The third annual AFI Dallas International Film Festival begins Thursday. This year, due to a cantankerous economy, the lineup will include 77 features (compared to year’s 150) and 96 shorts from more than 22 countries.
The event will begin with a gala screening of The Brothers Bloom, starring Adrien Brody and Mark Ruffalo.
Brody, winner of the AFI Dallas Star Award, will receive the award before his movie begins. Other recipients of the award during the festival will be Kathryn Bigelow, Rita Hayworth (posthumously) and Robert Towne.
The much worried-about Victory Park development will, according to the festival’s Web site, "serve as the epicenter of the festival."
A family day with films and educational activities is scheduled there on the 28th. Northpark will host family-friendly films on the 29th.
For a week, the city will be sparkling with award presentations, celebrities, filmmaker panels, parties and other celebrations. Stars expected to attend include Andy Dick, Princess Yasmin Aga Khan and Peter Bogdanovich, among others, so keep your cameras out.
Holly LaFon is a Dallas journalist who has written for D Magazine and Examiner.
