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The Dallas Film Society Announces Dates for the 10th Annual Dallas International Film Festival

Posted by :Susan Kamyab On : August 25, 2015
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Category: Special Events, Special Features

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DALLAS (August 24, 2015) – The Dallas Film Society has announced that the 10th annual Dallas International Film Festival will take place April 14 – April 24, 2016. The film society is now accepting submissions for the Festival. The early deadline is Friday, October 16, 2015, the regular deadline is Friday, December 4, 2015 and the late deadline is Friday, December 11, 2015.

DIFF is one of the fastest growing festivals in the world and has brought over 250,000 film lovers together to view over 1,680 films from more than 50 countries. DIFF has consistently featured the finest cinema has to offer, including 95 world premieres and 31 US premieres to date.

This past April, the festival successfully completed a marathon of 169 screenings with attendance surpassing 26,000. The 2016 festival will once again span 11 days and feature International Premiere screenings with red carpet entrances at theaters throughout the city, award presentations, filmmaker panels and other special events.

“We can’t wait to get started on selecting films to showcase at the 2016 DIFF and looking forward to highlighting another group of incredible and diverse talent from around the world,” said Sarah Harris, Dallas International Film Festival Senior Programmer. “We are so excited to celebrate a decade of sharing our love of film with the community and continuing to introduce Dallas to some of the finest work filmmaking has to offer.”

The festival welcomes submissions for all categories. Grand Jury Prizes will be presented for Narrative Feature, Documentary Feature, Short Film, Animated Short Film, Student Short Film and Texas Film Competition presented by Panavision. Audience Awards will be given for Best Narrative Feature, Best Documentary Feature, and Best Short Film. Additional programming categories include World Cinema Latino Cinema Showcase, Deep Ellum Sounds (music documentaries), Family Films, and Midnight Specials.

This year, DIFF has added the Mavericks category to its programming strand, presented by the L.M. Kit Carson Storyfinders Foundation. Last year, DIFF honored the life and career of the late Texas writer, actor and producer L.M. Kit Carson by featuring his 1983 film BREATHLESS and posthumously awarding him with the Dallas Star Award, accepted by his son, Hunter Carson. This year, DIFF will continue to honor his legacy with the Mavericks screening program, which will feature four groundbreaking and cutting edge films that spotlight unique cinematic voices breaking the rules of filmmaking to advance the art form.

“I truly believe that the art of creating ‘maverick’ films is rarified air,” said Hunter Carson. “Films that introspectively look at the world in challenging ways deserve to be celebrated.”

In addition, one Maverick filmmaker will be the inaugural recipient of the L.M. Kit Carson Maverick Filmmaker Award at Dallas Film Society Honors.

Over the past nine years, DIFF has presented filmmakers with more than $740,000 in awards. This year, the winner of the Texas Film Competition presented by Panavision will receive a camera rental package valued at $30,000. Also, the Embrey Family Foundation will present The Silver Heart Award and a $10,000 cash prize to one inspirational filmmaker or film to honor their dedication for fighting injustices and/or creating social change for the improvement of humanity. Additionally, each recipient of a 2016 DIFF award will receive MOVIE MAGIC Budgeting and Scheduling software bundles from Entertainment Partners, which allows filmmakers to create and view production scheduling.

Submissions are open on WithoutABox and Film Freeway. For more information and to submit films, visit http://www.dallasfilm.org/submit-your-film-for-diff-2016/. Questions can be emailed to submissions@dallasfilm.org.

Dallas International Film Festival Announces First 10 Films for 2015!

Posted by :Susan Kamyab On : February 16, 2015
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Category: Special Events, Special Features

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The Dallas Film Society announced the first 10 films chosen to screen at the 9th annual Dallas International Film Festival presented by AutoNation. The 2015 Festival, taking place April 9-19, will feature national and international films, as well homegrown selections. The Festival will also host the North American premiere of PLAYING IT COOL, a romantic comedy starring Chris Evans and Michelle Monaghan. Making its world premiere at this year’s Festival is the Civil War drama ECHOES OF WAR, starring James Badge Dale, Ethan Embry and William Forsythe.

