Dallas International Film Festival 2012 Full Lineup

So like I said, one festival ends, another begins, but luckily this one is a bit closer to home and one I’m very passionate about.  I hope to see it grow to a SXSW size eventually. The Dallas International Film Festival or DIFF is right around the corner and they have already sent out their full lineup for the films we can expect to see during the week of  April 12-22. I was really excited to see a few of the films that were playing during SXSW that I was unable to attend so score one for DIFF. Not to mention Morgan Spurlock will be making his return to the festival with his latest documentary Comic Con Episode IV: A Fans Hope.  Below is the official press release for the festival and if you live in the Dallas/Ft. Worth metroplex, I strongly encourage you to come out and support the festival and see some great films. Heck, if you are attending the festival, I’d be more then willing to meet you and pick your brain about the site and films.

Dallas, TX, March 15, 2012 – The Dallas International Film Festival presented by Boardwalk Auto Group Volkswagen Dealers announced today that the past president and CEO of United Artists and Orion Pictures respectively, Eric Pleskow, will be honored for his lifetime achievements in the film industry at the Dallas Film Society Honors on April 20.  Also revealed is the full schedule of features and shorts that will be screened through the Festival’s 11-day run (April 12 – 22, 2012). Finally, the lucky filmmakers who win the Texas Competition category will enjoy a camera rental package worth $30,000 for their next production, courtesy of PANAVISION.

In a year where key industry players and their achievements are celebrated and put under the spotlight, Austrian native, Eric Pleskow will be honored for the work he has done in advancing the film industry through his incredible tenures as president and CEO of both United Artists and Orion Pictures.  During Pleskow’s time at United Artists (1951 – 1978), their market share of motion picture revenues, among the major film companies, rose from last place in 1951 to first place in 1977.  They also earned ten Best Picture Academy Awards, more than any other studio in any comparable period for such films as THE APARTMENT (1960), WEST SIDE STORY (1969), MIDNIGHT COWBOY (1969), ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST (1975) and ROCKY (1976).  In 1978, Pleskow formed Orion Pictures and during his regime, Orion was honored with Best Picture Academy Awards for AMADEUS (1984), PLATOON (1987), DANCES WITH WOLVES (1990) and SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991).

“In our decision to dedicate the 2012 DIFF to Cinemark’s Lee Roy and Tandy Mitchell, we decided to spotlight the important and tireless work that film industry executives undertake to bring these works of art to the big screen.  Eric Pleskow, one of Hollywood’s greatest executives, has helped bring much-loved classics to fruition and yet to most people outside of the industry his name is unknown,” said Lee Papert, president and CEO of the Dallas Film Society. “That is the beauty of a film festival.  We have the opportunity of opening people’s eyes to the unbelievable work that these powerful men and women do behind-the-scenes in the film industry and I am thrilled to highlight Eric Pleskow’s achievements in Dallas.”  Eric Pleskow will be honored at the Dallas Film Society Honors on April 20 and will have a “Conversation with…” on Saturday, April 21.

Film technology giant PANAVISION is confirmed as the sponsor of the coveted Texas Competition category.  Seven filmmakers in this category will have the opportunity to vie for the Texas Competition Award, which will come with a generous camera rental package from Panavision for their next production.  The value of this package is worth $30,000 which is a goldmine for independent filmmakers.

With 111 films representing 27 countries, 5 World Premieres, 1 North American Premieres, 1 U.S Premiere and 36 Texas Premieres, the Dallas International Film Festival is heading into its 6^th year with a rich tapestry of features and shorts that celebrate the best of independent filmmaking and a strong line-up of DIFF’s celebrated alum:  Morgan Spurlock presents COMIC-CON EPISODE IV: A FAN’S HOPE; Robert Byington returns with SOMEBODY UP THERE LIKES ME following his success at DIFF 2010 with HARMONY AND ME; DIFF 2009 Environmental Visions winner for CRUDE and Academy Award nominee Joe Berlinger will grace this year’s Festival with the celebrated Paul Simon documentary, UNDER AFRICAN SKIES. World Premieres of Will Moore’s SATELLITE OF LOVE and Timothy Armstrong’s COWGIRLS N’ ANGELS will see talent Zachary Knighton (HAPPY ENDINGS), Janina Gavankar (TRUE BLOOD), James Cromwell (L.A CONFIDENTIAL, THE ARTIST) and rising star Bailee Madison (CONVICTION, DON’T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK) adorning the Dallas screens.  Brandon Dickerson’s SIRONIA will see musician and writer Wes Cunningham and SMU alum Amy Acker (CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, ALIAS) return to their Texas roots and X-MEN’s Famke Janssen will introduce her directorial debut BRINGING UP BOBBY.  Other star laden films include (in alphabetical order) Common, Barry Corbin, Marcia Cross, Mark Duplass,Zac Efron, Danny Glover, Richard Jenkins, Milla Jovovich, Diane Keaton, Arielle Kebbel, Kevin Kline, Melissa Leo, Andrew McCarthy, Elisabeth Moss, Elizabeth Olsen, Bill Pullman, Jason Ritter, Sam Shepard, Wilmer Valderrama, Michael Urie, Dianne Wiest, Michael K. Williams.

