January 23, 2022
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Film Festivals

Film  / Oak Cliff Film Festival
Announcing the 11th Annual Oak Cliff Film Festival | Call for Entries!
AdChat DFW Posted On November 22, 2021


MARK YOUR CALENDARS

The Oak Cliff Film Festival returns June 23-26, 2022 for its eleventh year. Named one of the coolest film festivals in the world by MovieMaker Magazine, OCFF strives to showcase brave and independent filmmaking of all stripes amongst the best of Oak Cliff’s theater and art venues, restaurants, bars, and small businesses.

Early Bird Badges are on sale now! Gain entry to all screenings, music shows, and events for four days; plus special access to the VIP Filmmakers’ Lounge!

Call for Entries!


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Film
10th ANNUAL CZECH THAT FILM TEXAS RETURNS APRIL 16-18 | Studio Movie Grill
Big Day Pictures Posted On April 12, 2021


Festival of new Czech films features Texas Premiere of HAVEL biopic at Studio Movie Grill – Spring Valley

HAVEL – Friday April 16: The three-day event kicks off with the Texas premiere of acclaimed biopic and top grossing Czech film of 2020 on Václav Havel’s metamorphosis from celebrated playwright to banned and jailed human rights activist to the president of Czechoslovakia. Directed by Slávek Horák, the film received 14 Czech Oscar nominations. 

CHARLATAN – Saturday April 17: Short-listed for the Academy Award for Best International Film and winner of five Czech Oscars in 2021, including Best Film, Director, Actor, Cinematography and Sound. Inspired by the true story of herbalist Jan Mikolasek, who dedicated his life to caring for the sick in spite of the immense obstacles he faced in his private and public life. Born at the turn of the 20th century, Mikolasek wins fame and fortune using unorthodox treatment methods to cure a wide range of diseases. But with every regime change the costs to maintain this status rise as the tide turns. **World Premiere – Berlinale 2020. Variety here

 **Director Agnieszka Holland was nominated for the 2012 Academy Award for In Darkness and has directed well-known American series such as The Wire, House of Cards, and Treme, among others.

 ALCHEMICAL FURNANCE – Sunday, April 18:  This documentary film features legendary surrealist stop motion animation filmmaker Jan Švankmajer who, at 85 years of age, is one of the most prominent artists of European cinema. His work has inspired and guided generations of directors such as Terry Gilliam and the Brothers’ Quay, and represents a sharp and merciless exploration of human nature which is entirely unique. Films such as Alice, Faust, and Little Otik changed forever the image of stop-motion and opened a world of possibilities in terms of the representation of the inner self.. Shot on various film formats over three years by directors Adam Oľha and Jan Daňhel, using found footage and with a touch of Czech humor, Alchemical Furnace is an ode to creation and to companionship. 

ABOUT: Presented by Big Day Pictures , Václav Havel Czech School of Dallas and Sokol Dallas. Czech That Film Texas annually brings the best of Czech contemporary cinema to Texas. The festival is committed to exhibiting films that not only expose viewers to Czech culture, but also enlighten audiences, bring people together, and present inspired entertainment for all. Normally traveling to 20 cities in the USA and Canada over the last decade, Dallas (and Austin) will be the only cities presenting in-person screenings in 2021!  

 Learn more at www.czechthatfilmtexas.com


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Film  / Pegasus Film Festival
Pegasus Film Festival Continues in All-Virtual Format
Kelly Kitchens Posted On March 18, 2021


Sixth Annual Event Kicks off Saturday, May 22, 2021

As the pandemic continues, Pegasus Film Festival has continued its focus on maintaining a creative outlet for high school students.

Now in its sixth year, the Pegasus Film Festival, as a part of the newly formed Pegasus Media Project by educators and professional filmmakers, Niloo Jalilvand and Glenys Quick, is open to students (from kindergarten through graduating high school seniors) around the globe. The festival will be held online via Falcon Events (FalconEvents.com) Sat., May 22. No matter where the students and their family and friends live, they will be able to view their work along with their peers.

An organization run by students, for students, Pegasus Film Festival has also continued its partnership with FilmFreeway, a platform for filmmakers to submit their creations to established and trusted festivals around the world.

“As someone who has participated in Pegasus since my sophomore year and is now about to graduate, I can honestly say that each year has taught me valuable lessons that I will never forget,” said Festival Director, Daviah Harrison. “It has been an honor to watch Pegasus grow, and I can’t wait to see what this year will bring.”

