Dallas Film today announced the first ten film titles for the 13th annual Dallas International Film Festival (DIFF) powered by Capital One. The films include two World Premieres, three Texas Premieres and four Dallas Premieres. The festival, which is the largest film festival in North Texas, will be held from April 11 to April 18, with screenings at Magnolia Theater, West Village in Uptown Dallas; Studio Movie Grill, Royal Lane; and at the Dallas Museum of Art. Additional venues will be announced later.
“The purpose of the Dallas International Film Festival is to bring people together to celebrate a relatable art form that connects individuals through shared experiences,” said Johnathan Brownlee, CEO & president of Dallas Film and executive director of Dallas International Film Festival. “Last year, DIFF welcomed more than 100 filmmakers, screened more than 130 films from 22 countries and achieved an attendance of more than 80,000. This year, in order to offer our guests a better customer experience, Dallas Film is partnering with Atom Tickets to offer reserved seating via a mobile app. DIFF is the pilot film festival to offer this benefit to festivalgoers. In addition, Star Pass holders will have an opportunity to reserve premium seats.”
“Each year, it becomes increasingly difficult to select which films to showcase from among the thousands of submissions we receive from filmmakers all over the world,” said James Faust, artistic director of Dallas Film. “As we finalize the programming for the 13th annual Dallas International Film Festival, we are pleased to offer you a sneak peek of the lineup. Our goal is to bring an eclectic and vibrant mix of films that speak to the varied interests and life experiences of DIFF festivalgoers. We have many exciting events in the works and are eager to create an exceptional festival experience for all who attend.”
The first ten official selections include (listed alphabetically):
Movie Title: Her Smell
Premiere Status: Dallas Premiere Director: Alex Ross Perry Country: USA
Running Time: 134 Minutes
Synopsis: Becky Something (Elisabeth Moss) is a ’90s punk rock superstar who once filled arenas with her grungy all-female trio Something She. Now she plays smaller venues while grappling with motherhood, exhausted band mates, nervous record company executives, and a new generation of rising talent eager to usurp her stardom. When Becky’s chaos and excesses derail a recording session and national tour, she finds herself shunned, isolated and alone. Forced to get sober, temper her demons, and reckon with the past, she retreats from the spotlight and tries to recapture the creative inspiration that led her band to success.
Movie Title: Hurdle
Premiere Status: World Premiere Director: Michael Rowley Country: USA
Running Time: 87 Minutes
Synopsis: As the Israeli military occupation of the Palestinian territories approached its 50th year, Hurdle reveals an important and intimate story emerging from the hearts and actions of Palestinian youth. The new generation responds to a world of walls, checkpoints and arrests in an unexpected and inspiring way. Hurdle’s protagonists, Sami and Mohammad, begin teaching the creative practices of parkour and photography, respectively, to the youth of their communities as a means to overcome the personal and political obstacles that often feel inescapable. Though these young men are separated by a wall, they are united in leading the next generation toward freedom and self-determination through non-violent, creative practices.
Movie Title: Jumpshot
Premiere Status: Dallas Premiere Director: Jacob Hamilton Country: USA
Running Time: 73 Minutes
Synopsis: JUMP SHOT uncovers the inspiring true story of Kenny Sailors, the developer of the modern day jump shot in basketball. Introducing his never before seen ‘leaping one-hander’ to the masses on a national level, Kenny quickly grew to be a fan favorite while leading his Wyoming Cowboys to the Collegiate National Championship in Madison Square Garden in 1943. But after playing on several losing teams in an unstable, emerging league now known as the NBA, Kenny disappeared into the Alaskan wilderness only to be forgotten by the sport he helped pioneer. Now, nearly sixty years later, the multitude of people he has touched along the way have forced Kenny’s humble reemergence.
Movie Title: Live from Astroturf
Premiere Status: Texas Premiere Director: Steven Gaddis
Country: USA
Running Time: 58 Minutes
Synopsis: Alice Cooper reunites with the surviving members of the original lineup of the band to perform a blistering set on a small stage of pink astroturf at independent music store Good Records in Dallas, TX, 40 years after the band parted ways. Store owner Chris Penn pulls off the near insurmountable task of organizing the event and keeping Alice’s appearance a secret until the original shock-rocker hits the stage.
