ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL

Celebrating a milestone: Santa Fe International Film Festival brings world-class film, NM-filmed flicks to the screen

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Fifteen years.

This is the milestone the Santa Fe International Film Festival is marking this year.

The festival runs Wednesday, Oct. 18, through Sunday, Oct. 22, in Santa Fe.

Liesette Bailey, SFiFF executive director, is excited to mark the 15th anniversary of the festival.

“This is a big one, and I think the increase of both local and national support this year is a testament to our long-standing festival and wonderful reputation in the film world,” Bailey says. “We spend the entire year preparing for this very special week in October, where filmmaker’s from all over descend upon Santa Fe for a week of movies and festivities.”

SFiFF opens with the film, “Foe,” on Wednesday, Oct. 18.

The film stars Academy Award nominees Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal. It is a haunting exploration of marriage and identity set in an uncertain world.

Hen and Junior farm a secluded piece of land that has been in Junior’s family for generations, but their quiet life is thrown into turmoil when an uninvited stranger (Aaron Pierre) shows up at their door with a startling proposal. Based on best-selling author Iain Reid’s novel, directed by Garth Davis.

Bailey says when the festival takes place, it’s the culmination of a year worth of work.

“This year is very special,” Bailey says. “We will be having two receptions that celebrate film – one at the Governor’s Mansion on Thursday, Oct. 19, and one at the new Vladem Contemporary sponsored by Aspect Studios on Saturday, Oct. 21.”

The festival is also honoring Sterlin Harjo, the co-creator of “Reservation Dogs,” at the Lensic Performing Arts Center on Saturday, Oct. 21.

“‘Reservation Dogs’ was just named Variety’s No. 6 Best TV Show of the 21st Century, so I think it is very momentous for us to present Sterlin Harjo our Visionary Award on the completion of his ground-breaking show,” Bailey says.

Looking back at the 15 years since the festival’s inception, Bailey says the festival’s mission was to bring cutting-edge film to Santa Fe while attracting a variety of filmmakers.

“I think we have stayed true to that mission by also adding a little Hollywood in there by opening the festival with a movie like ‘Foe,’ ” Bailey says. “SFiFF has also grown to embrace the international side of film, presenting a good amount of foreign submissions to the Academy Awards.”

This year’s list includes “Totém” from Mexico, “About Dry Grasses” from Turkey, “Perfect Days” from Japan, “The Promised Land” from Denmark, and “Fallen Leaves” from Finland.

Planning for this year’s festival took a turn with the Writers Guild of America and the SAG-AFTRA strikes taking place at the same time.

Bailey says festivals had to be creative – including SFiFF.

“We’ve always been a director’s festival, so highlighting directors was nothing new for us, but this year it seems particularly apropos.”

Bailey says there were 3,800 films submitted from 101 different countries.

The process begins with the screening committee, which is made up of film professional and film lovers living all over the world.

“The programming team then prepares the selections that will play in the official competition,” Bailey says. “We also travel all over the world to see early screenings of movies throughout the year, and bring those films to Santa Fe as special presentations.”

Bailey was born and raised in Santa Fe and feels a responsibility to keep the festival as a homegrown event.

“I have always loved film, community organizing and Santa Fe, so while I didn’t necessarily know I would be the executive director of the largest film festival in New Mexico, it does align perfectly with my passions,” Bailey says. “Having the chance to further the work of new artists, and celebrate some of my absolute heroes, like Sterlin Harjo, feels like such important work.”

By Adrian Gomez