Film and Music Fest focuses on female directors

[
      
        {
          "name": "Air - MedRect Combo - Inline Content 1",
          "component": "29441156",
          "insertPoint": "1/3",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "9",
          "parentWrapperClass": "fdn-ads-inline-content-block"
        },{
          "name": "Top Stories Video Pair",
          "component": "27651162",
          "insertPoint": "10",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1",
          "parentWrapperClass": "fdn-ads-inline-content-block"
        },{
          "name": "Air - MedRect Combo - Inline Content 2",
          "component": "29441158",
          "insertPoint": "2/3",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "10",
          "parentWrapperClass": "fdn-ads-inline-content-block"
        },{
          "name": "Air - MedRect Combo - Inline Content 3",
          "component": "29441159",
          "insertPoint": "1000",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "15",
          "parentWrapperClass": "fdn-ads-inline-content-block"
        }
      
      ]

The 17th Tucson Film and Music Festival is back from Oct. 1 to 3 with an emphasis on female directors.

Opening night of TFMF will start at 7 p.m. with the intriguing story of Fanny, the first all-female rock band to release a long-playing album with a major label. In FANNY: The Right to Rock, the documentary explores how this underrated group of women opened the rock genre to women and Filipina-Americans. The band formed in California during the ’60s, influencing forthcoming rock stars like Joe Elliot (Def Leppard), Kathy Valentine (Go-Gos) and Gail Anne Dorsey (David Bowie), all of whom appear in the documentary. The Arizona premier of FANNY will be followed with an exclusive Q&A session with Fanny drummer Alice de Buhr.

Saturday is full of independent documentaries with a small-town focus. The festival starts with short documentaries from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. This segment contains five documentary shorts that unearth original stories from desert dwellers.

The Whole Enchilada, directed by Maggie Smith (wife of Tucson Weekly columnist Brian Smith), is one of the shorts to be
premiered during this segment. This film dives into the history of Tucson’s rock music with interviews with local legends Dan Stuart (Green on Red) and Howe Gelb (Giant Sand). These interviews are interwoven with unreleased film footage from the Pills, Naked Prey and Suzie Caruze. The centerpiece film for Saturday is the world premiere of Crossing Columbus, directed by award-winning filmmaker Cathy Lee Crane at 7:30 p.m. This film discusses the history of Pancho Villa’s 1916 raid on the town of Columbus, N.M. Crane will be available for a Q&A after the premiere.

Sunday will start with a collection of short films focusing on personal stories like Dear Jane, directed by Noah Kistler. This film follows the story of two sisters who flee their religious cult. The highly anticipated film The First Step directed by Brandon Kramer and produced by Lance Kramer will start at 5 pm. The First Step is an exploration of how a polarized America deals with criminal justice reform and the addiction crisis through the eyes of CNN correspondent Van Jones. The festival will close at 7 p.m. with the West Coast premiere of ForeverMoore: The Angelo Project, directed by Tisa Zito. This film focuses on Angelo Moore, an inspirational musician who left his mark on LA’s ’80s punk scene.

The 17th annual Tucson Film and Music Festival will be held at The Screening Room, 127 E. Congress St. Admission is $8 admission. Purchase your ticket ahead of time at
tucsonfilmfestival.eventbrite.com.

Full Schedule:

Friday

FANNY: The Right to Rock (Arizona Premiere) at 7 p.m.

Saturday

Documentary Short Film Showcase 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m.