The Plaza Classic Podcast

World War II in Film

2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, and as more and more Americans who witnessed the tragedies firsthand are lost to time, it's more important than ever to study this moment in history.
A wartime movie doesn't always depict violence on the battlefield. They can also capture the mood of a nation at a time when its soldiers are fighting overseas.
Doug Pullen, the Plaza Classic Film Festival's Program Director, joins Lisa Elliott and Stephanie Valle to talk about a festival theme that has been years in the making.
The Plaza Classic Film Festival is July 17-27, 2025.
The Plaza Classic Podcast is a production of the El Paso Community Foundation and is recorded on the El Paso Community College campus.
Check out this week's show notes here.
Learn more about the Plaza Classic Film Festival here.
 

The Horse Movie Whisperer

El Pasoan Terri Rutter grew up around horses. She rides them, trains them, and trains people how to behave around them.
Now, she's sharing her horse sense with Lisa and Stephanie. She's talking about her favorite films featuring fillies (and mares, colts, and stallions) that have been featured at the Plaza Classic Film Festival, and the ones she'd like to see shown on the big screen this summer.
The Plaza Classic Film Festival is July 17-27, 2025.
The Plaza Classic Podcast is a production of the El Paso Community Foundation and is recorded on the El Paso Community College campus.
Check out this week's show notes here.

Femme Frontera Film Showcase

This Women's History Month, the Plaza Classic Podcast wants to take a moment to spotlight a showcase focused on local female filmmakers.
Femme Frontera is both a Borderland-based organization of Latine women and gender-expansive filmmakers and a curated film selection featured during the classic film fest since 2019.
Filmmakers Jackie Barragan and Celina Galicia join Lisa Elliott and Stephanie Valle to talk about the showcase and what inspires them to create their stories.
The Plaza Classic Film Festival is July 17-27, 2025.
The Plaza Classic Podcast is a production of the El Paso Community Foundation and is recorded on the El Paso Community College campus.
Check out this week's show notes here.
Learn more about the Plaza Classic Film Festival here.

The Oscar Ballot Contest Winner is...

Each award season, the dedicated cinephiles on the Plaza Classic Film Festival Advisory Committee try to guess who the voting members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will pick to win Oscars.
This contest isn't just for bragging rights. The winner of the Oscar Ballot Contest gets to select one movie to screen during that year's Plaza Classic Film Festival.
For the second year in a row, committee member Keri Moe has claimed the honor, correctly guessing the winner in 18 of 23 categories (she even picked Mikey Madison to win Best Actress)!
Keri joins Oscar Ballot Contest losers Stephanie Valle and Lisa Elliott to share her selection secrets, and to discuss what she might want to show at this year's film fest.
The Plaza Classic Film Festival is July 17-27, 2025.
The Plaza Classic Podcast is a production of the El Paso Community Foundation and is recorded on the El Paso Community College campus.
Check out this week's show notes here.
Learn more about the Plaza Classic Film Festival here.

"The Man Who (Fill in the Blank)"

Whether he knew too much, shot the bad guy, or arrived to Earth from space, a man sure can accomplish a lot on the big screen.
Film critic Felipa Solis joins Plaza Classic Podcast hosts Lisa Elliott and Stephanie Valle to talk about the various takes on "The Man Who..." -- specifically, Alfred Hitchcock's two renditions of The Man Who Knew Too Much, John Ford's 1962 classic The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976) starring Ziggy Stardust, AKA David Bowie.
The Plaza Classic Film Festival is July 17-27, 2025.
The Plaza Classic Podcast is a production of the El Paso Community Foundation and is recorded on the El Paso Community College campus.
Check out this week's show notes here.
Learn more about the Plaza Classic Film Festival here.

Local Flavor Showcase

Attention local filmmakers: for the eighth consecutive year, the Plaza Classic Film Festival is accepting entries for its Local Flavor showcase and awards.
More than $3,500 in cash prizes will be awarded.
PCFF Artistic Director Doug Pullen, AKA "Friend of the Pod," is back in the studio with Stephanie and Lisa to talk about the showcase, which is sponsored by the El Paso Film and Creative Industries Commission and the Texas Film Commission.
Find the submission form here.
The Plaza Classic Film Festival is July 17-27, 2025.
The Plaza Classic Podcast is a production of the El Paso Community Foundation and is recorded on the El Paso Community College campus.
Check out this week's show notes here.
Learn more about the Plaza Classic Film Festival here.
 

Extreme Makeover: Plaza Theatre Edition

If you've ever watched a building renovation show, you know there's a whole lot of work to rehabilitate an old structure to its original glory.
That same labor intensive effort went into the restoration of the Plaza Theatre in Downtown El Paso.
Gary Williams, the Vice President of Programs for the El Paso Community Foundation, and Neal Vogel, the Principal of Restoric, LLC in Chicago, join Lisa and Stephanie in the studio to talk about that work.
The Plaza Classic Film Festival is July 17-27, 2025.
The Plaza Classic Podcast is a production of the El Paso Community Foundation and is recorded on the El Paso Community College campus.
Check out this week's show notes here.
Learn more about the Plaza Classic Film Festival here.

The Film Festival's "Star Handler"

She's the "Star Whisperer of El Paso!"
For the last decade or so, Kathrin Berg has taken on the task of touring El Paso with the Plaza Classic Film Festival's special guests -- from Sam Elliott, to Kathleen Turner, to Al Pacino.
Now, Kathrin is in the spotlight and getting the red carpet treatment she deserves!
Hosts Stephanie Valle and Lisa Elliott (no relation to Sam) chat with Kathrin, the El Paso Community Foundation's Executive Vice President, about her most memorable moments with some remarkable Hollywood stars.
The Plaza Classic Film Festival is July 17-27, 2025.
The Plaza Classic Podcast is a production of the El Paso Community Foundation and is recorded on the El Paso Community College campus.
Check out this week's show notes here.
Learn more about the Plaza Classic Film Festival here.

Classic Rom-Coms for Valentine's Day!

Chance meetings, heartbreaking obstacles and big gestures of love are all crucial to the plots of our favorite romantic comedies.
On the eve of this lover's holiday, podcast hosts Lisa Elliott and Stephanie Valle are joined by Erin Ritter, fellow Plaza Classic Film Festival advisory committee member and self-proclaimed Rom-Com guru, to discuss romantic comedies over the decades and their place in the film fest.
The Plaza Classic Podcast is a production of the El Paso Community Foundation and recorded at El Paso Community College.
Check out this week's show notes here.
Learn more about the Plaza Classic Film Festival here.

Guest: Evan Vourazeris of "Ozark"

Evan George Vourazeris broke into Hollywood when he was cast as Tuck on the hit Netflix show Ozark. Tuck became a fan favorite, and Vourazeris appeared on the show in its final season in 2022.
Vourazeris, a Houstonian, now calls El Paso home. He joined Plaza Classic Podcast hosts Stephanie Valle and Lisa Elliott in studio to talk about his experience on the Ozark set, his future work goals, and his philanthropic efforts in the Sun City.
The Plaza Classic Podcast is a coproduction of the El Paso Community Foundation and El Paso Community College.
Check out this week's show notes here.
Learn more about the Plaza Classic Film Festival here.