The Dallas Film Society is proud to announce that director John Landis will receive the Dallas Star Award at DFS Honors on Friday, April 17 at the Highland Hotel in Dallas. The Dallas Star Award honors individuals who have made significant contributions to modern cinema and the advancement of the art of film. The award presentation will be followed by a special screening of John Landis’s 1980 comedy classic THE BLUES BROTHERS on Saturday, April 18. John Landis has left a lasting impression on the film world as director of many iconic comedies such as NATIONAL LAMPOON’S ANIMAL HOUSE, ¡3 AMIGOS!, COMING TO AMERICA, TRADING PLACES, and INTO THE NIGHT. John Landis also wrote and directed AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON and the groundbreaking theatrical short MICHAEL JACKSON’S THRILLER.

“Confirming our first 10 films is a major milestone in producing our festival,” said James Faust, Artistic Director of the Dallas Film Society. “We plan to screen around 170 films this year, and are well on our way to selecting the best cinema has to offer. We’re also elated to mark the 35th anniversary of THE BLUES BROTHERS by honoring legendary filmmaker John Landis.”

The Festival will also celebrate the incredible life and career of Texas writer, actor and producer L.M. Kit Carson by featuring his 1983 film BREATHLESS. Carson is recognized for writing the Palme d’Or winning PARIS, TEXAS, and also for inventing the first ‘mockumentary’ with his film DAVID HOLZMAN’S DIARY.

Here are the first 10 films announced so far…

 

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5 FLIGHTS UP

Director: Richard Loncraine

USA

Cast: Morgan Freeman; Diane Keaton; Cynthia Nixon

Synopsis: Over one crazy weekend, a long-time married couple discovers that finding a new apartment is not about winding down, but starting a new adventure.

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BEING EVEL

Director: Daniel Junge

USA

Synopsis: Millions know the man, but few know his story. In BEING EVEL, Academy Award® winning filmmaker Daniel Junge (SAVING FACE) and actor/producer Johnny Knoxville take a candid look at American daredevil and icon Robert “Evel” Knievel, while also reflecting on our voracious public appetite for heroes and spectacle.

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ECHOS OF WAR (World premiere)

Director: Kane Senes

USA

Cast: James Badge Dale; Ethan Embry; William Forsythe; Maika Monroe

Synopsis: A Civil War veteran returns home to the quiet countryside, only to find himself embroiled in a conflict between his family and the brutish cattle rancher harassing them.

Doat-hon-slide

HOLLOW

Director: Ham Tran

Vietnam

Cast: Kieu Chinh; Jayvee Mai The Hiep; Ngoc Hiep Nguyen

Synopsis: A young girl falls into a river and drowns. When her body is found in a remote village along the river, her uncle arrives to claim her body, only to find that she is very much alive. But when she returns to her family, unexplainable occurrences lead them to believe she is possessed.

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JASMINE

Director: Dax Phelan

USA

Cast: Jason Tobin; Byron Mann; Sarah Lian

Synopsis: JASMINE is a gripping and chilling psychological thriller about a man still struggling to come to terms with his grief nearly a year after his wife’s unsolved murder.

Fence

THE BLUES BROTHERS

Director: John Landis

USA

Cast: John Belushi; Dan Aykroyd; James Brown; Cab Calloway; Ray Charles; Aretha Franklin; John Lee Hooker

Synopsis: Jake Blues, just out from prison, puts together his old band to save the Catholic home where he and brother Elwood were raised.

the-look-of-silence

THE LOOK OF SILENCE

Director: Joshua Oppenheimer

Denmark/Finland/Indonesia/Norway/UK

Synopsis: In Joshua Oppenheimer’s companion piece to the Oscar® nominated THE ACT OF KILLING, a family of survivors of the 1965 Indonesian genocide discovers how their son was murdered and the identity of the men who killed him. The youngest brother is determined to break the spell of silence and fear under which the survivors live, and so confronts the men responsible for his brother’s murder – something unimaginable in a country where killers remain in power.

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PLAYING IT COOL (North American Premiere)

Director: Justin Reardon

USA

Cast: Chris Evans; Michelle Monaghan; Luke Wilson; Aubrey Plaza; Topher Grace; Anthony Mackie

Synopsis: It’s this generation’s SWINGERS meets (500) DAYS OF SUMMER. The story is fresh, quirky, and weirdly relatable as this young, slightly pretentious man falls for an unlikely girl, and will stop at nothing to get her even after realizing she’s already in a relationship.

