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Chandler Film Festival offers a feast for the eyes
BY KEN SAIN GetOut Staff
Chandler filmmaker Mitesh Patel says there has been a noticeable change when he attends film festivals around the world.
“When I go to see some, like AFM American film market, or any other like Berlin, or Cannes, whenever I go somewhere for my movie work, I meet with people and they talk about the festival,” said Patel, who is president and the director of the Chandler International Film Festival. “And what’s surprising to me is they all know, mostly I would say they know about the Chandler Film Festival.”
Patel said he and his team once had to work hard to get the word out about the annual festival. Now, they don’t.
The seventh annual Chandler International Film Festival is scheduled for Jan. 21-29 at the LOOK Dine-In Cinema in downtown. Patel is extending it to nine days this year so they don’t have as many matinee showings. Films will start at 6 p.m. most days, with some matinees on the weekends.
“You know a lot of people work, so it’s kind of a struggle, but it was good for the people who are coming from out of town so they can just stay for an entire weekend,” Patel said.
He said he wanted more Chandler residents to be able to attend, and that was the reason for pushing back start times and extending the festival.
Patel said the number of films will be the same, about 125 or so. He said they had more than 500 submitted to be considered. That’s still down considerably from pre-pandemic when they would get about 1,000.
“I think the pandemic is still going on,” Patel said about the lower number of submissions. He added that they no longer advertise and push hard to get
Former Chandler resident Rob Smat directed “Walkout.” It’s the story of his friend Thomas Marshall (in photo) leading employees to try and force change at Walmart after the tragic
mass shooting at its El Paso location. (Courtesy of Chandler International Film Festival);
see FILM FESTIVAL page 42
Family-friendly magician heading to Ahwatukee Rec Center
GETOUT STAFF
Acelebrated Los Angeles magician will be appearing Jan. 28 at the Ahwatukee Recreation Center and his appearance is something of an anomaly for the 55-and-over homeowners association.
The show will entertain kids as well as adults.
“This is a pretty big deal for ARC since they seldom have artists doing more than one show, and they have only had magic on a few occasions,” resident Ed Doney said of the ARC Entertainers Club.
“Most people don’t think of a 55-and-over housing development as being very kid friendly,” Doney said. “ARC has special hours for kids in their swimming pool, but it doesn’t offer much else that would interest kids.
“The Entertainers Club at ARC wanted to come up with something that adults would enjoy, but that they could also take their kids and grandkids to. That, they thought, would take a bit of magic. They scoured available performers all around and found a young magician who knows all the right tricks.”
Hernandez bills himself as a “corporate magician,” meaning he often targets company gatherings for special appearances with “strolling magic, parlour shows, big illusion shows, and escapes almost anywhere,” he says on his website.
He has performed a two-hour illusion show weekly for 10 years at the Welk Resort Theatre in Escondido, California; performed the last four years or the Marriott Corp.; has frequently sold out the Pearson Park Ampitheatre in Anaheim, California; and has won plaudits from a variety of comedy associations.
Hernandez is bringing his family-friendly show to the ARC, 5001 E. Cheyenne Drive, at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Jan. 28. Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for children 5-17 and are available on purplepass.com/ ARC, and in the ARC lobby 9-11 a.m. Monday through Saturday.
“When the ARC Entertainers scouts saw his performance, they loved it and booked him as soon as they could,” Doney said. “His shows receive outstanding reviews. According to Trip Advisor, ‘You will laugh, you will cry, you will be amazed.’ Another reviewer there
see MAGICIAN page 41
California magician Anthony Hernandez will be bring two family-friendly shows to the Ahwatukee Recreation Center this
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JANUARY 11, 2023
GET OUT Champagne Train leaves no thirsty tourists
BY ALEX GALLAGHER
GetOut Staff Writer
Samantha DelBrocco was on vacation in Nashville a few years ago when she witnessed an attraction that she found appealing.
She joined her friends on an opentop wagon trailered to a tractor towing the wagon around downtown Nashville as DelBrocco and her crew sipped on sparkly champagne while dancing to music provided by a live DJ.
The concept marinated with her until last August, when she realized her dream of creating an attraction for people to sip as they cruise the streets of Scottsdale.
DelBrocco planned to purchase a 40foot school bus that could accommodate up to 20 people and she dubbed it the “Champagne Train,” renovating it with chic interiors and a bar.
“First I had to decide what type of bus we were going to use,” DelBrocco recalls. “I knew I wanted it to be pretty big because I wanted it to feel like a lounge like a bar on wheels as opposed to a party bus.”
