The Plaza Classic Podcast

Patrick Swayze became a heartthrob in the 1980s, and broke hearts when he died at age 57 after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer. The star of Dirty Dancing and Ghost has been gone for 15 years, but Stephanie Valle and Lisa Elliott are doing everything they can to preserve his legacy by advocating for the screening of as much of his filmography as possible during the Plaza Classic Film Festival. Festival advisory committee member Erin Ritter joins the Swayze Fan Club's El Paso Chapter to talk about the movie star and their favorite films. November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month and Nov. 21 is World Pancreatic Cancer Day. Learn about diagnosis, prevention and treatment. The podcast is brought to you by the El Paso Community Foundation with support from El Paso Community College. Read about the Plaza Classic Film Festival. Check out the show notes on this episode.

It will begin to look a lot like Christmas in El Paso come Nov. 23, when WinterFest blasts through downtown. Even though it pains Lisa Elliott and Stephanie Valle to skip over Thanksgiving, in this episode, they're talking turkey about Free Holiday Movies at WinterFest. A dozen films are showing from Nov. 24 to Jan. 5, 2025 at both the Plaza Theatre and the El Paso Museum of Art. El Paso Community Foundation Program Director Doug Pullen joins Stephanie and Lisa to lay out the schedule. Free Holiday Movies at WinterFest and this podcast are sponsored by the El Paso Community Foundation.  See more show notes

It was a dark and stormy night, and Lisa and Stephanie were working late at the office on the latest episode of the Plaza Classic Podcast, when suddenly the door creaked open. There stood-- Okay, clearly writing classic noir is not our forte.  But we do enjoy talking about our favorite film noir with Leanne von Mittenwald, a retired educator who teaches film classes for UTEP’s OLLI program. She is also a part of the Plaza Classic Film Festival Advisory Committee with podcast hosts Stephanie Valle and Lisa Elliott. Holiday Movies at the Plaza launch the weekend of Nov. 24. The podcast is brought to you by the El Paso Community Foundation with support from El Paso Community College. Read about the Plaza Classic Film Festival. Check out the show notes on this episode.

What's your favorite scary movie? That's not just an appropriately dropped quote from the slasher hit Scream, it's also the focus of this special Halloween episode of the Plaza Classic Podcast.  Hosts Lisa Elliott and Stephanie Valle talk about their favorite horror films as well as the popularity of the genre across the country. Plus, they're joined by Liz Kern, the Sun City's "final girl"! Kern, a former El Paso newscaster, is a radio host in Fresno and our favorite 1980s horror film actress with ties to the Sun City. Kern starred in The Wraith (1986), Night of the Creeps (1986) and she topped the credits as Jennifer Ross in Intruder (1989). The podcast is brought to you by the El Paso Community Foundation with support from El Paso Community College. Listen to Liz on the airwaves: kmjnow.com Follow Liz on social! IG: @lizikernnews X: @LiziKernNews Read about the Plaza Classic Film Festival. Check out the show notes on this episode.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and the Plaza Classic Podcast wants to shine a light on how this vast societal problem is depicted in the movies. Plaza Classic Film Festival Advisory Committee member and licensed therapist Kristin Trick joins hosts Lisa Elliott and Stephanie Valle to talk about on-screen intimate partner violence. If you or someone you know needs help, call El Paso's Center Against Sexual and Family Violence at (915) 593-7300. If you suspect a child is living in a dangerous situation or is the victim of abuse, call Child Protective Services at 1-800-252-5400. The El Paso County Attorney’s Office handles protective orders. For more information, call (915) 273-3238. The podcast is brought to you by the El Paso Community Foundation with support from El Paso Community College. Read about the Plaza Classic Film Festival. Check out the show notes on this episode.

From the eastside to the lower valley, and up to the westside, El Paso was dotted with drive-in theater screens. Plaza Classic Film Festival Advisory Committee member and UTEP Assistant Dean of Students Jaime Mendez joins Lisa Elliott and Stephanie Valle to talk about a time when it was totally acceptable for families to hide friends and family in the trunk of their car for a trip to the outdoor movies. Hey, the 1980s were a different time. The podcast is brought to you by the El Paso Community Foundation with support from El Paso Community College. Read about the Plaza Classic Film Festival. Check out the show notes on this episode.

During the COVID pandemic in the summer of 2020, organizers scrambled to find a way to salvage the Plaza Classic Film Festival schedule without sacrificing safety. They resorted to screening movies the old-fashioned way: at the drive-in. Plaza Classic Film Festival Advisory Committee member and film historian Jay Duncan revisits El Paso's rich history of drive-ins with hosts Stephanie Valle and Lisa Elliott. We're going way back, so grab your snacks. (Remember when you had to hang the drive-in speaker on the window of your car? Ah, nostalgia.) The podcast is brought to you by the El Paso Community Foundation with support from El Paso Community College. Read about the Plaza Classic Film Festival. Check out the show notes on this episode.

