The Plaza Classic Podcast

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 podcast hosts Stephanie Valle and Lisa Elliott during the festival in July to talk about how LA was honoring the Blonde Bombshell, and how her legacy has persisted through the century. Plus, he offers his take on which of Marilyn's films shows the full breadth of her talents.

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.

Take a look back at the film festival's offerings and get updates for the 2027 festival here.

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 with the art installations, or listen to live music, and more. 

Rebecca Muñoz, the director of the Mexican American Cultural Center, talks with podcast hosts Stephanie Valle and Lisa Elliott about one particularly big art installation, plus the screening of Fantastic Mr. Fox during the festival, which is being held Oct. 3 and 4.

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.

Get updates for the 2027 Plaza Classic Film Festival here.

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 swing, and movie legend Ann-Margret was in El Paso.

Ann-Margret engaged in an interview with TCM host Scott McGee ahead of both Bye Bye Birdie (1963) and Tommy (1975) which were shown on Friday, July 17 and Saturday, July 18, respectively, in the Plaza Theatre.

Both interviews are combined in this episode, and include McGee's insights on this beloved and talented actress, singer, and dancer.

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.

Take a look back at the film festival's offerings and get updates for the 2027 festival here.

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-stage.

Plaza Classic Film Festival Advisory Committee member and co-host of this podcast, Stephanie Valle, interviewed Gregory Nava ahead of that film’s screening on July 24.

Nava offered unique insight into the production of the biopic that honored the slain Tejano music star. 

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.

Take a look back at the film festival's offerings and get updates for the 2027 festival here.

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. Gilmer, an El Paso native, is a film producer who, with his wife and partner Riki Rushing, runs Tiki Tane Productions. Gilmer is behind Death in Texas (2020) and Long Shadows (2025), the latter of which was screened at the Plaza Classic Film Festival.

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.

Find the film festival schedule here.

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 El Paso. 

This isn't some fairy tale: The Plaza Classic Film Festival is starting off its second week showing classics for all ages, whether you're a child - or a child of the '70s and '80s.

There is no one better to talk about the featured children’s films than Erin Ritter, a "Friend of the Pod," a fellow film festival advisory committee member, and an unofficial (Gen X)pert on the dark fantasy genre that emerged in the 1980s.

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.

Find the film festival schedule here.

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 Student Showcase will be held on July 18, the first weekend of the film festival, in the Philanthropy Theater.

Ramon Villa of UTEP and Marvin Hanley of EPCC join Lisa Elliott and Stephanie Valle to talk about the showcase, and how a new Film and Multimedia Production Certificate at the community college could help propel more film students into the field.

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 film festival takes place from July 16-26, 2026.

Find the film festival schedule here.

Festival passes are still available for purchase at this link.

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.

This year, the 2006 comedy directed by Adam McKay and starring Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly as NASCAR teammates will make its festival debut.

Local racing expert and KTSM News Channel 9's News Director Chris Babcock joins Stephanie Valle and Lisa Elliott in studio to fuel listeners with his passion for his favorite comedy featuring race cars.

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 film festival takes place from July 16-26, 2026.

Find the film festival schedule here.

Festival passes are available to purchase now at this link.

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 Podcast?

Being as our nation is celebrating its 250th anniversary, AKA the Semiquincentennial, "Americana" is one thread of this year's festival.

Festival Artistic Director Doug Pullen gives Lisa Elliott and Stephanie Valle a sneak peek at the schedule.

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 film festival takes place from July 16-26, 2026.

Find the film festival schedule here.

Festival passes are available to purchase now at this link.

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 passing of both Duncan and Carr earlier this year.

The lives and legacies of Duncan, the committee's resident sci-fi expert, and Carr, a screenwriter and actress, were discussed at length by Friend of the Pod and festival advisory committee member Jaime Mendez and local historian Mary Jo Melby, Duncan's partner.

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 film festival takes place from July 16-26, 2026. Festival passes are available to purchase now at this link.