September 27, 2022
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Author

Kelly Kitchens

Kelly J Kitchens (Wickersham), film publicist As an editor and feature writer, Kelly J. Kitchens found herself engrossed in North Texas’ arts, entertainment, leisure/hospitality and fund-raising events scene in the early and mid-'90s where she was a feature writer, critic and editor for a weekly arts and entertainment magazine in Dallas called The Met. Her love of film, music, art, theater and worthy causes drove her to then pursue the publicity side of the media business in 1995. Kelly has been honored by being named a “master publicist” in the Fort Worth Business Press and an “ace media maven” in The Dallas Morning News. For more than 25 years, Kelly has had her hand in much of the Dallas film world. For instance, she publicized Angelika Film Centers openings in Dallas and Plano and the revitalization of Houston’s Angelika. She is the director of press and publicity for several area film festivals and independent films playing at other film festivals. And in 2022, she plans to return to be the publicist for Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas in DFW. During the pandemic, Kelly wasn’t sure where her career would take her. Fortunately, she was able to help save Thin Line Film Festival, Dallas VideoFest's DocuFest and AltFiction Fest, Pegasus Film Festival, among other film festivals as they turned to go virtual instead of canceling. As the world emerges from the pandemic, Kelly is working on publicity for Pegasus Media Project, Who Needs Sleep Telethon, as well as several films making their ways into the festival circuit and an Amazon series nominated for a Daytime Emmy, #WASHED. One of Kelly’s specialties is her Media Roundtables. RTs are modified press conferences that turn into conversations and virtual film schools with filmmakers, festival directors and anyone else she happens to be working with at the time. Get a feel for these media roundtables at this YouTube playlist: https://tinyurl.com/KJKPRMediaRoundtables


Film
Dallas VideoFest Celebrates Silent Movie Day Screening Comedy SAFETY LAST @ Texas Theatre
Kelly Kitchens Posted On September 15, 2022


Dallas VideoFest celebrates the 2nd annual National Silent Movie Day by screening the comedy classic SAFETY LAST (1923) starring Harold Lloyd at the Texas Theatre (231 Jefferson Blvd, Dallas) at 7 pm on Thursday, September 22.

Lloyd was a comedian who looked like a normal guy wearing horn-rimmed glasses. In this film, he tries to impress his girlfriend and his boss by staging a publicity stunt where a friend will climb up the side of a tall building to bring shoppers to his department store. The friend has a run-in with the police, so poor Harold has to climb the building instead!  It is a comedy filled with thrills and laughs.  The film also stars Mildred Davis, who married Lloyd in real life a few months later.

SHORT COMEDY SILENT INCLUDED

In addition to the feature, the Texas Theatre will also be screening the short comedy YOUNG MR. JAZZ (1919) also stars Harold Lloyd.  Before producing and starring in feature comedies, Lloyd learned his comedy craft in over a hundred short comedies that were released almost once a week. In this film, the father of Lloyd’s girlfriend (played by Bebe Daniels) forbids her to see The Boy again. She sneaks out of the house, but her angry father is in hot pursuit. The Boy and his girl slip into a Jazz club, but the clientele there is quite rough. When the father shows up, there is no place to hide – or is there?

BART WEISS ON HAROLD LLOYD

“When many people think about silent film comedy, they first think about Charlie Chaplin and then Buster Keaton. Both were brilliant and popular. But the singular image representing the silent comedy universe is from the SAFETY LAST with Harold Lloyd,” said Bart Weiss, founder and artistic director of Dallas VideoFest.  “At the time, he was extremely popular, and we get the opportunity to see why in the showing of this very classic film. Here is how and where it did the shot with the clock on the outside of the building:

https://silentlocations.com/2012/02/29/how-harold-lloyd-filmed-safety-last/“

NEVER REALLY SILENT

Silent films were never shown completely silent.  Usually, live music was provided to accompany the film. The music would be provided live by a pianist, an organist, an ensemble, or even a full symphony orchestra. For SAFETY LAST, the Texas will use a recorded score written and conducted by Carl Davis and his orchestra.

ORIGINS OF SILENT MOVIE DAY

September 29th will be the second annual Silent Movie Day.  Last year, it was started as “National Silent Movie Day,” and it has now gone international. Three archivists started the movement: Brandee Cox of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, Chad Hunter of the Pittsburgh Silent Film Society and Stephen K. Hill of the UCLA Film and Television Archive.

WHY SILENT FILMS ARE IMPORTANT

“Silent films usually get ignored when movie buffs talk about classic films so this day is an event to promote live screenings of classic silent movies worldwide,” said Bruce Calvert, DFW silent film historian and archivist.

