Rounders (1965) starring Glenn Ford, Henry Fonda and Sue Anne Langdon. (Photo credit: SIFF)
Santa Fe-based film historian and writer Jeff Berg will return to the Mary Fisher Theater on Monday, January 23 at 4:00 pm to screen film clips from films made in and around Sedona. Sedona International Film Festival.
Filmmaking in Sedona probably began in 1923 for both feature and short films. That’s when at least part of the silent movie Call of the Canyon starring Richard Dix and Lois Wilson was filmed at Red Rock His Crossing. The 70-minute film was thought lost, but a copy was found in a Russian film archive and donated to the Library of Congress in Washington, DC. The director is Victor Fleming, such as “The Wizard of Oz” and “Gone with the Wind”.
Since then, over 200 movies have been shot in the Sedona area.
In this presentation, film historian Jeff Berg presents clips from 16 movies, starting with “The Call of the Canyon” and ending with 2011’s overlooked feature film, “Sedona.” The show includes clips from “Der Kaiser,” which has unusual ties to Nazi Germany, and the much-forgotten ironic comedy “Jerome,” released in 1998.
Following each clip, Berg provides live narration, providing tidbits and trivia about each film. Audience participation is encouraged and welcomed.
Berg is a freelance writer, film critic, and New Mexico film historian based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He also served as director and event planner for the Valley Film Institute in Las Cruces, New Mexico, for 12 years, and as assistant manager at Jean He Cocteau, He Cinema in Santa Fe.
As a writer, Berg’s work has appeared in numerous local publications, including New Mexico and True West Magazine, Film Comment Magazine, Desert Exposure (Silver City, NM), and Santa Fe New Mexican. He also recently sold a book on the history of movies made in New Mexico.
“Made in Sedona” will perform at the Mary D. Fisher Theater on Monday, January 23 at 4:00 pm. Tickets are $15. For tickets and more information, call 928-282-1177 or visit SedonaFilmFestival.org. Both the theater and film festival offices are located at 2030 W. Hwy. 89A, West Sedona.