Because of that, she knew she needed to find a large bus.
“I knew it had to be big and I knew it had to be tall so that people could walk into it,” DelBrocco said.
After a month of scouring the Valley for a bus, DelBrocco found one at a school bus lot in Phoenix.
Her next challenge was gutting the vehicle and converting it into a rolling destination.
“I found a remodeling company that does bars and then they just so happened to be able to do the entire thing,” said DelBrocco. “They put in vinyl flooring, shiplap, lighting, speakers and even built the bar, which, all told, took about three months.”
With the keys to the bus back in her hands just in time for the Holidays, DelBrocco soft-launched the Champagne Train by hiring two CDL-certified drivers, who are also school bus drivers with over 15 years of experience, to moonlight for her and bus patrons around a special holiday route where guests would be routed to some of the brightest lit homes around the city.
She also found a loophole to get alcohol onto the bus by ensuring that guests bring their own alcohol aboard to consume, meaning the bus doesn’t provide any booze.
However, DelBrocco has partnered with Wine Girl and The Beverly to offer customers exclusive deals, including 50% off champagne flights at Wine Girl or 15% off of their order at The Beverly.
She also offers charcuterie boards and unique glasses to be purchased on board.
The Champagne Train currently routes guests through OldTown but also offers rides out to The Buffalo Chip in Cave Creek.
While the destinations that the Champagne Train travels to are exciting in and of itself, the ride proves that it is about the journey — hence the name.
“It’s all about the vibe that I wanted,” DelBrocco said. “I wanted to create something where the bartender dresses up with a bow tie almost like a train conductor and to give people that experience of car hopping on trains where you go from one car that has a bar to another where you lounge but it still has that upscale feel to it.”
Though she often gets the question of whether or not her bus is a train, DelBrocco is still seeing a strong surge of reservations for rides on her bus.
Of that surge, she has noticed that most of the reservations have been for bachelorette parties.
“With bookings so far, there have been a decent amount of bachelorette parties and I also have a couple of bookings for birthday parties as well as girl’s night out celebrations,” DelBrocco said.
DelBrocco also plans to capitalize on the coming influx of tourists this tourism season and teased that she could have special deals for the WM Phoenix Open and Super Bowl LVII.
Overall, DelBrocco is excited to keep the Champagne Train moving forward and hopes to partner with more businesses throughout Scottsdale and the rest of the Valley.
Samantha DelBrocco’s Champagne Train offers a unique way to tour Scottsdale. (David Minton/
GetOut Staff Photographer)
MAGICIAN from page 40
said, ‘It’s a magical night of interaction, illusions and fun for the whole family.’
As a bonus to aspiring magicians, Hernandez will have some tricks available for purchase after the show and, time permitting, he will give some tips on executing them.
Hernandez was raised by his grandparents in a small town in Santa Barbara County, California. When he was 12, he saw David Copperfield on television and was bitten by the magic bug. He began doing tricks for his schoolmates and performing whenever he got the chance.
His grandparents fueled his interest when they located a retired magician who became Anthony’s magic teacher. That teacher was Ralph Adams, who had been a world-famous performer that brought magic to television in the 1950’s, and in the 1960s appeared on Hollywood Palace and The Mike Douglas Show.
After high school, Anthony moved to Riverside, California, to care for his mother and found a job at a local amusement park. As a bonus, the park had a stage where he had the opportunity to practice his magic and develop his skills. He developed those magic skills and still returns to the park to put on shows on featured weekends.
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@AhwatukeeFN | @AhwatukeeFN Wednesday, March 23, 2022 Study looks at arts enrollment in local schools INSIDE: INSIDE: COMMUNITY P.X | AROUND AF P.X | OPINION P.X| BUSINESS P.X |HEALTH & WELLNESS P.X| GETOUT P.X | SPORTS P.X| CLASSIFIED P.X COMMUNITY P. 23 | BUSINESS P. 29 | OPINION P. 31 | SPORTS P. 33 | GETOUT P. 37 | CLASSIFIEDS P. 40
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BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor Walk her through her diverse array of past lives and Bridget Bellavigna interjects, “I’ve had an interesting life, trust me.”Actually, trust has nothing to do with it: it’s all there in black and white on the 40-year Ahwatukee resident’s resume, which so impressed the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors two weeks ago that they unanimously appointed her to the vacant constable position for the Kyrene Justice Court. As only the seventh woman among the county’s 26 constables, Bellavigna will be responsible for hand-delivering subpoenas, writs, protection from abuse orders and eviction notices. She also will be executing court-ordered seizures of property to satisfy civil court judgments and when necessary, preside over tenant evictions.
