On June 17 see THE THIN MAN.

The festival focuses on six films that best encapsulate cinema of the last 100 years. Screenings will be held at the Highland Park Village Theater [map] at 7:00 p.m. on the first and third Monday of June, July and August.

All screenings are free and open to the public.

Each selection in the Cinemark Classic Series has been digitally restored, highlighting unseen dimensions and giving new clarity to highly regarded thrillers, Westerns, dramas and more.

Films in the series are screened at Cinemark’s theaters in Allen, Dallas, Denton, Frisco, Grapevine, Grand Prairie, Mansfield, Plano (Plano West and Legacy), and Rockwall. Screenings take place at 2 p.m. & 7 p.m. weekdays, with an encore screening at 2 p.m. on Sunday.

Visit Cinemark’s website or individual theaters for tickets.

Each selection in the Cinemark Classic Series has been digitally restored, highlighting unseen dimensions and giving new clarity to highly regarded thrillers, Westerns, dramas and more.

Films in the series are screened at Cinemark’s theaters in Allen, Dallas, Denton, Frisco, Grapevine, Grand Prairie, Mansfield, Plano (Plano West and Legacy), and Rockwall. Screenings take place at 2 p.m. & 7 p.m. weekdays, with an encore screening at 2 p.m. on Sunday.

Visit Cinemark’s website or individual theaters for tickets.

This summer, we are collaborating with the Highland Park Centennial Committee to present the Highland Park Film Festival as part of the town’s year-long centennial celebration.

The festival focuses on six films that best encapsulate cinema of the last 100 years. Screenings will be held at the Highland Park Village Theater at 7:00 p.m. on the first and third Monday of June, July and August.

All screenings are free and open to the public.

June 3: LAWRENCE OF ARABIA
June 17: THE THIN MAN
July 1: YANKEE DOODLE DANDY
July 15: SUNSET BOULEVARD
August 5: THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE
August 19: THE SOUND OF MUSIC

Before Dallas Star Award presentations to Larry Hagman (posthumously), William Friedkin, Sherry Lansing and Mary Elizabeth Winstead, we screened highlights from their careers. Take a look at moments from their spectacular careers in these tribute reels compiled by our good friend and editor Gordon Smith.

TRIBUTE TO LARRY HAGMAN

TRIBUTE TO WILLIAM FRIEDKIN

TRIBUTE TO MARY ELIZABETH WINSTEAD

Click here to watch our tribute to Mary Elizabeth Winstead.

 A TEACHER receives $10,000 Grand Jury Prize for Narrative Feature

GOD LOVES UGANDA receives $10,000 Grand Jury Prize for Documentary Feature

PIT STOP receives $30,000 camera rental package Grand Jury Prize for the Panavision Texas Competition

TOMLINSON HILL receives $10,000 Embrey Family Foundation Silver Heart Award

BLACK METAL, THE FIRST HOPE AND HEAD OVER HEELS are named winners for Best Short Film, Student Short and the REEL FX Animated Short

Audience Awards go to THE KINGS OF SUMMER for Narrative Feature, THE CRASH REEL for Documentary and HEAD OVER HEELS for Short Film

Dallas, TX, April 13, 2013 – The Dallas International Film Festival presented by AutoNation Volkswagen Dealers announced its 2013 award winners at its annual gala, The Dallas Film Society Honors presented by the Arthur E. Benjamin Foundation. In an evening where independent film and filmmakers were celebrated for groundbreaking work, the award winners also took home cash and prizes totaling more than $100,000.

Two provocative films took top honors in the Narrative and Documentary Feature competitions. Hannah Fidell’s intense drama A TEACHER won the narrative category and Roger Ross Williams’ GOD LOVES UGANDA won in the documentary category.

The Narrative competition jury also gave Special Mentions to Matt Johnson’s debut feature film THE DIRTIES and Xavier Dolan’s LAURENCE ANYWAYS. Jessica Vale’s SMALL SMALL THING received a Documentary Feature Special Mention.

