2025 USA Film Festival Announces Official Selections and Special Events for USAFF5 (April 23-27)
The Dallas-based USA Film Festival announces the highly anticipated films and schedule of events for the film festival’s 55th edition taking place on April 23-27. Known for its celebration of new and classic films from the the U.S. and abroad, the Festival once again brings master artists and emerging talents to Dallas to present their works.
Among the highlights over the five-day film festival, will be a star-studded Opening Night including a salute to Hollywood legend Nancy Kwan, with a look at her career and signing of her memoir, “The World of Nancy Kwan,” a salute to filmmaker Jon Avnet, featuring a screening of his latest film, The Last Rodeo, with the film’s stars Neal McDonough and Mykelti Williamson in attendance, and a 25th Anniversary screening of Christopher Nolan’s classic crime-thriller Memento (2000), with actor Stephen Tobolowsky in person. Closing Night will feature a 40th Anniversary screening of Brigitte Berman’s Academy Award-winning documentary Artie Shaw: Time Is All You’ve Got (1985) and works from Texas artists and filmmakers. Also celebrated, will be veteran actor Martin Kove, with a 50th Anniversary screening of the Roger Corman cult classic, Death Race 2000 (1975).
All screenings and events will be held at the Angelika Film Center (5321 E. Mockingbird Lane), with the vast majority of the programming offered free-to-the public. Free parking available.
“We are pleased to once again celebrate Dallas Arts Month with our annual Spring Festival,” USAFF Managing Director Ann Alexander said, “We are honored to bring a number of distinguished Master Artists to our stage in Dallas — including Nancy Kwan, Jon Avnet, Martin Kove, Neal McDonough, Mykelti Williamson, Stephen Tobolowsky and William Shockley — and to celebrate so many talented filmmakers with new works as well as revisiting a few classic favorites. With support from our Sponsors, once again this year most of our programs will be presented as Free admission.”
Nancy Kwan, Jon Avnet, Stephen Tobolowsky, Martin Kove
Opening Night, Wednesday, April 23, will kick off the festival with a Salute to Nancy Kwan. The program will include a film clip compilation followed by an on-stage conversation with Nancy Kwan about her life and career, hosted by author and film historian Foster Hirsch. Kwan’s distinguished film and television career includes film classics and favorites such as The World of Suzie Wong, Flower Drum Song, The Wrecking Crew, Fate Is the Hunter, Arrivederci, Baby! and many more. Ms. Kwan will sign copies of her new memoir, “The World of Nancy Kwan.”
The screening of Jon Avnet’s The Last Rodeo, about a retired rodeo legend who risks it all in a high-stakes bull-riding competition to save his grandson, will highlight the salute to Avnet’s career. Co-written by Avnet, Neal McDonough and Derek Presley, the inspiring film stars McDonough, Sarah Jones, Mykelti Williamson, Christopher McDonald, Ruvé McDonough and Daylon Swearingen. The film will be released by Angel Studios on May 23rd. In attendance will be Jon Avnet, Neal McDonough, Ruvé McDonough, and Mykelti Williamson.
Rounding out USAFF Opening Night will be a 25th Anniversary screening of Christopher Nolan’s mind-bending thriller Memento (2000). Dallas-born actor Stephen Tobolowsky (and SMU alumnus) will attend the festival and discuss his role in the film. The program will be presented with the Hamon Arts Library and G. William Jones Film & Video Collection, SMU Libraries.
UnBroken, Death Race 2000, Long Shadows
Thursday, April 24 will feature Beth Lane’s powerful documentary UnBroken. The daughter of a Holocaust survivor, Lane embarks on an international quest to uncover answers about the plight of her mother and her six siblings who, as mere children, escaped Nazi Germany. Lane will participate in a post-screening Q&A. Preceding the feature film will be director Mitch Yapko’s short film, Watching Walter, starring Stephen Tobolowsky in the title role. Set in both 1995 Philadelphia and World War II Nazi occupied Poland, the film is based on the true story of Holocaust survivor-turned watchmaker Wladyslaw “Walter” Wojnas. Mitch Yapko, Stephen Tobolowsky, writer/executive producer Mark Dylan Brown and executive producer/actor Cynthia Gravinese-Brown will all be in attendance.
