The Plaza Classic Film Festival, the world's largest classic film festival, celebrates its 16th year July 20-30, 2023 in and around the historic Plaza Theatre in El Paso, TX.
Produced by the El Paso Community Foundation, it features between 90 and 100 films over 11 days, film lectures, special guests, private receptions and more. Previous guests include Al Pacino, Debbie Reynolds, Rita Moreno, Sam Elliott, Katharine Ross, F. Murray Abraham, Richard Dreyfuss, Peter Bogdanovich, Shirley Jones, Cindy Williams, Robert Wagner, Germaine Franco, and Cristina Ibarra.
Though it is a classic film festival, it also includes a showcase for local and locally connected films, called Local Flavor (plazaclassic.com/localflavor) and this year 's second annual Plaza Classic Film Festival Screenwriting Competition, which has no local requirements (plazaclassic.com/screenwriting).
The first prize winner will receive $500, a copy of Final Draft 12 and a consultation with writer-director Lucky McKee (The Woman, Old Man, Poker Face), with $250 and a copy of Final Draft 12 to the second prize winner. Additionally, the first prize winner will receive a table read of the winning entry during this year's Plaza Classic Film Festival.
New this year: finalists will be invited to pitch their entries at the first Plaza Classic Film Festival Pitch Fest, which will be July 26 at the International Bar (INTL), 114A Mills Ave. Hector Gallardo of Subharmonic City Productions will judge the competition, which will include a $300 first prize credit toward production of a short film based on the screenplay. An audience favorite will be chosen by audience applause.