A Creative Outlet for Teens
The pandemic, says Harrison, has allowed students to dig deep into their art and learn new things about themselves. And casting a wider, international net – a change the team made last year – means the festival will be bigger than ever, with a wider range of submissions.

Also, as the planning team quickly pivoted to a virtual format in 2020 amid COVID-19 concerns, they are applying what they learned to their sixth-annual event. “Last year was a surprise to all of us, and switching to an online festival was not easy,” said Harrison. “But, this year we are prepared and excited to connect with people everywhere.”

Deadline Extension and Submission Categories
The Pegasus team hopes to foster a positive and enjoyable digital experience for all that will lift the spirits of home-bound creatives. The festival’s submission categories include:
Narrative
Documentary
Experimental
Animation
Music Video
Micro Movie

Support for Pegasus Film Festival
Funds raised by the Festival go beyond the costs of hosting the event and awarding prizes to festival winners. Contributions go to creating an exceptional experience that will strengthen Dallas’ youth film community. Sponsors provide the means to bridge the gap between student filmmakers’ inspirations and their finished productions. They serve to give education and confidence that inspires young filmmakers in need to to continue to pursue their fervor for this complex and rewarding art form.

“Even online events have their own individual costs, so any contribution made will be used well to support our cause,” said Harrison. “Sponsorship packages provide benefits like the ability to promote your company, free passes to the event and participating as part of the judges’ panel.”

Click here to learn more about sponsorship opportunities. For more on the Pegasus Film Festival, visit PegasusFilmFestival.com/Donate.

About Pegasus Film Festival
Apart of the newly formed Pegasus Media Project (PegasusMediaProject.com) by educators and professional filmmakers, Niloo Jalilvand and Glenys Quick, the Pegasus Film Festival has been in action since 2015 when festival founder, Jalilvand ,realized a need for student exposure in the arts. Being a teacher at an art school, she wanted to shed more light on the creative artists she was around daily. Pegasus is giving young filmmakers the chance to present their art to a virtual audience and judges.

This year’s leadership team is composed of dedicated and creative students from across the DFW Metroplex. Daviah Harrison, who attends Booker T. Washington HSPVA, is the 2021 Festival Director; Joel Camot, attending Alcuin School, is the Festival Producer; Lucy Roberts, attending The Hockaday School; is the Assistant Director, and Ariel White, from Plano West Senior High School; is the Social Media Coordinator. The team consists of members from Desoto High School, Young Women’s Leadership Academy and St Mark’s School of Texas.

This student-led festival has created many opportunities and will guide students to become great leaders in their careers


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Dallas Film  / Film
New Dates for Dallas International Film Festival | October 8-15
Dallas International Film Festival Posted On March 18, 2021


For eight days each year, Dallas comes together to celebrate film—and filmmakers. Since 2006, the Dallas International Film Festival (DIFF) has become the place for storytellers and audiences to connect and experience film as a community.

Over the years we’ve contributed more than $1 million in filmmaker awards, hosted more than 1,900 filmmakers, and screened over 2,200 films from more than 50 countries.

SUBMIT YOUR FILM FOR DIFF 2021

Festival Dates: October 8 – 15, 2021

We’re always looking for unique voices. This year DIFF will screen 200+ films making us the largest film festival in Texas! Dallas is also the 4th largest media market in the country, so every film that screens at DIFF reaches a huge, diverse audience and gives filmmakers a powerful platform to launch their films.


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Film
Announcing the 10th Annual Oak Cliff Film Festival | Call for Entrees are Open
AdChat DFW Posted On January 7, 2021


The Oak Cliff Film Festival returns June 3-6, 2021 for its tenth anniversary. Mark your calendars for four days of high-caliber filmmaking featured alongside the best of Oak Cliff’s theatres, art venues, and small businesses.

Our current plan is to hold the 2021 edition of OCFF mostly in person at limited capacities. If public health guidelines around COVID-19 change we may modify the program to a mostly virtual program. We plan to keep our public updated on changes as they happen in order to ensure the safest festival experience.

SUBMIT YOUR FILM
This year’s call for entries are open! At Oak Cliff Film Festival, we seek to showcase brave and independent filmmakers of all stripes in an atmosphere that fosters filmmaking in Dallas and beyond. Check out Film Freeway for details, deadlines, and submission guidelines.

Submit

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DIFF  / Film
Submit Now for the Dallas International Film Festival 2021
Dallas International Film Festival Posted On December 27, 2020


The 15th annual Dallas International Film Festival will screen the best narrative and documentary features and short films from all over the world, June 25th-July 2nd 2021.

