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The Plaza Classic Podcast: Daily Summaries Delivered
by El Paso Community Foundation
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 city’s No. 1 feel-good summer event, including this year’s schedule, the Local Flavor showcase, screenwriting competition, and more.
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- 3 weeks ago30 min
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 is on movies that have been shown at the Plaza Classic Film Festival that contained "Night" and "of the" in the title. The films that made the cut include The Night of the Hunter (1955), Night of the Living Dead (1965, 1990), and In the Heat of the Night (1967). KISS-FM radio host and Plaza Classic Film Festival Advisory Committee Member Fernando "Grizz" Montejano joins Lisa Elliott and Stephanie Valle to "shine light" on this topic. 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.
- 4 weeks ago29 min
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. Of the 60 entries, a panel of judges chose eight films for the screening event, and of those 8, four were awarded. First-place winner, director Brandon Herrera (Se lo Merecía) and Audience Favorite winner Ulises Córdova (Tito Ritmo) join Lisa Elliott and Stephanie Valle to talk about the inspiration behind their films. Also, hear what's on the horizon for these emerging filmmakers. 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.
- Oct 8, 202620 min
"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-progress concept by the same name making its debut during the 2026 Plaza Classic Film Festival. The Director Incubator Fellow joined podcast hosts Lisa Elliott and Stephanie Valle to discuss her film and how you can see it. Plus, this blossoming director talks about what's next. 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.
- Oct 1, 202618 min
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 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.
- Sep 24, 202621 min
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 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.
- Sep 17, 202634 min
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 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.
- Jul 30, 202631 min
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-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.
- Jul 23, 202622 min
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. 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.
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About 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 city’s No. 1 feel-good summer event, including this year’s schedule, the Local Flavor showcase, screenwriting competition, and more.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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The Plaza Classic Podcast publishes weekly. Our AI generates a summary within hours of each new episode.
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