Dallas Movie Screening

Dallas Movie Screenings started out as a mailing list on Yahoo Groups to facilitate finding free screening passes in the DFW area. When Yahoo Groups shut down, we are now posting screenings on our Facebook page at http://www..facebook.com/groups/dallasmoviescreenings
Earlier Reesa's Reviews can also be found at:http://www.moviegeekfeed.com

Logo art by Steve Cruz http://www.mfagallery.com

Website and Group Contact: dalscreenings@gmail.com

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

The DALLAS International Film Festival Announcements

The DALLAS International Film Festival Announces

SCOTT Z. BURNS to receive the DALLAS Shining Star Award

HORTON FOOTE to be posthumously honoured
with the DALLAS Star Award

CHRIS SANDERS and DEAN DEBLOIS named as recipients of the TEXAS AVERY ANIMATION AWARD

Additions to the Festival Line Up
Dallas, TX, March 29, 2011 – The DALLAS International Film Festival presented by Cadillac (March 31 – April 10, 2011) announced today that two new Honorees have been added to the slate of DALLAS Star Award recipients – writer, producer and director Scott Z. Burns (THE INFORMANT, THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM) and posthumously to Texas legend and Academy-Award winner Horton Foote (TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, TENDER MERCIES). The popular Texas Avery Animation Award presented by Reel FX Entertainment will be awarded to the writers and directors of the Academy Award nominated HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON and LILO & STITCH, Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders. Previous recipients include Pete Docter (UP), Henry Selick (CORALINE),Chris Wedge (ROBOTS) and Brad Bird (RATATOUILLE,THE INCREDIBLES). Three world premieres have also been added to the festival line-up along with Warner Bros’ documentary BORN TO BE WILD.

Horton Foote and Scott Z. Burns join Ann-Margret and Steve James on the 2011 roster of DALLAS Star Award recipients, all four of whom will receive the stunning Steuben Crystal awards courtesy of Neiman Marcus. Horton Foote becomes the fourth person in the festival’s five-year history following Gregory Peck, Jack Lemmon and Rita Hayworth to be posthumously honored with this award.

“I am so proud of our DALLAS Star Award honorees this year,” said Tanya Foster, President & CEO of the DALLAS Film Society. “To have the opportunity to put Horton Foote’s incredible writing career on a pedestal and bask in everything that he has done, and at the same time be able to celebrate the rising achievements of a young writer/ producer in Hollywood is exactly the purpose of our mission at the DALLAS Film Society. To honor those individuals, young or old, who have made important contributions to modern cinema and the advancement of the art of film is so fitting to our fifth celebration.”

Horton Foote’s career spanned 70 years in the entertainment industry. He started out as an actor but on receiving better reviews for his writing than for his acting, he switched his focus to the written word. His reputation as a television dramatist grew through the 1940s and ’50s and in 1962 he won his first Academy Award for TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, which also marked the debut performance of previous DALLAS Star Award recipient, Robert Duvall. Ten years later, Foote and Duvall collaborated again on the critically acclaimed TOMORROW, which prompted Duvall to call Foote “the rural Chekhov”. Ten years on, Foote wrote TENDER MERCIES (1983) for Duvall, which earned them both Academy Awards for Screenplay and Best Actor respectively. Foote’s third Academy-Award nomination came in 1985 with the emotive classic, A TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL. Other awards included the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play THE YOUNG MAN FROM ATLANTA (1995) and an Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries or a Special for his second adaptation of William Faulkner’s OLD MAN (1997).

Foote’s daughter, Hallie, will receive the award in her father’s memory at the DALLAS Film Society Honors on April 8. In celebration of the Dallas arts community paying tribute to Horton Foote, A TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL will be screened at the DALLAS IFF on April 9 at the Texas Theatre.

Award-winner Scott Z. Burns will receive the DALLAS Shining Star Award at the DALLAS Film Society Honors on April 8. After graduating Summa Cum Laude from the University of Minnesota, Burns began his career in advertising before moving into writing, producing and directing for television and film. His first award as a Producer was the Humanitas Prize and the Stanley Kramer award from the Producers Guild of America for the Academy Award winning documentary, AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH (2006). His screenplays and collaborations with directorsSteven Soderbergh andPaul Greengrass have earned him the recognition of being one of Hollywood’s rising stars in screenwritings - HBO Film’s PU-239 (2006), THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM (2007), THE INFORMANT (2009) and the yet to be released CONTAGION (2011). Currently Burns is adapting Jules Verne’s classic 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA for Disney and another feature script for Soderbergh based on the 1960s TV series MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E.

The Texas Avery Animation Award presented by REEL FX Entertainment honors a lifetime achievement in animation filmmaking. 2011 is the first year that there will be two recipients of this award. Collaborators Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois are highly respected in the animation world after being propelled to fame for the Academy Award- nominated film LILO AND STITCH (2002). Sanders is also known for his work on BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (1991), ALADDIN (1992), THE LION KING (1994) and MULAN (1998).

DeBlois was already an accomplished animator and writer at the time LILO & STITCH became a worldwide phenomenon, having worked on THE NUTCRACKER PRINCE (1990), THUMBELINA (1994) and as head of story on MULAN (1998), another collaboration with Chris Sanders. He then stepped behind the camera to direct the indie critical darling HEIMA (2007) and most recently he and Sanders have regrouped to bring audiences the breathtaking HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON (2010).

"For the past five years, Reel FX Entertainment has sponsored the Texas Avery Animation Award, which honors achievement in the animation industry,” said Ed Jones, CEO of Reel FX Entertainment. “This year, we give the award to two recipients - Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders - for the first time. With films like HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON and LILO & STITCH, they have created unforgettable characters whose stories are told through very different styles of animation. We feel their creativity and versatility embody the spirit of the award, and its namesake."

Finally, Warners Bros’ BORN TO BE WILD and three world premieres, SPLIT MILK, BETWEEN NOTES and IN THE LAND OF FIREWORKS have been added to the slate of wonderful films at the upcoming festival.

BETWEEN NOTES (USA) – WORLD PREMIERE
Director: Christopher Grissom
A musician trades his dream for a corporate job to keep his relationship but when the girl leaves him, he’s left wondering what went wrong. Is he ready to fall in love again with a person or just with an idea of love?

BORN TO BE WILD (USA)
Director: David Lickley
Narrated by Morgan Freeman, BORN TO BE WILD documents the animal orphan rehabilitation program at the Birute Galdikas’ research station in Borneo. It gives audiences an intimate look at these amazing beasts in their natural habitats.

IN THE LAND OF FIREWORKS (USA) World Premiere
Director: Joel Curry
A successful businessman sees his professional and personal life veer out of control after his girlfriend announces she is pregnant.

SPLIT MILK (USA) WORLD PREMIERE
Director: Blake Calhoun
A disenchanted assistant manager of a local grocery store is the victim of a late-night robbery during his night shift and as everyone is taken hostage in the store, the group is forced together to wait in the safe.

The DALLAS International Film Festival will run March 31 – April 10, 2011. Passes and tickets are currently on sale: available via online (www.dallasfilm.org), phone (214.782.9168) and in person at the FAUXCADES Box Office: 5321 E. Mockingbird Lane, Ste 100, Dallas.


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Sunday, March 27, 2011

Movies Scheduled for the Week of 3/27 - 4/2

This is the last week countdown until the Dallas International Film Festival which opens to a Gala event on Thursday 3/31. From 4/1-4/10 there will be some amazing films screening in 6 theaters all around the Dallas and in Plano. Programs and film schedules are available at http://dallasfilm.org/ or there's a pull out in the Dallas Observer or available at the DIFF box office at Mockingbird Station (Downstairs from the Angelika). Filmmakers and actors have been known to attend. We hope to see our group's smiling faces too.

NOW THE SERIOUS STUFF:
It has come to our attention that people are forwarding passes that they won from a movie partner. This is NOT acceptable. The kind people who offer us passes on their websites are allowed only a limited number of passes to distribute. Just because they don't say not to do it, they are trusting your better judgment because after all you are an adult and should know better. Anyone caught doing this will be banned from the group. I will also submit your names to the websites from which you won that pass so they can be aware of what you are doing with it. Fair warning!

March 27 - April 2, 2011

Sun
3/27

Mon
3/28

6:00 pm
SOUL SURFER
Angelika Dallas

7:00 pm
Camelot
Magnolia

Tue
3/29

7:30 pm
Hop
Studio Movie Grill-Dallas

7:30 pm
Source Code
Cinemark West Plano

Wed
3/30

10:00 pm
HORROR REMIX: RUSH
Studio Movie Grill Dallas

Thu
3/31

7:30 pm
Insidious
Studio Movie Grill Dallas

10:00 pm
HORROR REMIX: RUSH
Studio Movie Grill Arlington

Fri
4/1

Sat
4/2

11:30 am
Snowmen
AMC Northpark

2:00 pm
COOPER & THE CASTLE HILLS GANG
AMC Northpark

2:30 pm
Most Valuable Players
AMC Northpark

4:00 pm
The Perfect Game
AMC Northpark


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Friday, March 25, 2011

Efforts to Promote Social Change through the Love of Film at the 2011 DALLAS International Film Festival

The DALLAS Film Society Announces
Efforts to Promote Social Change through the Love of Film
at the 2011 DALLAS International Film Festival

Dallas, TX, March 24, 2011 – The 2011 DALLAS International Film Festival presented by Cadillac has announced the festival intends to raise awareness of social issues and promote the need for change through a series of panels, new awards and partnerships with health organizations.

For the first time in the festival’s five-year history, a three-part panel discussion entitled FilmMatters presented by Earthbound Farm, Spire and M3 Films, supported by The Embrey Human Rights Program and co-produced by Stephen Nemeth and Susan Thomson has been curated to specifically engage, educate and inspire an audience to support film as a means to facilitate social action. Over two days, national experts from the film, media and communications fields will participate in three panels called “WHY?”, “WHAT?” and “HOW?”. Upon the culmination of the discussions, audience members will have a comprehensive idea on why a film should be made about a cause and how to develop a strategic plan for taking it into the market place. Melina McKinnon, producer of FilmMatters and CEO of M3 Films LLC comments: “An important element of all film festivals is to provide opportunities to educate an audience, in order to develop a better understanding of the role of film in today’s world and panel discussions are a prime opportunity to have this educational experience. Now especially is the time as people are consistently looking for meaning in their projects as they become more and more socially conscious. We are delighted to be included in this prestigious Film Festival and thank Artistic Director James Faust for working with us to bring in non profit leaders, educators, philanthropists and filmmakers from around the world. We are so fortunate to have an incredible group of panelists to impart their knowledge with our audience. I encourage anyone interested in making a difference to take time out of their busy lives and learn how to communicate their cause with the world.”