A Dallas-based festival is going to have strong contenders in the Texas Competition and the Texas Grand Jury saw several powerful films from across the state. In the end, it was PIT STOP, directed by Yen Tan and written by Tan and David Lowery that took home the $30,000 camera rental package courtesy of Panavision. The jury also gave a Special Mention for Ensemble Cast to Sean H. A. Gallagher’s GOOD NIGHT.

For the third year, Lauren Embrey presented the $10,000 Silver Heart Award courtesy of the Embrey Family Foundation. Inspired by the film’s courage and the need to necessitate change, Embrey said TOMLINSON HILL and its director Lisa Kaselak won the award as it most represented a filmmaker’s fearless storytelling and dedication to fighting injustices and creating social change for the improvement of humanity.

Kat Candler’s BLACK METAL won the Grand Jury Prize in the Shorts Competition while Robert Machoian’s MOVIES MADE FROM HOME #6 and #15 and Manuel Branaa’s BOWL FOR FUN AND HEALTH received Special Jury Prizes in that category.

Jeremy David White’s THE FIRST HOPE was awarded the Student Short Grand Jury Prize and Timothy Reckart’s HEAD OVER HEELS won the Animated Short Grand Jury Prize presented by Reel FX.

The winners of the Grand Jury Prizes for all the competitions will each receive Movie Magic Budgeting and Scheduling software bundles from Entertainment Partners.

This year’s Audience Award winners were Jordan Vogt-Roberts’ THE KINGS OF SUMMER in the Narrative Feature category, returning DIFF filmmaker Lucy Walker’s THE CRASH REEL for Documentary Feature and Timothy Reckart’s HEAD OVER HEELS in Shorts.

Presented by TXU Energy’s Sydney Seiger, director of brand management and marketing, cash grants for the TXU Energy “Light Up the Red Carpet” Student Film Contest were handed out to students from both high schools and colleges. In both divisions, prize money in the form of scholarship funds is split evenly between the student and the school’s audio-visual department. Taylor Martin’s DAY IN, DAY OUT won the grand prize of $7,500 for Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas; Malak Abdallahi’s POSITIVE VIBES took the first place prize of $3,000 for Fossil Ridge High School; while Rachel Cocke’s THE ELECTRICITY BETWEEN US won a community choice award for Wakeland High School. Robert Ochoa and Baylor University will share the $7,500 award for THE GIANTS IN THE SKY; Samantha Gipson and the Art Institute of Dallas will share the $3,000 first place for THE MAKEOVER; and Jeremy Williams and Northlake College were awarded the $1,000 community choice prize for SPIRITS.

For presenting sponsor, Arthur E. Benjamin, The Dallas Film Society Honors was the culmination of a Festival in which he dedicated his sponsorship to the memory of his late friend, the beloved Larry Hagman.  Benjamin also premiered his own film CHAMPION at the Festival and was so moved by Steven Bernstein’s DECODING ANNIE PARKER starring Helen Hunt that he publicly vowed to help take the film worldwide when he saw it earlier in the week, thrilling the filmmakers and audience alike. A great success story for DIFF. Said Benjamin: “Annie Parker’s story is not just entertaining, moving, funny, heart-wrenching and uplifting, but it is a cinematic achievement that needs to be told to every human on the planet.”

Any soiree in this city would not be complete without a mention of the Dallas-shot television series “Dallas” and of beloved late Texas actor Larry Hagman. Dallas Film Society CEO Lee Papert introduced Ken Topolsky, producer of the series, to present the first of the evening’s Dallas Star Awards to Hagman. Known around the world for his role as the iconic oilman J.R. Ewing on Dallas as well as Captain Tony Nelson on “I Dream of Jeannie,” Hagman was also a dedicated philanthropist. In 2012, Hagman began the Larry Hagman Foundation, saying that it was “time that J.R., who took all that money from oil, and Larry, who took all that money he made from J.R., to give back to Dallas.”

