The Dallas Film Society announced today the appointment of two new members to the organization’s Board of Directors, and introduced a number of new and returning sponsors for the Dallas International Film Festival. DIFF’s Call for Entries for the 11th edition of the film festival, taking place March 30-April 9 of next year, reaches its regular deadline on December 2.
“We are very happy to announce the addition of Rebecca Flores and Eric Hirschhorn to the Dallas Film Society Board of Directors, said DFS Chairman of the Board Mark Denesuk. “As we head into the organization’s second decade, we continue to steadily add strength through new voices, new ideas, and new energy, from the arts, education, and business community. Drawing from both the film and education world, Rebecca continues to add emphasis to the two primary focuses of DFS, and Eric brings another valuable viewpoint from the world of advertising and marketing. Their talent, experience and vision, will help us greatly as we continue our efforts to grow in our second decade.”
Eric Hirschhorn is as a Partner at bloomfield knoble (bk) advertising, a Dallas-based strategic advertising agency. For nearly 20 years he has led the business development and executive management for bk, developing roles with major brands, Fortune 50 companies and State and Federal agencies. Hirschhorn grew up in Dallas and has more than 25 years serving as a communications professional, including publishing, advertising and marketing. Prior to bk, Eric served as managing editor for a Dallas publishing company, and was a nationally published freelance feature writer for publications ranging from Art & Antiques to The New York Times. He earned a BA from the University of California at Santa Cruz in Literature and Art History, with a minor in Journalism.
Rebecca Flores is an adjunct professor at The University of Texas at Arlington, Southern Methodist University, The Art Institute of Dallas, as well as a freelance filmmaker. From her earliest 
years, she has been devoted to media and communication. While earning dual degrees from the University of Texas at Austin, she took the role of Station Manager at TSTV, the first commercial college broadcast station in the U.S. After college she worked as a freelance videographer and cinematographer in central Texas for independent filmmakers as well as for HGTV and the A&E networks. After earning her Masters degree in Film Production at the University of Southern California in 2007, Rebecca was invited to assist in teaching student film workshops at the Royal Film Commission of Jordan. While working there in Amman, she accepted the first teaching position with Jordan’s new graduate film school, The Red Sea Institute of Cinematic Arts. After many adventures in teaching and filmmaking in the Middle East, she returned to Texas in 2012.
The officers for the upcoming fiscal year include Chairman, Mark Denesuk; Treasurer, Mary Hatcher; Secretary, Matt Bivona. The Board of Directors (in addition to the officers as well as Hirschhorn and Flores) include Benton Bagot, Jason Cleveland, Paul Coggins, Clare Freeman, Suzanne Bock Grishman, Geoff Hawkes, Harry Hunsicker, Lynn Lewis, Dallas Sonnier, Larry Waks, and Maureen Womack.
Regarding the new and returning sponsors and business relationships for DIFF next year, Dallas Film Society Executive Director, Lee Papert, said, “The Dallas Film Society and the Dallas International Film Festival has enjoyed great support from a number of sponsors over the course of our first ten years. However, the organizations and individuals that have already stepped forward and either returned to help us put on the great film festival that Dallas has become accustomed to, or have joined forces with us for the very first time is exciting. Of course, there will be more to come, but already, we feel as if we are absolutely fortunate to have these organizations, and companies behind us.”
Among the returning sponsors are:
The Arthur E. Benjamin Foundation returns as the Presenting Sponsor of both the legendary DFS Honors Awards Dinner and the DIFF 2017 Audience Awards. (As part of that sponsorship, Narrative and Documentary Feature Film winners will receive cash prizes along with their awards of $2000 each, and the Short Film winner will receive $1000).
While not a sponsor, DIFF is thrilled to return to the Dallas City Performance Hall on Thursday, March 30 for the Opening Night of the Festival — as well as the full Opening Weekend, March 30–April 2. This will be the third time DIFF has utilized this exemplary performance space, in the heart of Dallas’s beautiful Arts District of Downtown Dallas to showcase the art of film.
Among the new sponsors are:
Mercury One Foundation will be the new Presenting Sponsor of DIFF’s annual High School Day and the year-round High School Roundtable program. Mercury One provides aid and funding in the areas of disaster relief, humanitarian initiatives, veteran causes, support for Israel, education initiatives, and rescuing and restoring persecuted religious minorities in the Middle East.
The Dallas Film Society is also thrilled to welcome Withoutabox to the fold as a first-time sponsor. Already a powerhouse film submission software program, Withoutabox will be bringing additional marketing and promotional efforts to the table through partnerships tied to their ownership structure which includes IMDB and Amazon.
Just a few of the other confirmed DIFF 2017 sponsors include Abco, Inc., Bloomberg Philanthropies, CineState, the City of Dallas – Office of Cultural Affairs, Commerce House, the Dallas Film Commission, Downtown Dallas Inc., El Creative, the Highland Dallas hotel, the Hong Kong Economic Trade Office – San Francisco, Lucky Post, the People’s Last Stand, PreKindle, Selig Polyscope, Stella Artois, and the Texas Commission on the Arts.
For more information for film submissions for the 2017 Dallas International Film Festival, please contact [email protected].
