Scotts Valley Hitchcock Festival

The third annual Scotts Valley Alfred Hitchcock Festival will return Friday through Sunday, March 14-16, showing “Rope,” “The Wrong Man,” “The Lodger,” and three of his TV shows, with discussions of the films.

Opening night will feature a talk about the director’s time at his Scotts Valley estate, with his granddaughter Tere Carrubba, of Aptos, Aaron Leventhal, co-author of “Footsteps In The Fog,” about Hitchcock’s Northern California connections, and local historian Jay Topping.

Hitchcock bought a 200-acre estate off Canham Road in 1940 and kept it as a retreat from Hollywood for 30 years.

The three will speak at 7 p.m. Friday, March 14, at The Landing (Scotts Valley Cultural and Performing Arts Center), 251 B Kings Village Road, Scotts Valley. Doors open at 6 p.m. Tickets $30.

At 8:15 p.m., Logan Walker, UC Santa Cruz lecturer in film and digital media and Shelley Stamp, UCSC professor of film & digital media, will introduce and discuss Alfred Hitchcock’s film techniques in the movie Rope. Audience Q&A afterwards.

Saturday, March 15: Doors open at noon, light refreshments, music.

At 1 p.m. Jason Isralowitz, attorney and author of Nothing to Fear: Alfred Hitchcock and the Wrong Men will introduce and show the film.

At 3 p.m. Jason will discuss in depth the real story of Manny Balestrero, the themes and techniques deployed in the film, a case of mistaken identity that ruined this man’s life. Audience Q&A afterward. $25.

Evening Gala: Doors open 6:30 p.m. Complimentary wine tasting from local wineries with a dessert reception. At 7:30 p.m. the silent movie, The Lodger, will be discussed, shown, and accompanied by the much-acclaimed pianist Kylan DeGhetaldi. $50

Sunday, March 16: Doors open 11 a.m., complimentary mimosas and light snacks.

At noon, presentation, “The Hitchcock 20: The Forgotten TV Gems.” Directed by Hitchcock historian Jeffrey Michael Bays, will introduce the 20 TV episodes Hitchcock directed and tell about the origin of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. He will discuss Hitchcock’s artistic choices as if they were paintings: how his camera choices, editing style, suspense techniques, and more evoke a response from the viewer.

At 1 p.m., three TV episodes: Bang You’re Dead!, Breakdown, One More Mile to Go,

Audience Q&A afterward. $40.

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Tickets for all three days, $110, and for Saturday, $60, or single event tickets are at www.hitchcockfestival.com or (831) 566-9411.