A 501(c) 3 non-profit organization, the Dallas Film provides leadership in screen education and the recognition and celebration of excellence in the art of film, television and digital media.

The 15th annual Dallas International Film Festival hosted by Dallas Film, doesn’t just screen films; we showcase and celebrate all types of content. The interaction between story tellers, audiences and the Texas community is what we strive to develop both during the festival and throughout the year.

DIFF2021 is a global adventure that boasts premiere screenings, nightly red carpets, daring documentaries, eye-opening short films, exciting television content, AR/VR, environmental film-making, nightly parties, live music performances, filmmaker panels, award presentations, and an enhanced filmmaker hospitality program that includes city tours and a VIP Filmmakers Lounge where filmmakers, celebrities and our audience can all come together to discuss film.

New this year will be a focus on family films, films featuring stories involving people with disabilities, Veterans and sports based content.

It’s a brave new world out there and The Dallas International Film Festival is adapting to the fluid visual appetites of our audience. DIFF 2021 will screen films; traditionally in-theater, outdoors and online.

They say that everything is bigger in Texas! Well, this year will be our biggest DIFF ever and the largest film festival in Texas! We will screen 200+ films and host filmmakers from around the globe.

We invite you to add your voice to the conversation. At DIFF, filmmakers are invited to the festival to participate in a variety of programs, Q&A sessions and a series of panel discussions. Dallas area high schools and universities host master classes where filmmakers have the opportunity to discuss their work and careers with a new generation of content creators.

2021 DIFF PROGRAMMING STRANDS:

Narrative Feature Competition
Documentary Feature Competition
Short Film Competition
Texas Competition
Animated Short Competition
Premiere Screenings
World Cinema
LatinX Cinema Showcase
Deep Ellum Sounds (Music Films)
Family Films
Faith Based Films
Midnight Specials
Environmental Films
Films featuring Persons with Disabilities
GAME ON(sport films)
Episodic TV/web series
Veteran Films
Special Presentations

Filmmakers of selected films are invited to the Festival to participate in a variety of programs. Question and answer sessions after screenings are well attended and lively and a series of panel discussions are held throughout the eight days of the Festival.

Awards & Prizes
NEW THIS YEAR EVERY FILM THAT WINS AN AWARD WILL RECEIVE A CASH OR IN-KIND PRIZE!

Grand Jury Prizes are awarded to competition films in the following categories: Narrative Feature, Documentary Feature, Shorts, and Animated Shorts. A Grand Jury Prize will also be awarded to the best Student Film within the Shorts Competition.

The Grand Jury Prize winner of the Texas Competition category will enjoy a camera rental package worth $30,000 for their next production, courtesy of Panavision.

A $1000 cash prize will be presented by the Dallas County Historical Commission for the feature or short that best represents a historical event.

A $500 cash prize for best Animated Short Film

Audience awards for Best Narrative Feature, Best Documentary Feature and Best Short will also be presented.

An award and cash prize will also be presented to the film that best displays the issues that people with disabilities face..

The Silver Heart Award- bestowed on an individual or film for their dedication to fighting injustices and/or creating social change for the improvement of humanity.

Rules & Terms
COVID-19: Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, certain projects may
be eligible to be exhibited at the 2021 Dallas International Film Festival (the “Festival”) if the project:
1) premiered online as a part of a limited festival screening
2) was not exhibited as scheduled due to another festival’s cancellation.

The Dallas Film Society, Inc. (“DIFF”) values the health and safety of all the Festival’s
participants, audience members, staff, and volunteers, especially
in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. To protect these individuals, as well as comply with any applicable governmental health and safety orders or guidelines.

DIFF reserves, at any time and in its sole discretion, including, but not limited to, after having accepted films to be exhibited at the Festival to..
(1) cancel the Festival; (2) institute health and safety rules applicable to all individuals participating in the Festival, such as theater- or event-capacity limits and face-covering requirements; and (3) revise the dates, location, and format of the Festival, including moving the Festival entirely online. DIFF will not, in the event it takes any of the foregoing actions, refund any payments or fees paid to DIFF prior such time. In addition, by submitting your project to be exhibited at the Festival, you agree that DIFF
will not have any liability to you for any claims, actions, costs, liabilities, judgments, obligations, losses, penalties, expenses or damages of whatsoever kind or nature incurred in connection with, relating to, or arising out of, COVID-19. DIFF will attempt to communicate any such changes to the Festival applicants, participants, and audience members in a timely manner via our website and/or direct communication with filmmakers.