“The popular misconception about silent movies is that they were jerky and moved too fast, and the photography was poor. None of that was actually true. In the 1950s and 1960s, silent films were shown on television at the wrong speed using scratched-up prints. While many silent movies do survive in poor prints, they didn’t look that way when first shown a hundred years ago. And unfortunately, about 80% of silent movies are lost, possibly forever, as the studios did not see any reason to preserve them after they had been released and rereleased to theaters,” Calvert concluded.

IN ADDITION

In addition to silent movie screenings worldwide on September 29th, Turner Classic Movies (TCM) will be showing silent movies all da on that cable channel.

“Silents, Please” is an overview of Silent Films that would be great to share with your audience:

https://youtu.be/aCOPKbbnr4I

https://youtu.be/aCOPKbbnr4I?t=230

A very special thank you, Bruce Calvert, for bringing this idea and the film to Dallas VideoFest and Texas Theatre’s audiences.


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Film
Al Franken “Doggone it people like you” to Receive the Ernie Kovacs Award
Kelly Kitchens Posted On August 15, 2022


Dallas VideoFest is proud to award comedian and former US Senator Al Franken, best known for his work on the NBC staple, “Saturday Night Live,” with the coveted Ernie Kovacs Award at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 22, at the Texas Theatre (231 W. Jefferson Blvd. – Oak Cliff/Dallas). Immediately following the Kovacs event, DVF will show the 2006 documentary, AL FRANKEN: GOD SPOKE. VIP meet-and-greet reception with Al Franken upstairs at the Texas Theatre and; event and film downstairs at the Texas.

To purchase tickets, go to http://VideoFest.org.

Ernie Kovacs has been a key component of the Dallas VideoFest since the Festival began in 1987. Franken will be on hand to receive the award from Dallas VideoFest’s Founder and Artistic Director Bart Weiss. Joshua Mills, son of Edie Adams and keeper of the Kovacs flame, will also attend.

Of course, Al Franken

Throughout the 15 years Franken was associated with “Saturday Night Live” starting with the very first show in 1975, he wrote, performed in and produced hundreds of sketches, including the well-known and often recited “Daily Affirmations with Stuart Smalley.” Franken won five Emmys for writing and producing during his 15 seasons with “SNL.”

Al Franken on learning he would be the recipient of the 2022 Ernie Kovacs Award:

“Ernie Kovacs’ influence on comedians of my generation is not often told these days. I was maybe ten years old when I first watched ‘The Ernie Kovacs Show.’ Like many young avid fans of comedy, I was immediately struck by his wholehearted and brilliant embrace of absurdity. The Nairobi Trio, for example, was nothing like anything anyone had ever seen. Many comedians today talk about the tremendous influence of David Letterman and Conan O’Brien – and deservedly so. Both have inspired today’s generation of comedians in the same way that Kovacs inspired me and so many others. I am humbled that the Dallas VideoFest is honoring me with The Ernie Kovacs Award. I’m not sure I deserve it.”

Bart Weiss, founder/artistic director of Dallas VideoFest, on the importance of Ernie Kovacs:

”The very first program of our festival in 1987 was Edie Adams showing the work of Ernie Kovacs. Ernie’s innovative spirit has been with us these 35 years. The Kovacs Award became the perfect way to honor those whose comedy change the way we look at TV/Video much like Kovacs did.

“One can draw a very clear line between Ernie Kovacs’ characters like Percy Dovetonsils and Al Franken’s Stuart Smalley. Both understood how to harness the power of TV comedy to help us see the world differently.

“Yes, Al, we obviously think you are good enough, smart enough and doggone it people like you.”

Joshua Mills, Edie Adams’s son and keeper of Ernie Kovacs Estate:
“Al Franken’s humor, his dry wit and his irreverent characters are part of a long comedy continuum that connects everyone and everything from Ernie Kovacs to Monty Python to David Letterman, Conan O’Brien and others who helped shaped modern comedy. From Stuart Smalley to Medieval Barber Theodoric of York, it’s about time we usher in the Al Franken Decade in 2022 with The Ernie Kovacs Award.”

About Al Franken
As far as anyone knows, Al Franken is the only U.S. Senator who was also one of the original writers for “Saturday Night Live.”

He’s also the author of four #1 New York Times bestsellers, including “Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations,” “Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them – A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right,” and “Al Franken, Giant of the Senate.”

Franken served Minnesota in the Senate from 2009-2018, clobbering his first opponent, incumbent Senator Norm Coleman, by 312 votes. He won his second election by well over 200,000 votes. Franken served on the Judiciary, Energy, Indian Affairs, and HELP (Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions) Committees where he routinely embarrassed badly prepared witnesses and was a fierce opponent of media concentration, mandatory arbitration, and Betsy DeVos.