FilmMatters presented by Earthbound Farm, M3 Films and Spire supported by The Embrey Human Rights Program will take place in the DALLAS IFF Festival Lounge, 1608 Main Street 75201. The line-up is as follows:

Film Matters Panel #1 – WHY? Saturday, April 2 – 11:00 AM
Theme:WHY make a movie about your cause? What are your GOALS? (Ex. to encourage political action, engender compassion, raise funds, create brand awareness, entertain, etc.)
Moderator: James Chippendale
James Chippendale is founder and CEO of the prominent CSI Entertainment Insurance
as well as a cancer survivor and co-founder of the progressive Love Hope Strength Foundation, an organization that has profoundly broadened the reach of cancer awareness through concerts, film, and the arts.
Panelists
Brigid McConville: Award-winning author, journalist, and human rights advocate. Her recent focus has been to expose and seek change for the worldwide injustices of maternal mortality.
Tony Fay:Sports and events Communications, notably acting as the Director of Communications for the Dallas Mavericks, and serving as the VP of Communications for the North Texas Super Bowl XLV Host Committee.
Oscar Torres: Award-winning filmmaker highlighting the complexity of survival in violent areas of Central and South America.
Kerri Briggs: Director for Education Reform at the George W. Bush Institute
Leslie Bradshaw:Producer THE GREATER GOOD

Film Matters Panel #2 – WHAT? Saturday, April 2 – 1:00 PM
Theme: WHAT kind of movie are you going to make (Ex. Documentary, Biopic, Narrative)? Do you need to utilize known TALENT? What kind of AUDIENCE are you trying to reach? Do you understand how to effectively ENGAGE with your intended audience?
Moderator: Anne Bothwell
Anne Bothwell is the director of KERA’s Art&Seek, advocating for local artists, and the socially- enriching importance of community-based arts and involvement.
Panelists
Sahara Byrne: Assistant professor of Communications at Cornell University
Judith Helfand: Co-Founder of Chicken & Egg. Filmmaker, activist and educator. Brian Malone: Five-time Emmy Award winner, Producer/Director/Editor and Composer
Lauren Embrey:The President of the Embrey Family Foundation and CEO of Embrey Interests, Ltd.
Kathryn Lo:Director, Program Development, Independent Film & PBS [Plus]

Film Matters Panel #3 – HOW? Sunday, April 3 – 3:00 PM
Theme:WHAT funding options should you pursue? What distribution partners should you consider?
Moderator: Stephen Nemeth
Stephen Nemeth is founder and CEO of Rhino Films. For Rhino, he has produced films including FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS, WHY DO FOOLS FALL IN LOVE and DOGTOWN AND Z-BOYS. The Hollywood Reporter named him one of the “Top Ten Most Prolific Producers in Hollywood”.
Panelists
Tom Stephenson: CEO and VP for the board of Rave Motion Pictures
Noah Hutton: Award-winning documentary filmmaker, making films with a message.
Judith Vecchione:PBS Executive Director
Keith Maitland: Director/producer of THE EYES OF ME

Saturday April 2nd at the DALLAS IFF will be Heart, Hope, Healing Day: an H3 Celebration. Presented by Baylor Jack and Jane Hamilton Heart and Vascular Hospital in partnership with the American Heart Association’s GO RED FOR WOMEN campaign and MISSION LIFE BALANCE® will be present at all the festival venues throughout the day to encourage audiences to get a glucose and cholesterol health screening. Nancy Vish, President of Baylor Jack and Jane Hamilton Heart and Vascular Hospital comments: “Presenting our H3 Celebration on the first Saturday of DALLAS IFF is a wonderful way of reminding Dallas of the importance of health screenings. In exchange for the check up, every person will receive a DALLAS IFF screening voucher worth $10 and furthermore, if anyone wears red that day they will receive $2 off a same day ticket or free entry from the rush line. So it just makes sense: feel better AND get to see a movie for free!” Additionally, the first 200 people to donate $5 to the American Heart Association GO RED FOR WOMEN at the Baylor health screening locations will receive a free DALLAS IFF film screening voucher.

An unforgettable party and fashion show hosted by designer Abi Ferrin will continue the celebration that evening at 9PM at South Side on Lamar. Abi Ferrin Fashion Rewind: A Reinterpretation of Hollywood Fashion Icons will bring even more glamour and panache to DALLAS IFF as she transforms friends of the festival into fashion icons from old Hollywood. Tickets are available for $75 with the proceeds from this event benefitting the American Heart Association’s GO RED FOR WOMEN campaign and the Dallas Film Society. For more details go to http://fashionrewind-diff.eventbrite.com

Another way that DALLAS IFF is working to keep awareness of social issues alive is by introducing a new award to this year’s festival: The Silver Heart Award. Lauren Embrey, a panelist in FILM MATTERS has been instrumental in bringing this award to Dallas.The Silver Heart Award will be bestowed on an individual or film for their dedication to fighting injustices and/or creating social change for the improvement of humanity. The winner of the Silver Heart Award will receive a $10,000 cash prize courtesy of the Embrey Family Foundation. “The Embrey Family Foundation is dedicated to building better lives,” said Lauren Embrey. ”We actively look to support programs that advance human rights, healthy communities, education and artistic creativity. There is a natural synergy with the Foundation’s mission and honoring a film or filmmaker for addressing socially conscious issues in their work, so we are thrilled to be involved with the DALLAS International Film Festival in this way.” Nine films will be competing for the Silver Heart Award. The winner will be announced at the DALLAS Film Society Honors on April 8.

Finally, James Chippendale and Noah Hutton, two other FilmMatters panelists are bringing their compelling documentary MORE TO LIVE FOR to Dallas. It features the lives of three extraordinary men who are searching for a bone marrow match to save their lives. This is the first film of its kind where the audience can participate in a life-saving mission immediately after the screening. Testing to be in the International Bone Marrow Registry involves merely a swab of one’s cheek, and the filmmakers will be doing this on-site after every screening of the film. New registrants can potentially save someone’s life after being tested and matching a patient in need. This is a small act that can make a world of difference. New registrants from the DALLAS IFF can be tracked through the registry, which means that next year the festival will be able to announce the number of lives saved from these drives.

The DALLAS International Film Festival will run March 31 – April 10, 2011. Passes and tickets are currently on sale: available via online (www.dallasfilm.org), phone (214.782.9168) and in person at the FAUXCADES Box Office: 5321 E. Mockingbird Lane, Ste 100, Dallas.



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Sucker Punch




Going into this movie, I had no information. I didn't hear any of the hype, I barely paid attention to the trailer (To be fair, I was distracted.) and I almost arrived late because I am inept at navigation. But somehow I made it and observed that the line was stirring, people talking amongst themselves about how "arty" the film would be. It was directed by Zack Snyder, I overheard. He did 300 and The Watchmen, the long line was emanating a palpable anticipation.  I was sure the aggregate cinematic would be impressive based off the little I gleaned before getting my wristband and popcorn. I recalled the stunning visual of Spartans killing an overwhelming Persian force as I found my seat. I pondered critically Dr. Manhattans junk as I fixed my eyes on the screen.

The lights went down.

Enter 1950s, A dark and dreamy landscape set to somber, desperate music and despair. Tim Burton would have been proud as the foreboding gravitas gives way to the story of a girl (Emily Browning) and the perils she must overcome. She shines like a fallen angel, strong and vulnerable, blond and pink against the black and blue backdrop. The turmoil culminating in her institution, in a time when crazy was locked away and misunderstood, where lobotomy was considered a necessary step and curative process.  During this, Emily's face remains as porcelain, camera fixated on an emotionless caricature. She was like a doll.

Then colors and all the world had changed. Faces, the same yet different, took a trip through the looking glass. All burlesque and brothel now, women and girls and the show taking center stage for another dark twist. Her name is Baby Doll (Emily) and her previous venerability is now twisted sexual. Around her is a crew cast scantily clad. The leader Sweet Pea (Abbie Cornish), her sister Rocket (Jena Malone), the ironically named Blondie (Vanessa Hudgens<3) and Amber are all "performers" here and are all insane there. Lead by the doctor/Madam Vera Gorski (Carla Gugino) and Held captive by Pimp/doctor Blue Jones (Oscar Isaac) they are an attraction that our pure, sweet Baby Doll is forced to be a part of when she is made to dance.

And just when the movie was good, it got EPIC. A pagoda in winter as snow falls, a school-girls outfit, a katana, a silver handgun and three giant samurai warriors stand it the way. When the wise man (Scott Glen) says "defend yourself" Baby doll listens and dances. From that point on every dance is battle of bullet-time, badassery and sexuality as Baby is pitted against the impossible. It is a feast of visual effect, a cinematic orgy of amazing fight sequences and daring heroics.

And then, before long it becomes the sexy mundane again, or does it?

Sucker Punch is really just as the name implies, it hits you when you least expect it. It tells a very peculiar story through various settings and conditions. The visualization are the fluid and conduit, flowing and bridging the gap between the video game-like universe and a bleak terrestrial realm. The story is a medley of jilting and fantastic sojourns with a powerful darkness and spark of human resolve at its core. It plays to the  combined love that I have for the years of hard-core video gaming that I spent accomplishing and the deep and profound love that I have for looking at attractive women, to which I have had ever since they stopped chasing me in my prepubescent days.  Its because of these glorious fantasy worlds (and the ensemble cast of girls in their underwear) that I find myself wondering; is reality really all that its cracked up to be?
(Review by Quinn Cruz-Hawkins)


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Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules



Greg Heffley has survived the start of middle school in the last outing of Jeff Kinney's popular book series. This is the second adventure of Greg and friends who are now in the 7th grade and no longer the low men in the pecking order. His mom who writes an advise column for the local paper wants her sons to spend more time with each other much to Greg's worst fear.

Zachary Gordon is back as the earnest but very put upon Greg at that age when boys have not hit their growth spurt so the girls of the same age are taller. Devon Bostick rocking the drums and the guy liner is back playing Rodrick who is still with the Löded Diper band and still loves to engage in sibling shenanigans. Their mom Susan (Rachael Harris) wants the two to bond because they will always be brothers by bribing them with “mom bucks”, play money that can be exchanged for cash when they are nice to each other. The dad Frank (Steve Zahn) quietly assents to his stricter wife as his only concerns are for the boys not to touch his civil war “figurines”. While Rodrick knows how to play the dutiful son card, he still manages to sabotage Greg's attempts to impress the new girl in school Holly Hills (Peyton List). The parents decide to let the boys spend the weekend alone together taking the youngest child with them. Despite the warning to behave Rodrick throws a party and locks Greg in the basement. Robert Capron is back as Rowley Jefferson springs him and they decide this is a unique chance to explore the world of a teenager by crashing the party. The earlier than expected return of the parents gets the boys to work together to clean up the place and trust each other that no one will break the code of silence about the party and the bathroom door. The whole thing with the replaced door with no lock is the funniest bit in the movie. The boys are also forced to spend a weekend at their grandfather's retirement home which Rodrick causes Greg to run around in his tidy whites. The main story is about Rodrick planning to compete in a local talent show with his band that gets sided-lined due to the trouble they both cause.

