Prescott Film Festival
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Prescott Film Festival 〰️
July 13 - July 18, 2026
Planning for the 2026 Prescott Film Festival is officially underway— and we’re celebrating a milestone year.
Mark your calendar for July 13–18, 2026 as we roll out our “Sweet 16” edition: six days of standout independent cinema, international features, documentaries, shorts, and hands-on educational workshops—capped off with a crowd-pleasing, interactive Sing-Along screening of Mary Poppins.
Join us for six days of creative storytelling and cinematic adventure—where new perspectives, bold voices, and unforgettable moments bring our community together to experience films the way they’re meant to be seen: on the big screen.
Festival films and workshops will be presented across three signature venues:
· Yavapai College – Prescott Campus
· Elks Theatre & Performing Arts Center
· The newly remodeled Center for Learning and Innovation (YC Prescott Campus)
The six-day lineup also features parties, great food, the Platinum Pass VIP Experience for those who want the full festival treatment, and the opportunity for all audience members to vote for their favorite films – who will win the coveted Audience Choice Award?
The Prescott Film Festival is a proud creative component of the Film & Media Arts Program at Yavapai College. Film lovers—this is your invitation to dive into the magic of independent cinema in Prescott, Arizona, a summer destination known for its historic downtown, iconic Whiskey Row, vibrant arts culture, and cool, pine-covered high-desert escape.
Spread the word, bring your friends, and come celebrate sixteen years of film with us. See you at the festival!
July 13
In The Y-Max: The Y-Max (affectionately named “The Igloo”) is a 360 degree theatre that holds about 15 people standing. There will be a short, family-friendly film running continuously from 10:00am - 3:00pm, followed by Jesse Ickler’s film “Imagine A Cave” from 3:15pm - 5:00pm.
Discover Hall in the CLI:
10:00am - 11:30am
Discovering the Joy of Foreign Films - Presented by Armando Lopez and Donald R. Baier
How to select a foreign film, and how to overcome watching with subtitles! Getting the most from the experience.
Armando Lopez is an Osher Lifelong Learning Institute Class Facilitator for Foreign Films, Viewpoints and Current Events. Retired Space Technology Senior Quality Assurance Engineer, Northrop Grumman Aerospace.
Donald R. Baier Graduated from the University of Southern California with a Bachelor’s Degree in Telecommunications/Broadcast Journalism. Studies include Radio and Television production, Station Management, Film Production, and Film History. Named Master Facilitator and OLLI Laureate for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Yavapai College in Prescott, AZ, Mr. Baier has given classes on films. Pixar animation, and foreign films.
1 - 2:30pm
How to Start Your Screenplay - Presented by Tim Boissey
Got an idea but no script? In this session, we’ll turn that spark into a working screenplay draft, step by step. By the end you won’t just know where to start, you’ll already be writing!
With over two decades of experience in the entertainment industry, Tim Boissey has built a career as an award-winning screenwriter, producer, and director. His passion for storytelling and visual artistry has allowed him to excel in crafting compelling narratives and orchestrating dynamic productions.
3 - 4:30pm
Improv for Film: Using What You Know - Presented by Matthew Conde
Have you ever been in a scene and felt disconnected to your character, scene partner, or dialogue? You already have the answers, you just may not know how to access them. This workshop will go over how to increase your connections with your character, dialogue, and performance.
Matthew Conde has over 15 years of working actor experience hundreds of improv performances from LA to Portugal and into South America. He established Elevated Acting in 2024 in oder to teach hi improv-based style of acting that includes tools from some of the big schools of theatrical philosophy. He only has 3 rules: Have fun, there is no right or wrong, and fail big.
5:00 - 6:30pm
AZ Shorts: The Films and the Directors - Join us to watch these AZ Short Films!
EZ Driver (21 min.) Action Drama | Written, Directed, and Produced by Bryce Carl, in Prescott, AZ.
