This year’s Dallas International Film Festival struck film gold, again. Situated neatly in West Village (for the most part) the fest really maximizes its space. In a perfect world, you can go to dinner at a local eatery, catch a surprise indie darling, and go out for drinks right after. Rather than run counter to its chic scenery, DIFF leans into the affluent region by offering all sorts of connected opportunities. As an organization DIFF continuously secures fascinating independent films to screen while throwing in a few screenings of historically popular films to regular filmgoers.
The festival this year took off successfully by all accounts. Their Texas films block constantly fills up with quality films about interesting topics. This year saw a step back from more of the genre niche and international fare common to the fest’s previous years, but this step back only serves to better highlight the films screened. Quality over quantity. I thoroughly appreciated the well-established ticketing system and accountability for moviegoers.
The Dallas International Film Festival offers up opportunities for people to mix and mingle, while also screening more interesting selections. James Faust and the team have gone above and beyond to secure quality programming from a sea of submissions as well as court indie darlings to play at this small event. Every year I find a hidden gem and I was happy to walk away having seen “Ms. Purple.” Clearly, the selections staff have a good eye and quality taste.
I enjoyed the festival, even if the weekend rain helped to dampen the atmosphere. Red carpets, special cocktails, a filmmaker lounge. It’s a delightful experience and one I’m unlikely to forget. Already I’m looking to block out my spring week so I can focus more energy and attention on next year’s iteration of this event.
