Edmonds Film festival to host theatrical premiere of Rick Steves’ documentary

Rick Steves at Andalucia's most famous landmark, the Rock of Gibraltar.

Updated with a quote from Rick Steves on his participation in the Film Festival

Veteran traveler, documentary filmmaker and speaker Rick Steves, along with California radio personality and author Manny Pacheco, will help launch the first annual Edmonds International Film Festival Oct. 20-24.

Festival Presenting Sponsor is the Edmonds Chamber of Commerce, and several local businesses are lending their support. The festival will offer theatergoers the unique experience of not only viewing award-winning films, but having the opportunity to attend acting, directing and filmmaking workshops, including one conducted by Steves himself.

“Edmonds has always been my hometown,” Steves said. “We have artistic people. We have some great venues with personality. And when I learned we had an International Film Festival I thought, “That’s a natural.” When I was invited to debut my hour-long public television special on Andalucia, I jumped at the opportunity. A film festival is where producers and consumers of good video entertainment come together to celebrate that art. I’m excited to be a part of that exciting equation. See you there.”

Festivities begin on Wednesday, Oct. 20, with a VIP Gala Party. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, the Festival will host red carpet events at the Edmonds Theatre, with VIPs, including filmmakers, walking the red carpet prior to screenings. Thursday’s evening feature will be a retrospective of legendary director Federico Fellini.

On Friday, Oct. 22, an award-winning short documentary, Frequent Flyer, directed by Gabriel Leigh, will be shown. The audience will then be treated to the theatrical première of Rick Steves’ latest PBS episode, Andalucía, an enchanting area of southern Spain. Never-before-seen footage – and perhaps some bloopers – will be shown, followed by a question-and-answer period to further engage the audience.

Saturday, Oct. 23, the Spanish theme continues at 10 a.m. with Rick Steves’ Spain, a 90-minute presentation with Steves sharing photos and tips on traveling to every corner of the country. At a special Saturday luncheon, guest author Manny Pacheco will tell about the evolution of his best-selling book, Forgotten Hollywood, Forgotten History. Pacheco will also be at the Edmonds Bookshop, 3:30-4:30 p.m. for a book signing.

Back at the Edmonds Theatre, at 1:30 p.m., Steves will teach a workshop on the making of a travel documentary. After screening a 30-minute episode of his TV series, “The Making of Rick Steves’ Europe,” he will give a behind-the-scenes look at the challenges and frustrations of producing broadcast-quality TV on a budget. With 20 years’ experience producing over 100 shows aired in every major U.S. city on public television, Steves has just about all the answers for the aspiring filmmaker or the home video amateur who wants to take it to the next level.

“We are so pleased to salute Rick and his team like this, as accomplished media producers, rather than as just travel experts,” Festival Director Trevor Greenfield said.

The first Edmonds International Film Festival will feature a dozen award-winning and première films from around the world, workshops on movie-making and VIP events. A complete schedule will be posted Oct. 1, and tickets will go on sale Oct. 4 at 8 a.m. on the festival’s website. Also visit facebook.com/edmondsfilmfestival, and twitter.com/edmondsfilmfest.

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