Would it be great if your film gets in SXSW? Absolutely. But does SXSW need any more coverage? No. Meanwhile, there are plenty of other Texas film festivals that not only deserve your attention but can actually launch your career. Here are five that you need to get into.
Dallas International Film Festival
Previous DIFFs rolled out the red carpet for both indie filmmakers and A-listers like Greg Kinnear, Tim Roth, and Peter Fonda; featured panels with actor Laura Linney and costume designer Bernie Pollack; and screened films at the AT&T Performing Arts Center and the Dallas Museum of Art. This year, DIFF will be premiering "5 Flights Up," with Diane Keaton and Morgan Freeman, and "Love & Mercy," with Paul Dano and John Cusack. DIFF is also part of the greater Dallas Film Society, which has courses and events year-round. Submitted films must be at least a Dallas-Fort Worth premiere.
Oak Cliff Film Festival
The up-and-coming artistic community of Oak Cliff has a cool and eclectic vibe with its own indie film festival to match. The New York Times declared that OCFF has singlehandedly given Dallas "a burst of indie street credibility" that may indeed soon rival Austin. So if you want to be part of the indie community here before it blows up into the next SXSW, then Oak Cliff is the place to be seen.
WorldFest Houston International Film & Video Festival
The "oldest independent film festival in the world" began in 1961 and was one of the first to recognize talents like David Lynch, Spike Lee, and the Coen Brothers. It now screens 60 indie features and 100 shorts during its 10-day run, and also holds year-round seminars and workshops that are great for networking during the off-season. If your film is not being submitted as a world premiere, the programmers ask that it at least be a Texas premiere.
USA Film Festival
USA Film Festival recently made MovieMaker's list of "50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee." And if that isn't enough of an endorsement, Roger Ebert once remarked, "They get everything right." Need we say more?
Austin Film Festival
"The other" Austin film festival is by no means the new kid on the block—now in its 22nd year, the festival boasts 200 films and a whopping 175 panels during its week-long run. Not only that, best feature and best documentary winners get $2,500 and up to $1,000 in airfare and lodging.
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