PEORIA FILM FEST ANNOUNCES COCKTAIL PARTY AND OPENING NIGHT FILM “WHAT THEY HAD”

PEORIA FILM FEST ANNOUNCES COCKTAIL PARTY AND OPENING NIGHT FILM “WHAT THEY HAD”

The Peoria Film Fest is excited to announce details of their festive opening night cocktail party followed by a screening of Bleecker Street’s “What They Had”.

The “Taste of Peoria” cocktail party will begin at 5:30pm on Friday, October 19th at the Arizona Republic Party Pavilion (just southeast of the Harkins Arrowhead Fountains theatre) and will feature area restaurants including Fleming’s, Revolu, Modern Round, Bubba's 33 and more. There, attendees can enjoy food, drinks and live music.

Immediately following the cocktail party, attendees will walk over to Harkins Arrowhead Fountains to hear opening remarks, starting at 7:30pm, from the City of Peoria Mayor Cathy Carlat, as well as the Peoria Film Fest Executive Director, Jason Carney. After the opening remarks, attendees will be treated to the opening night screening of Bleecker Street’s “What They Had” starring a stellar cast of Hilary Swank, Michael Shannon, Blythe Danner and Robert Forster.

“What They Had” tells the story of Bridget (Swank) who returns to her childhood home in Chicago, accompanied by her rebellious college-age daughter after her ailing mother (Danner) wanders off during a blizzard. Forced to referee between her father’s (Forster) stubborn insistence that his wife remain at home and her equally determined brother’s (Shannon) efforts to place her in a sought-after “memory care” facility, Bridget struggles to make sense of a lifetime of family conflict. With her mother’s decline becoming increasingly obvious, long-simmering resentments make an already difficult decision close to impossible.

The Peoria Film Fest will be held October 19-21 at the beautifully renovated Harkins Arrowhead Fountains 18; screening a mix of independent and upcoming studio releases.

To purchase tickets to opening night and for more information, please visit PeoriaFilmFest.com

The Peoria Film Fest is a program under the 501(c)3 non-profit organization Phoenix Film Foundation, and is a sibling of the Phoenix Film Festival, the Phoenix Film Society, the International Horror and Sci-Fi Film Festival, IFP/Phoenix, the Arizona Student Film Festival and the Phoenix Critics Circle. Our mission is to support and develop the artistic appreciation, educational opportunities and growth of independent film within Arizona. The Foundation's primary functions through its programs are to promote the exhibition of independent films and conduct educational programs that teach the art of filmmaking.