A Filmmaker’s Paradise

Around every corner there is the perfect movie backdrop

Sedona was destined to be a movie town. Around every corner there is the perfect movie backdrop, such as the expansive starry-skied nights or the vast scenery of the canyons and slopes. As early as 1923, Hollywood saw the possibilities of the spectacular scenery and began making western films. Sedona’s star-studded cast list includes Clark Gable, Barbara Stanwyck, John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart, Elizabeth Shue, Robert DeNiro, Shirley Temple and Johnny Depp. Even Elvis Presley made an appearance!

In 1995, the Sedona International Film Festival and Workshop was launched, bringing an independent film focus to town. The film scene grew in 2000 when the Zaki Gordon Institute for  Filmmaking, now called Sedona Film School, made its home in Sedona.

In addition, the city also hosts Illuminate Film Festival, a cinematic event dedicated to showing films that awaken human empowerment. The annual event, held in June, seeks to push humanity forward by bringing exclusive screenings of major international films that inspire and activate the potential of each viewer.