Film Festival Runs August 19-21
The Women Texas Film Festival recently announced Patrick Chapman’s TOY as a late addition to film festival’s inaugural lineup, screening at the Texas Theatre in Dallas (231 W. Jefferson Blvd.) on Saturday, August 20, WTxFF also announced the theme of the Opening Night Party celebrating Rosemary Myers’s awardwinning Australian comedy, GIRL ASLEEP. Held at the Oak Cliff Cultural Center (223 W. Jefferson Blvd.), the party’s theme will be “Disco and Donuts”, kicking off the three-day weekend highlighting the work of women behind the camera with a fun and sugar-filled flourish.
WTxFF Founder and Artistic Director, Justina Walford, said, “There is a baffling enduring myth that women shy away from gritty projects. I aim to shine a light and promote the edgier, more hard core projects of female producers, writers and directors. TOY fits that ambition to a T. Co-written by Alissa Kokkins, co-executive produced by Leigh Jones, and co-produced by Roberta Munroe, the film takes no emotional prisoners. We are thrilled to have it.”
Directed by Patrick Chapman, and written by Chapman, Andrew Hanson, and Alissa Kokkins, TOY is the story of a young, wealthy, talented but naive artist named Chloe (Briana Evigan). She inherited not only her late mother’s wealth, but also the thing that took her mother’s life and which she’s desperate to keep secret. Chloe’s newest work leads her to Kat (Kerry Norton), a beautiful but aging sex worker. As Kat’s career options grow more desperate, and as Chloe fights her own demons, the two women grasp on to each other, offering one another second chances while trying to escape their inevitable decline. TOY shows how sex is given and taken and bought and sold, out of love, lust, pain and desperation, and often just to survive. Briana Evigan and Kerry Norton give stunning, heartbreaking performances as the spiraling couple. The impressive cast also includes Daniel Hugh Kelly, Bre Blair, Matt O’Leary, Paul Rae, and Ana Foxxx. TOY was executive produced by Leigh Jones and Ian Keiser, and produced by Lije Sarki and Roberta Munroe.
Walford was equally enthusiastic about the announcement of WTxFF’s Opening Party theme of “Disco and Donuts” at the Oak Cliff Cultural Center to celebrate the screening of GIRL ASLEEP. Produced by Teresa Nguyen at the RED iD Agency, the party will combine two of the themes from GIRL ASLEEP to create a uniquely fun and celebratory event kicking off WTxFF. “Every film festival has parties and galas, but we wanted to actually incorporate the film that everyone would have just seen and enjoyed into the party that follows,” Walford said. “GIRL ASLEEP is so inspired and fanciful, and it was simply obvious to extend the themes in the film to the following party. We are beyond fortunate to have Teresa come on board to put this party together because she is in a class by herself when it comes to these events. And dammit, I love donuts.”
Film festival passes and tickets are on-sale now, with VIP Festival Passes, and special Shorts Programs packages are available. Individual tickets are $11. For more information on the Women Texas Film festival go to WomenTxFF.org. To purchase VIP passes, the special Shorts Programs package, or tickets to individual screenings go to: http://prekindle.com/promo/id/24545708304714170.
ABOUT THE WOMEN TEXAS FILM FESTIVAL The Women Texas Film Festival (WTxFF) promotes established and emerging female storytellers in film, TV, and VR, celebrating the grit and range of women’s voices. WTxFF screens qualified films that have women in at least one key creative role: Writer, Producer, Director, Cinematographer, Editor, Composer. The WTxFF also organizes a host of activities for the festival and year-round focused on the craft and artistry of filmmaking, including moderated Q&As with filmmakers, panel discussions, networking events, and a gala night with filmmaker red carpet. For more information about Women Texas Film Festival, visit www.WomenTxFF.org.
2016 WTxFF SPONSORS: Dallas Film Society, NEX Space, Oak Cliff Cultural Center, Opus-3, RED iD Agency, Selig Polyscope Company, Small BrewPub