Premiere status is taken into consideration for every submission in each category strand with priority given to Dallas/Ft Worth Premieres, Southwest Premieres, US Premieres, North American Premieres, and World Premieres.

In order for feature films to be considered for competition, a Dallas/Fort Worth Premiere is required.

Films must not have had major theatrical release or US broadcast airing prior to the festival.

Feature Films must not be commercially available prior to June 25th, 2021. However we will consider these films for Special Presentations.

More than one entry may be submitted. Each entry must be accompanied by a separate entry form and entry fee.

If your film is selected, you will be asked to provide a digital press kit which includes: head-shot and filmography of director, color and/or B&W stills from the film, screeners for press, and a video trailer (cleared for broadcast). You will also be required to deliver a 30-60 second that can be used by DIFF and our DIFF marketing partners to help promote your film at the festival.

DVD/Bluray screeners will not be accepted for consideration.

Incomplete submissions will not be considered, submissions must be complete by the corresponding submission deadline.

Any films submitted without a paid entry fee by the given deadline will be disqualified from the submission screening process.

All film entries selected for the festival grant DIFF the rights to use footage, stills, titles and information from the film for promotional purposes.

All filmmakers will be notified by (approximately) May 20th 2021 via email.

 

Submit

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Film  / Women Texas Film Festival
The 2nd Annual Billy the Kid Film Festival Announces Lineup | Teams with WTxFF Nov. 6-7
John Wildman Posted On November 3, 2020


The Hico-based Billy the Kid Film Festival today announced for their second edition they will team with Dallas’ Women Texas Film Festival for a two-day virtual presentation November 6-7. With 5 short film programs featuring 18 films, the 2-day cinema experience will both put a spotlight on women filmmakers, as well as Texas-shot and produced films. BTKFF will also present a special work-in-progress presentation of Chris Zuhdi’s Hico-shot feature film, MEXICAN MOON.

13 of the 18 films have a woman in a lead creative role (director, producer, writer, editor, cinematographer, or composer) and 11 of the films were shot in Texas and/or from Texas filmmakers).

Festival founders and directors, Philip Vasquez and Luci DiGiorgio, along with lead film programmer Justina Walford, the Artistic Director of the critically acclaimed Women Texas Film Festival in Dallas, have continued the Billy the Kid Film Festival’s mission to connect audiences and film lovers with filmmakers with a Hico/Hill Country flavor as they did last year, but safely, in the virtual space for this edition. The added wrinkle is the team up with WTxFF and the emphasis on shining a spotlight on female filmmakers as well as Texas-made cinema.

Again, this year, Tarleton State University Department of Communications Studies is partnering with the film festival. This creates learning opportunities for the Tarleton students, allowing “hands on experience” in producing a major film festival.

Vasquez and DiGiorgio said, “We launched the Billy the Kid Film Festival last year because the thought of combining the unique personality of Hico with our love of film was a winner no matter how we looked at it. However, our audiences’ and our filmmakers’ safety is first and foremost, and this virtual presentation will also give us an opportunity to share these films statewide and hopefully introduce them to even more film fans.”

Walford added, “Celebrating the work of both women behind the camera as well as local, Texas-based film production adds a special – and we believe – necessary emphasis to these screenings. These aren’t just great films; they also highlight the great work of female filmmakers and also remind us of what filmmakers can accomplish in this state if they receive the support to do so.”

MEXICAN MOON

Chris Zuhdi’s cowboy tale, MEXICAN MOON, is a prime example of the locally filmed productions that the Billy the Kid Film Festival seek to give a boost. MEXICAN MOON was filmed in part in Hico, and had a female Director of Photography. Zuhdi will participate in a special sneak peek at a scene from the film followed by a discussion about the shooting process and current status of the film.

Among the films being screened include; David Feagan and Brian Elliott’s festival favorite, AGE OF BRYCE about a12-year-old pushed to the brink of pubescent revolution by his helicopter mom, and Jessica Wolfson and Jessie Auritt’s multiple award-winning documentary THE PAINT WIZZARD. The film, about a transgender housepainter who lives and works out of her bright yellow RV in Austin, was the Best Short Film winner at WTxFF and the Audience Award at the Sydney Underground Film Festival, among others.

