The Plaza Classic Podcast

The Empire Strikes Back

The sequel to the Star Wars, the 1977 sci-fi film that defined the genre and shaped a generation, is blasting its way onto the Plaza Classic Film Festival schedule this summer.
Jaime Mendez, a member of the film festival's advisory committee and an avid Star Wars fan, joins Lisa Elliott and Stephanie Valle to convince them -- and all of you -- that "Empire" isn't just the best film in the series, but one of the best movies ever made.
The Plaza Classic Film Festival runs from July 17-27, 2025. Find "The Empire Strikes Back" and other screenings on the festival schedule here.
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.
Get Plaza Classic Film Festival passes and more here.

The Mighty Wurlitzer Organ

Do you remember when the Mighty Wurlitzer organ was encased in glass near the food court in Sunland Park Mall?
That was just one unlikely stop before the classic instrument returned to its home in the Plaza Theatre.
Gary L. Williams, the Vice President of Programs for the El Paso Community Foundation, and Richard Garven, Organist-Choirmaster Emeritus, join podcast hosts Lisa Elliott and Stephanie Valle to talk about the journey to revive the Heart of the Plaza.
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.
The Plaza Classic Film Festival runs from July 17-27, 2025. Check out the schedule here.
Get festival passes and more here.
 
 

No-no-no-Notorious

The Master of Suspense is making his mark on the Plaza Classic Film Festival once again.
Alfred Hitchcock's Notorious (1946), featuring Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant, will screen during the festival, which takes over Downtown El Paso July 17-27, 2025.
The festival Advisory Committee's Hitchcock expert, Leanne von Mittenwald, joins podcast hosts Lisa Elliott and Stephanie Valle in the studio to talk about why Notorious is her favorite Hitchcock film - and why you should make plans to watch it on the big screen.
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.
Get Plaza Classic Film Festival passes and more here.
Check out the festival schedule here.

"Her Husband's Trademark"

A silent film that partly takes place in the Borderland is making its Plaza Classic Film Festival debut this summer. 
When "Her Husband's Trademark" lights up the Plaza Theatre screen on July 27, it will feature something it didn't have when it premiered in 1922: an original score. You could say this moment was over 100 years in the making. But in actuality, the festival's Program Director Doug Pullen has been trying to bring "Trademark" to life for the last decade.
Pullen and local composer Enrique Ponce join podcast hosts Stephanie Valle and Lisa Elliott to talk about the process.
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.
Get Plaza Classic Film Festival passes and more here.
Check out the festival schedule here.

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.