Dallas International Film Festival (DIFF) returns to West Village Uptown beginning tonight, Friday, April 28.
This weekend’s engagements are already selling out, so see here f0r tickets.
Violet Crown Cinema, formerly the Magnolia, will be the host theater for DIFF 2023, April 28-May 5. Some events will take place at Oak Cliff’s Texas Theater.
That’s a familiar venue for the festival, whose hub in 2019 was West Village and the erstwhile Magnolia Theater.
When announcing the dates, James Faust, DIFF Artistic Director said the return of the Festival to West Village in Uptown “feels like a homecoming” following a four-year absence.
“Our vision is to activate all of West Village and Uptown to create a Film Festival Village for the eight days of DIFF,” he said.
The 2023 festival will feature screenings of more than 100 films from some 30 countries, as well as Q and A sessions with filmmakers and actors, nightly DIFF Red Carpets, a festival lounge and an array of special events throughout the week.
Bill Banowsky founder of Violet Crown and Magnolia Pictures and original owner of Magnolia said it is an honor to return to a tradition of hosting DIFF in the heart of Uptown, bringing a range of programming for everyone, especially those seeking the thrill of the premiere, the chance to meet filmmakers, and to celebrate the joy that is modern cinema.”
Since its founding, DIFF has screened more than 2,000 new films from 50 countries. Organizers take pride in the festival’s “wildly diverse” programming. The festival has provided more than $1.1 million in awards and hosted more than 100,000 filmgoers and filmmakers, according to a press release from DIFF.
See the film schedule here.
A guide to all the films here.
A few special to locals:
INTO THE SPOTLIGHT (Documentary) will world premiere with a heartfelt story of how a script, a stage, and a theater program composed of adults with disabilities celebrate their creativity, explore life’s complexities, and empower a community, in their own words and their own way. This documentary feature film follows a Dallas-based theatre troupe, composed of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, who are determined to write, rehearse, and perform their 11th annual original musical during the 2021-22 season. (Screens Monday, West Village)
A DISTURBANCE IN THE FORCE: HOW THE STAR WARS HOLIDAY SPECIAL HAPPENED
(Documentary), directed by Jeremy Coon and Steve Kozak, is the tale of the ill-fated The Star Wars Holiday Special that aired on CBS the week of Thanksgiving in 1978, and was never re-aired, going on to become the franchise’s dark secret. Featuring behind-the-scenes archival footage from Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, and Anthony Daniels, it also incorporates the voices of “Weird Al” Yankovic, Kevin Smith, Seth Green, and the late Gilbert Gottfried. The screening is scheduled for May the Fourth. Director Jeremy Coon is a graduate of Berkner High School in Richardson. (Wednesday)
GIBSON ICONS: REX BROWN OF PANTERA (Documentary) Renowned worldwide, Rex Brown and his Texas brethren forged a blueprint with the DFW-based band Pantera that’s been studied by nearly every hard rock and heavy metal band that has followed. Throughout this intimate look into his musical journey, Rex shares personal stories surrounding his childhood, the bonds built between his band members, and the enduring legacy of Pantera. (Saturday)
And a world premiere: CHOCOLATE LIZARDS will world premiere at DIFF 2023 with a comedy/adventure about Erwin Vandeveer, played by Rudy Pankow, who finds himself stranded in Buffalo Gap, Texas, with Merle Luskey, played by Thomas Haden Church. The ensuing adventure pits the pair against the bank, the sheriff, and a corrupt oil company, and also stars Carrie-Anne Moss and Bruce Dern. It is based on the 1999 novel of the same name by Cole Thompson. (Saturday, Texas Theater; Sunday, West Village)
