source the Dallas Observer, photo credit Ismael Belkoura
Written by Liam Gaughan
DIFF plays an important role in enriching North Texas’ larger film culture, one of the most robust in the South.
Despite rising film budgets, studios spend most of their resources on marketing campaigns. Anora, which recently won the Academy Award for Best Picture, may have cost only $6 million to make. Still, its distributor NEON spent over $18 million on trailers, promotional items, influencer events and campaigns targeted at winning over award-season voters.
Film marketing is not the same as it was even a few years ago; while trailers for highly anticipated titles like Superman or Mission: Impossible –The Final Reckoning still can go viral, it’s harder for films that lack an established intellectual property to reach audiences that aren’t aware. It turns out that the easiest solution is also the simplest; good word-of-mouth leads to recommendations, boosting viewership. The Dallas International Film Festival has become essential to this process with recent member screenings for upcoming arthouse and independent titles.
The Dallas International Film Festival, which runs April 25 through May 1, has retained its status as a nonprofit organization since its inception in 2006 and is much more than a yearly event that gathers cinephiles for a few days to watch new films. DIFF plays an important role in enriching North Texas’ larger film culture, particularly as the city has become one of the most robust cinematic destinations in the South. DIFF members have opportunities for occasional “sneak previews” of upcoming releases; this isn’t just a cool way to see hidden gems but an essential way for the industry to encourage regular attendance.
Although each year will be propped up by major blockbusters like Inside Out 2 or Barbie, the film industry can’t rely only on a few hits to sustain itself. It’s a healthier market if audiences go to the movies regularly and take the opportunity to watch things they may not be familiar with. Cinema attendance has decreased in recent years for several reasons, as viewing habits post-COVID led to increased popularity of streaming services. But there’s a significant conundrum regarding simply finding something to watch. Despite the omnipresence of recommendation tools like IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes and Letterboxd, marketing campaigns may not always reach audiences.
The Preview Screenings events held by DIFF serve as a nice teaser of what audiences should look out for and demonstrate the variety of available options. Over recent months, featured events centered on the powerful war drama My Dead Friend Zoe, the darkly comedic coming-of-age story On Becoming a Guinea Fowl, the charming British dramedy The Penguin Lessons and the thrilling action-comedy Novocaine. Those who complain that films have become far too similar would find it hard to note many similarities between these releases, other than that they should all be considered “underdogs” when compared with mega-releases like A Minecraft Movie or Snow White.
Beyond the service that DIFF provides to the arts community, these screenings also serve as an opportunity to enact change. There’s an inherent aspect of activism within programming, particularly when people are more opposed than ever to hearing opinions contrary to their own. Roger Ebert once famously stated that “the movies are like a machine that generates empathy,” and the latest round of DIFF films should certainly invite conversation about some controversial topics.
My Dead Friend Zoe is technically a work of fiction, but writer/director Kyle Hausmann-Stokes was inspired by his own experience as a veteran of the Afghanistan war. Tackling the difficult subject of post-traumatic stress disorder, My Dead Friend Zoe explores the relationship between the Afghan conflict survivor Merit (Sonequa Martin-Green) and her grandfather Dale (Ed Harris), a veteran of the Vietnam War who has recently lost his wife of several decades. Merit intends to help her grandfather find a new home so that he is no longer a liability for their family. Still, she is haunted by memories of her fellow soldier Zoe (Natalie Morales), whose death has taken a serious toll on her mental health.
What’s the DIFF to you?
Poignant, surprising and utterly personal, My Dead Friend Zoe directly examines the mental health crisis among veterans as it examines the failing infrastructure that has left so many veterans without the means of receiving aid. Given that the film ends with testimony by the filmmaker highlighting specific charitable causes, it’s clear that My Dead Friend Zoe intends to start a conversation. However, those who want an emotionally engaging film should be more than satisfied by this heartfelt look at friendship, family and forgiveness.
On Becoming A Guinea Fowl is a new release from A24 but was pushed to an early spring release date as it shifted its award season priorities to Sing Sing, The Brutalist and Queer. Rungano Nyoni’s dark, mysterious film centers on a Zambian teenager who begins to question her family history when she discovers the body of a relative. There are enough twists and turns to entice viewers who enjoy puzzle boxes, but On Becoming A Guinea Fowl also spotlights a perspective that isn’t seen nearly enough.
The Penguin Lessons may look on the surface to be another slapstick animal-centric comedy (remember Mr. Popper’s Penguins with Jim Carrey?), but the historical film is based on the true story of the schoolteacher Tom Michell, who adopted a penguin during an extended teaching gig in Argentina. A cute penguin can go a long way. Still, The Penguin Lessons tackles the stark political divide within Argentina in the 1970s and the ecological hazards that caused a flightless bird to wash up on the shore in the beaches of Uruguay.
These films are strong enough to speak for themselves, but their voices are often drowned out in a cluttered field of options, where audiences are overwhelmed by the sheer amount of content they have at their disposal. DIFF’s curation of thoughtful, meaningful works of cinema is essential in earning audience feedback and a reminder of the power of seeing meaningful storytelling with an engaged crowd.