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WELCOME TO LEITH

Director: Michael Beach Nichols; Christopher K. Walker

USA

Synopsis: A white supremacist attempts to take over a small town in North Dakota.

western

WESTERN

Director: Bill Ross; Turner Ross

USA/Mexico

Synopsis: For generations, all that distinguished Eagle Pass, Texas from Piedras Negras, Mexico was the Rio Grande. But when darkness descends upon these harmonious border towns, a cowboy and lawman face a new reality that threatens their way of life.

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Online ticket sales will be available for members only beginning Monday, March 16 at www.DallasFilm.org , with online ticket sales opening to the public on Thursday, March 19. The physical Prekindle Box Office at Mockingbird Station will open on Thursday, March 26.

The First Ten Films for the 2014 Dallas International Film Festival have been Announced!

Posted by :Susan Kamyab On : March 4, 2014
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Category: Coming Soon, Special Features

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THE DALLAS FILM SOCIETY ANNOUNCES THE FIRST TEN FILMS FOR

THE 2014 DALLAS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

AutoNation Returns as Presenting Sponsor

And Lascaux Films Presents Debut of Audience Awards

DALLAS, TX, March 3, 2014 —The Dallas Film Society announced today the first 10 films chosen to screen at the 8th edition of theDallas International Film Festival, presented by AutoNation April 3 – 13, 2014. Also announced is the debut of Audience Awardssponsored by Lascaux Films.

“Approximately 150 films from all over the world will be screened during the 11-day Festival and selecting the first ten films is like completing the first mile in a marathon,” said James Faust, artistic director, Dallas Film Society.  It’s exhilarating and exhausting selecting the best among the thousands of outstanding entries we receive and announcing the entire line-up is the moment I reach the finish line and the fun of the festival begins!”

“We are incredibly grateful for all DIFF sponsors.  The return of AutoNation further substantiates their commitment to community and we are very excited to welcome them back as the Presenting Sponsor in 2014,” added Lee Papert, president and CEO of the Dallas Film Society.  “As a true filmmaker’s festival, we are so happy to offer the Audience Awards this year.  The debut of Audience Awards, offering a cash prize of $5000 in the categories of Narrative Feature, Documentary Feature and Short Film, made possible by Lascaux Films, provides filmmakers a level of recognition that confirms their film resonated with the audience.”

“AutoNation is thrilled to return as the Presenting Sponsor for 2014 DIFF,” said Wendi Madden Inglis, Regional Marketing Director for AutoNation.  “At AutoNation, we consider our customers to be our top priority and supporting the arts is a way we can give back to the communities in which they live.  DIFF brings great films to the Dallas area and it is our pleasure as a company to assist in such an important Film Festival.”

The DIFF 2014 films will not only represent works from America, and Texas in particular, but also films from Poland and Hong Kong and classics from years gone-by — truly an international and timeless offering.

 

WORDS AND PICTURES  

 

(USA)

DIRECTOR: Fred Schepisi

Cast: Keegan Connor Tracy, Clive Owen, Juliette Binoche

SYNOPSIS: An art instructor and an English teacher form a rivalry that ends up with a competition at their school in which students decide whether words or pictures are more important.

 

JOE   

                         

(USA)

DIRECTOR: David Gordon Green

Cast: Nicholas Cage, Tye Sheridan, Ronnie Gene Blevins

SYNOPSIS: An ex-con, who is the unlikeliest of role models, meets a 15-year-old boy and is faced with the choice of redemption or ruin.

 

HELLION 

                

(USA)

DIRECTOR: Kat Candler

Cast: Aaron Paul, Juliette Lewis, Josh Wiggins

SYNOPSIS: When motocross and heavy metal obsessed, thirteen-year-old, Jacob’s increasing delinquent behavior forces CPS to place his little brother, Wes, with his aunt, Jacob and his emotionally absent father, Hollis, must finally take responsibility for their actions and for each other in order to bring Wes home.

 

QUEENS & COWBOYS: A STRAIGHT YEAR ON THE GAY RODEO 

(USA)

DIRECTOR: Matt Livadary

SYNOPSIS: QUEENS & COWBOYS: A STRAIGHT YEAR ON THE GAY RODEO chronicles a complete season of the International Gay Rodeo Association. Roping and riding across North America for the past 30 years, the IGRA’s courageous cowboys and cowgirls brave challenges both in and out of the arena on their quest to qualify for the World Finals at the end of the season. And along the way, they’ll bust every stereotype in the book.

