Page 18 - the NOISE July 2015

This cinema columnist had an insightful conversation with sedona’s own Glenn Scarpelli about a short film he’s star- ring in. Mr. scarpelli, a former child actor and Ceo of sedona
now network, has recently heard the distant echo of his call- ing and wants to try his hand at acting again. the film project known as Sacred Journey is in pre-production. the director, tracy boyd, cast the film with Mackenzie Phillips (formerly of One Day at a Time television series along with Mr. scarpelli) as the leads!
Mr. scarpelli plays “Marco” in this 40-minute narrative short about those sacred journeys we make in life, and describes his character thus: “Marco needs to have a beard so i’m grow- ing one now. Marco is a dude in sedona working for a Jeep tour company. He’s trying to find his spiritual center, he reads all the right books and needs to find that spark that will make his life full again. He runs into a woman, played by Mackenzie Phillips, who seventeen years ago he had a one night affair with and they have this moment of deep recognition. But he’s gay and she’s a lesbian and they now have a son, luke, who Marco knows nothing about. Mom needs to tell her son the truth about Marco, to fill in the gaps from luke’s past. But before Marco can heal and become whole again he needs to overcome his own hurt and baggage from the abuse his father inflicted on him. For Marco and his relationship with steve, his boyfriend, he must deal with his past in order to move on and have a future. it’s Marco’s sacred journey to- wards love that’s the emotional through-line that unlocks his heart.”
the character of Marco sounds like a wonderful vehicle for Mr. scarpelli to get back to the acting he once loved. now forty-eight years old, the actor is grateful he’s heard the call again, to do something he really loved a lifetime ago. in many ways, his journey back to acting reflects Marco’s growth choices in the film. He relates: “two years ago i jumped up at sedona world wisdom Days and realized it was time for me to practice what i was preaching. it planted a seed that re- ignited the passion of acting. i’m grateful i’m not in a box and i wasn’t afraid to go back to the world of acting.”
Sacred Journeys sounds like a contemporary family tale for the 21st century, with an element of consciousness cinema sprinkled throughout.
Mr. scarpelli shares that the team he’s putting together is first rate. “this is the first of many short films we hope to do on our journey here in sedona. we want a series of ‘wisdom tales’ that can play later at illuminate Film Festival or at the sedona world of wisdom Days or even the sedona interna- tional Film Festival. we have a wonderful team, a tribe we’re creating, with helpful far-seeing producers. we are using the saG-aFtra guild to pay as many players in our films as pos- sible and we’re looking for student intern Pa’s (production as- sistants) to help.”
Mr. scarpelli has Ms. Boyd directing, a former assistant di- rector and protégé of alexander Payne (Nebraska, The Descen- dents, Sideways.) Noah Smith is an integral part of the loca- tion scouting team and producers richard & Michelle Cohn
from left: Glenn Scarpelli begins a journey anew in Sedona this season; Harry and Snowman plays opening Night at the Prescott film festival July 22.
are in their corner as they move from pre-production to their shooting dates august 10-16. this writer plans to be on-set to follow-up with an interview during production and post- production until they reveal the final project at one of these great sedona festivals. Good luck Glenn!
the Prescott film festival (PFF) attacks the northland July 22-26 for their sixth big year. Don’t forget to mark your calen- dars. the opening night film is Harry and Snowman. it screens wednesday, July 22 at 6:30PM at Yavapai College Performing arts Center (YCPaC). Harry, a mere country stable attendant, catches the eye of snowman, a horse on the way to the slaughterhouse and together they become one of the best jumping teams in history. Don’t miss seeing this emotional story of family and love. “this is the profound documentary the kids of Prescott have been waiting for,” says Helen Ste- phenson, Director of PFF.
on thursday, July 23 don’t miss Power’s War at 3:30PM about the most notorious gunfight in arizona history that nobody knew about. sure you’ve heard of the tombstone shootout at the oK Corral, but why have you not heard of Power’s war? watch this documentary and find out the truth behind the hidden legend. History buffs will be impressed with the three years of research the filmmakers embarked upon to tell this compelling tale.
