Speakers Include The Charity Network, Todd Wagner, Tom West plus Anita Swift and Marisa Wayne (the Granddaughter and Daughter of Silver Screen Legend, John Wayne)
The Dallas Film Society announced special guests and speakers for their upcoming fundraising luncheon on Tuesday, September 27, to honor longtime DFS supporters, members, and noted film lovers Anne and Steve Stodghill as they celebrate this year’s 10th Anniversary of the film organization.
Held at sixtyfivehundred (6500 Cedar Springs Road), the luncheon will now feature Todd Wagner (Founder and Chairman of The Charity Network, and CEO of 2929 Entertainment), a former Dallas Star Award honoree as a guest speaker who will also be interviewed by the Dallas Morning News’s Robert Wilonsky as part of the event, Tom West, the Chief Advancement Officer for the American Film Institute, and Anita Swift and Marisa Wayne, the granddaughter and daughter of beloved Western Cinema legend John Wayne, joining DFS’s Board Chair Mark Denesuk, and DFS President and CEO Lee Papert addressing those gathered to honor Anne and Steve Stodghill. The event chairs for the luncheon are Suzanne Bock Grishman, the Executive Director of the Mercury One Foundation, and her husband, Michael Grishman.
Denesuk said, “To have Todd Wagner, a friend and supporter of the Dallas Film Society from its earliest days, AFI’s Tom West, and the Duke’s own daughter and granddaughter on hand doesn’t just show the loyalty and support of these great individuals, friends, and organizations for the Dallas Film Society, but also for Anne and Steve. The presence of each of these people underlines the personal connection exemplified by the Stodghills and DFS, and this city, frankly.”
Avowed movie buffs, Anne and Steve Stodghill have both passionately supported several film causes locally in Dallas, and nationally as well. Steve has served as a Board Member of the Dallas Film Society, and together they were Co-Chairs of the 2009 Dallas International Film Festival, as well as being the hosts of the annual Stodghill Classic Movie Night at each of the past editions of the Dallas International Film Festival and AFI Dallas (as it was previously known). In addition, Steve is also Vice-Chair of the National Council of the American Film Institute, and is an avid collector of movie memorabilia (with a fondness for items from the Batman comics, television show and films, as well as John Wayne films).
Steve Stodghill said, “It is incredibly flattering to have been chosen to have an event like this put together in our honor, and it is more than fitting that it coincides with a celebration of the Dallas Film Society’s first ten years. Anne and I have loved being a part of the Dallas Film Society family from day one, and have been very happy to lend a hand and share our love of movies with a city that we equally love. We look forward to more great screenings and magic movie moments at DIFF and with DFS.”
The Dallas Film Society sponsors, promotes, and produces film screenings, events, and film education and outreach opportunities year-round, and is noted for its efforts to support and work with all film organizations and theaters throughout the Dallas/Fort Worth area, if not all of Texas. The Dallas International Film Festival, which celebrated its 10th Anniversary in April has become Dallas’s largest signature film focused event. To date, DIFF has brought more than 1600 filmmakers to Dallas, distributed more than $765,000 in cash/pro bono prizes to filmmakers, received more than 12,000 film entries from more than 50 countries, and screened 95 world premieres and 41 U.S. premieres among the 1600 feature films and short films for Dallas audiences.
Papert said, “The Dallas Film Society has not just stood the test of time as the primary organization celebrating and promoting filmmaking as an art form on the same level as all of the other arts, we have built a deep and lasting relationship with the film going community of Dallas, as well as provided a depended upon support structure for filmmakers, both local and beyond. Yet, we have only been able to do that because of the steadfast efforts of talented and generous individuals like Anne and Steve Stodghill, who have been pillars of support for both the organization and the film festival itself for a decade. It will be a wonderful moment to thank them on behalf of the organization and the city, in such an official and public way.”
The Dallas Film Society is dedicated to championing the art of film. Their goal, to raise the bar for film in Dallas. To increase the awareness of and appreciation for America’s greatest art form. They do this year-round through the production of the Dallas International Film Festival, through their High School education program, by hosting The Art of Film benefit gala, by coordinating film screening’s and series’ and more.
Sponsorships for the luncheon begin at the $2,500 level. Individual tickets begin at $150. For more information, please go to www.dallasfilm.org.
ABOUT THE DALLAS FILM SOCIETY The Dallas Film Society celebrates films and their impact on society. A 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, the Dallas Film Society recognizes and honors filmmakers for their achievements in enhancing the creative community, provides educational programs to students to develop a better understanding of the role of film in today’s world, and promotes the City of Dallas and its commitment to the art of filmmaking. The annual Dallas International Film Festival is a presentation of the Dallas Film Society and has been named by Movie Maker Magazine as one of the “25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World.” In addition to producing one of the largest festivals in the Southwest, the Society produces numerous year round events, screening series and programs in partnership with arts organizations around the city. The offices of the Dallas Film Society are located at 3625 North Hall Street, Suite 740, Dallas, TX 75219. For more information about the Dallas Film Society and its ongoing events, visit www.dallasfilm.org or call (214) 720-0555.