The El Paso Community Foundation helped revitalize the Plaza Theatre in 2006, with help from the City of El Paso. Soon after, the films were back in the theatre, too, with the launch of the first incarnation of the Plaza Classic Film Festival: Movies Return to the Plaza. Eric Pearson, the president of the EPCF, joins hosts Stephanie Valle and Lisa Elliott to talk about the massive undertaking to restore the nearly century-old performing arts venue (as well as his love of 80s music). The podcast is brought to you by the El Paso Community Foundation with support from El Paso Community College. Read about the Plaza Classic Film Festival. Check out the show notes on this episode.

La segunda temporada del Plaza Classic Podcast comienza con una conversación sobre un festival de cine diferente. El Oculto Film Fest fue creado por cineastas de El Paso y Ciudad Juárez para promover el cine de terror y fantasía en la frontera. El festival ofrece una experiencia completa a sus audiencias y brinda oportunidades de conexión y visibilidad para los cineastas participantes. El director del festival, Carlos “Cabe” Tejeda y el subdirector Ángel Benítez hablan con nuestro amigo Jaime Méndez sobre la edición 2024 del Oculto Film Festival, que regresa este otoño a El Paso del 4 al 6 de octubre y en Juárez del 11 al 13 de octubre. Más información del Plaza Classic Film Festival aquí: https://plazaclassic.com/about Más informacion de este episodio: https://epcc.libguides.com/plazaclassicpodcast

Season 2 of the Plaza Classic Podcast launches with a conversation about a different film festival.  The Oculto Film Fest was created by filmmakers from El Paso and Ciudad Juarez to promote horror and fantasy cinema in the Borderland. The festival offers a complete experience to its audiences and provides connection and visibility opportunities for participating filmmakers. Festival director Carlos “Cabe” Tejeda and deputy director Angel Benitez join podcast hosts Lisa Elliott and Stephanie Valle to talk about the 2024 edition of the Oculto Film Festival, which returns this fall to El Paso and Juarez on Oct. 4-6 and Oct. 11-13. Get background on the Plaza Classic Film Festival here: https://plazaclassic.com/about Check out the show notes on this episode: https://epcc.libguides.com/plazaclassicpodcast

Podcast hosts Stephanie Valle and Lisa Elliott go behind the scenes with someone who helps behind the scenes at the Plaza Classic Film Festival. (We're going way behind the scenes!) Rudy Vasquez is the El Paso Community Foundation's Marketing Director, and he helps promote the film fest to El Paso and across the nation. Stephanie and Lisa get Rudy to answer the tough questions, such as, "What are your top three favorite movies?" The Plaza Classic Podcast is brought to you by the El Paso Community Foundation. Find history on the PCFF here: https://plazaclassic.com/about

On July 20, actor Mira Sorvino graced the stage of the Plaza Theatre in Downtown El Paso. The Academy Award winner was in the Sun City for the first weekend of the Plaza Classic Film Festival! She sat down for a live, onstage interview with festival advisory committee member and Plaza Classic Podcast co-host Stephanie Valle ahead of the showing of Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997). The podcast is brought to you by the El Paso Community Foundation and is sponsored by an El Paso Community College Professional Development Committee mini-grant. 

Mira Sorvino, Academy Award winning actor ("Mighty Aphrodite," 1995), was in the Sun City for the 2024 Plaza Classic Film Festival! Terri Rutter, CPA and film festival advisory committee member, joins fellow committee members, Stephanie Valle and Lisa Elliott, to talk about Sorvino and her cult favorite, "Romy and Michele's High School Reunion." Just like Romy's diet in the movie, this podcast is fat-free and full of candy corn (or maybe just corny jokes). The podcast is brought to you by the El Paso Community Foundation and is sponsored by an El Paso Community College Professional Development Committee mini-grant. Check out more show notes on the EPCC Library Research Guide: https://epcc.libguides.com/plazaclassicpodcast

Space has inspired filmmakers both past and present. But there is one classic sci-fi film that has actually served as inspiration for writers and directors over the years ever since it arrived in theaters. Plaza Classic Film Festival Advisory Committee member Jay Duncan joins podcast hosts Stephanie Valle and Lisa Elliott to talk about This Island Earth. Individual tickets for this year’s Plaza Classic Film Festival are now on sale at the Plaza Theatre Box Office and Ticketmaster. The podcast is brought to you by the El Paso Community Foundation and is sponsored by an El Paso Community College Professional Development Committee mini-grant. Check out more show notes on the EPCC Library Research Guide: https://epcc.libguides.com/plazaclassicpodcast

