The Plaza Classic Podcast

Working Women in Films

March is Women's History Month. What better time to recognize and discuss the depiction of women in the workplace than now?
Naturally, Leila Melendez, the CEO of Workforce Solutions Borderplex, is focused on screening women in the workplace during the Plaza Classic Film Festival this summer. Leila - the newest member of the festival's Advisory Committee - joins Stephanie Valle and Lisa Elliott in the podcast studio to discuss which movies she'd like shown.
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 takes place from July 16-26, 2026 in Downtown El Paso. Learn more about the festival here.

You Don't Know Jack Fields

Maybe you do know Jack Fields. The El Paso native is a graduate from New Mexico State University and now works at Warner Bros. as a studio facilities staff member. Fields is also a TCM contributor and classic movie buff.
Fields, also a member of the Plaza Classic Film Festival Advisory Committee, joined Lisa Elliott and Stephanie Valle from the festival's "field office" in Los Angeles to talk about his favorite aspects of working on so many projects that feature classic films.
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 takes place from July 16-26, 2026 in Downtown El Paso. Learn more about the festival here.

What Rob Reiner Taught Us About Love

"When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible." - When Harry Met Sally
Director Rob Reiner's "When Harry Met Sally" was heralded as a romantic comedy classic in part for its natural, witty banter and heartfelt performances. Reiner had often said falling in love with his wife Michelle prompted him to change the film's ending so Harry and Sally would end up together.
Reiner, whose life ended tragically in 2025 at age 78, believed in capturing the nuances of real relationships by focusing on conversation, laughter, and genuine connection. That was also evident in The Princess Bride and The American President. 
Reiner's rom-com works are the topic of this Valentine's Day episode of the Plaza Classic Podcast. Plaza Classic Film Festival Advisory Committee member Rebecca Mendez joins fellow members and podcast hosts Lisa Elliott and Stephanie Valle for this tribute.
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 takes place from July 16-26, 2026 in Downtown El Paso. Learn more about the festival here.

How Movies Depict Teen Dating Violence

February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month. It's a time to openly talk about both healthy and alarming behaviors in young relationships, and how teens can stay safe while navigating new romance. This year's theme is "Real Love Respects."
Aaron Setliff is the Division Chief of the Protective Orders Unit in the El Paso County Attorney's Office and the board chair for the Center Against Sexual and Family Violence (CASFV). The subject matter expert joined Lisa Elliott and Stephanie Valle in studio to review which films could serve as teaching moments for teens -- really, anyone -- in a relationship.
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 takes place from July 16-26, 2026 in Downtown El Paso. Learn more about the festival here.

Film Noir with Alan Rode

With its stark lighting, brooding characters, and dark themes, the film noir style dominated Hollywood in the 1940s and 1950s and inspired generations of filmmakers, from David Lynch to Quentin Tarantino.
If you ask Alan Rode to define film noir, he'll say, "you know it when you see it." Rode -- an expert of the style, Charter Director of the Film Noir Foundation, plus documentarian, producer, and author -- joined Lisa Elliott and Stephanie Valle for a conversation about Film Noir virtually from his home in Los Angeles.
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 takes place from July 16-26, 2026 in Downtown El Paso. Learn more about the festival here.

A Farewell to the El Paso Film Commissioner

On Jan. 23, 2026, El Paso Film Commissioner Drew Mayer-Oakes bids farewell to the city that he helped promote for eight years.
Mayer-Oakes, who is taking on a similar role in Corpus Christi, was instrumental to recruiting Hollywood film productions to use the Sun City as their backdrops, most recently in the lauded Paul Thomas Anderson movie, One Battle After Another.
He joins Plaza Classic Podcast hosts Stephanie Valle and Lisa Elliott to talk about his work, his hopes for El Paso, and what's to come.
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 takes place from July 16-26, 2026 in Downtown El Paso. Learn more about the festival here.

Not Guilty! Pleasures

Is there a movie you enjoy watching in spite of mostly negative reviews? 
For Plaza Classic Film Festival Advisory Committee member Jaime Mendez, that movie is Xanadu, the 1980 rock musical starring Olivia Newton-John and Gene Kelly. As a matter of fact, Jaime enjoys this film so much, he can't help but sing the theme song.
On this season finale of the Plaza Classic Podcast, Jaime joins podcast hosts Lisa Elliott and Stephanie Valle to talk about movies only a true fan could love. (Some call them "guilty pleasures," which is a deep point of contention for Lisa.)
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.

What Are You Thankful For?

Is there a movie that sets the tone for the "cozy" holiday season? For Plaza Classic Film Festival Advisory Committee member Erin Ritter, she picks her favorite holiday movies like she organizes her Thanksgiving meal, complete with an appetizer, the main course, savory sides, a dessert, and a post-gathering drink.
Erin, Lisa Elliott, and Stephanie Valle trade their favorite movies to watch over turkey and stuffing. Do yours make their lists?
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.

Holiday Movies at WinterFest 2025

While the weather outside is frightful(ly pleasant), the Holiday Movies at the Plaza Theatre are delightful! The movies are back as a part of WinterFest. We're showing six movies over three weekends starting on Nov. 30.
Doug Pullen (the El Paso Community Foundation's Artistic Director and Program Director for the Plaza Classic Film Festival, and a.k.a. "Friend of the Pod") is back with podcast hosts Lisa Elliott and Stephanie Valle to go over which films made the cut.
Check out the Holiday Movies at the Plaza 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.
Learn more about the Plaza Classic Film Festival here.

Veterans' Stories on the Big Screen

The lives of American service members have often been depicted on film -- from 1998's Saving Private Ryan (shown in the 2025 Plaza Classic Film Festival) to 1979's Apocalypse Now (screened in 2016). But perception isn't always reality.
Kristin Trick -- a member of the film festival's advisory committee, a licensed therapist, and a wife to an Army veteran -- joins Stephanie Valle and Lisa Elliott in studio to talk about the representation of soldiers and veterans 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.
Learn more about the Plaza Classic Film Festival here.