Austin at Dallas International Film Festival 2011
Are you all recuperated from SXSW? Good, that means it's time to think about the Dallas International Film Festival. A mere three hours away (faster depending on your shortcuts/disregard for speed limits), DIFF has a great lineup for 2011 this year.
The fest opens on March 31 with the excellent documentary Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey, and runs through April 10. In addition, documentary filmmaker Steve James and actress Ann-Margret will receive the fest's Dallas Star Awards this year.
Here are some of the films with Austin connections:
- Apart (Jenn's review)
- Five Time Champion (Don's review)
- Katrina's Son (Debbie's review as part of Austin Film Festival 2010 shorts preview)
- OK Buckaroos (pictured top right) -- A documentary about Austin musician Jerry Jeff Walker.
- Rainbows End, which played AFF in 2010
- Sasquatch Birth Journal 2 -- Austin filmmakers David and Nathan Zellner's latest short played Fantastic Fest in 2010 and Sundance in 2011. I've embedded the video at the end of this article so you can experience it for yourself. I'm not sure I'd watch it in the office.
- Traveling -- This movie about a road trip to Austin is premiering at DIFF.
- Wuss (my review, Jenn's interview with filmmaker Clay Liford)
Here are the films I found with Texas connections:
- 8 (Don's review as part of SXSW 2011 Texas Shorts)
- The Legend of Hell's Gate: An American Conspiracy -- This Texas-shot Western is set in the 1870s.
- Neal -- (Don's review as part of SXSW 2011 Texas Shorts)
- Pioneer -- A beautiful, amazing short from Dallas filmmaker David Lowery, which stars Will Oldham and premiered at Sundance this year. Simply lovely.
- Giant -- The 1956 George Stevens film, set in West Texas, is getting a revival screening at DIFF this year.
- Hook -- Fort Worth native James V. Hart scripted this 1991 movie.
- The Trip to Bountiful -- This 1985 film was scripted by Texas writer Horton Foote, an adaptation of his play. Filmmaker Peter Masterson was born in Houston.
Finally, here are some notable films that played in Austin festivals previously that we think you'll want to catch in Dallas if you haven't already.
- 13 Assassins -- Fantastic Fest 2010, SXSW 2011 (my review)
- Adios Mundo Cruel -- AFF 2010 (Debbie's review)
- Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey, SXSW 2011 -- I enjoyed this movie about Muppeteer Kevin Clash, the man you often see standing behind or under Elmo. Don't miss it if you have the chance.
- The Greatest Movie Ever Sold -- SXSW 2011 (Mike's review)
- The Legend of Beaver Dam -- This very funny short horror-comedy-musical played Fantastic Fest 2010. Just writing about it makes me want to see it again.
- Page One: A Year Inside the New York Times -- SXSW 2011 (Rod's review)
- The Muppet Movie -- Okay, this hasn't played a local film fest and has nothing to do with Austin or Texas. But I couldn't resist mentioning it, since it's such a great movie to watch with an audience. Wait ... director James Frawley was born in Houston. There we go for a Texas connection, at least!