Movie Title: Running with Beto
Premiere Status: Dallas Premiere
Director: David Modigliani Country: USA
Running Time: 94 Minutes
Synopsis: This behind-the-scenes HBO documentary film follows Beto O’Rourke’s rise from virtual unknown to national political sensation through his bold attempt to unseat Ted Cruz in the US Senate. Embedded with Beto for the final twelve months of his campaign, the film follows his journey in real time through intimate access to O’Rourke, his family, and a team of political newcomers who champion a new way of getting to know a candidate
— one Texas county at a time. The film reveals the challenges and triumphs of an unconventional campaign as Beto navigates an onslaught of negative advertising, inevitable strain on his family, and the pressure of delivering for legions of supporters. This film is creatively and financially independent from Beto O’Rourke and his campaign. It will debut later this spring on HBO.
Movie Title: Seadrift
Premiere Status: Texas Premiere Director: Tim Tsai
Country: USA
Running Time: 68 Minutes
Synopsis: In 1979, a Vietnamese refugee shoots and kills a white crab fisherman at the public town docks in Seadrift, TX. What began as a dispute over fishing territory erupts into violence and ignites a maelstrom of boat burnings, KKK intimidation, and other hostilities against Vietnamese refugees along the Gulf Coast. Set during the early days of Vietnamese arrival in the U.S. “Seadrift” examines the shooting and its dramatic aftermath, and reveals the unexpected consequences that continue to reverberate today.
Movie Title: Shadow
Premiere Status: Dallas Premiere Director: Zhang Yimou
Country: China
Running Time: 116 Minutes
Synopsis: With SHADOW, director Zhang Yimou (HERO, HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS) once again pushes the boundaries of wuxia action to create a film like no other, masterfully painting a canvas of inky blacks and greys punctuated with bursts of color from the blood of the defeated. In a kingdom ruled by a young and unpredictable king, the military commander has a secret weapon: a “shadow”, a look-alike who can fool both his enemies and the King himself. Now he must use this weapon in an intricate plan that will lead his people to victory in a war that the King does not want.
Movie Title: 40th Anniversary Screening of The Muppet Movie (1979)
Director: James Frawley
Country: UK, USA Running Time: 95 Minutes
Synopsis: While living the quiet life in a swamp, Kermit the Frog is approached by a Hollywood agent to audition for the chance of a lifetime. So Kermit takes this chance for his big break as he makes the journey to Hollywood.
Along the way, Kermit comes across several quirky new friends including comedic Fozzie Bear, beautiful but feisty Miss Piggy and the Great Gonzo. But Kermit must also watch out for ruthless Doc Hopper, who plans to use him as his spokesman for his Frog Legs food chain.
Movie Title: Them That Follow
Premiere Status: Texas Premiere
Directors: Britt Poulton, Dan Madison Savage Country: USA
Running Time: 98 Minutes
Synopsis: In the rugged wilderness of Appalachia, the members of an isolated community of Pentecostal snake handlers led by Pastor Lemuel (Walton Goggins) risk their lives to attest themselves before God. Lemuel’s daughter Mara (Alice Englert) prepares for her upcoming wedding to the young believer her father has singled out for her under the watchful eye of Hope (2019 Oscar Winner, Olivia Colman), while scrambling to hide a secret that has the potential to drive her father’s church to ruin.
Movie Title: This World Won’t Break
Premiere Status: World Premiere Director: Josh David Jordan Country: USA
Running Time: 148 Minutes
Synopsis: A Texas troubadour’s quiet life is upset by the realization that he isn’t where he had hoped to be at this point in his career. He questions the decisions of putting off a family life in hopes to one day “make it” by isolating himself on the open road and playing small honkey-tonks. Too late to stop following the dream and too early in his career to be a legend, Wes Milligan’s struggle for a better life begins to spiral out of control. In these darkest moments, he writes THE song.