To further honor Hagman and his 62-year-long career, Ryan Trimble, a representative of State Representative Dan Branch’s office, read a resolution from the Texas House of Representatives that a tribute be made to Hagman and “that this memory of his talent as an artist and generosity as a human being continue to inspire his fellow Texans.”

The charming Mary Elizabeth Winstead (SMASHED, SKY HIGH, SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD, GRINDHOUSE, LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD), was next to receive the Dallas Shining Star Award, and expressed, “I’m a little embarrassed by the riches that you’ve bestowed upon me since I’ve been here – such great hospitality. Thank you very much.”

The night was capped with the Dallas Star awards presented to Academy Award Winner William Friedkin (THE EXORCIST, THE FRENCH CONNECTION) and Sherry Lansing (FATAL ATTRACTION, THE ACCUSED, TITANIC).

Val Kilmer presented Friedkin’s award for his breadth of work and powerful storytelling ability. Lansing is recognized as a pioneer after arriving in Hollywood in the late 1960s when few women worked behind the scenes, ultimately becoming the first women president of a major studio. Though each accepted individually, they couldn’t help but acknowledge the other in their speeches, as they’ve been married for more than 20 years.

“When I was 30 years old, I saw a film called THE SORCERER, and I told my friend if I could only make a film, or be part of a film, like that someday, then I would know my career in the movie business had been worthwhile,” she said, speaking of the 1977 thriller directed by Friedkin.

“Sherry Lansing and William Friedkin epitomize the beautiful art of film,” noted James Faust, creative director of DIFF. “They were inspired by film, committed their own careers to the art, and now inspire others to do the same. The entire night was about the inspiration that the art of film produces. The Dallas Film Society could not be more pleased with the outcome of the Festival and the Honors.”

JURY AWARDS:

Narrative Feature: A TEACHER

Dir:  Hannah Fidell

Special Mention: THE DIRTIES

Special Mention: LAURENCE ANYWAYS

Documentary Feature: GOD LOVES UGANDA

Dir: Roger Ross Williams

Special Mention: SMALL SMALL THING

PANAVISION Texas Filmmaker Award: PIT STOP

Dir: Yen Tan

Special Mention, Ensemble Cast: GOOD NIGHT

Silver Heart Award: TOMLINSON HILL

Dir: Lisa Kaselak

Grand Jury Prize Short: BLACK METAL

Dir: Kat Candler

Special Mention Short: MOVES MADE FROM HOME #6 & #15

Dir:  Robert Machoian

Special Mention Short: BOWL FOR FUN AND HEALTH

Grand Jury Prize for Student Short: THE FIRST HOPE

Dir: Jeremy David White

Grand Jury Prize, Animated Short:  HEAD OVER HEELS

Dir: Timothy Reckart

AUDIENCE AWARDS

NARRATIVE:  THE KINGS OF SUMMER

DIR: Jordan Vogt-Roberts

Cast:  Alison Brie, Nick Offerman, Mary Lynn Rajskub

DOCUMENTARY: THE CRASH REEL

DIR: Lucy Walker

SHORT: HEAD OVER HEELS

DIR: Timothy Reckart

TXU ENERGY “Light Up the Red Carpet” VIDEO CONTEST WINNERS FOR HIGH SCHOOLS:

Grand Prize winner ($7,500 prize) – DAY IN, DAY OUT

DIR: Taylor Martin, student at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas

First Place winner ($3,000 prize) – POSTIVE VIBES

DIR: Malak Abdallahi, student at Fossil Ridge High School

Community Choice winner ($1,000 prize) – THE ELECTRICITY BETWEEN US

DIR: Rachel Cocke, student at Wakeland High School

TXU ENERGY “Light Up the Red Carpet” VIDEO CONTEST WINNERS FOR COLLEGES:

Grand Prize winner ($7,500 prize) – THE GIANTS IN THE SKY

DIR: Robert Ochoa, student at Baylor University

First Place winner ($3,000 prize) – THE MAKEOVER

DIR: Samantha Gipson, student at the Art Institute of Dallas

Community Choice winner ($1,000 prize) – SPIRITS

DIR: Jeremy Williams, student at Northlake College

2013 DIFF JURY MEMBERS

NARRATIVE FEATURE JURY includes:

Mynette Louie

Mynette Louie won the 2013 Independent Spirit Awards’ Piaget Producers Award and was one of Ted Hope’s “21 Brave Thinkers of Truly Free Film.” Her credits include CALIFORNIA SOLO (Sundance 2012), STONES IN THE SUN (Tribeca 2012), CHILDREN OF INVENTION (Sundance 2009), ARCADIA (Berlin 2012), and MUTUAL APPRECIATION (SXSW 2005).

Lou Taylor Pucci

Lou Taylor Pucci received awards at the Sundance and Berlin film festivals for his performance in THUMBSUCKER.  Pucci’s credits also include the current EVIL DEAD and THE STORY OF LUKE, THE MUSIC NEVER STOPPED, THE ANSWER MAN, CARRIERS, EMPIRE FALLS, FAST FOOD NATION, SOUTHLAND TALES, PERSONAL VELOCITY and “Girls.”

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE JURY includes:

Christian Gaines

Since 1988, Christian has been administrative director of the American Pavilion in Cannes, film programmer at the Sundance Film Festival, director of the Hawaii International Film Festival and director of Festivals at the American Film Institute. Currently he’s a festival specialist for the Withoutabox division of IMDb.com, an Amazon.com company.

Turner Ross

Turner Ross is a documentary filmmaker whose works include 45365 (SXSW Best Documentary Feature, 2009) and TCHOUPITOULAS (Dallas International Film Festival Documentary Feature Grand Jury Prize winner, 2012).

Bill Young

Bill Young is vice president of Television Programming and responsible for selecting programs and developing KERA’s broadcast schedule. In addition, Young sits on a number of PBS advisory panels, including the PBS Children’s Advisory Panel and the Top 20 Market Programmer’s Advisory Group, which help evaluate and set PBS network programming and policy agendas.

TEXAS COMPETITION Jury includes:

Joe Dishner

Joe Dishner has worked in the film industry for more than 30 years. His feature film line producer and unit production manager credits include: THE MOTHMAN PROPHECIES, A IMPLE PLAN, THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (2003), THE EVENING STAR, HOUSEGUEST, and THE BIG GREEN. His television credits include: “Starkweather,” ‘Murder in the Heartland,” “Two for Texas,” “The Ghost Whisperer,” “The Good Guys,” and the TNT – TV series “Dallas.” He was a founding member of the weekly newspaper The Austin Chronicle and is a member of the Texas Motion Picture Alliance and the Directors Guild of America.

Ya’ke Smith

Known for his unflinching and veracious style of storytelling, Ya’Ke Smith is a rising voice in independent cinema. His films have screened and won awards at more than 90 film festivals. WOLF, his feature-film directorial debut, premiered at the SXSW Film Festival and has won awards at the Dallas International, Little Rock, Sidewalk, Martha’s Vineyard African-American and Urbanworld Film Festivals. Ya’Ke teaches film at the University of Texas at Arlington.

Adam Montgomery

As senior manager of Programming for the Sundance Film Festival, Adam Montgomery oversees the viewing and selection process for the more than 12,000 submissions submitted to the Festival each year. Additionally, he lends his passion for cult and genre filmmaking to the programming of the Festival’s Park City at Midnight section.

