Crystal Wise
Fort Worth Cinephiles, get your popcorn ready, this week officially kicks off the Lone Star Film Festival. The festival, which technically began Wednesday night with the Texas premiere of “Theaters of War,” will run through Sunday, Nov. 12. The majority of the festival will take place in the Fort Worth Stockyards, including Downtown Cowtown at the Isis and the Cowboy Channel Studio.
The festival’s lineup includes a bevy of short films, documentaries, and eight feature-length presentations from across the globe. Features include Canada’s “White Trash,” the UK drama “Living,” the Spanish dramedy “Volver,” and more.
Friday night, at the annual gala, the festival will present Taylor Sheridan, who’s no stranger to the pages of our magazine, with the prestigious Larry McMurtry Award. Sheridan, a local Fort Worthian who’s known for creating the hit show “Yellowstone,” will be honored alongside Ryan Bingham, who will receive the Stephen Bruton Award; and LaMonica Garrett, who will receive the Spotlight Award.
Speaking about receiving an award named after Larry McMurtry, Sheridan told us in October, “I had read Lonesome Dove probably five times before I saw the miniseries. But I remember being home before I went off to college and watching it and thinking, ‘I want to make that.’ I didn’t know what form at the time; I just knew I wanted to make that.”
Patrons can pick up their badge or wristband for entry anytime after 10 am on Thursday, Nov. 10 at Downtown Cowtown at the Isis Theater off N. Main Street.
Parking codes are included in weekend film passes but not for the other tickets, so make separate arrangements and leave enough time to find parking before showing times. The festival films will be split into three categories: narrative films, documentary feature films, and short films. The list of movies for each day is online at lonestarfilmfestival.com/schedule-2022.
Sidesaddle Saloon will host an opening night party celebrating filmmakers at 10 p.m., Thursday. The Lone Star Film Festival Gala is Friday at 6 p.m. at Hotel Drover, and the Fort Worth Film Commission Party will be Friday at 10 p.m. at the Second Rodeo. The festival comes to a close with the Film Awards on Saturday at 10 p.m. at the Isis Theater. Patrons can also enjoy film talks after viewings at Billy Bob's at 2 p.m. and Artes de la Rosa Center at 4:30 p.m., both on Saturday.