“The Al Franken Podcast” is one of the nation’s top-ten politics and public affairs podcasts with guests like Malcolm Nance, Sarah Silverman, Paul Krugman, Chris Rock, and Michelle Obama. Well, not Michelle Obama but guests like her.

His political action committee, Midwest Values PAC, supports progressive Democrats, voting rights, and a host of other good, non-political things.

Al and his wife, Franni, have been married for 45 years, many of them happy. They have two kids and four grandchildren.

About the Ernie Kovacs Award
The Ernie Kovacs Award recognizes the career and talents of some of television’s greatest visionaries. Kovacs’ work in the 1950s and early 1960s summed up the spirit of innovation and the development of the language of television as art.

The Dallas VideoFest and the Video Association of Dallas announced the first Ernie Kovacs Award at the 1997 festival. Comedian Joel Hodgson of “Mystery Science 3000” was the first recipient and subsequent honorees have included Terry Gilliam and – our last recipient in 2019 – John Cleese, both of “Monty Python;” Robert Smigel, writer/performer of “Saturday Night Live” and “Late Night with Conan O’Brien;” Paul “Pee-wee Herman” Reubens; Martin Mull; Mike Judge; George Schlatter, creator of “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In;” Harry Shearer, “This is Spinal Tap” and “The Simpsons;” Michael Nesmith; Dave Foley and Kevin McDonald of “The Kids in the Hall, in 2017;” and Amy Sedaris, the first woman to receive the Ernie Kovacs Award in 2018.

Actress Edie Adams (http://edieadams.com/), Kovacs’ widow, came to Dallas to host the awards program annually until her death in 2008. Today, Edie’s son, Joshua Mills runs Ediad Productions the video and audio archive of both Ernie Kovacs and Edie Adams. As the official archivist for the Ernie Kovacs/Edie Adams (Ediad) Collection, Ben Model curated the “Ernie Kovacs Collection” DVD box sets for Shout! Factory, as well as the box set of “Here’s Edie” shows for MVD.


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Film
Angelika Hosts Pre-Release of PARAGOLD | A Documentary of 4 Paralympian Equestrians
Kelly Kitchens Posted On March 2, 2022


Special event raises funds for ManeGait in North Texas

PARAGOLD, from award-winning Filmmaker, Ron Davis, that follows four Paralympian equestrians as they qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Games that took place in 2021.

The film screening is sponsored by The Andrea-Mennen Family Foundation and will benefit DFW’s ManeGait Therapeutic Horsemanship, a nonprofit that serves individuals of all ages with a wide range of disabilities, including military veterans and first responders experiencing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

About the Film

PARAGOLD features Roxy Trunnell, Rebecca Hart, David Botana, and Sydney Collier on their quest to represent the United States on the podium at the 2020 Paralympic Games. As each rider has their own unique disability it is through their sheer determination, hard-learned skills, love of sport, teamwork, and the bond with their equine partner that they can set aside their physical limitations and compete on a level playing field.

“The film will be an inspiration to all ages who are setting out to achieve dreams,” said event producer, Chey Reynolds.

For Davis, who has dedicated his film career to telling the stories of people who break down stereotypes, a focus on para-dressage for his latest documentary was a natural fit.

“The timing of PARAGOLD is important,” says Rebecca Hart. “As the world shifts to embrace differences in people. People are beginning to realize that what makes us different is what can also make us strong.”

Both Ron Davis and Paralympian, Rebecca Hart will in attendance to participate in an audience Q&A following the two film screenings.

About ManeGait Therapeutic Horsemanship

Founded in 2007 by business and community leaders Bill and Priscilla Darling and their daughter, Landon Darling Schneider, the nonprofit community center focuses on equine therapy and brain-building programs for individuals with disabilities with the support of 26 skilled therapy horses and 1,200 active volunteers.

“Just like the Paralympians in the documentary, ManeGait riders move beyond their boundaries through equine-assisted activities that contribute positively to their cognitive, physical, emotional, and social well-being. Demand for ManeGait programs has led to a waitlist of over 400 children and adults. Funds raised through the ParaGold pre-release screening will help bring awareness and support to ‘The Beacon Project,’ a capital expansion on ManeGait’s existing site in Collin Country, that will more than double program capacity,” said ManeGait Executive Director, Patricia Nelson.

Learn more at http://ManeGait.org.

PARAGOLD Screening Details

When: March 26 at 4:30 p.m.; 7:30 p.m.

Where: Angelika Film Center – Plano, The Shops at Legacy, 7205 Bishop Rd.