SHORTS COMPETITION Jury includes:

Mark Bell

A veteran of the film festival circuit, Film Threat owner Mark Bell is furry, cuddly and near-sighted. When not causing film festival-related trouble, Mark presides over FilmThreat.com, focusing coverage on the indie, underground and film festival favorite films that are often overlooked (but should never be underestimated).

David Lowery

David Lowery is a filmmaker from Texas. His most recent feature, AIN’T THEM BODIES SAINTS, premiered in competition at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. His previous films, ST. NICK and PIONEER, have screened in festivals around the world. He is an alumni of the Berlinale Talent Campus and the Sundance Screenwriting Labs, and in 2011 was named one of the 25 New Faces of Indie Film.

Michael Mohan

Michael Mohan directed the feature film SAVE THE DATE (Sundance, Dallas International Film Festival 2012) and the short film EX-SEX (Sundance, Dallas International Film Festival 2011). Prior to this, he directed music videos for Fitz and the Tantrums, Minus the Bear, and Sea Wolf, as well as the micro-budget feature ONE TOO MANY MORNINGS (Sundance 2010).

ANIMATION COMPETITION JURY includes:

REEL FX Entertainment – Funded in 1993, Reel FX is an award-winning creative studio where accomplished artists and preeminent technology converge to produce extraordinary creative solutions. Their services include visual effects, animation, design and creative editorial.

 SILVER HEART JURY includes:

Embrey Family Foundation – The Foundation was established in 2004 for the purpose of supporting programs that advance human rights, healthy communities, the environment, education and creativity.

The seventh annual Dallas International Film Festival kicked off on April 4, 2013, at the new LOOK Cinemas with a pink carpet by Mary Kay and films that included JAVA HEAT, THE CRASH REEL, STILL MINE, KON-TIKI and 8 ½.

Highlights of the Festival included the strong, diverse line up of films programmed by artistic director James Faust and senior programmer Sarah Harris that saw many of the films at rush line within hours of the Festival opening. More than 1,400 volunteers helped the Dallas Film Society produce the Festival – everything from red carpets to behind-the-scenes work — that received high praise not only from attendees but also from industry insiders.

With 11 days of feature films, documentaries, shorts, parties, events, panel discussions and awards, the Festival had too many shining moments for one person to experience in a week and a half. In fact, so much happened that we don’t even know about all of it.

This post maps out as many avenues to Festival memories as possible — to help you bookmark the film you missed, continue to discover new filmmakers or catch up on who walked the red carpet.

FILMMAKER STORIES

Before the Festival started, DIFF’s News Editor, Chad Jones, and his team of writers watched many films and interviewed multiple filmmakers. The news team sought to discover unexpected and sometimes unusual connections between DIFF’s movies and to uncover how the filmmakers approached their work. The result: A series of interviews that let the filmmakers talk to DIFF audiences, and feature stories on subjects like sports, war, families and more.

See all the articles in the Filmmaker Stories section of the DIFF13 site.
Or view them by Features, Docs, or Shorts.

DIFF VIDEO INTERVIEWS

As soon as our filmmakers landed in Dallas, we swept them off to the DIFF Studios at the Hotel Palomar. Our Video Guy, Mike Brown, and a team of interviewers and volunteers captured them on camera. In these interviews, you’ll hear from the filmmakers about their films, about the subjects they cover and about the multifaceted careers of our Star Award Honorees.

Click here to watch the DIFF Filmmaker interviews.

DIFF PHOTOGRAPHY

Our crack photography unit, led by eagle-eye Tim Valis, fanned out over the Festival to capture each moment for posterity. If there was a red carpet, our photographers were there. If there was a Gala, our photographers were there. If there was a filmmaker conversation, our photographers were there. We have hundreds of photos, neatly organized in our photo galleries by Festival Day. And there are even more on our Flickr account. Don’t miss a moment of the Festival.

Click here for DIFF Galleries. See even more on Flickr.