Screenwriters Gabe Sachs and Jeff Judah have previously done 90210 and Life As We Know It and Astro Boy director David Bowers have created an episodic adventure that would work well as a regular TV series. Way too many side adventures of Greg playing the invisible game on classmate Chirag (Karan Brar), Rowley and Greg watching scary movies, embarrassment at the roller rink seem to be stuck in the story to add filler. This may work in the book, but seems disjointed in the movie form. Apparently trying to connect the brothers in a common bond wasn't enough for the hour and 38 minute running time. There are five books in the series, so we can probably look forward to what happens to Greg and company before the teen hormones kick in. It's one movie series that encourages kids to read the books and that's always a good thing.
(Review by reesa)

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Thursday, March 24, 2011

Win Win



Mike Flaherty is an attorney whose practice has not been doing very well as of late. The boiler in his office building is making loud thumping noises and there's not enough money to fix it. He's also moonlights as a high school wrestling coach and the team is on a losing streak. Mike decides to take on the guardianship of a client who suffers from dementia to collect the fees that comes with it. But things get complicated when the man's grandson comes to stay after running away from his mother who is in rehab.

Paul Giamatti with his schlubby demeanor plays Mike Flaherty married to Jackie (Amy Ryan) and has two daughters Abby and Stella. He muddles through his days considering putting plastic over the files in the boiler room just in case it explodes and the lack of clients for his practice. Desperate Mike concocts a scheme where he will take on the guardianship of Leo Poplar (Burt Young) who is in the early stages of dementia but wants to stay in his home. The court allows it but Mike still checks him in a senior care facility while pocketing the $1500 a month guardianship check. He keeps this scheme from his wife and family. After settling Leo into the nursing home, Mike discovers at Leo's house the estranged grandson Kyle sitting on the door step so he takes him in despite Jackie's misgivings.

Kyle played by newcomer Alex Shaffer looks like a cross between teen aged Eminem and a young Sean Penn. His Kyle is terse and sullen like most real life teenagers, but with a glimpse of innocence hidden. He visits with his grandfather and goes with Mike while he coaches the high school wrestling team with Co-Coach Vigman (Jeffrey Tambor). The school's motto is “The Home of Champion”, but the team has been been not doing too well. Kyle asks to join in and Mike discovers he is a star athlete and enrolls him in the high school. Pretty soon they are winning. Kyle seems more animated and making friends. Even Jackie and the kids are becoming attached to the young man. Life seems like a win-win situation for Mike when suddenly Kyle's mom Cindy (Melanie Lynskey) shows up out of rehab looking to take a reluctant Kyle back and take control of the monthly guardianship pay.

Thomas McCarthy ( The Station Agent and The Visitor) directed and wrote the script with Joe Tiboni. It's one of those quiet films that gives an honest portrayal of an everyday guy caught in unusual circumstances that threatens to spiral out of control. Mike is a good guy with a big heart, caught in a financial bind tempted by an easy way out. Wonderful performances by Giamatti, and Amy Ryan as is patient but exasperated wife . Bobby Cannavale does a funny turn as Mike's hedge fund bachelor friend Terry Delfino who gets more than a little excited by the wrestling team success. With Win Win you can't lose.
(Review by reesa)

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Tuesday, March 22, 2011

The DALLAS Film Society Announces Two Texas Legends will be in attendance at the 2011 DALLAS International Film Festival

The DALLAS Film Society Announces
Two Texas Legends will be in attendance at the
2011 DALLAS International Film Festival
Dallas, TX, March 22, 2011 – The DALLAS International Film Festival presented by Cadillac (March 31 – April 10, 2011) announced today that highly respected screenwriter and Fort-Worth Native, James V. Hart and talented and versatile writer, actor and producer L.M. Kit Carson will both be in attendance at the upcoming festival. On April 10, James V. Hart will participate in a special 20th anniversary screening of HOOK followed by a presentation of selected segments from L.M Kit Carson’s docu-series AFRICA DIARY.

Celebration will be in the air for the 20th anniversary screening of HOOK, the 1991 film written by James V. Hart, directed by Steven Spielberg and stars Robin Williams, Dustin Hoffman and Julia Roberts. James V. Hart (screenwriter DRACULA, CONTACT, SAHARA, AUGUST RUSH) will participate in a Q&A following the screening and will share his memories with how he created this sequel to Peter Pan’s original adventures. James V. Hart comments: “Working with the legendary characters of Peter Pan, Tinkerbell and Captain Hook was a wonderful challenge for me as they deserve the upmost respect and I had to ensure they remained timelessly appealing. I am very much looking forward to seeing the DALLAS IFF audience react to HOOK 20 years on and discuss the process I went through in bringing these characters to life.”

Upon conclusion of James V. Hart’s discussion, the DALLAS IFF audience will have an opportunity to watch AFRICA DIARY, L.M Kit Carson’s personal journals exploring the new stories of Africa Now. Journalist & filmmaker Carson (PARIS TEXAS, THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2, BREATHLESS), with producer Cynthia Hargrave shot digital diaries of 3-5 minutes each using their Nokia N93 and N95 cell phone cameras. The New York Times tagged the filmmaker’s docu-work “semi-legendary” as he captures up-close and unforgettable facts and feelings in still-imagesand cinema-verite video. Africa – Zambia, Mozambique, South Africa are stunningly documented. Carson adds: “People tell me it’s hard to get over Africa. Not supposed to get over Africa – you carry it with you.” AFRICA DIARY launches on The Sundance Channel in 2011.

Both HOOK and AFRICA DIARY will be screened at the Highland Park Village Theatre on April 10, 2011 at Noon and 4PM respectively. Free admission but a ticket is required. Passes and tickets are currently on sale: available via online (www.dallasfilm.org), phone (214.782.9168) and in person at the FAUXCADES Box Office: 5321 E. Mockingbird Lane, Ste 100, Dallas.

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Sunday, March 20, 2011

Movies Scheduled for the Week of 3/20 - 3/26

Here's hoping some of you went to the volunteer orientation for the upcoming Dallas International Film Festival. Lets show our support for all the great movies that will be coming our way.

Again folks, those requests for passes coming to the list instead of to the person to whom it is intended. Obviously those chronic offenders are not reading these weekly rants. If you send it the group it will be DELETED and you will miss out on getting that pass.

March 20 - 26, 2011

Sun
3/20

Mon
3/21

Tue
3/22

7:30 pm
Win Win
Magnolia

Wed
3/23

7:30 pm
Kill the Irishman
Angelika Dallas

10:00 pm
Sucker Punch
Cinemark West Plano

Thu
3/24

7:30 pm
Insidious
Cinemark 17

Fri
3/25

Sat
3/26



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Thursday, March 17, 2011

The Lincoln Lawyer



Criminal defense lawyer Mickey Haller works out of his Lincoln Town car driven by a former client. His Los Angeles cases are mostly drug dealers and gangsters who he has no qualms at keeping a client in jail until he gets paid. His quick mind and familiarity with the system while nattily dressed makes him a formidable character. A bondsman refers him to a case of a rich young man charged with a heinous crime. But the case makes him question his ability to judge if someone is telling him the truth.

It's great to see Mathew McConaughey back on the big screen especially playing a multi layered lawyer rather than the shallow comic roles he's been saddled with in recent years. Director Brad Furman (The Take) and writer John Romano adapted the story from Michael Connelly's novel of the same name the first in a series of Mickey Haller. McConaughey as Haller roams around in town car visiting clients, doesn't worry that he's freeing as perps on the streets or working deals the jail those who insist they are innocent. His assistant works at home in her robe and his ex wife Margaret McPherson (Marisa Tomei) is a prosecutor. The offer of big fees is what motivates bail bondsman Val (John Leguizamo) to ask Mickey to take on the case of Louis Roulet (Ryan Philippe). He's handsome, sincere and pleads his innocence. He wants to go the trial quickly so he can put this behind him and get on with his life. He's charged with assaulting a young woman he met in a bar. Louis thinks that he's being set up to be sued because he's rich.

Considering the movies released this spring, this is a nice taut, well acted legal thriller. McConaughey's Haller is reminiscent of they lawyer he plays in A Time To Kill but with more edge and sass. He's slick, smooth, and savvy. Fans of the book will be happy that McConaughey nails the character according to the writer Michael Connelly.Every scene a familiar face seems to show up on screening. Look for William Macy has the long haired investigator that reminds one of Guerrero of Human Target. Josh Lucas is the trial prosecutor. Frances Fisher as Louis's mother and Bryan Cranston as Detective Lankford. The biggest surprise is seeing 80's action star Michael Paré as Detective Kurlen. There is a deja vu feeling overall as it often feels like it's paced as a TV series. The twists and turns of the plot will keep one guessing, or not guessing if like me, you can see it coming. It's one movie this spring that's worth the popcorn.
(Review by reesa)


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Limitless



It's been said that humans only use about 10% of our brains. What would happen if we could use it all. Eddie Morra an unemployed writer is given the opportunity to explore that when he's handed a little transparent pill. But what goes up, must come down.

Bradley Cooper plays Eddie a disheveled writer who has only one word of his manuscript done. If he doesn't finish it quickly then he will have to pay back his advance. Things get worse when his girlfriend Lindy (Abbie Cornish) decides to return his keys and break up with him. Drinking away his sorrows he runs into his college girlfriend's brother Vernon (Johnny Whitworth) a former drug dealer. He seems very slick and successful now and offers Eddies a little pill that he says will change his life. As soon as Eddie takes it, he goes home, cleans his house, and does a major job on his novel. His editor is amazed and wants to see the rest of it. But the pill has worn off and Eddie is back to his lackluster self. He seeks out Vernon who he later finds dead. Eddie finds the stash of pills and then calls the cops. Back at his place he indulges in the experimental drug NZT which keeps him focused and confident. His whole aura changes as his eye color. He can recall everything he's ever read, heard or seen. He uses the knowledge to become successful in the stock market that brings him to the attention of Carl Van Loon (Robert De Niro). But Eddie is also drawing attention from someone else. Soon he's being chased and someone is trying to kill him. And there seems to be some serious side effects to the long term use of NZT.

Based on the book The Dark Fields by Alan Glynn the screenwriter is Leslie Dixon (The Thomas Crowne Affair and Freaky Friday) and directed by Neil Burger who also did The Illusionist. The movie is stylish, with interesting FX (if somewhat overused), and brisk paranoid action. The pacing is fast enough to make you unaware of the plot holes but since you are not NZT you may not catch them right away. You become easily distracted by Cooper's perfect man. Cooper who has been mostly seen in films that take advantage of his good looks and comedic timing is able to prove that he's more than just a pretty face. The concept of being able to change your life and really use your brain is intriguing and the ending of the film will leave you satisfied. Have fun and see this movie.
(Review by reesa)


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Jane Eyre



Charlotte Brontë 1847 gothic story of a plain English governess who falls in love with the mysterious Bryonic Edward Rochester has spurred over 36 movies, radio, musical and TV versions since 1910. This time the film directed by Cary Fukunaga (Sin Nombre) and screenwriter Moira Buffini (Tamara Drewe) have pared down the very detailed novel to a moody atmospheric plea for Jane's struggle to be treated like a independent human being.

