Shows / The Plaza Classic Podcast
The Plaza Classic Podcast
The Plaza Classic Podcast is hosted by former KVIA news anchor and National Edward R. Murrow Award-winner Borderland Crimes podcaster Stephanie Valle and EPCC Mass Communication Professor Lisa Elliott. Valle and Elliott are members of the Plaza Classic Film Festival Program Advisory Committee. The podcast is produced in partnership with EPCC and the El Paso Community Foundation. Each episode features guests ranging from committee members to filmmakers who delve into a different aspect of the…
Episodes
- The Plaza Classic Podcast
This is (the) Halloween (episode)!
"Life's no fun without a good scare!" That's not just a line from Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas, it's also the mantra of Lisa Elliott and…
- 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 Plaza Classic Podcast
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…
- The Plaza Classic Podcast
"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…
- The Plaza Classic Podcast
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…
- The Plaza Classic Podcast
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 –…
- The Plaza Classic Podcast
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…
- The Plaza Classic Podcast
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…
- The Plaza Classic Podcast
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…
- The Plaza Classic Podcast
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…
- The Plaza Classic Podcast
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…
- The Plaza Classic Podcast
"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…
- The Plaza Classic Podcast
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…
- The Plaza Classic Podcast
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…
- The Plaza Classic Podcast
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…
- The Plaza Classic Podcast
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…
- The Plaza Classic Podcast
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…
- The Plaza Classic Podcast
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…
- The Plaza Classic Podcast
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…
- The Plaza Classic Podcast
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…
- The Plaza Classic Podcast
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…
- The Plaza Classic Podcast
The Big Oscar (Contest) Winner(s)!
Each awards season, the festival's advisory committee members camp out in theaters and plow through the Academy Award nominees in order to thoughtfully craft…
- The Plaza Classic Podcast
U.S.A.'s Semiquincentennial Celebration
The United States of America is marking a special milestone: the nation celebrates its 250th anniversary, also known as the semiquincentennial. The Plaza…
- The Plaza Classic Podcast
Felipa's Oscar Predictions
The Academy Awards will take place on March 15, and we will all finally know which movies and performances Hollywood favored in 2025. Will One Battle After…
- The Plaza Classic Podcast
Hollywood and the Sun City Collide! with Robert Holguin
Paul Thomas Anderson's "One Battle After Another" may be the most celebrated film to be set in El Paso, but it certainly isn't the only Hollywood production to…
- 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…
- The Plaza Classic Podcast
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…
- The Plaza Classic Podcast
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…
- The Plaza Classic Podcast
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…
- The Plaza Classic Podcast
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…
- The Plaza Classic Podcast
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…
- The Plaza Classic Podcast
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…
- The Plaza Classic Podcast
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…
- The Plaza Classic Podcast
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…
- The Plaza Classic Podcast
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…
- The Plaza Classic Podcast
"Long Shadows"
During the 2025 Plaza Classic Film Festival, a new take on the Western genre made its debut, complete with red carpet fanfare for the director, producer, and…
- The Plaza Classic Podcast
Get Scared with Your Favorite Actor's Favorite Actor
Is Alien a sci-fi, a horror, or both? What about Invasion of the Body Snatchers? Whichever you choose, both are good options for rewatches on Halloween…
- The Plaza Classic Podcast
Hit Us With Your Best Pitch
Great films often begin as strong pitches. But oftentimes, those pitches are critiqued, revised, and refined before they truly shine. That was the process…
- The Plaza Classic Podcast
Oculto: It's Baaaaaaaack
It's back! It's growing! And it's even scarier than before! Horror is taking over the border once again for the 3rd annual Oculto Film Festival. Angel Benitez…
- The Plaza Classic Podcast
Chalk the Block con Nacho Libre
You don't have to wear stretchy pants to enjoy movies, nor must you believe in science to be a fan of a family-friendly outdoor arts festival. But if you like…
- The Plaza Classic Podcast
Scott McGee and the Classics You Must See
Classic films are timeless and inspirational for both film fans and filmmakers. Scott McGee is somewhat of an expert on the classics. McGee has spent the last…
- The Plaza Classic Podcast
"One Battle After Another"
One Battle After Another, the latest film by acclaimed director Paul Thomas Anderson, took over El Paso when the film crew shot parts of the movie here in…
- The Plaza Classic Podcast
Onstage with "The Birds" star Veronica Cartwright
Veronica Cartwright is one of Hollywood's busiest character actors. As a child, she started off as a model, then a commercial actor, and even landed a…
- The Plaza Classic Podcast
Q&A with "La Bamba" Director Luis Valdez
Luis Valdez influenced a generation of Latinos and Latinas when he showcased their stories on the big screen in the 1980s. The director was the special guest…
- The Plaza Classic Podcast
Location, Location, Location
Location matters when it comes to setting up a business, buying a house, and filming a movie. Jacob Cena knows El Paso like the back of his hand. It's one of…
- The Plaza Classic Podcast
The Diego Munoz Holguin Film Showcase
Not all the movies shown during the Plaza Classic Film Festival are classics in the traditional sense of the word. Some are making their debut on the big…
- The Plaza Classic Podcast
The Film Fest's Special Guests are...
Luis Valdez and Veronica Cartwright may not be household names, but they have both played large roles in some memorable films you surely have seen. Valdez…
- The Plaza Classic Podcast
"I'm Just A Girl" Dinner
If you're a fan of "Notting Hill" starring Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant, then you're in luck. The 1999 rom-com is the star of the newest date night event held…
- The Plaza Classic Podcast
"Jaws in Space"
Do you know the story behind the most famous pitch in film history? It was for 1979's Alien. Legend has it, the screenwriters told the studio heads three…
- The Plaza Classic Podcast
A Night at the Museum(s)
2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. As part of a massive collaborative effort, the Plaza Classic Film Festival is teaming up with FIVE…
- The Plaza Classic Podcast
From BlacKkKansman to the Hip Hop Cop
El Pasoan Ron Stallworth had an eventful career in law enforcement. He helped sabotage KKK activities in Colorado Springs as an undercover member of the Klan…
- 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…
- The Plaza Classic Podcast
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…
- The Plaza Classic Podcast
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…
- The Plaza Classic Podcast
"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 Classic Podcast
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…
- The Plaza Classic Podcast
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…
- The Plaza Classic Podcast
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…
- The Plaza Classic Podcast
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…
- The Plaza Classic Podcast
"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…