Saturday, April 26 will be highlighted by a Salute to Martin Kove in conjunction with a 50th Anniversary screening of Death Race 2000 (1975). Directed by Paul Bartel and produced by Roger Corman, the B movie cult classic is a no-holds-barred cross-country thrill-and-kill race where drivers garner points by trying to knock out their opponents along with as many pedestrians as possible. The film stars David Carradine, Sylvester Stallone, Roberta Collins, and Mary Woronov, alongside Kove as the drivers, each with a distinct, campy personae, in the outrageous, mindless joyride that continues to garner new fans five decades later. Kove will attend to talk about the film as well as his best known roles in The Karate Kid, Rambo: First Blood Part II and “Cobra Kai,” among others.
In addition, Saturday will spotlight William Shockley’s feature film directorial debut, Long Shadows. The period Western follows the journey of a young boy, whose parents are savagely murdered. Years later, after aging out of an orphanage, he is intent on revenge but is instead led down a mystifying path. The impressive cast includes Dermot Mulroney, Jacqueline Bisset, Dominic Monaghan, Blaine Maye, Sarah Cortez, Grainger Hines, David St. Louis, Chris Mulkey, Ronnie Gene Blevins and Mike Markoff. Among those attending to present the film include William Shockley, Grainger Hines, Sarah Cortez, Allen Gilmer, Riki Rushing, Tiiu Loigu and Tom Brady.
Also screening on Saturday will be Brandt Johnson’s highly entertaining documentary comedy Rebel with a Clause. The film follows a grammar guru who takes her pop-up grammar advice stand on a road trip across all 50 states to show that comma fights can bring us closer together in a divided time. Brandt Johnson and author/film subject Ellen Jovin will both be in attendance.
On Sunday, April 27, the Festival’s Closing Night line-up will include a 40th Anniversary screening of Brigitte Berman’s newly restored and remastered Artie Shaw: Time Is All You’ve Got (1985). The winner of the 1986 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, Berman’s insightful documentary portrays the restless life and five-decade career of the gifted bandleader known as the “King of the Clarinet.” The film features interviews with notable jazz figures like Polly Haynes, John Wexley, Lee Castle, John Best, Helen Forrest, Buddy Rich, Mel Tormé, Mack Pierce, Frederic Morton, and Evelyn Keyes. This program will be presented in partnership with Sammons Jazz and the Sammons Center for the Arts in celebration of Dallas Jazz Appreciation Month (D’JAM).
Tonic, The Stones Are Speaking, I Got This
Also on Closing Night, local filmmakers writer/director Derek Presley, editor/producer Jason Starne and producer Lola Lott will be on hand to present an USAFF encore screening of Presley’s soon-to-be-released drama-thriller Tonic, which was shot entirely in the Dallas Deep Ellum area. The film follows a washed-up jazz pianist (Billy Blair) whose journey over the course of one-night plunges him into the dark streets of Deep Ellum. The film’s cast also includes Lori Petty, Richard Riehle, Ed Westwick and Vernon Davis.
Two more documentaries will also be spotlighted on Sunday, including writer/director/producer Olive Talley’s The Stones Are Speaking. The film chronicles the inspiring story of how archaeologist Mike Collins, at great risk and personal sacrifice, saved thirty acres of looted land deep in the heart of Texas and revealed it as one of the most significant archeological sites in the Americas. Olive Talley will be in attendance to talk about the film. Ken Mandel’s short documentary I Got This will also be featured. His latest production with Scottish Rite For Children showcases the life-changing work and 50-year career of Dr. Tony Herring, a pediatric orthopedic surgeon who has been working with young children with amputations or born with missing limbs. Both Ken Mandel and Dr. Tony Herring will be at USAFF to participate in a post-screening Q&A.