CONQUERING ADVERSITY Bellavigna is filling the constable position at a time when eviction orders issued by Maricopa County justice courts are steadily rising after state and federal governments halted them because of the pandemic. Now that those suspensions are no longer in effect – and rents are soaring across the Valley – landlords are turning in droves to justice courts to free apartments, homes and store P. 30 The latest breaking news and top local stories in Ahwatukee! www.Ahwatukee.com .com
Astatewide study released last week shows a wide disparity in enrollment in arts classes among students in the two school districts serving Ahwatukee. Data compiled by Quadrant Research with the state Department of Education and three arts-related organizations showed that in 2020-21, 80% of Kyrene students were enrolled in arts instruction – far above the statewide average of 60% – while Tempe Union arts enrollment hovered around 40%. Enrollment in arts classes in both districts fell in 2020-21 as the pandemic disrupted normal classroom learning, according to the data. The study was commissioned by the Arts Education Data Project, a consortium of the Education Department, the State Education Agency Directors of Arts Education, the Arizona Commission on the Arts and Arizona CitiNew constable ready to take on a tough job zens for the Arts.In Kyrene, enrollment in music and visual arts was high, with more than 8,500 students enrolled in each type of class while enrollment in music classes by Tempe Union stuseeCONSTABLE page 12
JUST A CLICK AWAY
dents far exceeded that of any other arts education program.The popularity of music and arts classes
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in Kyrene mirrors the statewide data, which In the foreground, Estrella Elementary kindergarteners Ciara Haro, left, and Blake Stojak, last Friday were busy coloring a worksheet during art class. (David Minton/AFN Staff Photographer) seeART page 4 in Kyrene mirrors the statewide data, which Bellavigna is filling the constable position at a time when eviction orders issued by Marico pa County justice courts are steadily rising af ter state and federal governments halted them because of the pandemic. Now that those suspensions are no longer in effect – and rents are soaring across the Val ley – landlords are turning in droves to justice courts to free apartments, homes and store
INSIDE This Week NEWS..................................3 Court fight continues over candidate’s residency. @AhwatukeeFN | @AhwatukeeFN BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor The Phoenix Planning Commission on Aug. 4 dealt a 30-day setback to the developers’ timetable for the massive Upper Canyon development in Ahwatukee after expressing confusion over their request and questioning city staff’s analysis of a related traffic study.Blandford Homes and subsidiary Reserve 100 LLC have the zoning to build 1,050 mostly single-story houses, 150 build-to-rent townhouses and 329 apartments on the 373-acre former State Trust Land parcel along Chandler Boulevard between 19th and 27th avenues. But they need City Council approval of a proposal to leave South Chandler Boulevard at three lanes and downgrade the classification of 27th Avenue between the Boulevard and South Mountain Freeway from “arterial” to “collector” street.They had hoped to get Planning Commission approval during last week’s virtual hearing in time for City Council to act on it at its first postsummer-vacation meeting Sept. 7. Blandford and Reserve 100 aim to start selling houses by 2024.But their timetable was thrown off by at least 30 days after the Commission directed them to more clearly explain the impact of so many homes on traffic and road safety in light of their opposition to widening South Chandler Boulevard.Some commission members also complained Blandford’s reasoning confused them while residents who opposed the plan said Blandford wants to avoid the cost of road widening and have more land for more houses. Residents fear for the ability of emergency vehicles to access not only Upper Canyon but the three communities west of there – Foothills Reserve, Promontory and Calabria. Among those expressing concern was John Barton, one of the developers of those three communities.Stressing that he supported the Upper Canyon development, Barton nevertheless ripped Blandford’s request, noting that the nearest fire station is six miles away and the city has no immediate plans to build one in western Ahwatukee. Wednesday, August 10, 2022 seeCANYON page 18 Traffic concerns snarl Upper Canyon’s bid for city approval
BUSINESS.................29 Local man’s pet supply company hits milestone. LD 12 contests appear set, GOP senate race tight
SPORTS ........................33
DV frosh Everest Leydecker already a champ. seeELECTIONS page 8 Whether you’re building a new home or renovating your existing one, your choices are wide open when it comes to selecting beautifully designed Milgard windows and patio doors. Strong, beautiful, long lasting and durable. Milgard windows and patio doors are designed with stunning architectural style and superior performance. Plus, you’ll feel secure in your investment with an industry leading, Full Lifetime Warranty that includes parts and labor. Milgard® offers beautiful, comfortable, energy efficient vinyl windows and doors for your home 4454 E. Thomas Rd. Phoenix • 602-508-0800 • liwindow.com Mon-Thurs 8:30-5pm • Fri 8:30-4pm • Sat 9-2pm • ROC#179513 GET OUT......................37 Company offers marijuanaflavored beer, cocktails.