The story opens with Jane (Mia Wasikowska) running away from from Thornfield Hall, getting caught in a storm on the moors. She is taken in by a brother and his sisters who nurse her back to health. St. John Rivers finds her a job teaching the local farmers daughters. The story then flashes back on how Jane came to be where she is now. As an orphaned child she was kicked out of her aunts home and sent to a charity school where she is accused of being decitful. Her sense of self worth is evident then as she does not back down from the attitude and self-righteous clergyman who runs the school. Her only friend Helen passes away from consumption. Somehow Jane survives the abuse at school and the loneliness, the movie doesn't really explain. Years later Jane receives the offer of a job teaching a French child at the estate of Thornfield Hall. Mrs. Fairfax (Judi Dench) the head housekeeper keeps the rooms ever ready as she never knows when Edward Rochester (Michael Fassbender) will be home. For once Jane feels comfortable and happy with her surroundings, despite the creepy noises that are coming from a wing of the sprawling mansion. When the dashing Mr. Rochester does come home her confidence and ability to speak her mind sparks his interest. Despite the slow build up Mr. Rochester with his swoon worthy eyes finds in Jane salvation from whatever it is that keeps him away from his home. They decide to wed, but soon that thump in the night becomes a fire in house, a person being shot, and Jane running away across the moors. She meets up with the River family and soon the brother (Jamie Bell) wants Jane to marry him and become a missionary wife. When Jane can't get Mr. Rochester out of her head, she returns only to find Thornfield burned to the ground.

Wasikowska is strong as the emotionally controlled Jane. Her Victorian era costumes with the many layered and corseted clothing in gray and her tawny hair in loose braids wrapped around her head is in direct contrast to Jane's curious and open mind. Fassbender is brooding and yet romantic. It's unfortunate that the chemistry between the two is somewhat lacking. Jane is so repressed that her surrender to Mr. Rochester's soulful glance is lacking. It was hard to believe that they fell in love so quickly. Where's the passion? It's still a movie worth watching even for whatever Brontë's feminist message may have been at the time. In the end Jane still goes back to the rich guy.
(Review by reesa)



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Paul




Graeme Willy and Clive Gollings are a couple of English guys enjoying for the first time the holy grail of nerd-dom, the San Diego Comic Con. They plan to drive a rented motor home through Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico visiting all the alien sites like Area 51 and the Black Mail Box. This is their dream and they speculate what it would be like to meet an actual extraterrestrial. They believe they would be the perfect people to have a close encounter of the third kind.

Clive (Nick Frost) is a sci-fi writer and his best friend Graeme (Simon Pegg) is an illustrator who did the cover art on Clive's book. They are in geek heaven visiting all the displays and wonders of the comic con even getting the autograph of their favorite author Adam Shadowchild (Jeffrey Tambor). They stop at the alien theme diner where they run into a couple of red necks who think they are gay. Feeling paranoid they take off quickly. When a car is following them at a high rate of speed blaring the horn, they think they are being targeted. The car passes before crashing. The guys rush to the aid of the driver to find that he's an escaped big headed alien from a government research complex fun by The Big Guy (Sigourney Weaver). She wants him stopped by all means by Agent Zoil (Jason Bateman) the hard nose straight shooter hot on the trail. Clive faints at the site of Paul (Seth Rogan voice) who speaks like Seth Rogan does in every movie. Rude, obnoxious and snarky. They guys agree to help Paul who wants to go back home, but the guys are on the run from the agents and the rednecks. Soon they are running from Moses (John Carroll Lynch) of Ruth Buggs (Kristen Wiig) a one eyed born again creationist who runs the RV campground. The revelation of Paul puts her belief system in an tailspin, with the consequences providing the funniest parts of the movie.

This is the first time that Nick Frost has received writing credits despite the successful partnership with co-writer Simon Pegg. Directed by Adventureland's Greg Mottola the action centers around the relationship of Clive and Graeme meeting an alien who happens to be sort of like them. The situations are humorous, but very laid back tongue in cheek with movie references. There isn't any nudity, but there is very raunchy dialogue that gives the movie an “R” rating. Look for some familiar faces showing up like Jane Lynch as a diner waitress, Jesse Plemons and David Koechner as the rednecks, Bill Hader and Joe Lo Truglio as the goofy agent underlings. Then suddenly there's Blythe Danner. Not a classic as Shaun of the Dead of Hot Fuzz, but an amusing night at the movies.
(Review by reesa)


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Lord of the Dance 3D



Back in 1995 Riverdance hit the big screen turning traditional Irish clogging into an instant phenomena. The dozens of dancers, straight back, arms to the sides bouncing up and down in military precise steps was fascinating and the live show sold out all around the world. Michael Flatley was only the lead dancer back then. After he broke away to form his own troupe and he became “Lord of the Dance”,

Fifteen years of touring has brought Flatley back to Dublin's O2 arena where he began dancing his signature role. Today he's 52 and still dancing looking like an über fit Liberace and leads the dancers like Siegfried and Roy minus the whip. The staging of this production requires several flatbed trucks and tour buses that requires 8 hours of set up and 4 hours to take down before heading to the next venue. Flatley could have shown a little more of the back stage preparations and the dance rehearsals. After years of shows, it runs like a well oiled machine. The show itself appears to have a story of good and evil with a jester fairy sprinkling sparkles over everyone while visuals are flashed behind to insure the right message to each scene. The dancers hop around in soft shoes or hard tap shoes doing the same variation of steps. Flatley appears in a bejeweled jacket and accepts the audience hero worship by flashing his quick toe steps and high kick leaps. At one point he's seducing a pair of principal dancers blond Bernadette Flynn and dark-haired Ciara Sexton. The next he's battling uniformed bullies who steal his Lord of the Dance cummerbund. At one point he's playing flute with an electric rock band. The women dancers have big poofy hair and a ton of makeup that doesn't seem to melt from the energetic routines. At one point, dressed in multicolored “Colleen” frocks they rip them off and dance in black bikini's. There's also the short skirted fiddlers (Giada Costenaro and Valerie Gleeson), druids, fireworks and a new-age soundtrack. It's all very Vegas.

Director Marcus Viner's focus is more on the flash and fancy of the show concentrating solely on Flatley. The cinematography by Nick Wheeler jumps from one angle to another instead of concentrating on the footwork. Because of this the 3D imagery doesn't do anything to actually enhance the experience. Except the exploding confetti at the end the glasses were more of a nuisance. This will play for a limited run for St. Patrick's day, but probably best wait for the DVD which should be out soon.
(Review by reesa)



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BROADWAY’S 2010 TONY® WINNER ‘MEMPHIS’ COMES TO THE BIG SCREEN

BROADWAY’S 2010 TONY® WINNER ‘MEMPHIS’

COMES TO THE BIG SCREEN

FOR FOUR SHOWINGS ONLY



NCM Fathom and Broadway Worldwide Present Exclusive

Broadway Musical Event This Spring in More than 530 Movie Theaters



Centennial, Colo. – March 17, 2011 – MEMPHIS, Broadway’s current Tony Award® winning Best Musical, is hitting big screens nationwide for an exclusive four-night run on Thursday, April 28; Saturday, April 30; and Tuesday, May 3 at 7:30 p.m., with a special matinee on Sunday, May 1 at 12:30 p.m. (all times are local). This is the first time the current Tony Award®-winning Best Musical will be presented in movie theaters while concurrently running on Broadway. In addition to the electrifying musical, audiences will be treated to an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the musical that won four 2010 Tony Awards® and continues to play to sold out houses on Broadway. MEMPHIS was captured live in performance with the original Broadway cast for this special Fathom event presentation.



Tickets for MEMPHIS are available at participating theater box offices and online at www.FathomEvents.com. For a complete list of theater locations, prices and additional information — including cast photos and other details —visit the NCM Fathom website (theaters and participants are subject to change).



Presented by NCM Fathom and Broadway Worldwide, MEMPHIS was captured live in performance at Broadway’s renowned Shubert Theatre in New York City, and will be broadcast to more than 530 movie theaters nationwide through NCM’s exclusive Digital Broadcast Network. Broadway Worldwide’s production team is led by founder and executive producer Bruce Brandwen, Emmy Award®-winning director Don Roy King (Saturday Night Live, CBS’ The Early Show, Survivor) and Grammy® and Emmy Award®-winning sound producer Matt Kaplowitz (Ghandi, PBS’ To Bear Witness).



MEMPHIS takes place in the smoky halls and underground clubs of the segregated 50’s, where a young white DJ named Huey Calhoun (Chad Kimball) fell in love with everything he shouldn’t: rock and roll and an electrifying black singer (Montego Glover). MEMPHIS is an original story about the cultural revolution that erupted when his vision met her voice, and the music changed forever. Bursting off the stage with explosive dancing, irresistible songs and a thrilling tale of fame and forbidden love, this incredible journey is filled with laughter, soaring emotion and roof-raising rock 'n' roll.



“We are absolutely thrilled to share the story of MEMPHIS and its Broadway experience with audiences nationwide,” said MEMPHIS producer Sue Frost. “It’s an extraordinary opportunity for all of us involved with the production, and we can’t wait for Broadway lovers across America to see it on the big screen!”



MEMPHIS features a Tony®-winning book by Joe DiPietro (I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change) and a Tony®-winning original score with music and lyrics composed by David Bryan, Grammy Award® winning keyboard player and founding member of Bon Jovi. Directed by Tony® nominee Christopher Ashley (Xanadu) with choreography by Sergio Trujillo (Jersey Boys), the all-star cast features Tony® nominee Chad Kimball, Tony® nominee Montego Glover, Derrick Baskin, J. Bernard Calloway, James Monroe Iglehart, Tony® nominee Michael McGrath and Cass Morgan.



“MEMPHIS has been dazzling audiences since its Broadway premiere, and for the first time ever, audiences around the country will be able to experience Broadway’s current Best Musical at its finest – direct from Broadway – in their own hometown movie theater,” said Dan Diamond, vice president of NCM Fathom.



MEMPHIS will launch a U. S. national tour in Memphis, Tenn., in October 2011 at the Orpheum Theatre. Additional cities, dates and casting will be announced at a later date. The national tour is being booked by The Booking Group, contact Meredith Blair (212) 869-9280 www.thebookinggroup.com.



For more information about MEMPHIS on Broadway, please visit www.MemphistheMusical.com





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Monday, March 14, 2011

The DALLAS International Film Festival Announcement

The DALLAS International Film Festival
presented by Cadillac Announces

Academy Award Nominee Steve James to receive the DALLAS Star Award

BEING ELMO: A PUPPETEER’S JOURNEY named as Opening Night Film

Opening Night Temerlin Tribute hosted by Honorary Chairs Margot and Ross Perot

Full Schedule including all Features and Shorts

Star-laden films include Michael Sheen, Helen Mirren, Dennis Quaid, Helen Hunt, Paul Giamatti, Catherine Deneuve

Dallas, TX, March 14, 2011— The DALLAS International Film Festival presented by Cadillac announced today that Academy Award nominee Steve James will be the first documentary filmmaker in the festival’s history to receive the DALLAS Star Award. Also revealed is the full schedule of features and shorts that will be screened throughout the festival’s 11-day run (March 31- April 10, 2010) with the previously announced BEING ELMO: A PUPPETEER’S JOURNEY named as the Opening Night Gala presentation.

