'The Life Ahead' Flagstaff Premiere

The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to present the Flagstaff premiere of the critically-acclaimed new drama “The Life Ahead” on Wednesday, Nov. 11 as part of the festival’s monthly Flagstaff Cinema Series. There will be one screening of the film at 7:00 p.m. at Harkins Flagstaff 16 Theatres.

Harkins Theatres have now re-opened following CDC guidelines and social distance seating at a limited capacity, requiring masks for entering and exiting the theaters and with additional health and safety protocols in place. This special screening event will follow all of the recommended guidelines for the safety, health and comfort of our patrons.

“The Life Ahead” marks the big-screen return of Academy Award-winner Sophia Loren. The film is a contemporary adaptation of the international bestseller “The Life Before Us” by Romain Gary.

In the colorful Italian port city of Bari, the streetwise 12-year-old Senegalese orphan Momo (Ibrahima Gueye) has ambitions to make his fortune in the underworld of the town’s shady alleyways. One day, he steals a bag of items from the elderly Madame Rosa (Sophia Loren), a Holocaust survivor who makes a meagre living raising the children of sex workers, with whom she once shared the streets.

When Momo is forced to apologize to Rosa, she reluctantly agrees to take him in temporarily and the two lonely individuals find an unlikely family in each other through a deep and unconventional bond.

The kindred spirits become connected to a common destiny that will change the course of their lives.

“What starts off as an explosively antagonistic relationship turns into an unexpected and heartfelt friendship,” said director Edoardo Ponti. “Rosa and Momo are two people separated by culture, race, religion and generation, and yet, they find a kinship with each other. These two souls are the opposite sides of the same coin, stumbling through life collecting pain and heartaches until they find in each other a common destiny.”

This Flagstaff Cinema Series Event is made possible by a grant from the Arizona Community Foundation of Flagstaff.

“The Life Ahead” will be shown at Harkins Flagstaff 16 Theatres on Wednesday, Nov. 11 at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $12, or $9 for Film Festival members ($10 for full-time students), and will be available starting at 6:00 p.m. that day in the Harkins lobby. Tickets can be purchased in advance by calling 928-282-1177 or online at www.SedonaFilmFestival.org.