Spotlight

AFI DALLAS 2008 UPDATES

ROBERT DE NIRO, JOHN TURTURRO AND STANLEY TUCCI IN WHAT JUST HAPPENED?

Already, films that Festival goers had the chance to see in the 2008 edition of the AFI DALLAS International Film Festival are on to other venues and accomplishments. The Cannes Film Festival will include several films produced by AFI DALLAS Star Award recipient Todd Wagner, including What Just Happened?—which screened at AFI DALLAS with Robert De Niro, Barry Levenson, Art Linson and Todd Wagner in attendance. (Other Todd Wagner productions at Cannes include The Burning Plain and Two Lovers.) The Tribeca Film Festival—which opens today—will screen AFI DALLAS films Lou Reed’s Berlin, Bigger, Stronger, Faster, Before the Rains and Baghead among others.

Peter Gilbert and Steven James' At the Death House Door won the jury's documentary feature award at the Atlants Film Festival.

The Visitor, the Overture Films drama about a middle-aged professor aiding a Syrian street musician, remained atop the specialty charts for a second week with a $9,250 per-screen average. It opens in Dallas on May 2. Join our friends Moroch and Associates for a special sneak screening on Wednesday, April 20 at 7:30 p.m. at the Angelika.

The Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) announced Monday that it will showcase twenty-two documentary features as part of its lineup, including "Ron Davis and Stewart Halpern's Pageant.

And two documentary films that played at AFI DALLAS will air this summer on HBO. Tune in for Greg Whiteley’s Resolved on June 16 and Timothy Greenfield-Sanders’ and Elvis Mitchell’s The Black List, Vol. 1 on August 25.

SPECIAL SCREENING OF YOUNG@HEART

The Young@Hearts Chorus

Monday, March 17 at 7:30 p.m.
Landmark’s Magnolia Theatre

Prepare to be entertained by the inspiring individuals of Young@Heart, a New England senior citizens’ chorus that has delighted audiences worldwide with their covers of songs by everyone from The Clash to Coldplay. As Stephen Walker's documentary begins, the retirees, led by their demanding musical director, are rehearsing their new show, struggling with Sonic Youth’s dissonant rock anthem “Schizophrenia” and giving new meaning to James Brown's "I Feel Good." What ultimately emerges is a funny and unexpectedly moving testament to friendship, creative inspiration, and defying expectations.

Young@Heart, from filmmakers Sally George and Stephen Walker, captures seven unforgettable weeks in the lives of the members of the Young@Heart Chorus. Based in Northampton, Massachusetts, the group is made up of two dozen spirited seniors who specialize in reinterpreting rock, punk and R & B classics from a unique perspective. In Young@Heart, Walker and George take an often hilarious and poignant look at the group as they prepare for a one night only concert in their hometown. A lineup that includes former schoolteachers, executives, doctors and food service workers, the chorus is guided by their longtime director Bob Cilman. With less than two months to go until the concert, the performers struggle with the new lyrics and unfamiliar melodies of seven new songs. During their thrice weekly rehearsals, they gradually take possession of music ranging from R&B classics like Allen Toussaint’s “Yes We Can Can” to Coldplay’s emotionally powerful ballad “Fix You,” upending assumptions about old age, love, sex and death.

Starting out as a lighthearted look at a quirky musical group, the film gains unexpected gravitas when two members of the chorus die within days of each other and the lyrics of the group’s repertoire take on powerful new significance. From 92-year-old war bride Eileen Hall’s rousing rendition of The Clash’s “Should I Stay Or Should I Go?” to Pat Linderme’s moving interpretation of Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U,” each performance responds to the ravages of age with startling emotional depth.

Join AFI DALLAS for a special screening of Young@Heart ON Monday, March 17 at 7:30 p.m. at Landmark’s Magnolia Theatre. Director Stephen Walker, Chorus Director Bob Cilman and several chorus members will be in attendance for a Q and A after the screening. The first 150 people in line will receive a free voucher good for one screening for the upcoming AFI DALLAS International Film Festival. No RSVP required. Seating is limited and not guaranteed. Please arrive early.

AFI DALLAS ANNOUNCES 2008 FILMS!

ROBERT DE NIRO, JOHN TURTURRO AND STANLEY TUCCI IN WHAT JUST HAPPENED?

Line-up includes world premieres and films from across the globe. The eleven-day AFI DALLAS International Film Festival, which runs March 27 to April 6, will present 230 narrative features, documentaries and short films representing 30 countries in more than 250 screenings, including seven world premieres and six US premieres. The Festival will kick off March 27 with Helen Hunt's directorial debut, Then She Found Me, as the Festival's Opening Night Gala presentation and Battle in Seattle will screen April 5 as its Closing Night Gala presentation.

Commenting on the 2008 lineup, Senior Programmer James Faust said, "This year's films really represent a diverse group of international and local filmmakers and films that cover a wide spectrum of world views and cinematic vision. It's an exciting group of films that we're thrilled to bring to Dallas audiences."

Following the format introduced last year, the Festival will feature Centerpiece Screenings with red carpet entrances at theaters throughout the city, award presentations, filmmaker panels and other special events celebrating film. The Festival will culminate in an awards ceremony held at W Dallas-Victory Park Hotel on Sunday, April 6. In addition to the Target Filmmaker Awards, filmmakers will vie for $20,000 in cash, goods and services from MPS Studios for the winner of the Texas Competition, a $10,000 prize from HD Net for the Best HD Feature, and $10,000 from Current Energy for the winner of the new Environmental Visions Competition. Additional awards will be presented to the jury winners of the Animation, Student Film and Shorts categories, and audience awards for Narrative Feature, Documentary and Shorts.