In a year where many filmmaking alumni are returning to DALLAS IFF, the trend will be crowned as two-time alum, Steve James will be honored with the DALLAS Star Award courtesy of Neiman Marcus at the DALLAS Film Society Honors on April 8. DALLAS IFF will be celebrating the remarkable achievements that Steve James has made in his career as Producer, Director, Director of Photography and Editor of documentaries. DALLAS IFF featured AT THE DEATH HOUSE DOOR and NO CROSSOVER: THE TRIAL OF ALLEN IVERSON in 2009 and 2010 respectively, with 2011 showcasing James’ most recent work, THE INTERRUPTERS: an investigation into the stubborn persistence of violence in American cities. This will mark the first year that a documentary filmmaker has received the festival’s prestigious award.

Michael Cain, Chairman of the Dallas Film Society Board of Directors, comments: “For the 13 years that I have been involved in film festivals, a filmmaker that consistently delivers and brings excitement to our audience is Steve James. From the world-renowned HOOP DREAMS that catapulted him into the who’s who list of documentarians, to the personal STEVIE and REEL PARADISE, to most recently unearthing the personalities of those attempting to stop the violence on the streets in Chicago in THE INTERRUPTERS, Steve James has a unique ability to delve into the soul of every character in his films and consume his audience in the process. He has exceptional talent and I am so proud that this year we have the opportunity to put him and his achievements on a pedestal.”

The DALLAS International Film Festival presented by Cadillac will kick off on March 31 with the Opening Night Gala encompassing the Dallas Arts District. Following a red carpet entrance, over 1,000 guests will join the festival in paying tribute to two incredible artists: actress Ann-Margret who will receive the DALLAS Star Award and DALLAS IFF founder and Chairman Emeritus, Liener Temerlin. Temerlin’s dedication, enthusiasm and the respect he garners throughout the arts community propelled the DALLAS IFF to being a festival that was instantly labeled as “one to watch”. The Trammell and Margaret Crow Collection of Asian Art in partnership with SMU's Temerlin Advertising Institute are the supporting sponsors for the Temerlin Tribute. Margot and Ross Perot are acting as Honorary Chairs of the Tribute.

Upon conclusion of the tributes, Constance Marks’ BEING ELMO: A PUPPETEER’S JOURNEY will enchant the audience as the featured film of Opening Night. Following its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2011, BEING ELMO is fast becoming a festival sensation. Marks chronicles the story of Kevin Clash, the man behind the beloved Sesame Street character, Elmo. Shot over six years and combining archival footage with present day interviews, it is a sincere portrait of a creative genius that will bring smiles, laughter and emotion to the DALLAS IFF audience. This feel-good crowd-pleaser promises to radiate out from Opening Night and carry through the remaining 10 days of the festival.

Senior Programmer Sarah Harris adds: “When I saw this film at Sundance, I knew immediately that Dallas would love it. And when it was just recently confirmed that we could feature it as the Opening Night film, there was a resounding “Yes!” through the office because we wanted the 2011 festival to begin with a feeling of celebration and BEING ELMO will do just that.”

With 157 films representing 26 countries, nine World Premieres and six US Premieres, the DALLAS International Film Festival is heading into its 5th year with a wide-ranging slate of features and shorts that promise to appeal to film-lovers of all age-groups and ethnicities. The lineup is highlighted by highly anticipated new works from festival and independent favorites such as Morgan Spurlock’s THE GREATEST MOVIE EVER SOLD, James Marsh’s PROJECT NIM and Miranda July’s THE FUTURE, and is rich with stars including (in alphabetical order) Maria Bello, Russell Brand, Pierce Brosnan, Jennifer Connelly, Jennifer Coolidge, Catherine Deneuve, Kat Dennings,Gérard Depardieu,Jennifer Garner, Paul Giamatti, Summer Glau, Amber Heard, Helen Hunt, Derek Jacobi, Justin Kirk, Josh Lucas, Ann-Margret, Heather Matarazzo, Helen Mirren, Lou Taylor Pucci, Dennis Quaid, Michael Sheen, Mira Sorvino, Marisa Tomei, John Waters and Carrie Underwood.

Artistic Director James Faust is exceptionally proud of the 2011 line-up: “Our goal this year was to extend the reach of this festival and give Dallas audiences the chance to really examine different cultures through the art of film. We have managed to achieve that with this line-up. There is an eclectic, thought-provoking mix of film genres this year that have only been touched upon in previous years. Whether it is attending the festival and watching just one film or more than 20 films, I urge everyone to enjoy these films with us and celebrate those who dedicate their lives and passion to the art of film.”

The DALLAS International Film Festival presented by Cadillac will run March 31 – April 10, 2011. Passes are currently on sale, tickets go on sale March 17. Passes and tickets will be made available via online (www.dallasfilm.org), and phone (214.782.9168).

The full schedule is as follows:

Centerpiece Screenings

BEAUTIFUL BOY (USA) - US PREMIERE
Director: Shawn Ku
In Shawn Ku's emotional drama, BEAUTIFUL BOY, a married couple on the verge of separation struggle to deal with their own personal loss whilst trying to find refuge from the public and the media after their son commits a mass shooting and kills himself. Starring Michael Sheen, Maria Bello, Alan Tudyk and Moon Bloodgood.

BEING ELMO: A PUPPETEER’S JOURNEY (USA)
Director: Constance Marks
Beloved by children of all ages around the world, Elmo is an international icon. Few people know his creator, Kevin Clash, who dreamed of working with his idol, master puppeteer Jim Henson. Displaying his creativity and talent at a young age, Kevin ultimately found a home on Sesame Street. Narrated by Whoopi Goldberg, this documentary includes interviews with Frank Oz, Rosie O’Donnell, Cheryl Henson, Joan Ganz Cooney and others and offers a behind-the-scenes look at Sesame Street and the Jim Henson Workshop.

OK BUCKAROOS (USA) – WORLD PREMIERE
Director: Patrick Tourville
Patrick Tourville’s documentary OK BUCKAROOS is the story of Jerry Jeff Walker, whose music has led him from the nation's biggest arenas to hundred-year old honky-tonks. Among those appearing in the documentary are Jerry Jeff Walker and Willie Nelson.

SOUL SURFER (USA)
Director: Sean McNamara
SOUL SURFER chronicles the inspirational story of surfer Bethany Hamilton who lost her left arm following a shark attack and the subsequent trials that she and her family go through in both her physical recovery and her emotional battle to continue surfing. Starring Dennis Quaid, Helen Hunt, AnnaSophia Robb, Lorraine Nicholson, Carrie Underwood, Kevin Sorbo, Jeremy Sumpter, Ross Thomas, Sonya Balmores Chung and Chris Brochu.

Premiere Series presented by The Macallan

ARTHUR (USA)
Director: Jason Winer
ARTHUR tells the story of a loveable billionaire who has always relied on two things to get by: his limitless fortune and the good sense of his lifelong nanny to keep him out of trouble. Now he faces the challenge of choosing between an arranged marriage to an ambitious corporate executive that will ensure his lavish lifestyle or an uncertain future with the women he really loves. Stars Russell Brand, Helen Mirren and Jennifer Garner.

DAYDREAM NATION (Canada)
Director: Michael Goldbach
DAYDREAM NATION tells the story of a city girl who moves to a small town and becomes entangled in a love triangle between her high school teacher and a stoner classmate. Stars Kat Dennings, Reece Thompson, Kate Bolandand Josh Lucas.

THE FUTURE (USA)
Director: Miranda July
When a couple decides to adopt a stray cat their perspective on life changes radically, literally altering the course of time and space and testing their faith in each other and themselves. Starring Miranda July, Hamish Linklater, and David Warshofsky.

THE GREATEST MOVIE EVER SOLD (USA)
Director: Morgan Spurlock
Spurlock’s insightful THEGREATEST MOVIE EVER SOLD unmasks the marketing process to bring audiences behind closed doors directly into the pitch meetings and marketing presentations that ultimately inform our everyday entertainment decisions.

IRONCLAD (UK/USA)
Director: Jonathan English
In 13th century England, a determined group of Knights Templar defend Rochester Castle against the tyrannical King John. IRONCLAD tells the story of the group’s struggles against the King to defend the freedom of their country.Stars Kate Mara, Derek Jacobi and Paul Giamatti.

LANGUAGE OF A BROKEN HEART (USA)
Director: Rocky Powell
A neurotic best-selling author on love writes with the heightened emotional capacity of a woman, but can’t keep girls from leaving him. StarringJuddy Talt, Julie White and Kate French.

LUCKY(USA) – WORLD PREMIERE
Director: Gil Cates Jr.
Darkly comic LUCKY follows the journey of $36 million Iowan lottery winner Ben Keller as he follows his life-long crush, Lucy St Martin. But can all the money in the world compensate for the fact that Ben is a fledgling serial killer? Stars Colin Hanks, Ari Graynor, Jeffrey Tambor and Ann-Margret.

MANGUS! (USA) – WORLD PREMIERE
Director: Ash Christian
Mangus Spedgwick has had one dream his whole life: He wants to be Jesus in his high school’s annual production of “Jesus Christ Spectacular”. When Mangus loses the role, a road trip and some law breaking ensues as he tries to win back the role. Stars Jennifer Coolidge, Heather Matarazzo, Charles Solomon Jr., Leslie Jordanand John Waters.

PAGE ONE: A YEAR INSIDE THE NEW YORK TIMES (USA)
Director: Andrew Rossi
During the most tumultuous time for media in generations, filmmaker Andrew Rossi gains unprecedented access to the newsroom at The New York Times.

POETRY (Shi) (South Korea)
Director: Chang-dong Lee
A sixty-something woman, faced with the discovery of a heinous family crime, finds strength and purpose when she enrolls in a poetry class. Stars Jeong-hie Yun, Nae-sang Ahnand Da-wit Lee.

POTICHE (France)
Director: François Ozon
When her husband is taken hostage by his striking employees, a trophy wife takes the reins of the family business and proves to be a remarkably effective leader. Starring Catherine Deneuve, Gérard Depardieuand Fabrice Luchini.

PROJECT NIM (UK)
Director: James Marsh
A chimpanzee is taken from its mother at birth and raised like a human child by a family in a brownstone on the upper West Side in the 1970s. Featuring Bob Angelini, Bern Cohen, and Reagan Leonard.

SALVATION BOULEVARD (USA)
Director: George Ratliff
A former Deadhead turned born-again Christian finds himself on the run from fundamentalist members of his mega-church who will do anything to protect their charismatic pastor. Stars Greg Kinnear, Ed Harris, Marisa Tomei, Jennifer Connellyand Pierce Brosnan.

