STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK

Sun Valley’s new Argyros Performing Arts Center has only been open two months and already it’s being transformed into the Ford Main Street Theater.

The Argyros will undergo that transformation during the duration of the Sun Valley Film Festival in honor of its new presenting sponsor: Ford Motor Company.

And Ford will take some of the industry’s best and brightest filmmakers on exhilarating off-screen adventures in the all-new 2019 Ford Ranger to capture content and celebrate the festival’s mission of empowering storytellers.

It also will be used to transport filmmaker and industry guests to a variety of programs, including the Vision Award Dinner, which is presented Saturday night at Sun Valley’s historic Roundhouse Restaurant.

Ford Ranger’s “Tough Has More Fun” attitude embodies the adventurous spirit of Sun Valley, said Al Uzielli, head of Ford Global Branded Entertainment.

“We are excited to take on the role of presenting sponsor and build upon Ford’s presence in Sun Valley, which dates back to the 1940s,” said Uzielli. “Over the past seven years the Sun Valley Film Festival has become a rising star in the world of destination festivals, attracting an audience that is spot on with our Ford Ranger—fearless independents seeking the well-earned freedom to recharge doing what they love.”

The partnership with Ford will take the film festival to the next level, said Teddy Grennan, executive director of the SVFF. And it will “give our industry guests an opportunity to enjoy Sun Valley’s breathtaking outdoor offerings to the fullest, with opportunities to interact and inspire as they quite literally get above it all. This year our attendees will not only watch movies but have new experiences in ways they have never imagined.”

The SVFF, which attracts more than 4,500 yearly attendees, is quickly becoming known as the Festival for Filmmakers. Last year it honored Gwyneth Paltrow, Jay Duplass, Kate Bosworth and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.

The films it screened included “Minding the Gap,” “Science Fair,” “Leave No Trace,” “Nona” and “American Animals.”

It will award more than a quarter-million dollars in prizes this year through its Screenwriters Lab, the Film Lab and Wild to Inspire competitions.

WANT TO JOIN THE FUN?

Passes for the eighth annual Sun Valley Film Festival are now available on the festival website at

www.sunvalleyfilmfestival.org.