Screening Times:

4:30 p.m. Screening post film Q&A – $25 donation to ManeGait

7:30 p.m. VIP screening, Q&A, followed by Meet & Greet Reception – $50 donation to ManeGait

Link to Seats:

http://paragold-manegait.eventbrite.com


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Dallas VideoFest  / Film
Dallas VideoFest Features Premiere of Cheryl Allison’s HONK, COVID Tale of a Goose
Kelly Kitchens Posted On February 9, 2022


Dallas VideoFest announces its transition into the future. This year, 2022 kicks off DVF’s Curated Film Series with the world premiere of the documentary, HONK, a film by DVF alumni, Cheryl Allison, screens Wednesday, March 2nd, at 7:30 pm at Angelika Film Center – Dallas, 5321 E Mockingbird Ln. in Mockingbird Station.

Dumped and alone at a city park, Honk spent his days dodging cars, begging for food and looking for friends. When Cheryl Allison unexpectedly crossed Honk’s path in March 2020, what followed was a story in which fairy tales are made. 

“This is a film for the moment. This is a film that is meant for families and can spark conversations including wildlife around us, picking up after ourselves and others outside, and helping our communities. This film could not have come to us at a more perfect time especially after the turmoil that the world has seen because of the pandemic. With this documentary, created by a filmmaker who aims to spread light on the critical issues, Dallas VideoFest is able to focus on the films that are important as it begins our new path,” says Bart Weiss, founder and artistic director of Dallas VideoFest.

HONK documentary was made possible through a generous grant from the Friends of the Bath House Cultural Center. Funded by Milfred and Patricia Hammerbacher.

 

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Film
Dallas VideoFest’s Bart Weiss Remembers Michael Nesmith | 2016 Ernie Kovacs Award Winner
Kelly Kitchens Posted On December 13, 2021


Michael Nesmith, who Friday December 10th, lived in Dallas and graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School before he became a Monkee. He accepted the Ernie Kovacs Award from Video Association of Dallas and Dallas VideoFest on Oct 1, 2016.

Bart Weiss, founder of Dallas VideoFest:

“I am very sad to hear of the passage of Michael Nesmith. On Oct 1, 2016, I got to meet him when we honored him with the Ernie Kovacs Award, for his pioneering work in video. I, of course, knew of his work, but it was such a pleasure to get to know him.

“That night was truly special.  We’ve had many great honorees over the years, but Nesmith was deeply honored and spoke eloquently about his work and what he believed in. Then he turned around and talked about what the festival believed in.  The evening started with a special video made by AMS Productions about Nez’s mother and how her company was so ahead of its time,  hiring a multicultural workforce and giving paid maternity leave. Everyone who was there that night was touched by someone special. He will be missed, and he will be remembered.”

Watch Ernie Kovacs Award show…


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Film
WHO NEEDS SLEEP Telethon Returns with Celebrity Appearances from the Mavericks, Cowboys and Stars
Kelly Kitchens Posted On November 15, 2021


36-Hour Telethon aims to raise money for cancer fighters on Saturday, December 4, 2021

WHO NEEDS SLEEP, a 36-hour variety telethon broadcast, returns for its fifth year to entertain and inform audiences while raising funds for North Texas cancer fighters. The telethon begins Saturday, December 4 at 8:00 pm CT and will be broadcast live at WhoNeedsSleep.org, and VokalNow.com.

RAISING MONEY WHILE ENTERTAINING

The telethon mixes live music and comedy performances, game shows, celebrity and athlete interviews, and special in-studio surprises. Viewers are urged to pledge money through donations over the course of the telethon, as well as bidding on unique sports and pop culture auction items. 

BENEFICIARIES 

Proceeds from the 2021 campaign will benefit the hematology and oncology wards of Cook Children’s Hospital of Fort Worth.

“Cook Children’s is honored and grateful to be a beneficiary of this event. Funds raised through WHO NEEDS SLEEP are helping us provide the best care to the patients in our Hematology and Oncology Program. Without the support of our community, we would not be able to provide leading-edge clinical research and additional resources to help families during their Cook Children’s journey,” said Grant Harris, Chief Development Officer / Senior Vice President of Cook Children’s Health Foundation.

The telethon will be produced live at Music City Mall in Lewisville, who will also be holding their Christmas tree lighting ceremonies and the arrival of Santa Claus during the livecast. 

“Last year, though we were broadcasting in a ‘bubble’ during the pandemic, we still loved being at Music City Mall during the event – the holiday spirit truly lent an added level of excitement,” said Executive Director Devin Pike, who will be on-air through the entirety of WHO NEEDS SLEEP, with a revolving cast of co-hosts.

UPDATE: SPECIAL GUEST STARS 

The WHO NEEDS SLEEP team has confirmed the return of voice-over legend Rob Paulsen, along with first-time guests MST3K‘s Trace Beaulieu and Frank Conniff; actor Burton Gilliam; comedian Paul Varghese; a “hall-of-fame” sports announcers roundtable with Brad Sham (Dallas Cowboys), Eric Nadel (Texas Rangers), Josh Bogorad (Dallas Stars) and Mark Followill (Dallas Mavericks); musicians Chance Munsterman, Sean Cole Silagy, Delta Rage, and Remy Reilly; and Atlanta Braves legend Steve Avery. 