James Faust, artistic director of the Dallas Film Society comments, “I am exceptionally proud of the slate of films we have lined up this year.  With works from 27 countries, a spotlight on South Korea, edgy blockbusters as well as challenging, thought provoking independent films there really is a film in this line-up for everyone.  Some people think film festivals are inaccessible for the general public – this year we are working to dispel that theory for good.  Come one, come all and join us in this truly international celebration of film.”

Passes are currently for sale and range from $100 for a Festival Lounge Pass to $750 for an all-access Star Pass.  Tickets go on sale at the Prekindle Box Office and online to the public on March 22. The Prekindle Box Office will be featured as part of the Festival Village at Mockingbird Station at 5321 E. Mockingbird Ln., Suite 105. For further information on pass levels and how to purchase passes visit:www.DallasFilm.org or telephone 214.720.0555.

The full schedule is as follows
Centerpiece

MY WAY (South Korea) – Texas Premiere
Director: Je-gyu Kang
Inspired by a true story. Jun Shik works for Tatsuo’s grandfather’s farm while Korea is colonized by Japan, but he has a dream to participate in Tokyo Olympics as a marathon runner. Starring Dong-gun Jang, Jô Odagiri, Bingbing Fan and In-kwon Kim.

Premiere Series

BROOKLYN BROTHERS BEAT THE BEST, THE (USA) – Texas Premiere
Director: Ryan O’Nan
A singer-songwriter hits the road with a self-appointed music revolutionary.  Cast includes Ryan O’ Nan, Michael Weston, Arielle Kebbel, Andrew McCarthy, Jason Ritter, Wilmer Valderrama, Christoper McDonald and Melissa Leo.

BRINGING UP BOBBY (USA) – Texas Premiere
Director: Famke Janssen
A European con-artist and her son Bobby find themselves in Oklahoma in an effort to escape her past and build a better future. Starring Milla Jovovich, Bill Pullman, Marcia Cross and Rory Cochrane.

COMIC-CON EPISODE IV: A FAN’S HOPE (USA)
Director: Morgan Spurlock
A behind-the-scenes look at the fans who gather by the thousands each year in San Diego, California to attend Comic-Con, the world’s largest comic book convention. Featuring Kevin Smith, Stan Lee, Eric Hensen, Stephenie Werner, Tayler Hudson and Chuck Rozanski.

COMPLIANCE (USA)
Director: Craig Zobel
When a prank caller convinces a fast food restaurant manager to interrogate an innocent young employee, no one is left unharmed. Starring Ann Dowd, Dreama Walker, Pat Healy, Bill Camp and Philip Ettinger.

DARLING COMPANION (USA) – Texas Premiere
Director: Lawrence Kasdan
A story of a woman who loves her dog more than her husband and then her husband loses the dog. Cast includes Diane Keaton, Kevin Kline, Dianne Wiest, Richard Jenkins, Sam Shepard, Mark Duplass, Elisabeth Moss and Ayelet Zurer.

DIANA VREELAND: THE EYE HAS TO TRAVEL (USA) – Texas Premiere
Directors:  Lisa Immordino Vreeland, Bent-Jorgen Perlmutt, Frédéric Tcheng
A look at the life and work of Diana Vreeland, the influential fashion editor of Harpers Bazaar and later the editor of Vogue.

LIBERAL ARTS (USA) – Texas Premiere
Director: Josh Radnor
When 30-something Jesse is invited back to his alma mater, he falls for a young 19-year-old college student and is faced with the powerful attraction that springs up between them. Starring Elizabeth Olsen, Zac Efron, Josh Radnor, Allison Janney, Richard Jenkins.

Narrative Feature Competition

FAITH, LOVE AND WHISKEY (USA, Bulgaria) – Texas Premiere
Director: Kristina Nikolova
Neli, a Bulgarian woman, engaged to a well-off American panics and runs back home. She reunites with her drifter friends and falls in love with her passionate but alcoholic best friend. When her fiance arrives Neli must make a choice between two opposing futures. Starring Ana Stoyanovska and Valeri Yordanov.

FATHER’S CHAIR (Brazil) – Texas Premiere
Director: Luciano Moura
A man who has put his career ahead of everything else in life learns the value of family when his son goes missing. Stars Wagner Moura, Lima Duarte, Mariana Lima and Brás Antunes.

LUV (USA) – Texas Premiere
Director: Sheldon Candis
Over the course of one day, a shy 13-year-old forms a bond with his troubled uncle as he shows the boy what it takes to be a man in Baltimore. Starring newcomer Michael Rainey, Jr., Common, Michael K. Williams, Danny Glover, Meagan Good and Charles S. Dutton.