‘Nutcracker’ made new
BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor The Nov. 8 General Election for the three legislative seats representing Ahwatukee appears to be a battle of the sexes of sorts as an all-male Republican slate will vie with three Democratic women. The two Ahwatukee women running in a five-way race for two Democratic House nominations in Legislative District 12 topped the field and the all-Ahwatukee contest for the Republican Senate nomination appeared won This is a scene from what turns out to be the 22nd and last presentation of of ”The Ahwatukee Foothills Nutcracker.” No, the community Christmas tradition – one of Ahwatukee’s oldest – isn’t going away but rather has been rebranded “The Arizona Nutcracker.” And where this scene is taken from may surprise you too, as you’ll read on page 23. (Tubitv.com)
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Dana Beth Kippel stars in “Reflect,” a film she directed and wrote about friends participating in a spiritual obstacle course. Parts of the film were shot in Arizona. (Courtesy of Chan-
dler International Film Festival)
FILM FESTIVAL from page 40
the word out about the festival, relying on the fact that many in the business are already aware.
The films will be shown at LOOK Dine-In Cinemas for the second time. Patel said they were great hosts a year ago, and complimented their food. After-hours parties will be staged around the downtown area.
There will be no online viewing of the films for the first time in two years.
In 2021, the festival was all digital because of the pandemic. Last year people had the option to watch them online if they didn’t want to sit in a crowded theater.
Patel said many directors are concerned about piracy if they put their films online, so they would rather not.
The lineup of films is still being determined in late December with an announcement expected in early January. Patel said he had not decided on which film to open the festival with, but he does have one that he would love to open it with.
The festival is adopting a theme for the first time, and it will be a celebration of Indian filmmaking. The country is celebrating 110 years of filmmaking in 2023 so Patel thought that was an easy choice.
“Last Film Show” was chosen by India to be its submission for the best international film Oscar at the Academy Awards. It has won top honors at some of the film festivals where it has been shown.
It’s the story of a 9-year-old boy in rural India who loves films so much, he bribes the projectionist of a run-down theater with homemade food so that he can watch and learn about films and filmmaking from the best seat in the house. It’s a semi-autobiographical story of director Pan Nalin.
One of the keys to being the opening night film, Patel said, is that the filmmaker needs to be in attendance. He said Nalin said he’s willing if his film is not nominated for the Academy Award. However, if it is he will be far too busy promoting it and won’t be able to attend.
“I noticed that whoever attends the Chandler Film Festival, they get very excited when someone from the movie, they’re coming and attending,” Patel said. He added a couple of films in this year’s festival will be by directors with Chandler ties. Former resident Rob Smat made a documentary called “Walkout.” It’s about Walmart’s reaction to having 23 people shot and killed in its El Paso store in 2019.
After the tragedy, the company took no action to stop selling firearms at its stores. Its employees decided to do something about that and forced the company to change.
India will not be the only country getting a focus at this year’s festival. Patel said they plan to have special nights throughout the nine days.
“We’re adding a Japanese day, a Spanish day, a Korean day, a Chinese day,” Patel said, pointing out the Chinese New Year will happen during the festival (Jan. 22).
One of the reasons the Chandler International Film Festival has gotten such notice is because of the success it has had in matching filmmakers with distributors. Patel said all of their feature-length films last year got distribution deals.
“It’s been a couple of years now,” Patel said of the 100% distribution. “I’ve been doing this for 15 years, I know so many companies. And I created this festival to help the filmmaker to showcase their work and put it out.”
Carlos (Juan Francisco Villa) takes the lead in a wheelchair race at a holding facility a woman goes to after a suicide attempt. “Eyes Upon Waking” was directed by Timothy Zwica, a
Tucson resident. (Courtesy of Chandler International Film Festival) Chandler filmmaker Mitesh Patel founded the Chandler Film Festival, which has been growing in influence and audiences since its
launch in 2016. (Special to GetOut)
Festival Films with Arizona ties
Walkout: Directed by former Chandler resident Rob Smat ID: Directed by Chandler resident Kiran Kondamadugula The Monster Inside Me: Directed by Phoenix resident Tony C. Silva Reflect: Parts filmed in Sedona Eyes Upon Waking: Directed by Tucson resident Timothy Zwica
If You Go...