About WHO NEEDS SLEEP

The telethon is produced by the Who Needs Sleep Foundation, a 501(c)3 registered organization solely tasked with raising and distributing funds to cancer-fighting individuals and organizations.


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Film
Pegasus Media Project Provides One-of-a-Kind Career On-Ramp to Dallas’ Aspiring Film Artists
Kelly Kitchens Posted On November 3, 2021


When Joey Lee graduated with his Bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication, he felt excited about his future. He had created a portfolio of his strongest work and started to look for work in the advertising industry.

Unfortunately, the work never came along with COVID. Ultimately, Lee returned home and to the unfulfilling job he had left prior to attending college.

“I was kind of lost, stuck,” Lee says. “It’s funny. I had just started thinking to myself that maybe the film industry was something I wanted to get into, just because I like writing and telling different stories.”

That’s when Lee heard about Pegasus Media Project, and he applied on the spot. The first program of its kind offered in Dallas and, in fact, in the Nation, the Pegasus Media Project apprenticeship program is designed to give young adults like Lee a pathway into the film and media arts industry.

The State’s Largest Creative Economy
While Dallas-Fort Worth boasts the state’s largest creative economy at $34 billion and over 200,000 jobs, pathways to those careers were built on a culture of unpaid internships.

“But even with paid apprenticeships available, many people still need an on-ramp to qualify for them,” says Wendy Levy, Executive Director of The Alliance for Media Arts + Culture, the national program sponsor for Arts2Work.

In the spring of 2021, Arts2Work, Workforce Solutions Greater Dallas and Pegasus Media Project partnered to provide access to creative careers to people traditionally excluded from those opportunities.

Apprentice Caodan Tran is one of those individuals. “Being Vietnamese-American, I wish I had seen more stories like mine growing up,” she said. “This is something I’ve always wanted access to. I just didn’t know how to get there besides going back to school.”

In launching the program, Arts2Work partners MIT Solve, New Profit, the Alliance for Media Arts + Culture, Workforce Solutions Greater Dallas and Adobe provided a $250,000 cash and in-kind investment in the Dallas pilot program, seeding Pegasus Media Project as a certified Arts2Work Training Center.

A Fast-Paced, Intensive Program
This equipment and infrastructure have been vital to a program serving Dallas’ most underrepresented and underserved communities. Over 15 weeks, film educators, teachers and mentors working in the industry not only trained apprentices in equipment use and technique but quickly set them up to begin telling their own visual stories.

Lee’s mentor, Dallas filmmaker Jake Hochendoner, says he leaped at the opportunity to work with the apprentices.

“I had mentors early on who helped me get to where I am today,” said Hochendoner. “Without those mentors, I would have probably struggled to find myself, find my place, find my voice and be validated as an artist.”

As part of their on-the-job training, Pegasus Media Project apprentices also made films for local performing arts groups, working together telling powerful stories to bring Dallas audiences back to theaters again.

“We want to provide avenues for becoming an individual entrepreneur but also to have the option to hyper-focus on one skill and move into the workforce,” said Daniel Laabs, an independent Dallas filmmaker and lead mentor. “We want to give them as many options as possible and make them as hire-able as possible.”

Gratitude Abounds for Marketable Skills
Having completed the program, Lee says the experience has been meaningful for him and he hopes it will be a springboard to new opportunities for him.

“This program has blown me away,” said Tran, who said the skills she learned through the program felt like the missing link for her. “I have been so grateful.”

As the apprentices embark on their new careers, they will have an opportunity to showcase their short films in the Jobs in Arts + Media (JAM) + Filmmakers Showcase at 7 p.m. Nov. 9 at Angelika Film Center. The event will focus on the skills apprentices acquired, the employers with whom they have networked and their readiness to be hired. Register online for more details.

About Dallas Arts2Work+Pegasus Media Project Initiative
In the spring of 2021, Pegasus Media Project partnered with The Alliance for Media Arts + Culture’s Arts2Work program and implemented an Apprenticeship Workforce Program for visual storytellers of underserved and underrepresented communities in Dallas through project-based, personalized education in digital media, audio/video production and post, cinema studies, emerging media arts and creative technology. This initiative was made possible through MIT Solve, New Profit and Workforce Solutions Greater Dallas.

