The schedule of official selections for the 18th Annual Sedona International Film Festival is up on their website, www.sedonafilmfestival.com . The films the festival is featuring this year include everything from classics, Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977, Richard Dreyfuss), All About Eve (1950, Bette Davis), Hud (1963, Paul Newman) andSummertime (1955, Kathryn Hepburn). Traditionally TCM host Robert Osborne attends the festival and hosts the classic films, but a scheduling conflict will keep him away this year. Instead, he has provided taped introductions to each film.

Documentaries include films about chess master Bobby Fischer, actress-comedienne Carol Channing and jazz icon Marian McPartland.

The 145 films will be screened at four locations throughout Sedona from February 18-26 including the new Mary D. Fisher Theater, which will be inaugurated during the Festival and serve as the official screening venue for Sedona International Film Festival films throughout the year.

Legendary director Peter Bogdanovich will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award from the festival .His Oscar-winning film, The Last Picture Show, opened the Festival at 7 p.m. on Saturday, February 18th at the Sedona Performing Arts Center at Sedona Red Rock High School, 995 Upper Red Rock Loop.The Sedona Green kickoff event featured the Revenge of the Electric Carat, 3 p.m. at the Sedona Performing Arts Center followed by a sustainable solutions roundtable and discussion.

Films will be playing on three screens at Harkins Sedona 6, 2081 W. Highway 89A; at a special theater at the Sedona Rouge, 2250 W. State Route 89A, and at the Mary D. Fisher Theater, 2030 W. State Route 89A at the Festival headquarters.

Among the highlights of the Festival is the screening of the Emilio Estevez-Martin Sheen production, The Way; the premier of Lea Thompson’s new film, The Trouble With the Truth; (she is scheduled to attend,) the premier of The Trouble With Cali, a new film starring and directed by Paul Sorvino with a cameo appearance by Mira Sorvino and written by Amanda Sorvino; (they are all three scheduled to attend) a selection of films featuring the music of Oscar winning lyricist Don Black (Born Free; Diamonds Are Forever; To Sir, With Love) (he is scheduled to attend) and a tribute to Frank Warner, who won the Oscar for sound in Close Encounters of the Third Kind and was the founder of the Sedona International Film Festival’s workshop series.Warner passed away last year.

Among other films selected for the festival:

Being Elmo: the man behind the Muppet Elmo, Kevin Clash, who will be at the Festival;

Apache 8: an Arizona-produced documentary that tells the story of an all-women firefighter crew from the White Mountain Apache Tribe.

When Cancer Returns: a motivational documentary by Phoenix filmmaker Karen Frye focusing on Sedona resident Mary Schnack, who battled cancer seven times in the past 15 years.

Bullied to Silence: a provocative feature documentary that gives voice to the bullied child.

What If Cannabis Cured Cancer: a documentary that ask the question: Could the chemicals found in marijuana prevent and even heal several deadly cancers?

Inuk: inspired by a true story and featuring nonprofessional Inuit actors, it is the coming-of-age story of a 16-year old Inuk raised in Greenland and torn between the violence of his alcoholic parents and the dreams of creating an Inuit rock band.

The full schedule of films and locations can be found at www.sedonafilmfestival.com. Although a few of the films were shown over the weekend, there are still five days of movie watching to take place, and the schedule is packed with start times from 9 am - 9 pm every day except Sunday, when the last showing starts at 6:10 pm.

Special Activities

In addition to the films, there are special events every day this week. In addition to the workshops, there are parties, receptions and more to attend.

Wednesday, February 22:

Wednesday JAZZ stretch with the Brubeck Brothers Quartet at the Sedona Performing Arts Center.

*Film Party and Reception at Heartline Cafe'

Thursday, February 23:

*Filmmaker and VIP dinner at Troia's

Friday, February 24:

*Filmmaker and VIP soiree at L'Auberge

Saturday, February 25:

*Cast Party Gala at the Hilton Sedona Resort

Sunday, February 26:

Festival Awards Celebration at the Sedona Performing Arts Center

Encore presentations of the award-winners in the afternoon and evening

"Oscars on the Rocks" Academy Awards LIVE plus Closing night Films

*Requires VIP pass

Priority Platinum Passes are $750, Gold Passes are $425, 10-ticket packages are $100 and 20-ticket packages are $200. These are all on sale now. Priority Pass holders are the first to be able to select tickets to the individual films as well as other benefits.

Packages, other than for full-time students, can be purchased online at www.sedonafilmfestival.com or through the Festival Box office at (928) 282-1177.Student packages must be purchased through the Box Office and student ID’s are required. For more information, visit www.sedonafilmfestival.com.