The Plaza Classic Podcast

Night of the...

A title can lend so much to the theme of a film. What does a filmmaker want an audience to think or feel when they include the word "Night?"  In this episode, the focus

The Power of Local Cinema!

Local filmmakers and hundreds of their friends, family, loved ones, fans, plus cast and crew members, filled the Plaza Theatre for the Local Flavor Showcase on July 26.

"Oranges" is the New Black

Valeria Contreras is having a moment. The El Paso filmmaker's short film Oranges is set to make the festival circuit this fall. It comes on the heels of the work-in-progr

Celebrating 100 years of Marilyn

June 1, 2026 marked the 100th anniversary of Marilyn Monroe's birth. Jack Fields, the Plaza Classic Film Festival Advisory Committee's Los Angeles Field Officer, joined

Fantastic Mr. Fox at Chalk the Block

Chalk the Block is back! This all-ages festival easily draws over 40,000 people to Downtown El Paso to gaze at the artwork – or try their hand at their own – interact wi

Onstage Q&A with Ann-Margret

On the opening of Season 8, Plaza Classic Podcast hosts Lisa Elliott and Stephanie Valle take you back to the summer, when the Plaza Classic Film Festival was in full swi

Q&A with Selena Director Gregory Nava

Curtains on the 2026 Plaza Classic Film Festival! Among the approximately 100 films we screened, guests were also treated to a Q&A with the director of Selena live on-sta

Filmmaker's Brunch

How to you get your idea for a film out of your head and into a script - and better yet, onto the big screen? Allen Gilmer is the man who knows how to get that done. Gil

Animations, Muppets, and Mazes

If you're listening to this podcast episode the day it dropped, you're in luck. The world’s largest classic film festival has sprouted like a magic beanstalk in Downtown

Showcasing Student Talent at PCFF

Student filmmakers have an incredible opportunity to see their creations on the big screen during the Plaza Classic Film Festival this year. The inaugural UTEP/EPCC Stud

"Shake and Bake!"

Easily one of the most memorable lines from Talladega Nights, it's also a great way to prepare attendees of the Plaza Classic Film Festival for its Outdoor Movie Series.

Celebrating the Semiquincentennial

In this special Independence Day episode, what better time than to review the movies showcasing the American experience that will be screened during the Plaza Classic Pod

A Tribute to Jay Duncan and Camilla Carr

Jay Duncan and Camilla Carr both loved film, and both proudly served on the Plaza Classic Film Festival's Advisory Committee. Our committee members were saddened by the p

Hello, Birdie! (A Clue to the Festival's Special Guest)

One of the stars of Bye Bye Birdie is flying into El Paso to attend the Plaza Classic Film Festival! Ann-Margret will appear the first weekend of the festival, ahead of

Go Local!

The Local Flavor Showcase features contemporary films with connections to our border. This is the 9th year the showcase has been featured during the Plaza Classic Film Fe

Disaster Movies! with Grizz

Tsunamis. Collisions with icebergs. Rampaging dinosaurs. Let's be real: watching the world destroyed by the force of Mother Nature is only entertaining on the silver scre

A Dinner To Love

"A Dinner To Love" is the theme of this year's Dinner and a Movie, a special event during the Plaza Classic Film Festival. The theme is loosely based on a quote from the

The Girls Can't Help It

Podcast hosts Lisa Elliott and Stephanie Valle really can't help it when it comes to puns and wordplay! The title of this episode of the Plaza Classic Podcast refers to

Behind the Curtain with Bart Weiss

The Plaza Classic Film Festival is celebrating its 19th year of wowing audiences in downtown El Paso. Someone who has been a part of the festival shortly after its incept

April Fool's Day! with Eric Pearson

If you know Eric Pearson, you are all too familiar with his penchant for jokes of all kinds. The passage of April Fool's Day has done little to quench his desire to share