 

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DIFF  / Film
Real Men Love Cats | CATDADDIES World Premiere at Dallas International Film Festival Oct. 8-10
Kelly Kitchens Posted On September 28, 2021


Filmmaker Mye Hoang’s new documentary, CAT DADDIES  premieres Sunday, Oct 10 at 3 pm in Screen 1 at Alamo Drafthouse Cinema (1005 Botham Jean Blvd., Dallas, TX 75215) as a part of the Dallas International Film Festival – Oct 8-10. Born and raised in North Dallas, Hoang was the founder of the Asian Film Festival of Dallas and an SMU alum.

The film will also screen in October at the famed Newport Beach Film Festival, the stubbornly independent Tallgrass Film Festival, and in November at the Hawaii International Film Festival.

CAT DADDIES focuses on David Giovanni who is living on the streets of New York, determined to stay together with his beloved cat, Lucky. When he’s finally granted a spot in a transitional housing facility that accepts cats, the COVID-19 pandemic and a devastating medical diagnosis put his future together with Lucky in doubt.

David’s journey is interspersed with portraits of other “cat dads” from all over the country and some who struggle to navigate the unprecedented events of 2020 with their little furry friends. They include a group of firefighters, a stuntman, a truck driver, a Bay Area tech worker, a schoolteacher whose cat becomes a viral sensation, and an actor/Instagram influencer. These men couldn’t be more different, but they share an unconditional love for their beloved pets. CAT DADDIES is a refreshing and timely exploration of modern masculinity and the unlikely bond between man and cat.

SPARK OF THE DOCUMENTARY

Hoang’s husband and fellow filmmaker Dave Boyle, who also produced CAT DADDIES, initiated her fascination with cat dads.  Hoang had always been a cat lover and Boyle was indifferent about animals when they met – until one day a cat showed up on Boyle’s doorstep and created an immediate close bond.  As Boyle became a bonafide cat guy, Hoang noticed a transformation in Boyle and in their relationship.  She wondered how many other men could also not know they love cats because they have been conditioned to love dogs.  At the same time, a trend in cat dads on social media and Buzzfeed articles was exploding.  Men and cats were becoming more accepted and even cool with hashtags like #catdad #menwithcats #hotguyswithcats and so forth.

The filming of CAT DADDIES which began in late 2019 was then interrupted in March 2020.  The film inevitably took a slight shift in direction to address the ways in which the events of 2020 affected some of the cat dads and how their beloved pets became a source of healing and self-care.  “I see Cat Daddies as both a collective portrait as well as a time capsule, documenting a challenging year in which people desperately needed hope, relief and companionship,” said Hoang.

About filmmaker, Mye Hoang:

Hoang is the former Executive Director of the Asian Film Festival of Dallas and former Artistic Director of the San Diego Asian Film Festival.  She has directed numerous short films and produced several narrative features such as I WILL MAKE YOU MINE (SXSW 2020) and MAN FROM RENO (2015 Spirit Award nominee).  She is a co-producer on the upcoming documentary feature ASHIMA (2022) featuring acclaimed Japanese American rock climber Ashima Shiraishi.

DETAILS FOR CAT DADDIES:

When: Oct. 10 at 3 p.m.
Where: Alamo Drafthouse Cinema (Cedars) 1005 Botham Jean Blvd, Dallas TX, 75215
Admission: $10
DIFF link: https://dallasfilm.org/film/cat-daddies

In-Person from Film at DIFF: Film director/producer, Mye Hoang and producer/editor Dave Boyle

Watch preview clips…

 


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Film
Dallas VideoFest Ends 34-Year Run | Focus on Tributes, Representation and Politics
Kelly Kitchens Posted On September 10, 2021


REMEMBRANCES
In a special pre-festival kickoff 7 p.m. Sun., Sept. 29 at the Angelika, Dallas VideoFest will take an emotional look back to significant people and moments in Dallas film history. With the screening of the 1929 silent film MAN WITH A MOVIE CAMERA event, Dallas VideoFest will pay homage to late Dallas Composer Jack Waldenmaier.
Waldenmaier, who had a dual career in both music composition and music production, hosted the world premiere of his new score to the 1929 silent film at VideoFest 25.

“This was one of those moments during the festival that was very magical,” said Bart Weiss, founder and artistic director for Dallas VideoFest during its 34-year run. “Everyone who was there felt they had seen something very special.”

Held on National Silent Movie Day, the event will honor Waldenmaier and provide an opportunity for festival-goers to celebrate other friends and film industry vets lost during the pandemic.

=================

Dallas VideoFest34 presents DocuFest+ showcases dozens of documentary features – several premieres – along with shorts Sept. 30 to Oct. 3 at Angelika Film Center – Dallas (5321 E Mockingbird Ln., Dallas).
VideoFest.org

Documentaries explore nonfiction investigations of topics or events deemed worthy of further insight. Its specific storytelling techniques are flourishing like never before – encompassing reportage, memoir, history, and humor. Documentaries have always been an integral part of the Dallas VideoFest experience for 34 years.

