The roster is filled with everything from thrillers to comedy to drama to shorts for 2023. It begins on January 21 and goes through January 29. The event is becoming one of the fastest-growing film festivals in Arizona. This year organizers have selected over 120 films from all over the world across 35 countries.
CIFF has partnered with the City of Chandler and premieres on the heels of the city’s Multicultural Festival. Coordinators of the festival say its success is partially due to the city’s diverse population.
In addition to this year’s wide array of films across multiple genres, there will be an opening night ceremony, discussion panels, workshops, and celebrity guest appearances, including the star of the opening night movie Bezos, Armando Gutierrez.
This highly-anticipated film is based on the book Zero to Hero written by Tashena Ebanks. It follows the story of Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, and his struggles to create his dream: the world’s largest online bookstore.
"When I read the script, I had to make this movie," Gutierrez said in a press release. "After creating the biopic about Walt Disney, I felt compelled to continue creating movies about entrepreneurial stories that inspire and inform. Jeff Bezos is the richest man globally, so naturally, people are drawn to knowing the nitty-gritty behind his success. The humble beginnings of operating out of a garage to creating that first step of launching a website is a story that hasn't been told on-screen."
LOOK Dine-In Cinemas will host the Chandler International Film Festival starting this weekend.
Jennifer Goldberg
Another film that is getting a lot of attention is Walkout. This documentary chronicles the employees at an El Paso Walmart who protested the big box retailer’s response to the 2019 mass shooting that killed 23 people. The resulting walkout initiated positive changes to gun reform in the United States.
For those who like movies with a thrilling edge, The Beast Below (a.k.a. Leio) is a monster movie described as a comedy adventure from Thailand. During a water-drilling contest, contestants accidentally unleash a giant man-eating lizard and must find a way to kill it before they are its next meal.
For the drama set, the movie De Vuelta a Casa (The Way Home) will screen on January 26. A successful young Mexican immigrant, Ricardo (Cayetano Aramburo), is looking for an international location for his business. This brings him back to Mexico just after his grandfather’s passing. Tasked with spreading his ashes, Ricardo finds himself reconnecting with old friends and the culture he left behind to follow his American dream. Aramburo will be a special guest at the festival this year.
Comedian Rob Schneider will also be at CIFF this year for his 2022 movie Daddy Daughter Trip, which he also directed. This road trip movie finds a broke father named Larry Buble (Schneider) taking his daughter, Meara (Miranda Scarlett Schneider), across Arizona hoping to fulfill her list of sightseeing wishes. But in this screwball comedy, things don’t go according to plan.
Schneider recently started a film studio called Mandalini Films in Scottsdale. This film is the first of his projects from that company and was filmed entirely in the state. Some filming locations include Bearizona Wildlife Park, Flagstaff Extreme Adventure Park, and the Salt River area.
“Why do I love Arizona? Simple: real family values, scorpions, bobcats, terrific schools, stunning nature, and world-class restaurants,” Schneider said in an interview with Gilbert City Lifestyle.
Along with these films and the many other features scheduled to run at CIFF this year, there are also a number of notable shorts running throughout the festival.
On Sunday, January 29, the festival will end with an awards ceremony and a closing night party.
All films will be screened at the Look Dine-In Cinema located at 1 West Chandler Boulevard. Opening night will have a red carpet reception and an afterparty at Recreo restaurant in Chandler.
Chandler International Film Festival. January 21 through 29. You can purchase individual tickets for $15 per screening or a day pass from $25 to $50. Or you can purchase an all-access pass for all days for $220.