Hancock Park, Sharp Corner, Village Keeper
Additional highlights among the narrative film selections include: director Daniel Minahan’s stunning drama On Swift Horses. Based on Shannon Pufahl’s novel, adapted by Bryce Kass, the film follows Muriel and Lee – a young 1950s couple whose life is upended with the arrival of Lee’s charismatic brother, a wayward gambler with a secret past. The film stars Daisy Edgar-Jones, Will Poulter, Jacob Elordi, Diego Calva, Sasha Calle, Kat Cunning and Don Swayze. In Jason Buxton’s gripping psychological thriller Sharp Corner a man becomes obsessed with saving the lives of the victims of car accidents that take place in front of his house. The film stars Ben Foster, Cobie Smulders and Will Kosovic. In Amalia Ulman’s absurdist comedy Magic Farm a media crew mistakenly end up in the wrong country while trying to profile a musician. The film stars Chloë Sevigny, Alex Wolff and Simon Rex. In Christina Beck’s clever drama Hancock Park, Ruby, an aged-out actress on the brink of homelessness, plays the role of her life when she goes to stay with her younger sister and suspicious husband. Christina Beck will be in attendance to discuss the film.
In Ricardo de Montreuil’s Mistura, a gorgeously filmed drama set against the rich cultural backdrop of 1960s Lima, a woman embarks on a culinary quest after being unceremoniously abandoned by her husband. In Marianna Palka’s scorchingly intimate Love, Danielle, a woman (Devin Sidell, based on her true story) learns that she carries a BRCA gene mutation and faces the decision whether or not to undergo surgery to lessen her cancer risk. The film also stars Jaime King, Michael Roark, Lesley Ann Warren, Barry Bostwick, Marianna Palka and Ian Owens. In Karen Chapman’s Village Keeper, a grieving widow, paralyzed by anxiety, struggles to protect her kids after having to move back to the community housing project where she grew up. Chapman’s directorial debut is a captivating, uplifting drama.
Whatever It Takes, Housewife of the Year, Hunt for the Oldest DNA
On the documentary front, Jenny Carchman’s jaw-dropping true crime film Whatever It Takes follows a middle-aged couple who are subjected to cyberstalking and bizarre deliveries — leading authorities to close in on a Silicon Valley giant. Ciaran Cassidy Housewife of the Year is the poignant story of a resilient generation of Irish women and how they changed a country. Niobe Thompson’s Hunt for the Oldest DNA is the story of maverick gene hunter Eske Willerslev whose single-minded pursuit of an improbable scientific vision begins with a spoonful of dirt.
Short film programs include narrative shorts, Texas films and filmmakers, and student shorts. Jurors for this year’s USAFF International Short Film Competition include actress/director/educator Karen Allen, actor Jim Beaver, actor Jason Scott Lee, animator/director Bill Haller, actress/producer/documentarian/educator Diane Baker, manager/writer/producer/director Chris Roe, and artist/director/writer Rosson Crow. USAFF will also screen short films from Garland High School and Sachse High School.
For more details and to view the full schedule of programs, visit
https://www.usafilmfestival.com/
Tickets range from Free – $10 (quantities are limited).
ADVANCE TICKETS will be available online beginning April 9th:
https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/55th-annual-usa-film-festival-4150893
DAY-OF-SHOW TICKETS — (Based on availability) Any unsold/unreserved tickets will be made available at the Angelika Film Center upstairs Sales Desk beginning ONE HOUR prior to EACH showtime.
The USA Film Festival is supported in part by the City of Dallas Office of Arts and Culture, the Texas Commission on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts. Presenting Sponsors include Sidley Austin LLP, Dave Perry Miller Real Estate, Gaedeke Group, Carol and Alan J. Bernon Family Charitable Foundation, Moody Fund for the Arts, Headington Company, Dallas Tourism Public Improvement District, Mary Fox and Laura Fox, Dallas Film Commission, Dallas Producers Association, SAG-AFTRA, SMU – Hamon Arts Library, Spracklen Film & Video and the Angelika Film Center.
The 2025 USA Film Festival Official Selections:
SPECIAL OPENING NIGHT SCREENINGS
The Last Rodeo
Director: Jon Avnet
Country: USA, Running Time: 118min
A retired rodeo legend risks it all to save his grandson. Facing his own painful past and the fears of his family, he enters a high-stakes bull-riding competition as the oldest contestant ever. Along the way, he reconciles old wounds with his estranged daughter and proves that true courage is found in the fight for family.