 

RICH HILL  

                                                                                                 

(USA)

DIRECTOR: Tracy Droz Tragos and Andrew Droz Palermo

SYNOPSIS: RICH HILL intimately chronicles the turbulent lives of three boys living in an impoverished Midwestern town and the fragile family bonds that sustain them.

 

ABOVE ALL ELSE  

(USA)

DIRECTOR: John Feige

SYNOPSIS: One man will risk it all to stop the tar sands of the Keystone XL oil pipeline from crossing his land. Shot in the forests, pastures, and living rooms of rural East Texas, ABOVE ALL ELSE follows David Daniel as he rallies neighbors and environmental activists to join him in a final act of brinkmanship: a tree-top blockade of the controversial pipeline. What begins as a stand against corporate bullying becomes a rallying cry for climate protesters nationwide.

 

IDA

                                                                                                        

(Poland)

DIRECTOR: Pawel Pawlikowski

SYNOPSIS: Anna, a young novitiate nun in 1960s Poland, is on the verge of taking her vows when she discovers a dark family secret dating back to the years of the Nazi occupation.

 

FIRESTORM (NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE)  

                                        

(China/Hong Kong)

DIRECTOR: Alan Yuen

Cast: Andy Lau

SYNOPSIS: A storm is heading to the city of Hong Kong, and with it comes another occurrence so destructive, it vows to bring down everything it touches. A crew of seasoned criminals led by the notorious Nam (Hu Jun), armed with high-powered weapons, pulls off another smooth and violent armored car heist in broad daylight in a crowded street. Whoever tries to get in their way, they will show no mercy. This puts the police force to shame and humiliation.

 

BELIEVE ME (WORLD PREMIERE)  

                                                      

(USA)

DIRECTOR: Will Bakke

Cast: Nick Offerman, Johanna Braddy, Christopher McDonald

SYNOPSIS: Desperate, broke, and out of ideas, four college seniors start a fake Christian charity to embezzle money for tuition

 

PARIS, TEXAS (1984) 30th Anniversary Screening reuniting cast and crew at the Historic Texas Theatre. 

(West Germany/USA/France/UK)

DIRECTOR: Wim Wenders

Cast: Harry Dean Stanton, Nastassja Kinski, Dean Stockwell

SYNOPSIS: A man wanders out of the desert after a four year absence. His brother finds him, and together they return to L.A. to reunite the man with his young son. Soon after, he and the boy set out to locate the mother of the child, who left shortly after the man disappeared.

Passes and Tickets

DIFF passes are on sale at the online Prekindle box office at www.DallasFilm.org and range from $125 for a Festival Lounge Pass to $750 for an all-access Star Pass, which includes:

  • All-access pass to all screenings
  • One invitation to the Opening Night Screening & Gala on April 3, 2014, subject to availability.
  • Admission for one person to all Centerpiece screenings and parties during the Festival
  • Access for one person to the Festival Lounge. (Must be 21 or over to enter the Festival Lounge or to consume alcohol.)
  • Admission for one person to all regular film screenings and panel discussions
  • Dallas International Film Festival swag bag full of unforgettable merchandise

Starting March 17, individual tickets and passes can be purchased at the Prekindle Main Box Office in Mockingbird station, and online atwww.DallasFilm.org.

Special Features: Dallas Film Society Exceeds Kickstarter Goal!

Posted by :Susan Kamyab On : January 8, 2014
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Category: Special Features

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THE DALLAS FILM SOCIETY RINGS IN 2014
BY EXCEEDING KICKSTARTER GOAL

The Dallas Film Society is ringing in 2014 with a celebratory and grateful spirit for all of the generous donations from 234 supporters across the globe. The Dallas Film Society exceeded their Kickstarter goal for the upcoming 8th annual Dallas International Film Festival in 2014. The campaign, designed to raise funds to bring in talent, producers and directors of the films showcased at the festival, raised a total of $35,870, 2.5% more than their initial goal. To date, more than 1,234 filmmakers, representing more than 50 countries have attended the past seven festivals.

“What an outstanding response by the national and local backers to our Kickstarter campaign, our first ever attempt at ‘crowdfunding’” said Lee Papert, President and C.E.O of the Dallas Film Society. “The Dallas International Film Festival is continuously growing and we look forward to bringing another successful festival to Dallas with the help of all the donors to this Kickstarter effort.”

The 8th-annual Dallas International Film Festival will be held April 3 to April 13, 2014. Late submissions for the film festival ended on Friday December 13, 2013.