Target Narrative Feature Competition

ADIÓS MUNDO CRUEL (Goodbye Cruel World) (Mexico)
Director: Jack Zagha
When a hard-working accountant is let go from his job because of the economic slump, he finds a new way of earning a living: becoming part of a criminal gang. Starring Carlos Alberto Orozco, Mónica Bejarano, JoséMontini, Lourdes Villarreal

BOY WONDER (USA)
Director: Michael Morrissey
After witnessing the brutal murder of his mother, a young Brooklyn boy grows up obsessed with finding her killer. He learns to lead a quiet life as a student by day and as a self-appointed hero by night until his dual lives come dangerously close to colliding. Stars James Russo, Zulay Henao and Tracy Middendorf

JESS + MOSS (USA)
Director: Clay Jeter
A series of vignettes involving memories of companionship and sexual awakening shared by two second cousins, Cast includes Sarah Hagan, Austin Vickers and Haley Strode

PARKED (Ireland, Finland)
Director: Darragh Byrne
A proud man living in his car decides to become a better person after being inspired by a young drug addict. Stars Colm Meaney, Colin Morgan and Milka Ahlroth.

THE PRESENCE (USA)
Director: Tom Provost
Provost’s stunning directorial debut, THE PRESENCE, is a darkly romantic ghost story that follows a woman’s relationship with an apparition in her isolated cabin in Oregon. With the unexpected arrival of the woman’s boyfriend, the spirit’s haunting becomes more obsessive. Starring Mira Sorvino, Shane West and Justin Kirk.

SMALL TOWN MURDER SONGS (Canada)
Director: Ed Gass-Donnelly
A modern, gothic tale of crime and redemption about an aging police officer from a small Ontario Mennonite town who hides a violent past until a local murder upsets the calm of his newly reformed life. Stars Martha Plimpton, Peter Stormare and Jill Hennessy.

SURROGATE VALENTINE (USA)
Director: Dave Boyle
A San Francisco indie musician lives a life on the road, navigating friendships and relationships. The film stars Goh Nakamura, Chadd Stoops and Lynn Chen.

Target Documentary Feature Competition

BEING ELMO: A PUPPETEER’S JOURNEY (USA)
Director: Constance Marks
Description under Centerpiece screenings

ELEVATE (USA) ♥
Director: Anne Buford
From rural Senegal to American Prep schools, ELEVATE documents the basketball journey of four particularly tall African teenagers with NBA dreams.

THE GREATER GOOD (USA) – WORLD PREMIERE ♥
Directors: Chris Pilaro, Kendall Nelson
Pilaro and Nelson’s THE GREATER GOOD looks behind the fear, hype and politics that polarize people into emotionally charged pro-vaccine or anti-vaccine camps.

NORMAN MAILER: THE AMERICAN (USA)
Director: Joseph Mantegna
Mantegna documents the life and times of controversial, celebrated post-WWII American writer Norman Mailer as told through the people who knew him personally.

PROSECUTOR (Canada) – US PREMIERE ♥
Director: Barry Stevens
A fascinating story with extraordinary inside access, PROSECUTORfollows the Chief Prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo through the first trials of the newly formed International Criminal Court. Featured interviews include Luis Moreno-Ocampo, Mahmood Mamdani, Ben Ferencz, Silas Chekera, Sir Geoffrey Nice.

WILD HORSE, WILD RIDE (USA)
Director: Alex Dawson, Greg Gricus
WILD HORSE, WILD RIDEfollows a handful of unforgettable characters who set out on a 100-day quest to tame a totally wild mustang for a Texas competition. This stunning documentary highlights the profound bond between people and animals.

ZERO PERCENT (USA) – WORLD PREMIERE ♥
Director: Timothy Skousen
Skousen gives his audience rare access within the walls of the Sing Sing Correctional facility. The inmates experience the power of education while going through a rigorous college program called Hudson Link – with astounding statistical results.

Target Filmmaker Awards:Awarded to one film each in the Narrative Feature and Documentary Feature Competition, as selected by the respective juries. Each winning film will receive a $25,000 unrestricted cash prize from Target.

Documentary Showcase

THE DISAPPEARANCE OF MCKINLEY NOLAN (USA, Cambodia, Vietnam)
Director: Henry Corra
Private McKinley Nolan vanished forty years ago in Vietnam on the Cambodian frontier. In 2006, retired US Army Lt. Dan Smith, revisiting the battlefields of his youth, may have encountered the elusive McKinley, alive. So began a journey into the heart of darkness.

THE INTERRUPTERS (USA) ♥
Director: Steve James
THE INTERRUPTERS tells the moving and surprising story of dedicated individuals who try to protect their Chicago communities from the violence they, themselves once employed.

IT’S ABOUT YOU (USA)
Director: Ian Markus, Kurt Markus
The film follows the personal journey of singer/songwriter John Mellencamp through his tour with Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson in the summer of 2009.

MISS REPRESENTATION (USA)
Director: Jennifer Siebel Newsom
An exploration of the under-representation of women in positions of power and influence in America and a challenge of the media's limited portrayal of what it means to be a powerful woman. Features Condoleezza Rice, Margaret Cho, and Katie Couric.

World Cinema presented by Stella Artois

13 ASSASSINS (Jûsan-nin no shikak) (Japan)
Director: Takashi Miike
As the era of the samurai winds to a close, a sadistic young lord uses his powerful political ties to commit heinous atrocities against the common people. A group of noble samurai seeks to slay the tyrannical lord before he seizes control of the entire country. Stars Koji Yakusho, Takayuki Yamada and Yusuke Iseya.

AMONG US (Änglavakt) (Sweden)
Director: Johan Brisinger
An accident overthrows Ernst and Cecilia’s well-ordered life, and when Cecilia meets a mysterious stranger with exceptional gifts their lives changes in an unexpected way. Stars Michael Nyqvist, Izabella Scorupco and Tcheky Karyo.

ARMADILLO (Denmark)
Director: Janus Metz Pedersen
A group of Danish soldiers arrive at Armadillo, an army base in the southern Afghan province of Helman situated less than a kilometer away from Taliban positions. ARMADILLO probes into the psychology of young men in the midst of a senseless war whose victims are primarily local villagers.

BLOOD OF EAGLES (Darah garuda – Merah putih II)(Indonesia) – US PREMIERE
Director: Yadi Sugandi, Conor Allyn
Thrilling, action-packed story of guerillas who band together to fight for Indonesia’s independence against the Dutch in the 1940’s. Stars Doni Alamsyah, Ario Bayu and Atiqah Hasiholan.

MAMAS & PAPAS (Czech Republic)
Director: Alice Nellis
The film tells four stories of married couples at turning points in addressing issues of life concerning desired fertility and unwanted parenthood. Stars Zuzana Bydzovská, Filip Capkaand Martha Issová.

THE RUNWAY (Ireland, Luxembourg)
Director: Ian Power
Inspired by true events, the citizens of Ireland's County Cork come to the aid of a South American pilot who has crash-landed in their town. Starring Kerry Condon, James Cosmoand Demián Bichir.

SHE DESERVED IT (Sie hat es verdient) (Germany)
Director: Thomas Stiller
Driven by anger and jealousy, a 17-year-old girl and her friends torture and eventually kill an innocent classmate in cold blood. Starring Renate Delfs, Martin Feifel and Veronica Ferres.

Latino Spotlight

BY DAY AND BY NIGHT (De dia y de noche) (Mexico)
Director: Alejandro Molina
The government divides the population through an enzyme implanted into DNA so that bodies become regulated by sunlight and darkness, creating inhabitants of the day and others of the night. Stars Sandra Echeverría, Marius Biegai and Manuel Balbi.

HERMANO (Venezuela)
Director: Marcel Rasquin
Two brothers with different dreams and goals are given the opportunity to tryout for the city’s best soccer team until tragedy strikes, forcing them to decide what is most important. Starring Eliú Armas, Beto Benites and Gonzalo Cubero.

LAVOE, THE UNTOLD STORY (Puerto Rico) – US PREMIERE
Director: Anthony Felton
Based on the life story of the great salsa singer Hector Lavoefrom Ponce Puerto. Stars Raúl Carbonell, Patricia Manterolaand Joana Vargas.

OCTOBER (Octobre) (Peru)
Director: Daniel Vega Videl, Diego Vega Videl
A quiet moneylender is brought together with his devout neighbor over a newborn baby, the fruit of his relationship with a prostitute who has disappeared. Stars Bruno Odar, Gabriela Velásquezand Carlos Gassols.

India Spotlight presented by MetroPCS

AUTUMN (India) – US PREMIERE
Director:Aamir Bashir
Rafiq and his family are struggling to come to terms with the loss of his older brother Tauqir, a tourist photographer, who is one of the thousands of young men who have disappeared since the onset of the militant insurgency in Kashmir. Stars Mohammad Amir Naji, Shahnawaz Bhatand Shamim Basharat.

LBW (Life Before Wedding) (USA, India)
Director: Praveen Sattaru
No two people may react alike to the same situation. LIFE BEFORE WEDDING is an attempt to tell a story we might have heard from our friends or has happened to one of them. Starring Nishanti Evani, Chinmayi Ghatrazuand Rohan Gudlavalleti.

MUMBAI DIARIES (Dhobi Ghat) (India)
Director: Kiran Rao
A drama following intersecting lives, emotions and situations in the diverse city of Mumbai. The film stars Aamir Khan, Prateik Babbar and Monica Dogra.

ROBOT (Endhiran) (India)
Director: S. Shankar
The most expensive production in Indian history, a gifted scientist constructs an equally gifted robot who sets out into the world for the first time with some unexpected and mind-blowing consequences. Starring Rajnikanth, Aishwarya Raiand Danny Denzongpa.

Texas Competition presented by MPS Studios Dallas

APART (USA)
Director: Aaron Rottinghaus
Linked by a rare psychological disorder, two tragically star-crossed characters delve into the dark and twisted catastrophic events of their past in order to make sense of their lives. Stars Joey Lauren Adams, Chris Binumand David Born.

FIVE TIME CHAMPION (USA)
Director: Berndt Mader
A young scientist’s natural curiosity leads him to discover some inconvenient truths about those around him, creating a struggle to hold his family together.Starring Ryan Akin, Justin Arnoldand Jill Blackwood.

THE LEGEND OF HELL’S GATE: AN AMERICAN CONSPIRACY (USA) – WORLD PREMIERE
Director: Tanner Beard
The film relives the story of how the expeditions and encounters of three outlaws through historical 1870s Texas were remembered for a lifetime. It is thestory of how 'Hell's Gate' at Possum Kingdom Lake, Texas came to have it's name. Stars Summer Glau, Eric Balfour, Lou Taylor Pucciand Henry Thomas.

OK BUCKAROOS (USA) – WORLD PREMIERE
Directed by: Patrick Tourville
Details listed under Centerpiece screenings

RAINBOWS END (USA)
Director: Eric Hueber
After receiving an invitation to record music with The Legendary Stardust Cowboy from Mars, a handful of East Texas natives set out West to fulfill their dreams. Features William Neal Edwards III, Brian Birdwell and Legendary Stardust Cowboy.