CALAMITY JANE 1882, EBB & FLOW, GHOST IN THE GUN

Other highlights include; Enrique Novials’ Spanish production CALAMITY JANE 1882, (whose production team included a female editor, producer, and composer) in which the famous title character must face down a bad lawman and gang; Georgia Krause’s EBB & FLOW, which shows a South Texas community fighting to protect the hundreds of species of butterflies that live in duality between the US/Mexico border; Andrew Chen’s GHOST IN THE GUN, a thriller featuring a possessed firearm, which was another multiple award-winner; Lisa Belcher’s comedy JAVELINA RUN, about two idiot ranch hands who pretend to be fugitive train robbers to get attention from the ladies at an old west saloon; and M.r. Fitzgerald’s THE WOLF, which focuses on a damaged woman whose efforts to rescue prisoners at the cult she escaped is short-circuited when she reunites with a long-lost childhood forcing her to confront their cult leader’s abuse once and for all.

Film festival passes and tickets are on-sale now. For more information on the Billy the Kid Film Festival go to https://www.billythekidfilmfestival.com.

The 2020 Billy the Kid Film Festival official selections:

Program #1

THE BALLAD OF BEAU BLANC
Director: Emma Oehlers
Country: United States, Running Time: 3:57 min
A masked outlaw by the name of Beau Blanc wreaks havoc on small western towns, but bounty man Kit will do anything in his power to catch this mysterious criminal.

CALAMITY JANE 1882
Director: Enrique Novials
Country: Spain, Running Time: 9:56 min
The famous holster Calamity Jane must face the local sheriff, “Rubio”, head of the gang of criminals known as “La Manada”.

EN LA NADA
Director: Luis Paulo de la Fuente
Country: Mexico, Running Time: 8:30 min
After being bitten by a snake “The Man” struggles to seek help in a place where no one can help him.

GHOST IN THE GUN
Director: Andrew Chen
Country: United States, Running Time: 19 min
A man left for dead encounters a possessed gun and transforms into a gunslinger bent on avenging his wife’s murder, but unbeknownst to him the gun has a vendetta of its own.

Program #2

BULLSEYE
Directors: Carmen Sims, Bailee Wilson
Country: United States, Running Time: 1 min
A minotaur sits alone in his castle enjoying breakfast when he gets an unexpected visitor.

THE END
Director: Wiebe Bonnema
Country: United States, Running Time: 4:37 min
We continue to follow a cowboy on his path into the empty nothingness of the desert after he rides out of the town he just saved.

JITTERBUGS
Directors: Maria McDonnell, Michael Verastegui
Country: United States, Running Time: 5:36 min
In a lonely retirement home where the retired folks have resorted to keeping spiders for company, one man meets a spider who is determined to not let the neglected elderly miss out on the Christmas party that they all deserve.

THE WOLF
Director: M.r. Fitzgerald
Country: United States, Running Time: 23 min
A damaged vigilante returns to her old cult to rescue other prisoners and end the nightmares of her traumatic upbringing, but upon reuniting with a long-lost childhood friend she must confront the aftermath of their cult leader’s abuse once and for all.

Program #3

IN THE HIDING
Director: Jason J. Angco-Barrera
Country: United States, Running Time: 12:00 min
In 1910, during the Mexican Revolutionary War, hundreds of Mexicans are fleeing from their war-torn villages north into Texas. However, the Texas government views these refugees as a threat so the Texas Rangers are given full power to become the judge, jury, and executioner of hundreds of Mexican refugees and Mexican Americans. This is only one story of Texas’ dark history.

PARALYSIS
Director: Caitlin Cooke
Country: United States, Running Time: 19:04 min
A young woman represses her grief after hearing the news of her friend’s death. However, a manifestation of her guilt and regret begin to haunt her each night.

SHERIFF GUNN: THE DNA MURDERS
Director: Glenn Franklin
Country: United States, Running Time: 10 min
Sheriff Gunn is an “old school” small town sheriff in Texas. Recently his town has been hit by three random murders that appear to be the work of a serial killer. Though DNA links two suspects to two of the murders something doesn’t add up.

Program #4

AGE OF BRYCE
Director: David Feagan, Brian Elliott
Country: United States, Running Time: 9:50 min
Smothered by an adoring, over-protective mom, 12-year-old Bryce Yancy Paul (Bip) is pushed to the brink of pubescent revolution. It’s time to ripen. Bloom. Break the shackles of parental paranoia. It’s the Age of Bryce. Sometimes a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do.

JAVELINA RUN
Director: Lisa Belcher
Country: United States, Running Time: 18:48 min
Two idiot ranch hands pretend to be fugitive train robbers to get attention from the ladies at an old west saloon.

MILK TOAST
Director: Will Berry
Country: United States, Running Time: 6:11 min
A man faces an existential crisis over toast.