Memento (2000) 25th Anniversary Screening
Director: Christopher Nolan
Country: USA, Running Time: 113min
A landmark film from acclaimed director Christopher Nolan, Memento is a mind-bending thriller whose mesmerizing power grows with every viewing. Guy Pearce stars as Leonard, a man with a bizarre disorder: the inability to form new memories. Ever since that fateful night when his wife was murdered, anyone Leonard has met, or anything he has done, simply vanishes from his mind. Who are his friends? Who are his enemies? What is the truth? The answers change from second to second as Leonard seeks vengeance for his wife’s murder… and sinks into an abyss of uncertainty and danger.
SPECIAL CLOSING NIGHT SCREENINGS
Artie Shaw: Time Is All You’ve Got (1985) 40th Anniversary Screening
Director: Brigitte Berman
Country: USA, Running Time: 116min
Outspoken, manipulative, independent thinking and oftentimes controversial, Artie Shaw (1910-2004) was one of the most popular stars of the Swing Era, who famously broke the color barrier by hiring the legendary Billie Holiday, Hot Lips Page and Roy Eldridge for his bands. Shaw’s complex love-hate relationship with his own celebrity caused him to walk away from performing almost as many times as he walked away from his marriages. Winner of the 1986 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, Brigitte Berman’s insightful documentary portrays the restless life and five-decade career of the gifted bandleader known as the “King of the Clarinet.”
Tonic
Director: Derek Presley
Country: USA, Running Time: 104min
Sebastian Poe (Billy Blair), a washed-up piano player, spends his days and nights performing low paying gigs in Jazz Clubs and dive bars. Sebastian is also in debt to a corrupt police detective Terry (Jason Coviello), who he owes eight-thousand dollars. When Terry asks for his debt to be paid and Sebastian can’t come up with the cash, he tasks Sebastian with killing someone that needs to be taken out. He gives him the rest of the night to complete the job. Over the course of the night, Sebastian’s plight plunges him into the dark streets of Deep Ellum where he comes across an odd assortment of characters all while battling with his conscience and his desire to just f-ing play the piano.
SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS
Death Race 2000 (1975) 50th Anniversary Screening
Director: Paul Bartel
Country: USA, Running Time: 84min
In the year 2000, hit-and-run has become the national sport. Paul Bartel directs the no-holds-barred cross-country thrill-and-kill race with gleeful aplomb where drivers garner points by trying to knock out their opponents along with as many pedestrians as possible, while a resistance group plans to kill the drivers using obstacles sedulously placed along the main course.
ADDITIONAL NARRATIVE FEATURES
Hancock Park
Director: Christina Beck
Country: USA, Running Time: 84min
Fifty-something Ruby Lewis (Christina Beck) is an aging actress who has spent years taking care of her dying father, an alcoholic who earned his living playing cowboys in Hollywood Westerns. Forced to sell the family’s palatial Pasadena home, Ruby puts on her fraying designer gown and straps on her gold heels. Into her Louis Vuitton knockoff duffle bag, she packs a stack of legal documents, her father’s favorite boots, and a box from the crematorium. After a fruitless audition for a role she is wrong for, Ruby arrives in Hancock Park for an extended stay with her younger sister, Sara, and Sara’s injured stuntman husband, Andy. Hotheaded Andy is sure Ruby is withholding their father’s fortune from Sara, while Sara tries her best to stay sober and keep everyone happy. Sara introduces her sister to the downstairs neighbor, Jason, a permanently high, eye-patch-wearing, Telsa-driving, reiki-certified massage therapist, who takes a shine to Ruby. While refusing to admit she’s on the brink of homelessness, Ruby’s theatrical presence and blatant lies quickly cause problems for everyone in the Hancock Park apartment complex. In survival mode, Ruby goes to extremes as she plays the role of her lifetime, weaving a tale of woe while she’s secretly sly as a fox.
Long Shadows
Director: William Shockley
Country: USA, Running Time: 104min
When a young boy’s mother and father are savagely murdered, he ages out of an orphanage intent on revenge, but the love of a young woman and psychological trauma lead him down a mystifying path.