MAYA (Albania) – North American Premiere
Director:  Pluton Vasi
A man who has been living in the west returns to his village in Albania to bury his father. Having met the beautiful Maya, he wants to stay on and make a life for himself there, but a vicious web of rumor and hearsay threatens his happiness. Starring Genti Kame, Rovena Lule Kuka, Myzafer Zifla

SAVE THE DATE (USA) – Texas Premiere
Director: Michael Mohan
Two sisters fumble their way along the road to happiness. Stuck between having it figured out and screwing it up, they’re compelled to learn how to love and be loved in the moments when everything changes. Stars Lizzy Caplan, Alison Brie, Martin Starr and Mark Webber.

SOMEBODY UP THERE LIKES ME (USA)
Director: Robert Byington
The film follows Max, his best friend Sal and a woman they both adore through 35 years of mandatory but apparently unfulfilling entanglements at weddings, funerals, hospitals, eateries, divorce courts… and the tool shed.  Stars Keith Paulson, Jess Weixler, Megan Mullally, Nick Offerman

TEDDY BEAR (Denmark) – Texas Premiere
Director: Mads Matthiesen
Dennis, a 38-year-old bodybuilder, would really like to find true love. He has never had a girlfriend and lives alone with his mother in a suburb of Copenhagen. Stars Kim Kold, David Winters, Elsebeth Steentoft, Chanicha Shindejanichakul and Lamaiporn Hougaard.

Documentary Feature Competition

BIBA! ONE ISLAND, 879 VOTES (USA) – World Premiere
Director: Benjamin Bloodwell
BIBA! follows the rallies and debates of Trenton Conner and Henry San Nicolas in their battle for control over the Pacific island, Tinian, which was the launch point for the Enola Gay in World War II and presently the home of the Voice of America broadcasting towers, sending pro-democracy propaganda into China and North Korea.

BROOKLYN CASTLE (USA)
Director: Katie Dellamaggiore
Amidst financial crises and unprecedented public school budget cuts, BROOKLYN CASTLE takes an intimate look at the challenges and triumphs facing members of a junior high school’s champion chess team.

ESCAPE FIRE: THE FIGHT TO RESCUE AMERICAN HEALTHCARE (USA)
Directors: Matthew Heineman, Susan Froemke
ESCAPE FIRE exposes the perverse nature of American healthcare, contrasting the powerful forces opposing change with the compelling stories of pioneering leaders and the patients they seek to help. The film is about finding a way out, about saving the health of a nation.

THE IMPOSTER (UK)
Director: Bart Layton
Layton uncovers the story about a young Frenchman who convinces a grieving Texas family that he was their 16-year-old son who went missing for 3 years.

LOW & CLEAR (USA)
Directors: Kahlil Hudson, Tyler Hughen
A meditation on friendship and life in the disappearing wilderness of the West, LOW & CLEAR follows two formerly close friends who reunite for one last fly-fishing trip. Over the course of their time together they come to understand how much they have each changed and how these changes now threaten the friendship.

TCHOUPITOULAS (USA)
Directors: Bill Ross, Turner Ross
Three young brothers take to the night streets of New Orleans in this sensory and kaleidoscopic odyssey.

WE’RE NOT BROKE (USA) – Texas Premiere ♥
Directors: Karin Hayes, Victoria Bruce
An exposé on how the government has allowed U.S. corporations to avoid paying taxes and the growing wave of discontent that it has fostered.

Documentary Showcase

GIRL MODEL (USA) ♥
Directors: David Redmon, A. Sabin
Follows a complex supply chain between Siberia, Japan, and the U.S. within the modeling industry. The story is told through the eyes of the scouts, agencies and a 13 year-old model.

THE INVISIBLE WAR (USA) – Texas Premiere ♥
Director: Kirby Dick
An investigative and powerfully emotional documentary about the epidemic of rape of soldiers within the US military, the institutions that perpetuate and cover up its existence, and its profound personal and social consequences.

NO ASHES NO PHOENIX (Germany) – Texas Premiere
Director: Jens Pfeifer
A locker room exposé about young basketball players in Hagen, Germany who face their fears of losing and challenge enormous odds to succeed. The team signs “Michael Jordan”, but their savior brings a lot more baggage to Hagen than just a famous name.

VITO (USA) – Texas Premiere ♥
Director: Jeffrey Schwarz
The story of Vito Russo, founding father of the gay liberation movement, author of “The Celluloid Closet,” and vociferous AIDS activist in the 1980s.

World Cinema

5 BROKEN CAMERAS (Palestine, Israel, France) – Texas Premiere ♥
Directors: Emad Burnat, Guy Davidi
A documentary chronicles a Palestinian farmer’s nonviolent resistance to the actions of the Israeli army.

ALPS (Greece) – Texas Premiere
Director: Giorgos Lanthimos
A nurse, a paramedic, a gymnast and her coach have formed a service for hire. They stand in for dead people by appointment, hired by the relatives, friends or colleagues of the deceased. Starring Aris Servetalis, Johnny Vekris, Ariane Labed, Aggeliki Papoulia and Stavros Psyllakis.

