Wrap party: Santa Fe International Film Festival to screen more than 150 films, honor Bryan Cranston

What began as a relatively small event in its first few years, has blossomed into one of the biggest events of its kind in the Southwest region and draws thousands to Santa Fe for a celebration of film.

The Santa Fe International Film Festival takes place Wednesday, Oct. 16, through Sunday, Oct. 20, at various locations including The Lensic Performing Arts Center, Jean Cocteau Cinema, Violet Crown, Center for Contemporary Arts Santa Fe, New Mexico History Museum and the Kathryn O’Keeffe Theatre at Museum Indian Arts and Culture on Museum Hill.

Wrap party: Santa Fe International Film Festival to screen more than 150 films, honor Bryan Cranston

“It was relatively small the first few years, and then by the third year, when we started showing, we used The Lensic,” said Jacques Paisner, artistic director of SFiFF. “It quickly became the biggest event of its kind in the area. And now we’re showing more than 60 feature films, more than 100 short films. We’ve got panels with Oscar-nominated directors. We have Bryan Cranston (receiving) the Lifetime Achievement Award, and four U.S. premieres, three world premieres. It’s really becoming one of the dominant festivals in the United States, one of the preeminent festivals in the United States.”

It was recently announced that SFiFF is now recognized by the Academy of the Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences as an Oscar qualifying festival. The winners of the Best Animated Short, Best Narrative Short and Best Documentary Short categories at this year’s festival are now eligible for Oscar submission.

This year’s festival will be honoring actor Bryan Cranston with the Lifetime Achievement award at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 19, at The Lensic. The presentation will be followed by a discussion with Kirk Ellis and screening of the film, “Trumbo” (2015) in which Cranston stars. Cranston is fondly known in the state for his portrayal of Walter White in AMC’s television series, “Breaking Bad,” which filmed in the greater Albuquerque area.

“Bryan Cranston’s work has inspired generations of actors and captivated audiences worldwide, cementing his place as one of the most respected and accomplished figures in the industry,” said Liesette Bailey, SFiFF executive director, in a statement.

The five-day event has a plethora of activities to be a part of.

“There’s parties every night,” Paisner said. “There’s a reception at the Governor’s Mansion on Thursday, (Oct. 17). There’s our big opening night, (with) the Netflix film, called ‘The Piano Lesson.’ It’s directed by the son of (actor and director) Denzel Washington, Malcolm Washington, and then our closing night is ‘Out of My Mind,’ and that’s from Disney. It’s directed by a woman who grew up in Santa Fe (named) Amber Sealey. She’s going to be there for that. It’s going to be a very exciting closing night.”

Variety magazine will be presenting “Variety’s 10 Screenwriters to Watch” from 7 to 9 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 18. Variety is a sponsor of the festival and will have writers on the ground reporting on the event.

“We’re bringing in 10 of the hottest screenwriters chosen by Variety for the list of top screenwriters this year,” Paisner said. “They’re going to be doing a panel at The Lensic where they speak with Variety editor Todd Gilchrist.”

Some films with a New Mexico connection include “Sunlight” and “Georgia O’Keeffe: the Brightness of Light.”

“Sunlight,” will be screened at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 19, at the New Mexico History Museum. It is set in Albuquerque and follows Jane, played by director Nina Conti, and Roy, played by Shenoah Allen, who find purpose and romance through an unlikely connection. Allen grew up in New Mexico and was part of the local theater and comedy scene for many years.

“ ‘Sunlight,’ is really exciting,” Paisner said. “Christopher Guest is an executive producer on it, and Nina Conti, who’s an alumna of the (film festival), is the director, and it takes place in Albuquerque, and it’s the U.S. premiere.”

The screening for “Georgia O’Keeffe: the Brightness of Light,” by Academy Award-winning documentarian, Paul Wagner, will take place at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 19, at CCA Cinema. The film is narrated by Hugh Dancy and explores the life of the prolific titan of American Modernism. O’Keeffe, voiced by actress Claire Danes, exploded on the New York art scene in the 1920s and later famously isolated herself in the New Mexico desert, emerging as a 1970s-era feminist role model.

“That’s a world premiere and it’s a very exciting,” Paisner said of the O’Keeffe documentary. “We think that’s going to be a huge hit.”

In all, the festival will screen 184 films including 42 narrative features, 24 documentaries and 118 short films, according to a SFiFF news release. The festival will showcase several high-profile titles, including Michael Gracey’s “Better Man,” a documentary on pop icon Robbie Williams; Academy Award winner’s Andrea Arnold’s “Bird,” starring Academy Award nominee Barry Keoghan; Phil Blattenberger’s “Laws of Man” featuring Academy Award winner Keith Carradine alongside Academy Award nominees Harvey Keitel and Graham Greene; Academy Award nominee RaMell Ross’ “Nickel Boys,” adapted from Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel; Marielle Heller’s “Nightb----,” starring six-time Academy Award nominee Amy Adams; Jesse Eisenberg’s “A Real Pain,” featuring himself and Kieran Culkin; Academy Award winner Pedro Almodóvar’s “The Next Room,” with Academy Award winners Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton; Tim Fehlbaum’s “September 5,” starring John Magaro and Peter Sarsgaard; and Academy Award nominee William Goldenberg’s “Unstoppable,” with Jennifer Lopez, Michael Peña and Academy Award nominee Don Cheadle.

Paisner, who is one of the film festival’s founder members, helped launch the event 16 years ago. He has watched as it has developed into what it is today.

“I’m just very happy to see how it’s grown and what a light it’s been for local film people in particular, but just the greater film industry in New Mexico,” he said.

He said the festival’s success has been relative to the expansion of the film industry in the state.

“Films have been made in New Mexico since the days of (American film director) D.W. Griffith, but this recent explosion with Netflix making the 10-year investment, with NBC Universal following suit, and now Cinelease (Studios), I believe, is doing a major expansion. So, the festival’s rise to prominence kind of coincides with the industry becoming bigger and bigger in the States. It’s been a very exciting thing to be a part of. And, I think it is a real artistic movement going on here in New Mexico.”