Program #5

EBB & FLOW
Director: Georgia Krause
Country: United States, Running Time: 5:21 min
Amidst a heated immigration debate, a South Texas community fights to protect the hundreds of species of butterflies that live in duality between the US/Mexico border.

LOTUS
Director: Beibei Xu
Country: United States, Running Time: 13:22 min
Lili wants to hang out with her cool friends, but the family Buddhist bracelet that she wears keeps reminding her that she is watched by superior divinity. In order to fully enjoy herself at a party, she decides to take the bracelet off, but loses it. Now she needs to do something to cover it, otherwise there will be some real world consequences.

THE PAINT WIZZARD
Directors: Jessica Wolfson, Jessie Auritt
Country: United States, Running Time: 17:22 min
Millie the Paint Wizzard is a transgender housepainter who lives and works out of her bright yellow RV in Austin TX. Just a few years ago at the age of 58, Millie finally gained the courage to come out into the world as her true self.

WHEN YOU CLEAN A STRANGER’S HOME
Director: Sharon Arteaga
Country: United States, Running Time: 6 min
A cinematic essay where Abby, a first-generation high school student describes what her and her mom learn about people when cleaning their homes. House decor and items left around convey a privilege that unveils Abby’s imagination, jealousy, and frustrations.

ABOUT THE BILLY THE KID FILM FESTIVAL
The Billy the Kid Film Festival is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting film, filmmakers and film education through our annual event. In November, 2019, the first edition of the film festival will debut in Hico, Texas, the Hometown of “Brushy Bill” Robert, alias “Billy the Kid”. It is the film festival’s mission to celebrate film makers from all over the world, while giving our local film makers and residents a place to come together and appreciate the art of making movies.


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Film
The 4th Deep in the Heart Film Festival Announces Virtual Line-up | (September 25-27, October 2-4)
Patty H Posted On September 24, 2020


The Deep in the Heart Film Festival announced the film lineup for its 4th edition, to be held on consecutive weekends September 25-27 and October 2-4. Deep in the Heart FF will open with local filmmaker Chris Hansen’s festival-favorite SEVEN SHORT FILMS ABOUT (OUR) MARRIAGE, and screen an ambitious lineup of themed short film programs, featuring multiple first-time team ups with local arts organizations, and more innovations within the virtual space and filmmaker hospitality from afar. The popular Waco-based film festival will be screening 123 films (7 features, 116 shorts and music videos).

Deep in the Heart FF co-founders and directors Samuel Thomas and Louis Hunter, said, “In our 4th year, it was important to everyone involved with the film festival that we not take a step back due to the pandemic, but instead to continue growing as a film festival in every way we could, innovating, expanding our footprint in the city, and forging that connection between our filmmakers and audiences. Most importantly, this year is not just about maintaining the sense of fun and love of cinema that our fest is already known for here in Waco, but doubling down on that inspiration and looking beyond to try things we hadn’t even envisioned prior to this year.”

Prior to the film festival’s pivot, Hansen’s romantic drama, SEVEN SHORT FILMS ABOUT (OUR) MARRIAGE, which has established itself as an audience favorite and award-winner at film festivals across the country, had been targeted as a “homecoming” screening since the film was shot in and around Waco. However, the film, which follows the ups and downs of an interracial marriage between an aspiring filmmaker and a dancer in seven vignettes, telling a story of turmoil and tenderness as two people try to make their relationship last, will now be the subject of a special “Conversation on the making of…” Q&A including Hansen, the film’s stars Drez Ryan and Chynna Walker, DP Aaron Youngblood, and producer Dan Beard.

THE DUMMY FACTOR, DREAM WITH ME
Other feature films on the schedule include Michael Erger’s PESCADOR which will make its world premiere at Deep in the Heart FF. The serio-comic film follows a recently divorced biochemistry professor’s efforts to obtain her pot smoking boyfriend’s “lazy sperm” during a fraught evening. O. Corbin Saleken’s THE DUMMY FACTOR is an entertaining Canadian thriller about a 12-year-old who recruits his friends to help him solve the mystery of a couple missing children with a host of suspects in their town to choose from. Jonathan Seaborn’s documentary DREAM WITH ME focuses on a “Dreamer” who took advantage of DACA, the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. When the Trump administration rescinded the program, her life is immediately thrown into a state of limbo. The screening of the film will mark Deep in the Heart FF’s first film presentation partnership with Waco Immigrants Alliance. 