ELENA (Russia) – Texas Premiere
Director: Andrei Zvyagintsev
Elena and Vladimir are an older couple from different backgrounds. Vladimir is a wealthy and cold man, Elena comes from a modest milieu and is a docile wife. They
have met late in life and each one has children from previous marriages. Stars Aleksey Rozin, Andrey Smirnov, Yelena Lyadova and Nadezhda Markina.

EXTRATERRESTRIAL (Spain)
Director: Nacho Vigalondo
Everyone knows what to do if one morning the sky would be absolutely full of UFOs: run as fast as you can. However, what would happen if the invasion started while you are in the flat of the girl of your dreams, the one you have just met? Starring Michelle Jenner, Carlos Areces, Julián Villagrán, Raúl Cimas and Miguel Noguera.

I WISH (Japan) – Texas Premiere
Director: Hirokazu Koreeda
A 12-year-old boy, Koichi, wishes that his family separated by divorce is brought together again. He devises a plan that a miracle will transpire at the exact moment when two bullet trains bound in opposite directions pass each other.
Starring Hoshinosuke Yoshinaga, Rento Isobe Ryôga Hayashi and Kanna Hashimoto.

SALT OF LIFE (Italy) – Texas Premiere
Director: Gianni Di Gregorie
Gianni is a retiree who has become invisible to most everyone around him. In response, he tries his best to generate some kind of extracurricular love life. Stars Gianni Di Gregorio, Valeria De Franciscis Bendoni, Alfonso Santagata and Elisabetta Piccolomini.

UNTOUCHABLES (France) – Texas Premiere
Directors: Olivier Nakache, Eric Toledano
A true story of two men who should never have met: a quadriplegic aristocrat who was injured in a paragliding accident and a young man from the projects. Starring François Cluzet, Omar Sy, Anne Le Ny, Audrey Fleurot and Clotilde Mollet.

WHERE DO WE GO NOW? (France, Lebanon, Egypt, Italy) – Texas Premiere
Director: Nadine Labaki
A group of Lebanese women try to ease religious tensions between Christians and Muslims in their village. Starring Claude Baz Moussawbaa, Layla Hakim, Nadine Labaki and Yvonne Maalouf.

Latino Showcase

BEING: CAFÉ TACVBA (Mexico) – U.S. Premiere
Directors: Ernesto Contreras and José Manuel Craviotto
As Mexican rock band Café Tacvba celebrates 20 years, this film uncovers the creative process that brings them together, their friendship, frustrations and the desire of still being a rock band, Featuring Ruben Albarran, Emmanuel del Real, Enrique Rangel and Joselo Rangel.

HELENO (Brazil) – Texas Premiere
Director: José Henrique Fonseca
A biography of the tragic life of one of Brazil’s greatest soccer players, Heleno de Freitas. Starring Rodrigo Santoro, Othon Bastos, Herson Capri, Angie Cepeda and Erom Cordeiro.

MARIACHI GRINGO (USA) – Texas Premiere
Director: Tom Gustafson
A stifled, small-town man stuck in a dead end life, runs away to Mexico to be a mariachi singer. Starring Shawn Ashmore, Martha Higareda, Kate Burton and Adriana Barraza.

South Korean Spotlight

LET ME OUT (South Korea) – World Premiere
Directors: Jae Yong Soh, Chang Rae Kim
A student filmmaker whose inexperience, demands and impatience cause every human involved in his first film – an undead melodrama – to go crazy.  So, the zombies step in and help out.
Starring Hyun Sang Kwon, Geunsup Han, Yumouyoung, Hee Von Park and Jessica Choi.

Texas Competition in partnership with PANAVISION

AMERICA’S PARKING LOT (USA)
Director: Jonny Mars
Two die-hard fans and leaders of the legendary ‘Gate 6’ tailgate party spend their last season with the Dallas Cowboys at historic Texas Stadium. When the Cowboys move 20 miles west to Arlington, the shifting politics and economics of major league sports threaten to dissolve the friendships and traditions they have built over 20 years and they scramble to preserve their place in AMERICA’S PARKING LOT.

CINEMA SIX (USA) – World Premiere
Directors: Mark Potts, Cole Selix
Three small-town friends have to decide whether to keep their easy jobs at a movie theater or actually try to do something meaningful with their lives. Cast includes John Merriman, Mark Potts, Brand Rackley, Byron Brown, Lindsey Newell, Heather Wallis, Madi Goff, Chris Doubek, Cole Selix, Kevin M. Brennan, Maggie Carey and Barry Corbin.

KID-THING (USA)
Director: David Zellner
A fever-dream fable about a rebellious girl who spends her time roaming the land, leaving destruction in her wake. Starring Sydney Aguirre and Nathan Zellner.