TRAVELING (USA) – WORLD PREMIERE
Director: Rachel Shepherd
Three people who have never really had a family find that connection on a road trip to Austin. The cast includes Reece Rios, Melissa Odom and McKaley Miller.

WUSS (USA)
Director: Clay Liford
A high school teacher who faces constant ridicule after he's repeatedly beaten up by several of his own students teams up with another student to fight back. Starring Nate Rubin, Alicia Anthonyand Ryan Anderson.

Grand Jury Prize – Texas I MPS Studios Texas Filmmaker Award
Awarded to a film in the Texas Competition, as selected by the Texas Jury. This competition encourages and promotes Texas filmmaking by showing both short and feature films shot in Texas. The winning film will receive $20,000 in cash, goods and services from MPS Studios.

Environmental Competition in partnership with Earth Day Dallas

BHOPALI (India) ♥
Director: Van Maximilian Carlson
In 1984 the world's worst industrial disaster devastated and contaminated thousands in Bhopali, India, prompting victims to fight for justice and corporate responsibility, which has long been ignored. BHOPALI explores the ongoing struggle for justice against the Union Carbide plant. Starring Saiba Babu, Salam Babuand Rashida Bee.

IF A TREE FALLS: A STORY OF THE EARTH LIBERATION FRONT (USA) ♥
Director: Marshall Curry
A rare behind-the-curtain look at the Earth Liberation Front, the radical environmental group that the FBI calls America's “number one domestic terrorist threat”.

THE PIPE (Ireland)♥
Director: Risteard O Domhnaill
A small Rossport community has taken on the might of Shell Oil and the Irish State. The discovery of gas off this remote coastal village has led to the most dramatic clash of cultures in modern Ireland and when the citizens look to their state to protect their rights, they find that the government has put Shell's right to lay a pipeline over their own.

Family Friendly presented by Bright Realty

COOPER & THE CASTLE HILLS GANG(USA) – WORLD PREMIERE
Director: Sam Ditore
Anaction-packed, family-friendly story that takes lead character “Cooper” on a quest to help Castle Hills’ favorite grandpa, “Mr. Wilson,” find something he has lost. The film’s cast includes rising child star Kyle Kirk as Cooper and JB Edwards as Mr. Wilson.

MOST VALUABLE PLAYERS (USA)
Director: Matthew Kallis
With theater kids struggling to gain attention next to lavishly funded high school sports, a town in Pennsylvania began hosting the Freddy Awards to give the theater kids one night of the year to take center stage. Features John Andreadis, Frank Anoniaand Shelley Brown.

THE PERFECT GAME (2009) (USA)
Director: William Dear
Based on a true story about a group of boys from Monterrey, Mexico who become the first non-U.S. team to win the Little League World Series.The film stars Clifton Collins, Jr., Cheech Marin and Moises Arias.

RED DOG (Australia) – US PREMIERE
Director: Kriv Stenders
Based on the legendary true story, RED DOG is about a dog that united a disparate local community while roaming the Australian outback in search of his long lost master. Stars Josh Lucas, Rachael Taylorand Keisha Castle-Hughes.

SNOWMEN (USA)
Director: Robert Kirbyson
Inspired by real events, this warmhearted adventure follows 10-year-old Billy and his misfit friends on a winter quest to set a Guinness World Record through a comedic series of stunts that eventually threaten their very lives. The film stars Bobby Coleman, Josh Flitterand Ray Liotta.

Midnight Series

THE LAST CIRCUS (Spain, France)
Director: Álex de la Iglesia
While in the midst of the brutal Spanish Civil War,a "Happy" circus clown is interrupted mid-performance and forcibly recruited by militia into battle against National soldiers, where he single handedly massacres an entire platoon. THE LAST CIRCUS follows the story of the clown’s son and raises the curtain on a twisted tale of love, revenge, and psychopathic clowns. Starring Carlos Areces, Antonio de la Torreand Carolina Bang.

THE OREGONIAN (USA)
Director: Calvin Lee Reeder
THE OREGONIAN follows the experiences of an Oregon woman who enters a nightmarish unknown after suffering a brutal car accident.The film stars Lindsay Pulsipher, Robert Longstreet, Matt Olen and Lynne Compton.

THE WARD (USA)
Director: John Carpenter
A disheveled and disoriented girl sets fire to an abandoned farmhouse and is sent to a psychiatric ward without knowing why or how she got there. She soon discovers that THE WARD has a dark secret at its core that freezes the other girls into silence and she’s determined to get out, even if it’s alone. Stars Amber Heard, Lyndsy Fonsecaand Danielle Panabaker.

Special Presentation

GIANT (1956) (USA)
Director: George Stevens
GIANT is a sprawling epic covering the life of a Texas cattle rancher and his family and associates. The story of their family and its rivalry with cowboy and Jett Rink unfolds across two generations. Stars Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudsonand James Dean.

GUN HILL ROAD (USA)
Director: Rashaad Ernesto Green
An ex-con returns home to the Bronx after three years in prison to discover his estranged wife and his teenage son exploring a sexual transformation that will put the fragile bonds of their family to the test. Starring Judy Reyes, Isiah Whitlock Jr.and Esai Morales.

HOOK (1991) (USA)
Director: Steven Spielberg
20th anniversary celebration of Spielberg’s classic. When Capt. Hook kidnaps his children, an adult Peter Pan must return to Neverland and reclaim his youthful spirit in order to challenge his old enemy.

A KISS AND A PROMISE (USA)
Director: Phillip Guzman
In a quiet Ontario town, a small Bed and Breakfast dwells with a perverse secret whose harmony is disrupted when a young girl's body is found on the edge of town. Stars Mick Rossi, Natasha Gregson Wagnerand Sean Power.

LITTLEROCK (USA)
Director: Mike Ott
A sleepy Los Angeles suburb and its shiftless young residents are seen through the eyes of two Japanese tourists in this intimate evocation of a small town in Southern California where everyone’s talking but no one really understands. Stars Atsuko Okatsuka, Cory Zachariaand Rintaro Sawamoto.

MORNING (USA)
Director: Leland Orser
MORNING navigates five days in the life of an American couple immediately following the accidental death of their child. Stars Jeanne Tripplehorn, Laura Linneyand Leland Orser.

THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL (1985) (USA)
Director: Peter Masterson
Carrie Watts is living the twilight of her life trapped in an apartment in 1940's Houston, Texas with a controlling daughter-in-law and a hen-pecked son. TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL tells the story of Mrs. Watt’s success escape and last trip home. Starring Geraldine Page, John Heardand Carlin Glynn. Screened as part of The Horton Foote Festival.

Community Showcase

MORE TO LIVE FOR (USA)
Director: Noah Hutton
Three men who share prolific accomplishments are all shaken by cancer and become dependent upon the one vital bone marrow match that could save them. Starring Michael Brecker, Seun Adebiyiand James Chippendale.

SLANT 45 (USA) ♥
Director: Mark Birnbaum
As North Texas prepared to host one of the world's largest sporting events, more than 44,000 children coordinated neighborhood clean-ups, a hospital toy drive, anti-graffiti campaigns, food drives and more.

AGE OF DRAGONS (USA)
Director: Ryan Little
Herman Melville's classic novel Moby Dick, is recreated in a world where Captain Ahab and his crew search for a Great White Dragon. Stars Danny Glover, Vinnie Jonesand Corey Sevier.

KATRINA’S SON (USA) - Short
Director: Ya’Ke Smith
When a young boy loses his grandmother during Hurricane Katrina, he travels to San Antonio, Texas, in search of the mother who abandoned him years earlier. Stars Michael Cantu, Skudr Jonesand Nadine Mozon.

Shorts Competition
8 (USA)
Director: Julie Gould, Daniel Laabs
A daughter spends the anniversary of her father's death with her mother, whotries to impart significant aspects of her deceased husband's life onto their one and only daughter. Stars Logan Soul Gould, Julie Gould.

39-A: A TRAVEL TALE OF INTERMINABLE (USA)
Director: Evan Mather
A family's 1981 vacation to the Kennedy Space Center is chronicled in exquisite detail through an autobiographical mash-up of Super-8 home movies, vibrant animated cartography and Dutch pidgin-speak.

8 BITS (France)
Director: Valere Amirault, Sarah Laufer, Jean Delaunay, Benjamin Mattern
The story of a fight between an 8-bit superhero and a high-def boss, in a retro-gaming world.

ALL FLOWERS IN TIME (Canada, USA)
Director: Jonathan Caouette
ALL FLOWERS IN TIME is about shape-shifting personalities who infect young children with an evil signal in the form of a Dutch TV show, making girls and boys believe they can now become other people and monsters.Starring Chloe Sevigny, Joshua Caouette, and Kika Childe.

BAD DADS (USA)
Director: Derek Westerman
A son tries desperately to form a relationship with his chronically absent father. Stars Michael Ceraand Will Hines.

CLOSED FOR STORM: SIX FLAGS NEW ORLEANS (USA)
Director: Teddy Smith
Six Flags New Orleans was closed for Hurricane Katrina in 2005. It never reopened. This video takes us on a tour of the park as it stands 5 years later.

COLD SORE (Australia)
Director: Matt Bird
After kissing a stranger, Jenna wakes up to discover a nasty lesion on her lip that is due to a more sinister cause than a simple cold sore. Stars Saskia Burmeister, Henry Nixonand Peter McAllum.

CRAZY BEATS STRONG EVERY TIME (USA)
Director: Moon Molson
An African-American twenty-something finds his Nigerian-immigrant stepfather passed out drunk in their apartment building hallway and is manipulated by a friend into murdering him. Stars Dante E. Clark, E.J. Bonillaand Shawn Andrew.

DEEPER THAN YESTERDAY (Australia)
Director: Ariel Kleiman
After three months submerged underwater, several men have become savages and one fears that losing perspective may mean losing himself. Stars Eldar Atakulov, Jeremy Blissand Leonid Gankin.

EX-SEX (USA)
Director: Michael Mohan
A one night stand between two people who used to be in love (or so they thought). Stars Kristen Rileyand Jacob Womack.

GRANDPA’S WET DREAM (USA, Japan)
Director: Chihiro Amemiya
A 75-year-old Japanese man has been acting in adult videos for 15 years without telling his family. Stars Shigeo Tokuda.

GREEN CRAYONS (Canada)
Director: Kazik Radwanski
An elementary school parable involving Xavier and Liam, two 7-year olds that are moulded by their actions following a classroom spitting incident. Starring Raj Manav, Kaiden Williams and Cynthia Crofoot.

THE HIGH LEVEL BRIDGE (Canada)
Director: Trevor Anderson
Trevor drops his camera from Edmonton’s High Level Bridge in memory of those who have jumped.

THE HUNTER AND THE SWAN DISCUSS THEIR MEETING (USA)
Director: Emily Carmichael
A Brooklyn couple have dinner with a hunter and his girlfriend, a magical swan woman; it doesn’t go well. Starring Brendan Donaldson, Ryan Linkand Lauren Sharpe.