Friday night’s big film at 6:30PM is a venice-award winning film, Theeb, which means “wolf,” and is followed by an after- party at 9PM. the film, set in arabia in 1916, was actually shot in Jordan, using non-professional Bedouins onscreen. the story of two brothers getting lost in the desert and their struggle to survive is set against the end of the Bedouin life- style, in what may be described as Lawrence of Arabia for a new generation.
and saturday has screenings in two theatres all day, from 10aM to 9PM! a sundance selection plays at 3:30PM satur- day titled: What We Do in the Shadows, a moc-doc about three
unusual vampires being followed by a documentary film crew. it’s supposed to be hilarious, so watch this fun meta- filmmaking process worthy of a slot at Berlin and sundance film festivals.
at 7:30PM saturday night Learning to Drive, starring Ben Kingsley and Patricia Clarkson, follows a woman whose hus- band leaves her for a younger woman and she finally decides to learn how to drive from an indian mystic type. and sunday morning don’t miss the student shorts at 10aM. this is where we get to see what the next generation filmmaker is doing. the closing feature film sunday is the inspiring The Starfish Throwers at 4PM. Perhaps the most heart-warming film of the year, it shows what helping ‘one person at a time’ means in a poverty stricken area of india (and in the big picture of world hunger, including in the United states). see why it was chosen as the closing film of the festival and go to: Prescott- FilmFestival.com for more details of what is sure to be — the best fest yet!
the Witch Child llC out of Prescott continues its process of pre-production for their feature horror film to be shot in July and august. they have cast their film, even finding “name actors” for lead roles, purchasing insurance, finding equip- ment, locking locations and refining their script as they get ever closer to their shooting dates around Congress, arizona. this writer plans to be on set in July for an update on their shooting and a “production” article for our august or septem- ber issue, so keep your eyes peeled and visit the Wild Child FaceBook page. You go andrew and angie!
the Sedona international film festival continues with their year round eclectic program of films, live shows, the- ater, dance and comedy in July at the Mary D. Fisher theater. shows are usually at 4PM and 7PM each day and why not make a mini-fest out of it. Just saw Charlie’s Country last week and was blown away by the simplicity of cinematic story-tell- ing. rolf de Heer, writer and director, as in other of his films, (Ten Canoes and The Tracker) once again followed a simple ab- original man in australia as he makes sense of the encroach- ing modern world. it’s a tale of two cultures, one old and one new, colliding in the modern era. these are the kind of films fine independent theatres promote, so please support the sedona international Film Festival for their efforts! Check: Se- donaFilmFestival.com for more details of their eclectic list- ings for July.
Orwell for President, a moc-doc satiric look at politics in america, hits the west Coast in a road trip to Hearst Castle, alcatraz in san Francisco, up to Portland and finally seattle. orwell asks the electorate their thoughts as they confront the ‘choice’ between a Clinton and a Bush. the stunning irony of two polished interchangeable Pr haircuts, juxtaposed to the idea of ‘choice’ among 308 million people is beyond any- thing we’ve seen since beta versus vHs. we have to be the stupidest people in history and the next ‘erection’ may prove it. (americans have lost 17 iQ points in the last 20 years, just saying?) the satire hopes to be a stinging commentary on our staged reality. orwell draws attention to the new conspir- acy of “voting for the lesser of two evils” as the establishment plays ping-pong with our minds with a blue and red paddle. as orwell says, “the system is two sides of the same coin.” and who owns all the coins? if a Clinton or Bush wins in the next election, have we been co-opted into ... evil?
video pick of the month: Dogville by lars von trier. re- search it, rent it, watch it and ‘if’ it doesn’t tickle your fancy sufficiently let me know and i’ll buy you a blended water- drink ... most likely water blended with frozen water, to keep in line with our upcoming complicity in the already deter- mined elections.
| Bob reynolds is not surprised to find himself a fan of the Danes. film@thenoise.us
18 • JULY 2015 • the NOISE arts & news • thenoise.us