SATELLITE OF LOVE (USA) – World Premiere
Director: Will Moore
To atone for his absence at their wedding, globe-trotting and hard-partying musician, Samuel, invites his best friend Blake, a successful chef, and Blake’s new wife Catherine (with whom Samuel has previously shared both a bed and a bond) to idyllic Nadi Vineyards for a week-long party in paradise.  Samuel imports cosmopolitan DJ, Michelle, from Barcelona to stir the pot. Stars Nathan Phillips, Zachary Knighton, Shannon Lucio and Janina Gavankar

SIRONIA (USA)
Director: Brandon Dickerson
A singer-songwriter beat up by the L.A. music machine moves with his wife to Sironia, Texas. Starring Wes Cunningham, Amy Acker, Tony Hale, Jeremy Sisto, Courtney Ford, Carrie Preston and Robyn Lively.

THANK YOU FOR JUDGING (USA)
Directors: Sean Fornara, Michael Urie, Selma Al-Faqih, Travis Flournoy
In Texas every year, the best of the best come to be judged at the mother of all Speech and Debate competitions. These kids will tug at your heart strings and tickle your funny bone as they learn not only about speaking in public, but also confidence, adult relations, and self-presentation, both in appearance and eloquence. Featuring Michael Urie.

WOLF (USA)
Director: Ya’Ke Smith
A family is shaken to the core when they discover that their son has been molested. As they struggle to deal with the betrayal, their son heads towards a total mental collapse because of his love for his abuser. Cast includes Irma P. Hall, Amelia Jeffries, Shelton Jolivette and Jordan Cooper.

Environmental Visions Competition in partnership with Whole Foods

ATOMIC STATES OF AMERICA, THE (USA) – Texas Premiere
Directors: Dan Argott, Sheena Joyce
In 2010, the United States announced construction of the first new nuclear power plant in more than 32 years. A year later, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake struck the Fukushima Power Plant in Japan sparking a fierce debate in the U.S. over the safety and viability of nuclear power.

DIRTY ENERGY (USA) – Texas Premiere
Director: Bryan D. Hopkins
April 20th, 2010: The Deepwater Horizon drilling rig abruptly exploded into flames off the Gulf of Mexico just 50 miles from the coast of Louisiana tragically taking the lives of 11 workers. Now, with the disaster’s first anniversary passed, the fate of the Gulf is still largely unknown.

LAST CALL AT THE OASIS (USA)
Director: Jessica Yu
LAST CALL AT THE OASIS presents a powerful argument for why the global water crisis will be the central issue facing our world this century. Among those appearing in the film are Erin Brockovich-Ellis, Jay Famiglietti, Peter H. Gleick and Tyrone Hayes.

Family Friendly

COWGIRLS N’ ANGELS (USA) – World Premiere
Director: Timothy Armstrong
A group of rodeo trick-riders recruits a young girl to join them. Stars Jackson Rathbone, James Cromwell, Bailee Madison, Alicia Witt, Drew Waters and Frankie Faison.

E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982, USA)
Director: Steven Spielberg
A meek and alienated little boy finds a stranded extraterrestrial. He has to find the courage to defy the authorities to help the alien return to its home planet. Stars Dee Wallace, Henry Thomas, Peter Coyote, Robert MacNaughton and Drew Barrymore.

FIRST POSITION (USA) – Texas Premiere
Director: Bess Kargman
A documentary that follows six young ballet dancers as they prepare for the Youth America Grand Prix.

OBLIVION ISLAND: HARUKA AND THE MAGIC MIRROR (Japan) – Texas Premiere
Director: Shinsuke Sato
Having lost her mother, Haruka is now a 16-year-old girl and feels neglected by her father. She escapes to her grandmother’s house and discovers a fox-like creature who steals her keys. She follows him and is transported into a magical world. Starring Haruka Ayase, Miyuki Sawashiro, Mitsuki Tanimura, Naho Toda and Nao Ohmori.

Deep Ellum Sounds

ANDREW BIRD: FEVER YEAR (USA) – Texas Premiere
Director: Xan Aranda
Filmed during culminating months of the acclaimed singer-songwriter’s most rigorous year of touring, Andrew Bird crosses the December finish line in his hometown of Chicago – feverish and on crutches from an onstage injury. FEVER YEAR is the first to capture Bird’s precarious multi-instrumental looping technique and features live performances at Milwaukee’s Pabst Theater with collaborators Martin Dosh, Jeremy Ylvisaker, Michael Lewis and Annie Clark of St. Vincent.

UNDER AFRICAN SKIES (USA)
Director: Joe Berlinger
Paul Simon returns to South Africa to explore the incredible journey of his historic Graceland album, including the political backlash he received for allegedly breaking the UN cultural boycott of South Africa designed to end the Apartheid regime. Among those appearing in the film are Maya Angelou, Harry Belafonte, Whoopi Goldberg, Quincy Jones, Paul McCartney, Oprah Winfrey and Paul Simon.

