The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to present “The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe” on Thursday, July 24 at the Alice Gill-Sheldon and Mary D. Fisher Theatres.

The special one-day-only event is in celebration of Art House Theater Day. This is an annual program that brings audiences together to celebrate all that art house theaters — and independent film — contribute to our cultural landscape: ambitious and innovative art that provokes, challenges, entertains, and inspires.

Join independent theaters all over the country in celebrating the art house community and its commitment to preserving the power of cinematic storytelling.

The screenings of “The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe” will be preceded by a special video greeting from Lily Tomlin.

Jane Wagner created this one-woman show for Lily Tomlin in 1985 so that audiences could appreciate not just Tomlin’s comic timing but also her extraordinary acting talent. Tomlin inhabits 12 characters in this tour-de-force anchored by bag lady Trudy, an everywoman for all time. As Tomlin explained onstage at the restoration’s world premiere, “Trudy is a philosopher… the wise fool.” Asked by Jane Fonda, her comrade-in-arms and the evening’s moderator, if she sees any signs of intelligent life in the universe at the moment, Tomlin replied, “I see a lot of intelligence, but we apply that intelligence so stupidly.”

Gloria Steinem praised “The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe” as “a work of genius and compassion.”

Frank Rich of The New York Times called it “the most genuinely subversive comedy to be produced on Broadway in years.”

“The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe” will be shown on Thursday, July 24 at 3:30 p.m. (Alice Gill-Sheldon Theatre) and 7:00 p.m. (Mary D. Fisher Theatre).

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.