JUST ABOUT FAMOUS
Director: Matt Mamula, Jason Kovacsev
JUST ABOUT FAMOUS chronicles the lives of celebrity tribute artists, the few who have had the fortune or curse of looking like the most recognizable people on the planet. Featuring Gary Alan, John Allen and Tim Biancalana.

THE LEGEND OF BEAVER DAM (Canada)
Director: Jerome Sable
When a ghost story around the campfire awakens an evil monster, it's up to nerdy Danny Zigwitz to be the hero and save his fellow campers. Also starring L.J. Benet, Sean Cullenand Rick Miller.

THE LONG LONELY WALK (UK)
Director: Leon Chambers
Thestory of three individuals: a bomb disposal expert, a young boy and an elderly woman, as they each take the brave steps towards a life-defining moment. Stars Callum Francis, Kirsty Hickeyand Nitin Kundra.

NARCISSISM & ME (USA)
Director: Blair Rowan
Adarkly comedic story of Ivan Carrol, an intensely unhinged man isolated from reality and trapped in an infinite loop of perverse fantasy, murderous intent, and worthless therapy. Starring Chris Gardner, Laura Stoneand Richard L. Olsen.

THE PACT (USA)
Director: Nicholas McCarthy
As a woman struggles to come to grips with her past in the wake of her mother's death, an unsettling presence emerges in her childhood home. Stars Jewel Staite, Sam Balland Heather Habeck.

PIONEER (USA)
Director: David Lowery
A father tells his little boy the most epic bedtime story ever. Stars Myles Brooks and Will Oldham.

PROTECT THE NATION (Germany, South Africa)
Director: C.R. Reisser
A young boy begins to question himself when faced with the unexpected kindness of a stranger during a wave of xenophobic attacks in South Africa. Also starring Treasure Bulose, Allen Cebekhuluand Thabo Mbatha.

SASQUATCH BIRTH JOURNAL 2 (USA)
Director: David Zellner, Nathan Zellner
An unprecedented peek at the mysteries of nature.

A SEIZURE BY NATHAN JONES (USA)
Director: Charles Son
Drawn from the actual fragmented memories of one man, A SEIZURE BY NATHAN JONES is the reconstruction of a seizure from beginning to end.Starring Fernando Gallegos andNathan Jones.

TUSSILAGO (Sweden)
Director: Jonas Odell
The story of the former girlfriend of West German terroristNorbert Kröcher, who was arrested for having planned to kidnap the Swedish politician Anna-Great Leijon.

WAITING ROOM (USA)
Director: Robert Machoian, Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck
WAITING ROOM chronicles the mundane and not so mundane moments in ones life. Also starring Bruce Graham, Suzette Grahamand Daniel Welburn.

WORST ENEMY (USA)
Director: Lake Bell
WORST ENEMY is a comedy about a lame lady named Wooly who is plagued with insecurity and jailed by the full body girdle that she purchases after being wooed by a television advertisement. Starring Michaela Watkins, Matt Walshand Lindsay Sloane.

Grand Jury Prize – Short
Awarded to a film in the Shorts Competition, as selected by the Shorts Jury.

Shorts Before Features

THE PUNCHLINE (USA)
Director: Jeremy Bartel
A struggling comedian finally gets his punchline.

NEAL (USA)
Director: Geoff McGee
A polaris pool cleaner named Neal goes rogue on an innocent couple who just want to take a late night swim in their pool. Stars Jaden Roberts, Ryan Harper Grayand Teresa Valenza.

Student Shorts Competition

THE BINDING OF ISHMAEL (Singapore, USA)
Director: Taofik Kolade
A young man questions the meaning of family duty when he is thrust into the violent rift between his father and brother. Stars Fadly Awaludin, Faroukh Dawood and Qayyum Borhan.

THE BIRDS UPSTAIRS (USA)
Director: Christopher Jarvis
Frustrated attempts to bear children overwhelm the lives of an aristocratic, avian couple in the early nineteenth century.

FIRECRACKER (Fatakra) (USA)
Director: Soham Mehta
Naveen left India to chase his dreams in America. Today, three years and a recession later, his wife and son join him. Stars Samrat Chakrabarti, Meena Serendib and Ritik Goyal.

FRAN’S DAUGHTER (USA)
Director: Eric Martin
A story about a woman who learns she may have been switched at birth. Starring Amy Peterson, Ann Benson and Jennifer Christopher.

LOFT (USA
Director: Elizabeth Wood
An unsatisfied woman tries to discover the excitement she longs for by inviting a guy from her block into her loft one night while her boyfriend is away. Starring Joanne Tucker, Evan Silverman and Eden Marryshow.

MY FIRST CLAIRE (USA)
Director: Lou Howe
Eleven-year-old Teddy is confused as his parents are getting divorced and his friends are discovering girls. But when his new babysitter arrives he sets out to learn a thing or two about the opposite sex. Stars Toni Wynne, Brandon Killham and Miles Fisher.

THE ROBBERY (Australia, Canada)
Director: Johnny Ma
Ben, a small time thief with revenge on his mind, plans an elaborate fake robbery in order to murder his estranged father for a life insurance claim. Stars Adam Boys, Kellie Walters and Stephen Peacocke.

Grand Jury Prize – Student
Awarded to a film in the Student Competition, as selected by the Student Jury

TXU Energy Light Up the Red Carpet Video Contest


High school and college students from across Texas have been competing to win $30,000 in cash and grants in the TXU Energy Light Up the Red Carpet Student Film Contest. The students were challenged to create a video demonstrating their view of the future of energy.

The finalists in the high school category are:

* Olivia Pich

“The Aftermath,” Garland High School

* Kassidy Testut

“Looking Out for Texas,” Richardson High School

* Christian Vasquez

“I Want to Make You Happy,” Booker T. Washington High School

The finalists in the college category are:

* Aaron Carolina

“After the Dark,” UT Arlington

* Dylan Voisard

“Zephyr,” University of North Texas

* Katherine Yarbrough

“Queen Kill-A-Watt,” Art Institute of Dallas

All videos can be seen at http://www.txu.com/studentfilmcontest

Animation Competition presented by REEL FX ENTERTAINMENT

THE BOY WHO WANTED TO BE A LION (UK)
Director: Alois Di Leo
Max is a seven-year-old deaf boy growing up in the 1960s who sees a lion for the first time on a school trip to the zoo.

JUPITER ELICIUS (USA)
Director: Kelly Sears
A haunted meteorologist dreams of storms that are a lot closer and farther away than he thought.

LIPSETT DIARIES (Canada)
Director: Theodore Ushev
LIPSETT DIARIES is a descent into the maelstrom of anguish that tormented Arthur Lipsett, a famed Canadian experimental filmmaker who died at 49.

LOVE PATATE (France)
Director: Gilles Cuvelier
LOVE PATATE is about some French fries, a love triangle, a potato with a scar, a huge nose, North of France and a bunny.

PATHS OF HATE (Poland)
Director: Damian Nenow
A short tale about the demons that slumber deep in the human soul and have the power to push people into the abyss of blind hate, fury and rage.

SOMETHING LEFT, SOMETHING TAKEN (USA)
Director: Ru Kuwahata, Max Porter
A vacationing couple encounters a man they believe to be the Zodiac Killer.

STANLEY PICKLE (UK)
Director: Vicky Mather
STANLEY PICKLE never goes outside. He likes to play with his clockwork
toys and every night his mother kisses him goodnight.
Grand Jury Prize-Animation presented by REEL FX ENTERTAINMENT
The Grand Jury Prize is awarded to the film in the Animation Competition as selected by a panel of jurors from REEL FX ENTERTAINMENT along with the 2011 Texas Avery Animation Award recipient. The winner will receive an NFR copy of 2011 Autodesk Maya, furnished by Autodesk.
The films marked with a ♥ are eligible for the first ever Silver Heart Award
The Silver Heart Award is a new award for the 2011 DALLAS International Film Festival. The award will be bestowed on an individual or film for their dedication to fighting injustices and/or creating social change for the improvement of humanity. The winner of the Silver Heart Award will receive a $10,000 cash prize courtesy of the Embrey Family Foundation.
The recipients of the following 2011 DALLAS International Film Festival awards will receive Movie Magic Budgeting and Scheduling software bundles from Entertainment Partners: Environmental Visions Filmmaker Award, Grand Jury Prize Animation, Grand Jury Prize Short, Grand Jury Prize Student and our Audience Award winners for best documentary, narrative feature and short film.

ABOUT THE DALLAS FILM SOCIETY
The DALLAS Film Society celebrates films and their impact on society. A 501(c)3 non-profit organization, the DALLAS Film Society recognizes and honors filmmakers for their achievements in enhancing the creative community, provides educational programs to students to develop better understanding of the role of film in today's world, and promotes the City of Dallas and its commitment to the art of filmmaking. The annual DALLAS International Film Festival, scheduled for March 31-April 10, 2011, is a presentation of the DALLAS Film Society. In addition to producing one of the largest festivals in the Southwest, the Society produces numerous year round events, screening series and partnership programs with arts organizations around the city. For more information, call (214) 720-0555, orvisit www.dallasfilm.org. The offices of the DALLAS Film Society are located at 3625 North Hall Street, Suite 740, Dallas, TX 75219.

2011 DALLAS International Film Festival presented by Cadillac - Festival Sponsors: Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, AVID, Barefoot Wine, Baylor Heart and Vascular Hospital, Bright Realty, Inc.,CBS Radio, Colibri Promotions, D Magazine, Dallas Film Commission, Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas Observer, Design Expediting Services International, Inc., eatZi’s Market & Bakery, El Creative, Euforia Live, Faulkner Design Group, Fauxcades Creative Event Design, Forté Public Relations, Fun Flicks Outdoor Movies,GrandLuxe Magazine, Highland Park Village Theatre, Joule, A Luxury Collection Hotel, Mahr Images, MetroPCS, Metroplex Cadillac Dealers, Milagro Tequila, Mission Foods, Mockingbird Station, Modern Luxury Dallas, MODIA Home Theater Store, Movie Magic, MPS Studios Dallas, Nasher Sculpture Center, Neiman Marcus, NorthPark Center, Post Asylum, Pure Evil Music & Sound Design, Raze Media, REEL FX ENTERTAINMENT, Red Carpet Crash, Screen International, smartwater, Stella Artois, SYNTHETIC PICTURES, Target, Texas Association of Film Commissions, Texas Film Commission, The Macallan Single Malt Scotch Whisky, The Shops at Legacy, The Texas Theatre, The Trammell and Margaret Crow Collection of Asian Art, Time Warner Cable, TM Advertising, TXU Energy, Univision 23, West Village, WFAA-TV, Whole Foods Market, WRR Classical 101.1 FM, You Plus Dallas.

ABOUT CADILLAC
Cadillac has been a leading luxury auto brand since 1902. In recent years, Cadillac has engineered a historic renaissance led by artful engineering and global expansion. The Metroplex Cadillac Dealers are comprised of eight dealerships throughout North Texas, committed to supporting the artistic talent and achievements in performance and visual arts within the community. More information on Cadillac and their affiliation with the Arts can be found at metroplexcadillacdealers.com


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