Northern Arizona University and the Sedona International Film Festival are partnering to present The Classics, a monthly classic film series.

NAU/SIFF Classics will be curated and hosted by School of Communication Professor Emeritus Paul Helford.

The series will continue on Wednesday, May 20 with “Notorious” — from 1946 — directed by Alfred Hitchcock. The film was nominated for two Academy Awards — Best Supporting Actor (Claude Rains) and Best Original Screenplay (Ben Hecht).

The Master of Suspense, Alfred Hitchcock, is at his finest — blending espionage thrills with passionate romance in this postwar classic starring screen legends Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman. Grant plays a U.S. agent who recruits Bergman to infiltrate a Nazi cell by seducing its leader, portrayed by the marvelous Claude Rains — Oscar-nominated for creating one of the most sympathetic villains in film history.

Paul Helford will introduce the film, provide historical and artistic context, and lead a discussion following the movie.

A lifelong film lover Helford has taught and written about films for over 50 years. As a television station manager and award-winning producer, he produced and hosted a weekly classic TV film show. He’s taught high school and college film classes. At NAU he started the film program major in 2006 and has co-directed and co-hosted the NAU College of Arts and Letters film series since 2004.

“Notorious” will be shown at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre on Wednesday, May 20 at 3:00 p.m. Tickets are $12, or $9 for Film Festival members. For tickets and more information, please call 928-282-1177. Both the theatre and film festival office are located at 2030 W. Hwy. 89A, in West Sedona. For more information, visit: www.SedonaFilmFestival.org.