Each selection in the series has been digitally restored, highlighting unseen dimensions and giving new clarity to highly regarded thrillers, Westerns, dramas and more. Films in the series will be screened at Cinemark’s theaters in Allen, Dallas, Denton, Frisco, Grapevine, Grand Prairie, Mansfield, Plano (Plano West and Legacy), and Rockwall. Films screen at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on weekdays; Sunday screenings are at 2 p.m.

We’re looking forward to seeing movie lovers at screenings all over DFW. Visit Cinemark’s website to purchase tickets, or you can buy them at individual theaters.

In June, Cinemark Classics celebrates the work of Steven Spielberg. All proceeds from SCHINDLER’S LIST will benefit Spielberg’s USC-Shoah Foundation.

THE DALLAS FILM SOCIETY PRESENTS CINEMARK’S CLASSIC FILM SERIES

Films screen at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. weekdays; Sunday screenings are at 2 p.m.

June 16 & 19: E.T.
June 23 & 26: SCHINDLER’S LIST
July 7 & 10: GREASE
July 14 & 17: BACK TO THE FUTURE
July 21 & 24: ANIMAL HOUSE
July 28 & 31: AMERICAN GRAFFITI
August 4 & 7: GHOSTBUSTERS
August 11 & 14: DIRTY DANCING

PREVIOUS SCREENINGS
April 24: RAGING BULL
May 1: THE GRADUATE
May 8: ALIEN
May 15: BLAZING SADDLES
May 22: CLEOPATRA
Aug. 23: JAWS
Aug. 30: HIGH NOON
Sept. 6: DR. ZHIVAGO
Sept. 13: CHINATOWN
Sept. 20: BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI
Sept. 27: THE AFRICAN QUEEN
Oct. 10: GONE WITH THE WIND
Oct. 17: MARY POPPINS
Oct. 25: 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA
Oct. 31: YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN
Nov. 7: THE GREAT ESCAPE
NOV. 14: THE STING
NOV. 28: MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET
DEC. 5: A CHRISTMAS STORY
DEC. 12: HOME ALONE
DEC.19: IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE
Jan. 16: THE SOUND OF MUSIC
Jan 23: TO CATCH A THIEF
Jan 30: BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID
Feb 6: SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER
March 6: FORREST GUMP
March 13: WEST SIDE STORY
March 20: LAWRENCE OF ARABIA
March 27: AMERICAN BEAUTY
April 3: CASABLANCA
April 10: THE GODFATHER
June 2 & 5: JAWS
June 9 & 12: RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK

Dallas, TX, April 13, 2013 – The Dallas International Film Festival presented by AutoNation Volkswagen Dealers announced its 2013 award winners at its annual gala, The Dallas Film Society Honors presented by the Arthur E. Benjamin Foundation. In an evening where independent film and filmmakers were celebrated for groundbreaking work, the award winners also took home cash and prizes totaling more than $100,000.

Two provocative films took top honors in the Narrative and Documentary Feature competitions. Hannah Fidell’s intense drama A TEACHER won the narrative category and Roger Ross Williams’ GOD LOVES UGANDA won in the documentary category.

The Narrative competition jury also gave Special Mentions to Matt Johnson’s debut feature film THE DIRTIES and Xavier Dolan’s LAURENCE ANYWAYS. Jessica Vale’s SMALL SMALL THING received a Documentary Feature Special Mention.

A Dallas-based festival is going to have strong contenders in the Texas Competition and the Texas Grand Jury saw several powerful films from across the state. In the end, it was PIT STOP, directed by Yen Tan and written by Tan and David Lowery that took home the $30,000 camera rental package courtesy of Panavision. The jury also gave a Special Mention for Ensemble Cast to Sean H. A. Gallagher’s GOOD NIGHT.

For the third year, Lauren Embrey presented the $10,000 Silver Heart Award courtesy of the Embrey Family Foundation. Inspired by the film’s courage and the need to necessitate change, Embrey said TOMLINSON HILL and its director Lisa Kaselak won the award as it most represented a filmmaker’s fearless storytelling and dedication to fighting injustices and creating social change for the improvement of humanity.