TEXAS PREMIERE DOCS
The event features Texas premieres of several films made in Dallas, including Festival-opener PIECES OF US, a film that looks at the personal journeys of LGBTQ+ hate-crime survivors. PIECES OF US screens at 7 p.m. Thurs., Sept. 30 following a Red Carpet for the filmmaker and others at the Festival – a first for Dallas VideoFest.

IN THE PRESENCE OF OTHERS
Dallas VideoFest Founder and Artistic Director Bart Weiss said PIECES OF US and other films featured at the Festival deliver on common DocuFest themes of representation, politics and “the quirky.”

“We’re looking forward to a celebration for the community that gathers each year to experience something different,” said Weiss.

QUIRKY CONTENT CONTINUES
In the quirky category are features of innovative films and filmmakers for which VideoFest has become known – including “Big D,” an annual look at films shot around the world on mobile devices and Tik Toc “Docs,” showcasing documentaries presented in the 30- to 60-second format.

“Tik Tok Docs are an important part of how we point to how things were done in film in the past and how they will be done in the future,” said Weiss. “For years, the festival has screened lots of great shorts, which are so important to the legacy of the Video Fest.” “Big D” screens noon Sat., Oct. 2, and Tik Toc Docs screen 6 p.m. Sun., Oct. 3.

MORE LGBTQ+
Other LGBTQ+ films include BOULEVARD! A HOLLYWOOD STORY about two young songwriters and romantic partners, who find themselves caught in movie star Gloria Swanson’s web when she hires them to write a musical version of SUNSET BOULEVARD.

MORE POLITICAL
Political-themed documentaries focus on timely issues, including the last abortion clinic in Texas (ON THE DIVIDE, 4 p.m. Sat., Oct. 2) and the Hong Kong protests (FACELESS, noon, Sat., Oct. 2).

FILMS ABOUT FILM, ART
Films about Film remains a recurring theme of documentaries that play at VideoFest. This year that includes the final installment of editor Allan Holzman’s series: ART OF DIRECTING, the Israeli documentary IN THE DIRECTOR’S CHAIR SITS A WOMAN, and VJ DIARIES.
Films about Art include JOHN WILCOX-THE RELINQUISHMENT OF TIME, CRUTCH, and JAMES SURLS: THIS PLACE EVERYWHERE about the Texas artist, James Surls’ sculpture at the Dallas Holocaust Museum.

TRULY SPECIAL EVENTS

On Sat. evening, Oct. 2, VideoFest will welcome Houston Filmmaker and Chef Adan Medrano, for a screening of TRULY TEXAS MEXICAN, a documentary focusing on the delicious “Comida Casera” (home cooking) of Texas Mexican-American families. This style of cooking was created by indigenous businesswomen, “Chili Queens,” who rose to fame in the late 1800s.

Following the 7 p.m. screening, patrons will gather at Trompo in Oak Cliff (407 W 10th St #140, Dallas, TX) for a party and meal prepared by Chef Medrano and the Trompo team.

CELEBRATORY OVERTURES
Ending its 34-year run on a celebratory note, the festival will also screen the film FANNY: THE RIGHT TO ROCK Sun. Oct. 3 at Carbaret Drive-in in Richardson (at the lot on the top level in the back of the Shops at Promenade and The Forum Social Club at 300 N. Coit Rd). The after-party celebrating the film and influential all-female band from the 1970s will pick up at The Forum Bar in Richardson.

For Weiss, who conceived and has led the festival ever since its inception in 1987, the end of VideoFest feels bittersweet. “Personally, it’s sad, and in some ways, it’s somewhat of a relief,” he said. “It has been a great ride, but all rides end. I’m looking forward to us all getting together one more time.”

DALLAS VIDEOFEST 34
Fact Sheet

WHAT:
Dallas VideoFest 34 presents DocuFest+ – the last Dallas VideoFest

WHEN and WHERE:

Sept. 29, 7 pm — Dallas VideoFest Tribute and Special Screening of MAN WITH THE MOVIE CAMERA

A special pre-festival kickoff and in honor of National Silent Movie Day, Dallas VideoFest showcases a special screening of MAN WITH THE MOVIE CAMERA as well as tributes to friends and community members who have passed during this time of COVID

Sept. 30 – Oct. 3 — 2 screens
Angelika Film Center – Dallas
Mockingbird Station
5321 E Mockingbird Ln #230
Dallas, TX 75206
Oct. 3, 7:45 pm — FANNY documentary and Closing Night Celebration

Carbaret Drive-In
In the Parking Lot of The Forum Social Club
300 North Coit Road Suite 260
Richardson, Texas 75080