LOVES GOD, LIKES GIRLS, LIYANA, SOMETHING NEW IN OLD TOWN
Other films featuring first-time partnerships with Waco-based organizations include; Jordan Bunch’s LOVES GOD, LIKES GIRLS. Co-presented with Waco Pride Network along with a LGBTQIA+ shorts program entitled “Hearts and Minds,” the film tells the story of a gay woman growing up in a small town in West Texas in the 60-70s in a conservative local church. The Waco Cultural Arts Festival will partner with Deep in the Heart FF for the first time for two screenings; Aaron and Amanda Kopp’s animated film LIYANA features the executive producing debut by actor Thandie Newton. The film looks at  the imaginations of five children in Swaziland as they create an original African tale about a girl on a dangerous quest. Jude Fokwang’s documentary SOMETHING NEW IN OLD TOWN looks the lives and activities of young people in Cameroon, who strive to change their community, notably as “searchers” of locally adapted solutions. Through their charitable acts, hygiene campaigns, women-centered schemes and commitment to grassroots development, they build and impart hope in a community that continues to struggle with redefining how outsiders see them.

FATALE COLLECTIVE: BLEED
Since it’s inception, Deep in the Heart FF has had a strong focus on programming short films and curating themed programs that go far beyond basic “drama” or “comedy” programs. This year doubles down on that trend, led by a horror and oddity-themed block of shorts entitled “Friday Night Frights,” which includes a mini-shorts combo from women directors entitled FATALE COLLECTIVE: BLEED, and launches the second weekend of programming on October 2. Other programs include the appropriately themed “2020 in a Nutshell,” a Texas film and filmmaker focused “5 Star, Lone Star,” a family-friendly program entitled, “Saturday Family Matinee,” and another disturbing collection of short film curiosities entitled, “wtf?!?”

Adding to the film festival experience beyond the screenings and Q&As for film fans, the Deep in the Heart Film Festival will feature access to a virtual Red Carpet on Opening Night, script readings, filmmaker panels, and an interactive scavenger hunt.

 The scavenger hunt will challenge audience members to pay attention and find “easter eggs” in the background of film scenes or recurring themes and items. Wacoans and Texans who find the items and targeted themes will be entered into a drawing for a Waco-based prize pack (including restaurant gift cards, Dr Pepper Museum passes, and a Magnolia Market T-Shirt).  Deep in the Heart FF Filmmakers who find all the items will be entered into a drawing for a filmmaker prize pack including a One-on-One consultation with film veterans and consultants including production vets, publicists, crowdfunding experts, and more.

For filmmakers, Deep in the Heart FF will be adding another couple of wrinkles to the virtual experience. A mid-fest film trivia  Game Night will invite Deep in the Heart filmmakers from around the world to test their cinema knowledge and get to know their filmmaking colleagues virtually. Deep in the Heart Film Festival will also be creating special filmmaker swag bags to deliver Waco to the front door of the people that, in any other year, would be able to discover and enjoy the city personally. The bags will include Waco-centric and highlighted products like; Coffee from Apex Coffee; Goat Milk Soap from TLC Farms; Dr. Pepper Jelly Belly Jelly Beans from the Dr. Pepper Museum; Deep in the Heart Popcorn and logo-rific items; and more from Creative Waco, the Waco Convention and Visitors Bureau, etc.

Two filmmaker panels will include Inclusivity and diversity in Screenwriting – “Write What You Don’t Know”. As opposed to the adage, “Write what you know,” this panel will discuss creating well rounded, authentic characters that do not share the same live experience as their authors. Panelists will include Marisela Campos (Producer, THE 11TH ORDER), Ya’Ke Smith (Writer/Director, BROTHER, Associate Professor of Radio, Television and Film at the University of Texas at Austin), Cedric Thomas Smith (Co-Writer/Director/Producer, RETIREMENT DAY, shorts programmer, San Antonio Film Festival), Bears Rebecca Fonte (Writer/Director, CONVERSION THERAPIST, Founder, Other Worlds Austin Film Festival). Moderated by Script Shop Show hosts Allyson West and Jack Crumley. The second panel, Filmmaking and COVID will address how filmmakers go forward making their films working within a new pandemic reality. The panel will examine the protocols and best practices on set, and discuss how the filmmaking world has changed from story concepts all the way to playing the festival circuit. Panelists will include: Angela Gulner (Actor, Glow, Writer, BINGE), Emma Campbell (Founder, Pink Mist FX), Hailey Oltman (Assistant Director, The Fugitive), Luisa Mendoza (Director of Photography, RACE CAR DRIVER), John Wildman (Co-Writer/Director/Producer, THE LADIES OF THE HOUSE, film industry publicist), Yuri Baranovsky (Founder, HLG Studios). Moderated by Dan Beard (Producer, SEVEN SHORT FILMS ABOUT (OUR) MARRIAGE, Digital Media lecturer, Baylor University).