Midnight Specials

BINDLESTIFFS (USA) – Texas Premiere
Director: Andrew Edison
Three high school virgins, suspended from school on a bogus graffiti charge, flee to the inner city in an attempt to live out the plot of The Catcher in the Rye – a book they neither have read nor understand. Starring John Karma, Luke Loftin, Andrew Edison and Will Fordyce.

JUAN OF THE DEAD (Spain, Cuba)
Director: Alejandro Brugués
Where the Cuban government sees an American conspiracy and the rest of the world sees a non-political zombie outbreak, Cuban nationalist and scoundrel Juan sees the business opportunity of a lifetime – charging people to kill their undead loved ones.
Stars Blanca Rosa Blanco, Elsa Camp, Alexis Díaz de Villegas, Antonio Dechent and Andrea Duro.

THE PACT (USA) – Texas Premiere
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. Starring Caity Lotz, Casper Van Dien, Agnes Bruckner, Mark Steger and Haley Hudson.

TORMENTED (Japan, Netherlands) – Texas Premiere
Director: Takashi Shimizu
TORMENTED centers on a young boy whose family seems to be unraveling around him. His sister is grappling with the reality of life or death, while his father walks a line with insanity. The situation intensifies when the boy manifests a dangerous friendship with a stuffed toy rabbit that comes to life. Starring Teruyuli Kagawa, Hikari Mitsushima and Nao Ohmori.

Special Presentation

L.A. CONFIDENTIAL (1997, USA)
Director: Curtis Hanson
A shooting at an all night diner is investigated by three LA policemen in their own unique ways. Stars Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, James Cromwell, Kim Basinger and Danny DeVito.

GAYBY (USA)
Director: Jonathan Lisecki
Jenn and Matt, best friends since college who are now in their thirties, decide to have a child together, the old-fashioned way – even though Matt is gay and Jenn is straight.
Starring Jenn Harris, Matthew Wilkas, Charlie Barnett, Samantha Buck and Louis Cancelmi.

AN OVERSIMPLIFICATION OF HER BEAUTY (USA) – Texas Premiere
Director: Terence Nance
Nance’s explosively creative debut feature documents the relationship between Nance and a young woman as it teeters on the divide between platonic and romantic delving into his own male psyche when she stands him up. Stars Alisa Becher, Jc Cain, Dexter Jones and Namik Minter.

QWERTY (USA) –Texas Premiere
Director: Bill Sebastian
An off-beat love story about a closeted competitive Scrabble savant, Zoe & her new found irascible love-interest, Marty. Together they try to carve out their place in a world filled with other people.  Starring Dana Pupkin, Eric Hailey, Bill Redding

THE REVISIONARIES (USA) – Texas Premiere
Director: Scott Thurman
THE REVISIONARIES follows the rise and fall of some of the most controversial figures in American education through some of their most tumultuous intellectual battles. Among those appearing in the film are Don McLeroy, Kathy Miller and SMU professor, Ron Wetherington.

ROBOCOP (1987, USA)
Director: Paul Verhoeven
In a dystopic and crime ridden Detroit, a terminally wounded cop returns to the force as a powerful cyborg with submerged memories haunting him. Starring Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Dan O’Herlihy, Ronny Cox and Kurtwood Smith.

Community Showcase

CLOSE TIES: TYING ON A NEW TRADITION (USA)
Director: Gemal Woods
Cultural traditions have been the cornerstone of African American communities for centuries, and CLOSE TIES examines the similar impact of a new tradition—the tying of a necktie, an act associated with men who embody professionalism and prestige—that inspires high school boys to commit to a life of achievement and success.

KISSED BY THE DEVIL (USA)
Director: M. Legend Brown
Although Oakland Hill is a well known, late night radio personality, her life is far from storybook. She spends most of her time caring for her mentally ill brother Michael, who witnessed their father commit an unimaginable act.

PATRIOCRACY (USA) – Texas Premiere
Director: Brian Malone
PATRIOCRACY explores the extreme polarization in America that cripples the country from tackling its most serious problems. Featuring Elliot Ackerman, Jason Altmire, Rob Andrews, Pat Buchanan and Jason Chaffetz.

Shorts Competition

’92 SKYBOX ALONZO MOURNING ROOKIE CARD (USA)
Director: Todd Sklar
Two estranged brothers are forced to come together for a week when their dad dies in Kansas City. Dave believes he has a limited edition 1992 Skybox Series Alonzo Mourning rookie card, but Jim has other ideas.

AARON BURR, PART 2 (USA)
Director: Dana O’Keefe
A contemporary re-imagining of the duel between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr explores the idea of history as a contested narrative.

ANOTHER BULLET DODGED (USA)
Director: Landon Zakheim
A wolf in sheep’s clothing who thinks he is a sheep.

AT THE FORMAL (Australia)
Director: Andrew Kavanagh
Modern and ancient rituals collide in this macabre depiction of a high school formal.