Eye for an Eye (20 min.) Post-Apocalyptic, Dystopian, Sci-Fi | Written, Directed, and Starring Ashley Bowers. Produced by Ashley Bowers and Tom Proctor
Long Colts (13 min.) Western | Written, Directed, Produced and Starring Robby Chick Feagins
Bad Habits (6:30 min.) Comedy | Written and Directed by Gary Sax. Produced by Gary Sax and Karina Renee Sax
Camp Calloway (10 min.) Comedy, Coming-of-Age, Period Piece | Written and Directed by Justin Eckert, Produced by Jarod Sickler and Kiara Agrawal
Lights Off (3:11 min.) Comedy, Spoof, Horror | Written by Joseph Nybyk, Directed by Mark Stewart Iverson, Produced by Joseph Nebbish and Joseph Nybyk
BLACK BOX THEATRE
Building 15 Room 147
July 14th
10:00am
Inside Arizona’s Film Economy: Incentives, Infrastructure, and Opportunity
Presented by: Matthew Earl Jones and Ramsay Wharton
Join the leaders of the AZ Film & Digital Media Program and discover what is new in the AZ State Tax Incentive program and more!
Bio: Matthew Earl Jones is the Director of Arizona Commerce Authority’s Film & Digital Media Program. With more than 40 years of media experience, he has worked on both sides of the camera in film, television and commercials, as well as in the music industry. He has also produced more than 50 national and international television commercials, including ones starring Queen Latifah, Leonardo DiCaprio and Ray Charles.
Bio: Ramsay Wharton, Program Manager, Arizona Film & Digital Media Program. A veteran of the entertainment industry, she served the people of Hawaii for nearly 20 years as a broadcast television and radio journalist.
July 15th
10:00am
BlackMagic Design – 12 K? Yes! Netflix Approved!
Presented by: Tor Rolf Johansen
Join Blackmagic Design’s Cinematography Product Specialist Tor Rolf Johansen as he showcases the Blackmagic PYXIS digital film camera. Tor will highlight PYXIS 6K and PYXIS 12K technical specifications, applicable workflows, including post-production with DaVinci Resolve, and real-life use cases. This is a hands-on, in-depth workshop to understand this camera’s versatile design, precise skin tones and rich, organic colors.
Bio: Tor has won six Emmys for directing and producing, and one as a photographer, in the Los Angeles market. Before joining Blackmagic Design, he designed and built a 24/7 government television station from the ground up: GTV6 in Glendale, CA, and also ran an independent commercial production company. Tor is an ASC Associate and a member of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, NATOA and SMPTE.
July 16th
10:00am
Booking a Co-Star Role in Television
Presented by: Michelle Thomlinson
This interactive class provides strategy on how to approach booking a television co-star role. We will break down a short set of scenes together, and a few actors will be called up to “audition” the scene, while the rest of the class decides who “books” the role. All levels of actors are encouraged to participate!
Bio: Michelle is from New Mexico and Los Angeles, is an award-winning director and acting teacher who works both behind and in front of the camera. Her directing credits include the short films Soul Mates and Deeply Superficial, the drama Redemption, and the documentary Edge. She coaches actors ages 8 to 80, teaching acting craft and the business and philosophy of working in the industry.
July 17th
10:00am
Courthouse Plaza
Downtown Prescott
Prescott and the Legacy of Billy Jack
Presented by Kevin Sandler
Partly shot in Prescott, Billy Jack (1971) is a film of the Hollywood Renaissance, a period describing the personal, self-reflexive, edgy, and experimental low-budget series of styles across many Hollywood pictures from 1967 to the mid-1970s. The director Tom Laughlin and co-writer/actor Delores Taylor were part of this gifted group of filmmakers who crafted a politically subversive and aesthetically challenging body of cinema engaged with the larger social world. This workshop explores the legacy of Billy Jack and its strange mixture of hippie sloganeering, Zen violence, and indigenous mysticism while visiting some of the iconic filming sites around Courthouse Square.
Bio: Kevin Sandler is an associate professor in the Film and Media Studies program at Arizona State University. He is the coeditor of Hanna and Barbera: Conversations, has written and edited several books, and been part of many journals and anthologies. His upcoming books are Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! and The Hanna-Barbera Anthology
