RICHARDSON – Spotlighting some of Dallas-Fort Worth’s up-and-coming filmmakers, Dallas VideoFest will host the annual North Texas Universities Film Festival. The best-selected film will be chosen by faculty members of the University of North Texas, Southern Methodist University, and the University of Texas at Arlington.
The event will be at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 4, at Alamo Drafthouse in Richardson. There is no charge for the event. More information is available at https://videofest.org/events/north-texas-universities-film-fest/.
“These are some of the best young filmmakers in the area,” said Bart Weiss, Dallas VideoFest’s artistic director and UT Arlington Cinematic Arts/Apple Distinguished Educator. “We want to encourage their talent and creativity, while also inspiring future filmmakers in our community.”
The films include:
Recyclos by Jordan Weir, UNT; 20 minutes
Recyclos is a retro sci-fi short film that follows Poppy, the only “real human” left in existence. At the robot recycling facility known as “Recyclos,” she takes robots at the end of their lives and transforms them into fully fleshed humans. At Recyclos, the robots-turned-human have a second chance to experience life and all the wonders it has to offer. In this complex post-apocalyptic world full of ambiguity, Poppy strives to find meaning in life through her newfound friendship with Banjo and learns how to deal with the pain of loss.
Fragments of Her by Andrew Castles, SMU; 7 minutes, 59 seconds
A grieving man realizes his addiction to the memories of his lost love.
Bright Eyes and Steady Hands by Cane Coonrod, UTA; Eight minutes, six seconds
A Filipina nurse develops a new connection with her mother after translating her poetry.
Underneath It All by Juan Cavalos, SMU; 16 minutes, two seconds
A recovering addict processes the grief and guilt prompted by his best friend’s death.
What Could Go Wrong by Sean Nguyen, UTA; 1 minute, 27 seconds
A young man goes about his daily life and finds a pill that leads him into a strange future. A glowing chamber leads him to his death with a robot arm.
Gatekeeper by Shelley Davis, UNT; 15 minutes
Gatekeeper is a story about the relationship between a natural environment and the community of Homestead, Florida. Homestead, a historically rich city, where families have for generations fished and farmed, cared for the land, and created a blooming multicultural city full of food, music, art, and integration with the surrounding habitats. Known as the "Homesteaders Trail,"a major hub to the Florida railroad. Residents of Homestead act as a gatekeeper to enter Biscayne National Park and gateway for trade to and from the Caribbean and the United States, and a cultivator of environmental protection and education for the surrounding area.
Adventure into the mangroves, waters, and breeding grounds of bio-diverse populations in Biscayne National Park, from the perspective of a community that has protected the land for generations. This story will unfold and immerse viewers in the hidden beauty and perseverance of this community, Homestead residents and Biscayne non-human residents alike, educating viewers on the effects of climate gentrification 40 miles south of Miami, Florida. Along the way audiences will learn about the constant risk of harm and destruction of these communities due to tourism, commercial activities, food insecurity, extreme weather, and housing developments.
Reyna by Sabina Arcila, SMU; six minutes, 28 seconds
A woman faces the aftermath of a sexual assault and online video.
Woman on the Moon by Xoe Cano; UTA; Sixteen minutes, 57 seconds
An awkward, antisocial man in a claustrophobic relationship with his religious wife has a growing obsession with the moon and must decide between his faithful partner and his unattainable desire.
VideoFest, hosted by the nonprofit Video Association of Dallas, had its last hurrah as a full festival in 2021. However, VideoFest continues in a series of special events to showcase area filmmakers.
The next VideoFest event will be the opening night, April 24, of Thin Line Film Festival in Denton.
About Dallas VideoFest and the Curated Film Series:
Dallas VideoFest (https://videofest.org/) was the oldest and largest video festival in the United States and continues to garner critical and widespread acclaim. Through the Curated Film Series, DVF still prides itself on bringing films to the theater that are rarely available to be seen anywhere else in Dallas. Instead of a week-long Festival, VideoFest will host one-night events that showcase movies and other reflections of VideoFest’s history. Films and events going forward will feature Experimental/Art Films, Animation, Narrative and Documentary Shorts, Documentary and Narrative Features like HONK, LOOKING FOR HOME and KING JUDITH. Some hard-to-find Classic TV episodes and Classic Films are often in the mix, as are the Ernie Kovacs Award celebrations and Cat VideoFest.
History of VideoFest: Cutting-Edge Art
Merging art and technology since 1987, VideoFest has specialized in independent, alternative, and non-commercial media, presenting hard-to-find works rarely seen on television, in movie theaters, or elsewhere, despite their artistic excellence and cultural and social relevance. Even in a Web 4.0 environment where everything is seemingly available on the Internet, the VideoFest provides curatorial guidance, a critical voice in the wilderness navigating the vast and diverse media landscape, helping to interpret its cultural and artistic significance. The ongoing Curated Film Series and events continue to celebrate a communal environment for real-time, face-to-face dialogue between makers and audiences.
ABOUT VIDEO ASSOCIATION OF DALLAS
The mission of the Video Association is to promote an understanding of video as a creative medium and cultural force in our society and to support and advance the work of Texas artists working in video and the electronic arts. The Video Association of Dallas (VAD) is a 501(c)(3) organization incorporated on April 25, 1989. It began in 1986 as a weekend event, Video As A Creative Medium, presented at the Dallas Museum of Art by independent curators Barton Weiss and John Held. That first event, which included two nights of video by selected local and national video artists, was a great popular success, which led to the founding of the Dallas Video Festival (DVF) in 1987. Video Association of Dallas presented AltFiction Fest and DocuFest Festivals, which celebrated their 35th and final year in 2021. “Frame of Mind” continues to run on KERA PBS-TV and all the PBS stations in Texas. The 24-Hour Video Race, North Texas Universities Film Festival, Texas Filmmakers Production Fund workshops, Three Star Cinema, and other programs will appear as schedules allow.