AUDACITY (India)
Director: Anirban Roy
What happens when a father scolds his daughter? Meltdown of an entire community.

AURORA BOREALIS (USA)
Director: Matt H. Mayes
A man visits his mother in a rest home when a shift of light reveals the spaces between and inside them.

BEAR (Australia)
Director: Nash Edgerton
Jack means well, but sometimes good intentions have horrible consequences.

CHORES (USA)
Director: Terence Bernardo
On a remote and isolated farm, a man passes his days with only his animals for company. His idyllic life quickly takes a turn for the unexpected when he realizes that he is not alone.

DOUBLES WITH SLIGHT PEPPER (USA, Canada, Trinidad)
Director: Ian Harnarine
Set in Trinidad during Christmas a young street food vendor must decide if he will help save his estranged father from dying.

THE DUMP (New Zealand)
Director: Hamish Bennett
A comedy/drama about an 11-year old boy and the gradual bond he develops with his estranged dad Orlando, the sole employee at a tiny rubbish dump in rural New Zealand.

THE ELECT (USA)
Directors: Dan Moore, Erin Zacek
Everyday life inside the controversial Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas, is explored through this verité-style documentary

EVERYTHING IS INCREDIBLE (USA)
Directors: Tyler Bastian, Trevor Hill, Tim Skousen
A disabled man named Agustin in Honduras has been building a helicopter in his home for the past 53 years causing controversy amongst his family and community.

FAMILY NIGHTMARE (USA)
Director: Dustin Guy Defa
This dizzying trip through the mid-1990s with a dysfunctional American family is a crumpled letter from a filmmaker to his family: a shattered kaleidoscope of the destructive patterns that have been trapped and wounded its members.

FUNGUS (Sweden)
Director: Charlotta Miller
Katrin is sitting apathetically in her dump like apartment, after being cheated on and left by her boyfriend. Time passes slowly and Katrin is just trying to endure being in her own skin.

HEART STOP BEATING (USA)
Director: Jeremiah Zagar
Two visionary doctors from the Texas Heart Institute successfully replaced a dying man’s heart with a rotor-driven artificial one—proving that life is possible without a heartbeat.

HELLION (USA)
Director: Kat Candler
Little seven-year old Petey falls prey to his older brothers’ hellion ways.

THE HICCUP (USA)
Director: Matt Smukler
Two friends desperately trying to skip town find that an overheated radiator is the least of their problems.

IZZY & SALVADOR (USA)
Director: Jean-Pierre Caner
Izzy is bringing Salvador home to meet the family for the first time.

A LETTER TO JULIA (Spain)
Director: David González Rúdiez
She writes a letter to Julia.

LIFE AND FREAKY TIMES OF UNCLE LUKE (USA)
Director: Jillian Mayer
A modern adaptation of the 1962 French short film ‘La Jetee’, the film recounts Luke’s (Uncle Luke, legendary rapper from the hip-hop group 2 Live Crew) rise to fame as he changes the face of hip-hop, fights for first amendment rights, and later ushers Miami into a golden era of peace and prosperity as Mayor.

LIFELIKE (USA)
Directors: Erick Stoll, Chase Whiteside
A taxidermist coolly goes about his business.

THE LOVE COMPETITION (USA)
Director: Brent Hoff
The Stanford MRI Lab hosts the world’s first ever love competition, in which seven contestants have five minutes to neurochemically love someone as hard as they can.

LOVE HACKING (USA)
Director: Jenni Nelson
A virtual relationship becomes a reality when a robot inventor falls in love over the Internet and journeys to Nepal to meet his fiancée for the first time. They marry the next day.

MEANING OF ROBOTS (USA)
Director: Matt Lenski
The benevolent Mike Sullivan, age 65, has been shooting a stop-motion robot sex film in his apartment for the last 10 years. Now his miniature robot porn stars are threatening to squeeze him out of the space he needs to shoot his epic.

ONCE IT STARTED IT COULD NOT END OTHERWISE (USA)
Director: Kelly Sears
Terrifying and strange happenings descend on a 1970s high school.

PERFECT FIT (Mexico)
Director: Leonel Fernandez
A 30-year-old man works at a mall’s parking lot booth. He lives a lonely, monotonous and apparently an emotionless life.

PLAYTIME (Germany)
Director: Lucas Mireles
A seamless journey of German youth and innocence on a Sunday afternoon.

PLUTO DECLARATION (USA)
Director: Travis Wilkerson
Restore the classical definition of planet! Bring back planet Pluto! The solar system needs its 12th planet.

RASPBERRY JAM (USA)
Director: Courtney Ware
A mystical tale about a man who loses everything on his journey toward hope. Oh, and there’s a leprechaun, too.

ZERGÜT (USA)
Directors: Natasha Subramaniam, Alisa Lapidus
ZERGÜT focuses on the unique, often overlooked, beauty of everyday edible delights.

