Saddle up!: Have a buckin’ good time at Western film festival

For western movie lovers Wednesday, Oct. 22, promises to be the start of something exciting because that’s the day the Wild Bunch Film Festival comes to town. For five days fans will have the opportunity to go to screenings, meet and greet stars, get autographs and tour a couple of western movie sets.

This is the festival’s 10th anniversary and it’s a big deal.

“Our festival’s tenth anniversary is a celebration of stories that help shape the West on screen and the people who keep that spirit alive today and this year we have two western movie set tours,” festival organizer Rock Whitehead said. “We’ve really pulled together some great films, tv series, independent Westerns, documentaries and more to give fans unforgettable moments, from the milestone ‘Winterhawk’ screening to intimate conversations with some really great actors.”

Most all of the festival takes place at the Galaxy Theatre Tucson, 100 S. Houghton Road, and a separate ticket is required for each day. Prices vary. Find ticket information here: filmfreeway.com/TheWildBunchFilmFestival/tickets.

The festival kicks off with a screening of a few shorts at 1 p.m. followed by the feature-length “Six Guns for Hire.” That doesn’t end the day. In fact, for the rest of the festival there will be movies to see with titles like, “The Whore and the Horseman,” and “The Dog Bite Murders,” to name only a couple. On Thursday and Friday, screenings begin at about 11 a.m. and on Saturday and Sunday they begin at 10 a.m. Some of the movies are followed by a 20-minute question and answer segment with someone associated with the film just shown. 

Thursday evening after the movies, which end at 9 p.m., amble over to the Frozen Cactus, 5769 E. Speedway Boulevard, for a festival kick-off party where guests may buy drinks to wet their whistle and get their fill of grub. The party begins at 10 p.m. and ends late.

The next evening, Friday, Oct. 24, Terry Kiser, who played Bernie in “Weekend at Bernie’s,” will show his new movie, “A Gunfighter’s Deal.” The movie begins at 3:24 p.m. and is followed by a question and answer time.

On Saturday, Oct. 25, expect to see more stars come out.

The festival is marking the 50th anniversary of the film, “Winterhawk,” with a Q and A with its star Michael Dante. The movie begins at 1:50 p.m. and ends at 3:28 p.m. Afterward Dante will be answering audience questions. He will also be in the Galaxy’s main lobby signing his books and photos from Thursday, Oct. 23 to Sunday, Oct. 26.

A few episodes of the series “Blue Ridge,” will be screened and after actor Johnathon Schaech,  who stars in the series, will be on hand for questions and a meet and greet. That begins at 4:20 p.m. 

Meet actor, writer and producer Moe Headrick on Saturday, Oct. 25 and Sunday, Oct 26. Most recently he played Sheriff Freas in the movie, “Killers of the Flower Moon.”

Actor Rudy Ramos of the television shows “The High Chaparral,” and “Yellowstone,” will also be on hand.

Sunday wraps up the festival with three big events. 

First, guests may enjoy brunch while seeing Western fashions from the Beautiful Bandit walk the runway at Trail Dust Town, 6541 E. Tanque Verde Road. The event goes from 10 to 11 a.m. Cost is $100 a pop. Find tickets for this event here: beautifulbanditllc.com/pages/our-event-calendar

Right after the show, guests may buy the fashions they admired on the runway at The Beautiful Bandit Boutique which will be open for business from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

What would a film festival be without an awards show? For the Wild Bunch Film Festival, awards will be given out in 70 categories, everything from Best Western Feature to Best Western Short Film Ensemble. Some important awards: the Robert Shelton Award, the Charlie LeSueur Award and the Jerry Vance Award.

The show opens at 5:30 p.m. and ends at 7 p.m. Jim Olson, Bobbi Jeen Olson, Mayra Gonzalez Chavez and Rowdy Olson will all emcee. 

This event requires a separate ticket.

Finally, a Festival After Party will be held from 7:30 to 10 p.m. at Saguaro Corners, located at 3750 S. Old Spanish Trail. Food and drinks will be available for purchase. The establishment is  staying open   later than normal for this event. Music will be provided by the Midnight Ryders. 

If this isn’t enough Western culture, two tours of local Western movie sets are planned, each requiring a separate ticket. Guests will visit Rick Harker’s Museum and Movie Set at 10 a.m. Friday, Oct. 24. The other tour takes place at Old Tucson, beginning at 10 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 27. 

The Wild West Film Festival

WHEN: Wednesday, Oct. 22 to Sunday, Oct. 26

WHERE:Galaxy Theatres Tucson, 

100 S. Houghton Road

COST: Tickets for all events may be found at filmfreeway.com/TheWildBunchFilmFestival/tickets and begin at $25.

INFO: For schedules and the list of the events visit, thewildbunchfilmfestival.com/TWBFF-Award-Show-Hosts.html