2010 Dallas International Film Festival Honors Amber Heard and Frank Darabont
The 2010 Dallas International Film Festival kicked off this past weekend by presenting actress Amber Heard with the first DALLAS Shining Star Award on Saturday, April 10, at The Angelika Film Center, and on Friday, April 16th, writer/director Frank Darabont will receive the DALLAS Star Award for his many contributions to the film industry over the course of his illustrious career.
Heard’s “Shining Star” was created with an eye toward celebrating actors, filmmakers, and film artists who have delivered exceptional performances or works on film in their brief careers as well as exhibiting the potential for greater achievements to come. “We couldn’t have found a better person to receive the inaugural DALLAS Shining Star Award,” said DALLAS IFF Artistic Director James Faust. “Amber has put together an incredible string of films in a few short years and is obviously just getting warmed up. We know that we’ll be able to proudly say we were among the first to officially recognize what was on the horizon for Amber Heard.”
As for Darabont, Dallas Film Society Chairman Michael Cain said, “It has been our desire to honor Frank Darabont since the inception of our Film Festival four years ago. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to celebrate the work of such an accomplished filmmaker, one responsible for undisputed classics. We are excited that the timing worked out for the DALLAS IFF and Dallas film fans this year.”
Darabont will receive the DALLAS Shining Star Award during “The Dallas Film Society Honors” presented by the Gail L. & Arthur E. Benjamin Foundation event on Friday, April 16th, at Hotel Palomar. DALLAS IFF will also screen one of Darabont’s films followed by a Q&A with the filmmaker on Saturday, April 17th, at the Studio Movie Grill.
Recently added to the DALLAS IFF’s extensive lineup of over 200 films (click here for the full schedule) is Mel House’s horror thriller Walking Distance, which screens this Thursday, April 15th. Focusing on a small neighborhood community where everything is safely within walking distance, the inhabitants discover that the pastoral surface conceals a dark past and an even darker secret. As a group of individuals – each with their own ties and agendas with the town and each other – converges on the enclave, strange things begin to happen.
The 2010 DALLAS IFF runs through April 18th and along with the films offers a full slate of “Talk/Show” filmmaker panels presented by The Studios at Las Colinas held at the Nasher Sculpture Center and “Film Industry Speakeasy” panels presented by the Texas Film Commission at the patio at Central 214 in the Hotel Palomar.
Free to the public, the panel participants are a diverse collection of film legends, veterans, and personalities including noted actors like Karen Black and Doug Jones; special “creatures” effects master Neville Page; producers Stephen Nemeth and Garry Brown; and film distribution legend and film director Jeff Lipsky.
As Justin Muller, Head of The Studios at Las Colinas, explained, “DALLAS IFF has built a reputation for putting together an amazing slate of film discussions on hot-button issues and film industry talks that go beyond the typical ‘How to make movies’ approach. The Studios at Las Colinas shares an enthusiasm for that innovative and exciting approach to education and moviemaking, and we are pleased to support this series of panels.”
For more visit the official Dallas International Film Festival website.
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