What: Chandler International Film Festival Where: LOOK Dine-In Cinema, 1 W. Chandler Blvd., Chandler When: Jan. 21-29 Info: chandlerfilmfestival.com
ACROSS
1 Discoverer’s call 4 Island near Java 8 “Cheers” order 12 Brooch 13 Oodles 14 Plotting 15 Swelled head 16 Reed and Rawls 17 “Hud” actress Patricia 18 Star of “NCIS: Los Angeles” 21 Klutz 22 Singer Starr 23 Photo book 26 Witty one 27 Crater part 30 Corp. kingpins 31 24 hours 32 Cab cost 33 Sauce source 34 Novelist Rand 35 Avid 36 Anderson Cooper’s channel 37 Calendar abbr. 38 Official flower of Chicago 45 Cash advance 46 Manhattan area 47 Lennon’s love 48 During 49 Nest setting 50 Pep 51 Sandwich shop 52 Play area 53 Greek vowel
DOWN
1 Oil cartel 2 Lofty 3 -- about (roughly) 4 Fragrant wood 5 Unfriendly 6 Noisy 7 “Not a problem!” 8 Energizer mascot 9 Fencing sword 10 List-ending abbr. 11 Bakery buy 19 Debtors’ notes 20 Pester 23 Rm. coolers 24 Sign before Virgo 25 Lad 26 Pallid 27 Joplin tune 28 Anger 29 Debussy’s “La --” 31 Ming, for one 32 Kismet 34 Reply (Abbr.) 35 Seconded 36 “True Colors” singer Lauper 37 Different 38 Not naked 39 Abode 40 Banister 41 Asta’s feeder 42 Relocate 43 Squad 44 NYC gallery
Sudoku
With JAN D’ATRI
GetOut Columnist
These shrimp eggrolls will give guests a big bang
What started as just a delicious one-off for my New Year’s Eve party has now become a new favorite recipe to enjoy any time you are craving something shrimpy, crunchy, saucy and just plain out of this world. Bang Bang Shrimp Eggrolls will step in and satisfy your craving and have you rubbing your belly with delight! The bonus, of course, is they are incredibly easy to make and take less than a half hour from skillet to table. One of my favorite things about this dish is the sweet & spicy Mayo-Sriracha sauce! Wow! The perfect accompaniment.
Why not start off the new year with a bang…. bang? Then sit back and take in all the compliments you’ll receive!
Ingredients:
For the shrimp
1 ½ lb small/medium pre-cooked shrimp, shells and tails removed, deveined, defrosted 2-3 TBSP cornstarch 2 cups canola oil, for frying-optional
For the sauce ¼ cup mayonnaise 1 TBSP Sriracha 1 TBSP rice vinegar 1 TBSP sugar
For the egg rolls
12 egg rolls wrappers 2 cups pre-shredded cabbage mix 12 slices pepper jack cheese, rough chopped Bang Bang Sauce (from above) Shrimp, (from above) For cooking 3-4 cups canola or vegetable oil
For serving
2 stalks green onions, chopped fine
Directions:
1. Pat defrosted shrimp dry. Toss in cornstarch until covered. In a shallow skillet over high heat, heat oil for about 5 minutes. When oil shimmers and one shrimp tested in the oil sizzles, cook the remainder of shrimp (don’t overcrowd skillet) until pink, about 2-3 minutes. Remove to a paper towel to drain. Place shrimp on a cutting board and rough chop. . 2. Make the sauce. In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, Sriracha, rice vinegar and sugar. Refrigerate until ready to serve 3. Make the Egg Rolls. Lay out the egg roll wrapper. Spread a small amount of the sauce in the center of the wrapper. Next, Add about 2 tablespoons of cabbage mix to the center, then 2 tablespoons of shrimp, 1 chopped cheese slice, and another tiny drizzle of sauce.
4. Dip your fingers in a cup of water and wet the edges of the wonton rapper. Carefully wrap the egg roll, burrito style, being careful to keep it tight so the ingredients don’t fall out. Dip fingers in water again and press to seal the wrapper. Repeat for all egg rolls. 5. In a large skillet, add oil and heat over medium high heat for about 5 minutes - to 325 degrees. Carefully add egg rolls into the skillet, cooking 4-5 at a time, not crowding them. Cook 2-3 minutes per side, until golden brown, then carefully flip over and cook another 2 minutes or until browned. Remove and place on a paper towel lined plate. Repeat for all egg rolls. 6. Serve on a platter and top with Bang Bang sauce and green onions. Serve immediately. Makes12 egg rolls.