Shorts Before Features

THE BIRTH OF SAINT ELISEO (USA)
Director: Stacy Dean Campbell
Set along the Texas-Mexico border in the late 1930’s, THE BIRTH OF SAINT ELISEO is a story of vengeance that is not solely the Lord’s.

Student Shorts Competition

BENNY (USA)
Director: Huay-Bing Law
An overweight teenager revisits a friend from his past – now a personal fitness trainer.

GRANDMOTHERS (UK)
Director: Afarin Eghbal
In a small apartment in Buenos Aires, an old woman eagerly awaits the birth of her grandchild. However, horrific circumstances mean that she will be forced to wait for over 30 years.

THE KIDS DON’T LIKE IT (USA)
Director: Jeremy David White
The bond between two brothers is tested amidst the turmoil caused by their father.

NANI (USA)
Director: Justin Tipping
Oscar got caught spraying graffiti. Now doing community service at a nursing home, he meets Isabel who is suffering from dementia.

NEWSWORTHY (USA)
Director: Jeremy Robbins
Frederick Wiles, an ambitious high-school sophomore, with dreams of becoming the next Woodward or Bernstein, tries to find a story worthy of the seniors-only news show.

WASH ME (USA)
Director: Winston Tao
After the death of their daughter, a remorseful policeman, Mick, faces a broken marriage and seeks his penance as he answers a domestic disturbance call.

Animation Competition in partnership with REEL FX 

663114 (Japan)
Director: Isamu Hirabayashi
I am a 66-year cicada. There was a big earthquake. There was a big tsunami. There also was a big accident.

DR. BREAKFAST (USA)
Director: Stephen Neary
One day at breakfast, a man’s soul bursts out of his eyeball. While the soul roams the earth eating everything in sight, two wild deer bathe, clothe, and feed the man’s catatonic body.

IT’S SUCH A BEAUTIFUL DAY (USA)
Director: Don Hertzfeldt
Don Hertzfeldt narrates the close of this trilogy as Bill finds himself in a hospital struggling to piece together his shattering psyche.

A MORNING STROLL (UK)
Director: Grant Orchard
When a New Yorker walks past a chicken on his morning stroll, we are left to wonder which one is the real city slicker.

MOXIE (UK)
Director: Stephen Irwin
A pyromaniac bear misses his mother.

SLOW DEREK (UK)
Director: Dan Ojari
The tale of Derek, an office worker, as he struggles with the true speed of planet earth.

WILD LIFE (Canada)
Directors: Amanda Forbis, Wendy Tilby
An Englishman moves to the Canadian frontier, but is singularly unsuited to it. His letters home are much sunnier than the reality.

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.

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

Grand Jury Prize-Animation presented by REEL FX

The Grand Jury Prize is awarded to the film in the Animation Competition as selected by a panel of jurors from REEL FX along with the 2012 Texas Avery Animation Award recipient.

The films marked with a ♥ are eligible for the Silver Heart Award

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 recipients of the following 2012 Dallas International Film Festival awards will receive Movie Magic Software Bundles from Entertainment Partners: Grand Jury Prize Narrative and Documentary Feature, Grand Jury Prize Texas Competition, Environmental Visions, Grand Jury Prize Short, Grand Jury Prize Student, Silver Heart Award and our Audience Award winners for best Documentary Feature, 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 April 12 – 22, 2012, 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, or visitwww.DallasFilm.org.  The offices of the Dallas Film Society are located at 3625 North Hall Street, Suite 740, Dallas, TX 75219.

2012 FESTIVAL SPONSORS: ABCO, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, The Angelika Film Center, Arts and Culture Magazine, Austin Film Festival, Barefoot Wine & Bubbly, Baylor Heart and Vascular Hospital, BNYMellon, Boardwalk Auto Group Volkswagen Dealers, Central 214, CBS Radio, Colibri Promotions, Community Trust Bank, Cowles & Thompson, D Magazine, Dallas Film Commission, Dallas Observer, Design Expediting Services International, Division of Film & Media – Southern Methodist University, Downtown Dallas, Inc., Earth Day Dallas, El Creative, Eurochannel, Faulkner Design Group, Flagship Marketing, Forte Public Relations, G Texas Custom Catering, GrandLuxe Magazine, Hotel Palomar, Metro PCS, Mockingbird Station, Modern Luxury, Movie Magic, MySweetCharity, NorthPark Center, Panavision, Pencilneck, Plains Capital Bank, Post Asylum, Prekindle, Private Social, Pure Evil Sound & Music, Reel FX, The Residences at Hotel Palomar, SAGIndie, Sandshop Media, Showtech Production, Inc., smartwater, Stella Artois, Temerlin Advertising Institute at Southern Methodist University, Texas Association of Film Commissions, Texas Capital Bank, Texas Film Commission, Texas Western Hospitality, Time Warner Cable, TXU Energy, Univision, The UPS Store on Lemmon Avenue, Vergent Communications,  Videotex Systems, Inc., West Village, WFAA, Whole Foods Market, WRR Classical 101.1