which is $500.
Here’s a rundown of the films and programs:
• Local Flavor I (8 p.m. Saturday, August 4, Foundation Room) — Avalanche, Amalia Mondragon music video (Robert Holguin); Shotgun, comedy (Jenn Garcia/Colin A. Borden); Act of Contrition, drama (Jonathan Gonzales); Twilight Prophecy, animation (Enrique Ponce/Joseph Scheidemandel); Matter of Black, drama (Jenn Garcia, Robert Dugan); Mask World, sci-fi (Francisco Castaneda); and Bebe, drama (Ryan Zaragoza). Free admission.
• The Wall VR (2:30 p.m. Sunday, August 5, Foundation Room) — The 18-minute, border-themed virtual reality short will be screened on headsets continuously over a 90-minute period. Filmmaker Claudio Lai will be present to demonstrate and answer questions. Free.
• They Called Me King Tiger (3:30 p.m. Sunday, August 5, Philanthropy Theatre) — Juarez filmmaker Angel Estrada Soto’s documentary about late Chicano leader Reies Lopez Tijerina; in Spanish with English subtitles. $4 at the Plaza Theatre Box Office.
• Local Flavor II (8 p.m. Saturday, August 11, Foundation Room) — Real Eyes, Tawanda music video (Jenn Garcia/Robert Dugan); Parade of Dreams, documentary (Chris Hanna/Gabe Gillette); Lost Paradise, Fools Like Me music video (Eric Coughanor/Oliver G. Tavizon), Hall Monitors, animation (Victor Maestas); The Arrangements, drama (Kim McKean); and Blood Stains (pictured), drama (Blake Vaz). Free.
• Local Flavor Awards (2:30 p.m. Sunday, August 12, Foundation Room) — We’ll announce and show the Local Flavor and Audience Flavorite winners, plus the winners from the El Paso Film Commission’s El Paso 2 Day Movie Challenge. Free.