Love, Danielle
Director: Marianna Palka
Country: USA, Running Time: 79min
When Danielle (Devin Sidell), a happily married thirty-something, tests positive for a BRCA1 gene mutation she learns that this puts her at high risk for developing breast and ovarian cancer. Thanks a lot, DNA! She now struggles with daily life, working at her bakery with her hubby Pat (Michael Roark) and hanging out with slightly clueless best buds on game night (Marianna Palka & Ian Owens), while supporting her older, smart-alecky sister Amy (Jaime King) who is already undergoing chemotherapy for a breast cancer diagnosis. Danielle now contemplates preemptively removing her “ticking time bomb” breasts and reproductive organs before cancer can get her, too. Her decision-making process involves flashbacks of her screwed up childhood with absent parents, anesthesia-induced dreams, and stressful confrontations with her recovering alcoholic mother (Lesley Ann Warren) and self-absorbed 70’s western TV star father (Barry Bostwick). Ultimately, Danielle must figure out how to prioritize her health and well-being by putting herself first in this scorchingly intimate and humor-filled triumph.
Magic Farm
Director: Amalia Ulman
Country: USA, Running Time: 93min
When a misguided American documentary crew in search of their next viral segment ends up in the wrong town in rural Argentina, chaos ensues. As they collaborate with locals to fake a new music trend, unexpected relationships form and an unfolding health crisis becomes apparent.
Mistura
Director: Ricardo de Montreuil
Country: Peru, Running Time: 96min
Set against the rich cultural backdrop of 1960s Lima, Ricardo de Montreuil’s compelling drama tells the story of Norma Piet, a woman in her mid-30s whose life is upended when her husband abruptly abandons her. Left to face the scorn of high society and the burden of personal betrayal, Norma’s world collapses as she grapples with isolation and self-doubt. However, her story takes an unexpected turn when she embarks on a journey of self-discovery through the vibrant and diverse world of Peruvian cuisine as she forges an unlikely friendship with the family’s chauffeur, Oscar. As they explore Peru’s culinary heritage together, Oscar helps Norma rediscover her identity and appreciate the beauty in the country’s diversity. Through food, she reclaims her sense of self, transforming her passion into a thriving restaurant business that defies societal expectations.
On Swift Horses
Director: Daniel Minahan
Country: USA, Running Time: 117min
Muriel (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and her husband Lee (Will Poulter) are beginning a bright new life in California when he returns from the Korean War. But their newfound stability is upended by the arrival of Lee’s charismatic brother, Julius (Jacob Elordi), a wayward gambler with a secret past. A dangerous love triangle quickly forms. When Julius takes off in search of the young card cheat he’s fallen for (Diego Calva), Muriel’s longing for something more propels her into a secret life of her own, gambling on racehorses and exploring a love she never dreamed possible.
Sharp Corner
Director: Jason Buxton
Country: USA, Running Time: 110min
Based on the short story from Russell Wangersky’s Giller Prize-nominated collection “Whirl Away,” Sharp Corner is the story of a man’s spiral as he tries to find greater purpose in his life. Josh (Ben Foster), a hapless family man, and his wife, Rachel (Cobie Smulders), escape the city for an idyllic country home — the perfect setting to raise their six-year-old son, Max (Will Kosovic). But on their first night, a fatal car accident on the sharp corner in front of the house disrupts their plans, and Josh finds himself drawn into saving the lives of the car crash victims. As his obsession takes hold, he places his wife and son in jeopardy, setting in motion a series of events that threaten to break his family apart.
Village Keeper
Director: Karen Chapman
Country: USA, Running Time: 83min
Karen Chapman’s directorial debut is a captivating drama which follows a family grappling with secrets that uphold domestic abuse and unresolved rage. After life’s precarious scale tips her fortune back into poverty, Jean relocates her children to move in with their grandmother to the community housing project where she grew up. Jean lives in constant fear of everything that could go wrong, going to great lengths to shelter her children. So when a spree of violence comes to her doorstep, she secretly cleans an abandoned crime scene, which unknowingly leads her on a path that exposes generational chains of silence, self-discovery and finally putting herself first.
ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTARY FEATURES
Housewife of the Year
Director: Ciaran Cassidy
Country: Ireland, Running Time: 81min
Ciaran Cassidy’s Housewife of the Year tells the story of Ireland’s treatment of women through the prism of a unique, surreal, live televised competition, that has to be seen to be believed, where a generation of Irish women competed in front of a live audience for the title of ‘Housewife of the Year.’ Former contestants share their direct experiences of marriage bars, lack of contraception, Magdalene laundries, financial vulnerability, boredom and shame, and of course, of being contestants in the competition.
