By Helen Stephenson
The entity now known as the Prescott Film Festival had another iteration before it became the festival active today. A Maricopa County attorney reserved the name Prescott Film Festival in 2003. What happened to that festival is unknown, but the name expired and became available for what is now the Prescott Film Festival.
Various film events have been presented in the Prescott area. The Elks Theatre screened films over the years and continues with second release studio-produced films. Andrew and Angie Johnson-Schmit created a local food bank benefit called the (Can)nes Film Festival, and the Yavapai College Film and Media Arts Program had a Focus on Film series pre-pandemic.
The Prescott Film Festival is the center for viewing independent and international films in the area. They develop special events including participating in the Arizona Centennial celebration with the AZ Centennial Film Festival in 2011 and a Sci-Fi Mini Fest in 2013.
Helen Stephenson is the Founder and Executive Director of the festival. An Arizona native, Stephenson moved back to Arizona in 1995 and started attending the Sedona International Film Festival, SIFF, in 1996. She was intrigued by how a festival could work in a small town and continued to attend SIFF, learning more each year.
In 2007 Stephenson and her husband Don started discussing how to make a film festival happen. What technology is needed? How are sound and projection done? How are films found? How are screening rights negotiated? How are grants written? How is marketing done? And, most importantly, will anyone actually attend?
The learning curve was too high to immediately jump into a full film festival. The Stephensons decided to start with a monthly series. However, they needed to find a place to screen the films.
Don Stephenson decided to try driving by the Frontier Village Cinema 10 to see which nights were the slowest. Those turned out to be Wednesday nights. Don approached the manager of the theater to see if the festival could have the theater at no charge to bring in people on Wednesday nights, while the theater would keep the snack bar revenue. The manager loved the idea, and a deal was set. The next problem was technology.
In 2009 there was no digital projection available in Prescott. Don was an expert in digital audio, having worked at a recording studio in Riverside, CA. He enlisted the help of Jared Haxton, who assisted him in setting up the theater for digital projection and sound. This involved a trip to Los Angeles to acquire a particular projector with enough throw to reach the screen from the projection booth.
The first film screened was American Harmony in May 2009. The Mayor of Prescott at the time, Marlin Kuykendall, attended a packed theater. After the screening, a group went to the front of the auditorium and began singing in harmony. Soon the lobby and even the restrooms resounded with music!
After the first three screenings, the manager of the theater lost its lease, and the festival had to scramble to find other venues. The community came together to support the festival, and the rest of the year the films screened at Prescott College, Hendrix Auditorium and at what was then called the Yavapai College Performance Hall.
In 2010, after more research, they decided to create an annual festival.
Helen and Don volunteered for PFF the first 10 years. In 2021 they donated it to the Yavapai College Foundation. It is now part of the YC Film & Media Arts Program, where Helen works full-time. This year’s Prescott Film Festival is from July 16th-20th. Get tickets via the Yavapai College Performing Arts Center website or call (928)776-2000.
“Days Past” is a collaborative project of the Sharlot Hall Museum and the Prescott Corral of Westerners International (www.prescottcorral.org). This and other Days Past articles are also available at www.archives.sharlothallmuseum.org/articles/days-past-articles/1. The public is encouraged to submit proposed articles and inquiries to dayspast@sharlothallmuseum.org Please contact SHM Research Center reference desk at 928-277-2003, or via email at archivesrequest@sharlothallmuseum.org for information or assistance with photo requests.