What makes a great film festival? Is it the films; that’s a big part of Is it the movie stars that come to it, sure, that’s always fun. But what really makes a great film festival, is the people behind it and make it great. You never really think of Dallas as being a hot spot for an international film festival, but be a part of it and you soon realize that the Dallas International Film Festival is one of the hottest film festivals in the world. And why shouldn’t it be? It’s one of the best places to film, which only brings us some of the must see films in the world. This is the first year That Nerd Show is covering the festival. We’ve gone as spectator’s before and definitely enjoyed the films that come through here, but now we really get to be a part of it and the best view is always from the red carpet.
My absolute favorite part of this film festival is the community of film makes, actors, journalists, and publicists that resemble more of a big family than just colleagues putting on an event. It’s a family who shares a passion for film and great story telling, and revel in the wonderful discussion that comes after seeing such great works of art. Much like a comic convention, you can come away from this festival with lifelong friends. And you never know who are going to meet and have a great conversation with. Like Jim and Mary Wilson, the guy who co-wrote and produced Dances With Wolves, and he gets to tell you what’s it like to find the next passionate project even after you’ve been successful in Hollywood. The kind of project that can inspire an audience once again…maybe you should check out his new movie, 50 to 1. You can also meet up and coming actors whose enthusiasm for their new project shows us the best that Hollywood can offer instead of the uninspired garbage that it sometimes spits out. As you can tell, I had a great conversation with Dominic Rains from the new movie Jinn…maybe you should check that out too.
After eight years, the Dallas Film Festival may still be in its infancy compared to other festivals, but it keeps getting bigger and better, and never lets us down. I have to admit, I love running into actors that when you seem them, you say, “you’re that guy or girl or was in that thing that I’ve seen,” and even though you may not know their name off the top of your head, they’re still warm and friendly with you like a good next door neighbor. The actors and filmmakers are not standoffish and love to interact with fans…you know, something that only comes with a wonderful community of filmmakers. I wonder how many film festivals can say that. And then there are times that I get to geek out, feel a little nostalgia, and meet an actor from my Childhood…William Zabaka, better known as Johnny from the original Karate Kid or as I like to call it…the good one.
Say what you will about the Dallas Film Festival…the word disappointment will not be a word that you use. And while, out of 170 films showing at the Film Festival, not all of them will be to your liking, a film festival with that many films is still a great thing. If my two cents are worth anything then the Dallas Film Festival is something that you should check out. It’s even worth taking a trip to Dallas especially when drinking a great craft beer in this great Irish Pub called Trinity Hall next to the Angelika Theater that’s hosting the festival. You might just have a movie star sitting next to you wanting to talk about everyday things in life instead of their own over-inflated ego. Now that’s what I call a great community for a film festival.