PASSES and TICKETS:
Available online at https://videofest.org/tickets/

Individual Tickets: $10-$15
All-Access Passes: $60
Weekend Passes: $50
Day Passes: $20-$30
Themed Spotlight Passes: $20 (Spotlight Passes include all films in the categories of LGBTQ+, Women, Music and Short Film Blocks)

Connect with VideoFest: (#DVF34)
https://videofest.org/

Sign up for the Video Association Newsletter:
http://tinyurl.com/DVFNewsletter

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/Videofest

Twitter:
https://twitter.com/videofest

Instagram:
http://instagram.com/videofest

About Dallas VideoFest:

VideoFest (https://videofest.org/) is now the oldest and largest video festival in the United States and continues to garner critical and popular acclaim. VideoFest prides itself on bringing films to the theater that are rarely available to be seen anywhere else. Films like Experimental/Art Films, Animation, Narrative and Documentary Shorts as well as Documentary and Narrative Features and some hard-to-find Classic TV episodes and Classic Films are often in the mix.

History of VideoFest: Cutting-Edge Art
Merging art and technology since 1987, VideoFest has specialized in independent, alternative, and non-commercial media, presenting hard-to-find works rarely seen on television, in movie theaters, or elsewhere, despite their artistic excellence and cultural and social relevance. Even in a Web 4.0 environment where everything is seemingly available on the Internet, the VideoFest provides curatorial guidance, a critical voice in the wilderness navigating the vast and diverse landscape of media, helping to interpret its cultural and artistic significance. The event provides a communal environment for real-time, face-to-face dialogue between makers and audiences.

ABOUT VIDEO ASSOCIATION OF DALLAS
The mission of the Video Association is to promote an understanding of video as a creative medium and cultural force in our society and to support and advance the work of Texas artists working in video and the electronic arts.  The Video Association of Dallas (VAD) is a 501(c)(3) organization incorporated on April 25, 1989.  It began in 1986 as a weekend event, Video As A Creative Medium, presented at the Dallas Museum of Art by independent curators Barton Weiss and John Held. That first event, which included two nights of video by selected local and national video artists, was a great popular success, which led to the founding of the Dallas Video Festival (DVF) in 1987. Video Association of Dallas also presents the 24 Hour Video Race, the Texas Show Tour, North Texas College Film Festival, Texas Filmmakers Production Fund workshops, Three Star Cinema, and other programs throughout the year.

VIDEO ASSOCIATION OF DALLAS – 1405 Woodlawn Dallas, TX 75208


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Film
Texas Frightmare Weekend Screens Rondo and Bob
Kelly Kitchens Posted On August 24, 2021


Explores Look Creator of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Howling and The Hills Have Eyes

RONDO AND BOB focuses on Robert A. Burns, a horror film legend for creating the look of seminal films THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE, THE HILLS HAVE EYES, RE-ANIMATOR and THE HOWLING. Burns concocted iconic Leatherface masks and scoured the countryside for bones that filled the low-budget CHAIN SAW set.

Burns was obsessed with actor Rondo Hatton (aka the Creeper), an average man whose face was transformed into a distorted mask by acromegaly because of his deformity found his way into films in the 1930s and ‘40s.

The film reveals both men’s lives/careers through recreations, archival footage and interviews to reveal Burns as a normal-looking man who was brimming with creative weirdness and Hatton as a regular guy cursed with a hideous look. Burns thought himself incapable of love while Hatton found his soulmate.

SPARK OF THE DOCUMENTARY
Burns’ longtime friend Gary Kent, who plays Rondo’s doctor in the reenactments in the RONDO AND BOB, introduced then film journalist Joe O’Connell to Burns in 2000. Burns gave O’Connell a copy of his unproduced screenplay RONDO AND MAE. The documentary which includes reenactment segments follows Burns as he searches for Rondo’s widow, Mae Hatton, and learns his idol’s true story.

“The visual genius Bob Burns brought to horror films is enough to rate a documentary, but I was drawn in by his obsession with Rondo Hatton. I was compelled to tell both men’s very human stories,” said O’Connell. Kent is the subject of O’Connell’s first documentary DANGER GOD about Kent’s B-movie/stuntman career. Kent was partial inspiration for Brad Pitt’s stuntman character in the film, ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD.

About filmmaker, Joe O’Connell:
O’Connell is a former film industry columnist for The Dallas Morning News, The Austin Chronicle, and Austin American-Statesman. He’s writing a book about the Ross Sisters, three contortionists from West Texas who found fleeting fame in the 1940s.

DETAILS FOR RONDO AND BOB:
When: Sept. 10-12 (exact screening date/time to come)
Where: Texas Frightmare Weekend, Hyatt Regency DFW International Airport
Admission: TexasFrightmareWeekend.com
Links: RondoAndBob.com
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11828004/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rondoandbob
Twitter: https://twitter.com/rondoandbob

Watch trailer…


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