Hunt For the Oldest DNA
Director: Niobe Thompson
Country: USA, Running Time: 84min
Hunt for the Oldest DNA tells the story of a maverick gene hunter, whose single-minded pursuit of an improbable scientific vision would tease and torment him before ending with a stunning triumph: a lost world recovered from a spoonful of dirt. Two decades ago, Eske Willerslev had a radical idea: Could DNA, the fragile chemical code of life, survive intact in frozen sediment for millennia? Fellow scientists called him crazy. But the Danish biologist set out to prove everybody wrong, and his perseverance paid off with a landmark breakthrough — with massive implications for how we understand the deep past. After many years of failure, Willerslev recovered the genetic traces of a lush forest ecosystem from before the Ice Age, more than two million years ago. The species identified from their DNA lived during the last hot epoch on Earth. Signaling a new era in DNA research, scientists can now use DNA to travel back millions of years and piece together vanished ecosystems. Today, they are poised to harvest the genetic secrets of these ancient worlds to help us adapt to our own climate future.
Rebel with a Clause
Director: Brandt Johnson
Country: USA, Running Time: 85min
One fall day in 2018, Ellen Jovin set up a folding table on a Manhattan sidewalk with a homemade sign that said “Grammar Table.” Right away, passersby began excitedly asking questions, telling stories, and filing complaints. What happened next is the stuff of grammar legend. Ellen and her filmmaker husband, Brandt Johnson, took the table on the road, visiting all 50 states as Brandt shot the grammar action. But this story transcends grammar. It’s the story of an epic quest in a divided time to bring us all closer together.
The Stones Are Speaking
Director: Olive Talley
Country: USA, Running Time: 86min
Olive Talley’s fascinating documentary tells the inspiring story of how archaeologist Mike Collins, at great risk and personal sacrifice, saved 30 acres of looted land deep in the heart of Texas and revealed it as one of the most significant sites in the Americas. Collins and his team changed history when they found evidence of people living in Central Texas 20,000 years ago. The film is more than a simple tale of discoveries at the Gault Archaeological Site. It illustrates the power of an individual to make a difference and what people can accomplish when they come together for the greater good.
UnBroken
Director: Beth Lane
Country: USA, Running Time: 96min
The daughter of a Holocaust survivor, filmmaker Beth Lane, embarks on an international quest to uncover answers about the plight of her mother and six siblings who escaped Nazi Germany. The powerful documentary chronicles the seven Weber siblings who evaded certain capture and death, and ultimately escaped Nazi Germany following their mother’s incarceration and murder at Auschwitz. After being hidden in a laundry hut by a benevolent farmer, the children spent two years on their own in war torn Germany. Emboldened by their father’s mandate that they ‘always stay together,’ the children used their own cunning and instincts to fight through hunger, loneliness, rape, bombings and fear. Their journey culminates with a painful ultimatum, when, separated from their father, they are told that they must declare themselves as orphans in order to escape to a new life in America. Unbeknownst to them, this salvation would become what would finally tear them apart, not to be reunited for another 40 years.
Whatever It Takes
Director: Jenny Carchman
Country: USA, Running Time: 93min
In the summer of 2019, a seemingly ordinary couple became the unsuspecting victims of a campaign of cyberstalking that spiraled out of control. Their quiet lives were shattered by sinister threats, grotesque deliveries — such as a bloody pig mask — and mounting paranoia. As the terror escalated, law enforcement, including the FBI, traced the trail back to an unthinkable source: eBay, the global giant famed for its motto that “people are basically good.” What they uncovered was a surreal tale of power, obsession, and desperation, driven by senior members of the company’s security team, who were attempting to protect their CEO from a feared corporate raider.
SHORT FILMS
I Got This
Director: Ken Mandel
Country: USA, Running Time: 30min
In 1975, Dr. Tony Herring started working with young children who had amputations or were born missing limbs. Not knowing anything about prosthetics, Dr. Herring was told “don’t worry, the kids will teach you everything you need to know” — and they did. The clinic at Scottish Rite For Children became an exciting place for the kids and their families to come to get help and meet other families in the same situation – making their lives better while having fun along the way.