Despite its name, the Plaza Classic Film Festival doesn't just screen classic films. This year, a director who has been featured in Local Flavor will have their first feature-length film make its Texas premiere. Ryan Rox, the director of Hidden Flora, joins podcast hosts Lisa Elliott and Stephanie Valle to talk about their film, which they also wrote. Flora takes an unflinching look at sexuality, sexual preference and their own sexual evolution. Hidden Flora premieres on Saturday, July 27 at 7:30pm. Individual tickets for this year’s Plaza Classic Film Festival are now on sale at the Plaza Theatre Box Office and Ticketmaster. The podcast is brought to you by the El Paso Community Foundation and is sponsored by an El Paso Community College Professional Development Committee mini-grant. Check out more show notes on the EPCC Library Research Guide: https://epcc.libguides.com/plazaclassicpodcast  

The Goonies is just one of the many films programmed during this year's Plaza Classic Film Festival that is geared towards kids of all ages. Advisory Committee member Kristin Trick joins hosts Lisa Elliott and Stephanie Valle to talk about The Goonies (1985), The Secret of NIMH (1982) and a very special screening at the brand-new children's museum in Downtown El Paso. La Nube opens to the public in August, but those attending the showing of Curious George (2006) on Wednesday, July 24 at 8pm will get a sneak peek! Individual tickets for this year’s Plaza Classic Film Festival are now on sale at the Plaza Theatre Box Office and Ticketmaster. The podcast is brought to you by the El Paso Community Foundation and is sponsored by an El Paso Community College Professional Development Committee mini-grant. Check out more show notes on the EPCC Library Research Guide: https://epcc.libguides.com/plazaclassicpodcast

Academy Award winning actor and Texas native Sissy Spacek is the first announced guest at the 2024 Plaza Classic Film Festival! Advisory Committee member Craig Holden joins hosts Stephanie Valle and Lisa Elliott to discuss Spacek's filmography, including Coal Miner's Daughter, which she is set to introduce on Saturday, July 27 at 7pm. Holden -- himself a writer and producer -- also talks about the film he produced that will be screened at the festival. Check out the film festival schedule: https://plazaclassic.com/schedule The podcast is brought to you by the El Paso Community Foundation and is sponsored by an El Paso Community College Professional Development Committee mini-grant. Check out more show notes on the EPCC Library Research Guide: https://epcc.libguides.com/plazaclassicpodcast  

Bueller? Bueller? Yeah, we know it's a trope to use that quote from Ferris Bueller's Day Off.  But podcast hosts Stephanie Valle and Lisa Elliott enjoy being corny, and they're really getting into talking about two more films being screened at this year's Plaza Classic Film Festival. Advisory Committee member Rebecca Mendez joins them in studio to talk about Bueller and Amelie (2001). Buy season passes to the Plaza Classic Film Festival, which runs from July 18-28, 2024: https://plazaclassic.com/tickets The podcast is brought to you by the El Paso Community Foundation and is sponsored by an El Paso Community College Professional Development Committee mini-grant. Check out more show notes on the EPCC Library Research Guide: https://epcc.libguides.com/plazaclassicpodcast

What's a better date than dinner and a movie? That's the idea behind the Dinner and a Movie at the Plaza Classic Film Festival, which marks its third year with a screening of Moonstruck (1987), starring Cher and Nicolas Cage. PCFF Advisory committee member Erin Ritter joins hosts Lisa Elliott and Stephanie Valle to talk about Moonstruck and the advent of the dinner and movie series. Buy single/couple tickets to the Snap Out of It Dinner: https://plazaclassic.com/tickets The podcast is brought to you by the El Paso Community Foundation and is sponsored by an El Paso Community College Professional Development Committee mini-grant.   Check out more show notes on the EPCC Library Research Guide: https://epcc.libguides.com/plazaclassicpodcast

The third Plaza Classic Film Festival Screenwriting Competition is accepting entries! Hosts Stephanie Valle and Lisa Elliott are joined by Austin Savage, one of the competition's organizers, and Carrie Silva, who won the 2023 competition with her screenplay, "Best Dive in the 915." Submit your screenplay through July 3. First prize receives $500 and second prize is $250. Go to https://plazaclassic.com/screenwriting for more information on how to enter. The podcast is brought to you by the El Paso Community Foundation and is sponsored by an El Paso Community College Professional Development Committee mini-grant.   Check out more show notes on the EPCC Library Research Guide: https://epcc.libguides.com/plazaclassicpodcast