Kat Candler’s BLACK METAL won the Grand Jury Prize in the Shorts Competition while Robert Machoian’s MOVIES MADE FROM HOME #6 and #15 and Manuel Branaa’s BOWL FOR FUN AND HEALTH received Special Jury Prizes in that category.

Jeremy David White’s THE FIRST HOPE was awarded the Student Short Grand Jury Prize and Timothy Reckart’s HEAD OVER HEELS won the Animated Short Grand Jury Prize presented by Reel FX.

The winners of the Grand Jury Prizes for all the competitions will each receive Movie Magic Budgeting and Scheduling software bundles from Entertainment Partners.

This year’s Audience Award winners were Jordan Vogt-Roberts’ THE KINGS OF SUMMER in the Narrative Feature category, returning DIFF filmmaker Lucy Walker’s THE CRASH REEL for Documentary Feature and Timothy Reckart’s HEAD OVER HEELS in Shorts.

 Award to be presented at Dallas Film Society Honors Awards April 12

Dallas, TX, April 2, 2013 – The Dallas International Film Festival presented by AutoNation Volkswagen Dealers announced today that actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead will accept the Dallas Shining Star Award at the 2013 Dallas Film Society Honors presented by the Arthur E. Benjamin Foundation on April 12.

“Mary Elizabeth is the kind of effervescent shining star that is inspiring and fun to watch,” said James Faust, Artistic Director of the Dallas International Film Festival. “We are happy to honor this kind of artist who is inspiring a new generation of filmmakers – shining stars have spirits that are simply infectious, and Mary Elizabeth is just that kind of actress.”

Winstead starred in the film SMASHED that Faust refers to as “so amazing.” In SMASHED, which will play during DIFF, Winstead plays a wife whose bond with her husband, played by Aaron Paul, is built on a mutual love of alcohol. Their relationship is put to the test when Winstead’s character decides to get sober.

Winstead’s other notable film roles include SKY HIGH, THE RING TWO, the horror remake BLACK CHRISTMAS, Tarantino’s GRINDHOUSE and the blockbuster LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD. Her television credits include the NBC daytime drama “Passions,” where she played the role of Jessica Bennett, for which she received nominations from The Hollywood Reporters’ Young Star Awards and the Young Artist Awards.

Winstead co-starred opposite with Michael Cera in the comic-book adaptation of SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD, in which Winstead performed most of her own stunts.  She earned a Teen Choice Award nomination for Choice Actress Action.

Winstead is a native of North Carolina.  Her early ambitions included becoming a ballerina, for which she attended the Joffrey Ballet School in Chicago at the age of 11. She also began taking acting lessons. Her theater credits include “The Nutcracker” and the Broadway production of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” with Donny Osmond. Winstead is actually a cousin of screen legend Ava Gardner.

Dallas Film Society Honors

The Dallas Shining Star Award will be presented to Winstead at the Dallas Film Society Honors Awards on April 12, an evening of tributes with Dallas Star Award Honorees and Filmmaker Award Winners, as well.

The DFS Honors Night, presented by The Arthur E. Benjamin Foundation, will be held at the Hotel Palomar with additional sponsorship provided by Central 214.  A $10,000 unrestricted cash prize will be awarded to both the best narrative feature and documentary feature filmmakers. The Silver Heart Award winner will receive a $10,000 cash prize courtesy of the Embrey Family Foundation. Cash prizes will be awarded to both a high school and college winner of the TXU Energy Light Up the Red Carpet Student Film Contest. Panavision will award the winning filmmaker of the Texas Competition with a $30,000 camera-rental package for their next production. Other Grand Jury Prize awards will be presented to the best Short Film, Student Short Film and Animated Short Film. The coveted Audience Award winner will also be announced.