Watching Walter (Screens prior to UnBroken)
Director: Mitch Yapko
Country: USA, Running Time: 17min
Set in both 1995 Philadelphia and World War II Nazi occupied Poland, and based on the true story of Holocaust survivor-turned watchmaker Wladyslaw “Walter” Wojnas, Watching Walter is a slice of life story that touches on several poignant moments in Wojnas life during those times. It’s a story of triumph over tragedy and is all too relevant in today’s turbulent international climate.
Narrative Short Films Program (In Competition)
TRT: 98min
Amarela
Director: André Hayato Saito
Country: Brazil, Running Time: 15min
High Spirits
Director: Faek Falak
Country: Germany, Running Time 14min
Mother
Director: Sebastian Kwidziński
Country: Poland, Running Time: 29min
Mrs. Faiza & Dr. Love
Director: Anissa Daoud
Countries: Tunisia/France/Qatar, Running Time: 25min
Once More, Like Rain Man
Director: Sue Ann Pien
Country: USA, Running Time: 15min
Texas Short Films (In Competition)
TRT: 75min
Dynasty and Destiny
Director: Travis Lee Ratcliff
Country: USA, Running Time: 7min
The Number Thirteen: A Tattoo History
Director: Justin Wilson
Country: USA, Running Time: 22min
Storage Fees
Director: Nicholas Michael Buck
Country: USA, Running Time: 15min
The Ugly Chickens
Director: Mark Raso
Country: USA, Running Time: 29min
Weasel
Director: Hisham Iyad Hajir
Country: Mexico, Running Time: 2min
Student Short Films (In Competition)
TRT: 93min
All Beauty Queens Have Broken Bones
Director: Max Tullio
Country: USA, Running Time: 7min
Amphibian
Director: Zhihao (Dino) Zheng
Country China, Running Time: 13min
Mint Condition
Director: So Man Tsoi
Country Hong Kong, Running Time: 24min
Punter
Director: Jason Adam Maselle
Countries: South Africa/USA, Running Time: 14min
Shaolin Office
Director: Alexis Bouillé
Country: France, Running Time: 14min
Syncope
Director: Linus von Stumberg
Country: Switzerland, Running Time: 21min
Reel Owl Cinema Shorts Program
TRT: 60min
(Film Lineup TBA)
Sachse High School Shorts Program
TRT: 60min
(Film Lineup TBA)
ABOUT THE USA FILM FESTIVAL
A year-round film festival featuring 50 days of programs
The USA Film Festival is a 55-year-old Dallas-based 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to the recognition and promotion of excellence in the film and video arts. Year-round events include the annual KidFilm® Festival; monthly screenings; special programs and premieres; and the USA Film Festival, held each Spring. Throughout the year, the festival presents a variety of membership, exhibition, educational, and cultural programs designed to promote equity and equality, and to bring together audiences and artists for a “live cinema” experience.
DALLAS ARTS MONTH
USAFF55 is pleased to be a part of Dallas Arts Month! The annual spotlight event was first launched in 2013 as Dallas Arts Week. Today it is a city-wide celebration of Dallas arts and culture designed to build awareness and appreciation for the work of Dallas artists and organizations, and foster creative learning and activity throughout the city. Residents and visitors are encouraged to participate in events and programming offered by art and cultural institutions from all disciplines. For more information, please visit www.dallasartsmonth.com
DALLAS JAZZ APPRECIATION MONTH
USAFF55 is proud to once again partner with the Sammons Center for the Arts and Sammons Jazz to present screenings celebrating the rich history of jazz. Dallas Jazz Appreciation Month (D’JAM) is a special month-long celebration of all things jazz, including the amazing jazz artists, past and present, legends and rising stars, who call North Texas home. Held each April as part of the national program Jazz Appreciation Month (JAM), D’JAM presents a variety of events highlighting and showcasing jazz in the greater Dallas area. The local initiative is coordinated by a volunteer collective of jazz presenters, jazz educators, and jazz supporters that includes nonprofit arts groups, universities, festivals, high schools, cultural centers, jazz clubs, and museums.