For the full schedule of films and other events, visit AFIDALLAS.com. And be sure to pick up your 2008 AFI DALLAS Quick Guide in the March 26 issue of The Dallas Morning News.

AFI DALLAS ANNOUNCES NEW FILMMAKER AWARDS

Filmmaker Awards

The AFI DALLAS International Film Festival is proud to announce new filmmaker awards to be presented for the Best Texas Film and Best Environmental Film. The awards, which will be sponsored by MPS Studios and Current Energy, respectively, will be in addition to the existing $25,000 Target Filmmaker Awards for Best Narrative Feature and Best Documentary, and $10,000 HDNet Award.

The MPS Studios Texas Filmmaker Award will award $8,000 in cash and $12,000 in goods and services this year to the winner of the Texas Competition, which encourages and promotes Texas filmmaking by showing both short and feature films shot in Texas. MPS Studios is a Texas-based, Texas-owned company servicing filmmakers nationwide from production through post-production and providing deliverables for distributors both domestic and international.

Current Energy's Eco-Friendly Award will provide $10,000 in cash to the winner of the Environmental Visions Competition. The new category was introduced this year to highlight films and filmmakers that best communicate the importance of environmental conservation through the art of film. Current Energy is a Dallas-based company that provides energy efficient solutions that are environmentally friendly.

2008 OPENING NIGHT FILM ANNOUNCED

Then She Found Me

AFI DALLAS is pleased to announce that the Opening Night Film for the 2008 Festival will be Then She Found Me, the directorial debut of Helen Hunt. Ms. Hunt will be in attendance for the screening on March 27 at the historic Majestic Theatre in downtown Dallas.

The film follows a New York schoolteacher as she hits a midlife crisis when, in quick succession, her husband (played by Matthew Broderick) leaves, her adoptive mother dies and her real one (Bette Midler), an eccentric talk show host, materializes and turns her life upside down as she begins a courtship with the father of one of her students (Colin Firth).

Helen Hunt will be presented with an AFI DALLAS Star Award, joining luminaries such as Lauren Bacall, Marvin Hamlisch and David Lynch—all presented Star Awards at the 2007 festival.

AFI DALLAS will announce its full schedule February 27. Tickets go on sale online and in the Main Box office at Victory Park on March 7.

FOLLOW THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD.

Wizard of Oz screen still

Join the AFI DALLAS International Film Festival and Community Partner Dallas Symphony Orchestra for a celebration of one of the favorite movie musicals of all time, The Wizard of Oz.

As a highlight to the AFI DALLAS’ family friendly programming, we are pleased to announce a partnership with the internationally renowned Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Under the baton of conductor Richard Kaufman, the Dallas Symphony will provide the live symphonic score to the original voice audio. Delight to the voices of Judy Garland, Frank Bolger and others while you enjoy the live sounds of the Dallas Symphony. Ranked #6 on AFI’s 100 Years…100 Movies list, The Wizard of Oz has delighted audiences since its release in 1939. Simply put, this is an event not to be missed.

A limited number of tickets have been set aside for the April 4 performance for AFI DALLAS patrons and supporters; ticket prices range from $41 to $70. This special block of tickets will only be available until February 15.

To purchase tickets, call Ashley Delaney at 214-871-4075 or e-mail her at a.delaney@dalsym.com.

AFI DALLAS and Texas Frightmare Weekend Celebrate the 40th Anniversary of George Romero's NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD.

AFI DALLAS will team with Texas Frightmare Weekend presented by Anchor Bay Entertainment for a special screening of George A. Romero’s horror classic Night of the Living Dead on February 21st at the Landmark Inwood Theater.

The seminal 1968 black-and-white independent horror film revolves around the mysterious reanimation of the dead and the efforts of a handful of people to survive the night while trapped in a rural Pennsylvania farmhouse. Described as “subversive on many levels,” it has been remade twice, and has also spawned (to date) four subsequent “Dead” films by Romero, including his most recent –Diary of the Dead, which is scheduled for release on February 15th. A fifth film is in the planning stages. In 1999, the Library of Congress entered Night of the Living Dead into the United States National Film Registry with other films deemed "historically, culturally or aesthetically important."

The screening will conclude with a question and answer session with the legendary director and cast members, including Marilyn Eastman, Bill Hinzman, George Kosana, Judith O’Dea, Kyra Schon, Russ Streiner, and John Russo.

Also appearing at the screening will be horror and science fiction film legends and standouts Malcolm McDowell, Dee Wallace Stone, Tom Savini, Ed Neal, Danielle Harris, Scout Taylor Compton, Kristina Klebe, Courtney Gains, Kelli Maroney, and Ken Foree.

AFI DALLAS Senior Programmer James Faust said, “This event is special to AFI DALLAS because it allows us to salute a great influential filmmaker who made one of the first truly independent movies of all time. As film fans, it also allows us to celebrate a cinematic creation that has truly stood the test of time.”

To RSVP for this once-only event, send an e-mail to zombies@AFIDALLAS.com by February 15. Seating is extremely limited.

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Calendar of Events:

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