For passes, tickets and more information on the Deep in the Heart Film festival, please go to: https://www.deepintheheartff.com/.

 

About Deep in the Heart Film Festival
Consistently ranking in FilmFreeway’s Top 100 Best Reviewed Festivals in the World, Deep in the Heart Film Festival (DitHFF) brings our Central Texas community together through independent film. Established in 2017, we engage audiences with films from major festivals and Texas talent. We build networks and careers through our industry education and promotion. Add in some chips & salsa with our own DitHFF magic, and we create one of the most unique experiences on the festival circuit. For more information visit www.deepintheheartff.com, and follow us on Facebook.com and Instagram.com


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Film
Equilateral presents Shelter Skelter: A Virtual Film Festival | This is for YOU DFW Creatives!
Equilateral Films Posted On April 14, 2020


Equilateral presents Shelter Skelter: A Virtual Film Festival! Dallas/Fort Worth creatives, this is for you!

Click here for details 💰= Win Cash Prizes! 1st place: $750, 2nd place: $500, 3rd place: $250 🎥 = Films must be made by Dallas/Fort Worth creatives during April 10-20, 2020 while maintaining all current safety guidelines. 🤳= Film with whatever gear/camera you have, film with your dog/cat/kid, or animate something! Get creative! 3️⃣ = Run time is 3 minutes or less. 🕛= Submit film to roger@equilateralfilms.com by midnight on April 20, 2020. ❤️= Good luck and have fun! ✍🏻 = Poster by John Wells

⚖️ = Film Judges: Mallory Ashcraft, John Wells, Jonathan Merla

Register Here


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DIFF
Rob Reiner’s “Shock and Awe” Premiers at Dallas International Film Festival | Get Tickets!
Dallas International Film Festival Posted On April 20, 2018


Dallas International Film Festival (DIFF) is thrilled to announce the North American premiere of multi-hyphenate producer/actor/director Rob Reiner’s new film Shock and Awe at its 12th annual festival. The film will serve as the feature film for the festival’s opening night on Thursday, May 3. The eight-day event will showcase Reiner’s new “timely and topical political drama” (Deadline) among a wide array of feature and short film screenings. Directed by Reiner and written by LBJ screenwriter Joey Hartstone, the film features actress Jessica Biel, Woody Harrelson, James Marsden, and Tommy Lee Jones.

“[f]ast and amusing” – The Hollywood Reporter

Produced by Acacia Filmed Entertainment, in collaboration with Castle Rock Entertainment and Savvy Media Holdings, Shock and Awe explores the skepticism of three journalists as events lead up to the invasion of Iraq. In addition to Oscar-nominated movies such as When Harry Met Sally and A Few Good Men, Reiner is also known for his work on LBJ, The American President, Spinal Tap, The Princess Bride, and Stand by Me. The film is slated to hit theaters this July.

The Festival will screen over 110 films from 25 countries and will kick off with a series of Special Events including an Opening Night Celebration at The Magnolia on Thursday, May 3 followed by a celebration in the streets of West Village. Family and student film screenings at Studio Movie Grill – Spring Valley will also take place during the 2018 DIFF, a 25th anniversary event for Steven Spielberg’s three-time Academy Award®-winning blockbuster Jurassic Park will screen at Studio Movie Grill – Spring Valley (13933 N. Central Expy) on Sunday, May 6, and a Closing Night event on Thursday, May 10 for the 40th anniversary screening of Animal House at Alamo Drafthouse – Cedars.

To purchase passes for the 2018 Dallas International Film Festival (DIFF) on please click here. 2018 DIFF takes place May 3 through May 10 at The Magnolia in Uptown’s West Village. For a full list of films and categories, please visit the 2018 DIFF Online Film Guide.

About Dallas Film  Society
Dallas Film Society is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting film, filmmakers and film education through our annual events, the Dallas International Film Festival and The Art of Film, through membership events and screenings, and through our educational programs: Summer Film Camp, the High School Roundtables and High School Day, and The Veterans Institute for Film & Media. The Dallas Film Society provides leadership in screen education and the recognition and celebration of excellence in the art of film, television and digital media. For more information about Dallas Film, please visit www.dallasfilm.org.


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