“The Cove,” “Tyson” To Close AFI Dallas

A scene from Louie Psihoyos' "The Cove". Image courtesy of Sundance Film Festival

AFI DALLAS International Film Festival has announced that James Toback’s “Tyson” and Louie Psihoyos’s “The Cove” will share the Closing Night Gala Presentation. Both films will screen on Thursday, April 2, 2009 at AMC NorthPark 15 in Dallas with the directors attending and taking part in Q&As afterwards.

“We have always made the programming and presentation of documentaries at AFI DALLAS a huge priority and by highlighting two of the most powerful and intensely emotional films in that category released this year, we are simply underlining that effort for both the filmmaking community and local film fans alike,” Director of Programming James Faust said in a statement. “We are also thrilled to be turning the spotlight toward the upcoming edition of our sister festival, SILVERDOCS.”

AFI DALLAS also announced that film legend Peter Bogdanovich will receive the AFI DALLAS Star Award in recognition of his career achievements in cinema. The presentation will be made during a special “Texas Day” celebration of film that will honor the history of Texas-made films. The Texas Day events will take place at Victory Park on Friday, April 3.

“Honoring Peter Bogdanovich and screening ‘The Last Picture Show,’ which we feel is a quintessential Texas film, couldn’t be a more exciting way to enhance the conclusion of the film festival, nor a more appropriate choice to lead into our Texas Day celebration,” said Michael Cain, AFI DALLAS Artistic Director, in a statement. “AFI DALLAS is proud to join forces with AT&T and Governor Rick Perry to throw the spotlight on the many film classics that were filmed in this states and the many wonderful film artists who call Texas home.”

The goal of the Texas Day Film Celebration is “to promote and bring awareness to filmmaking in the great state of Texas.” The event will kick off with a luncheon and panel discussion at the AFI DALLAS Festival Lounge in Victory Park.

The festival also announced late additions to its schedule of films for 2009 (with descriptions provided by the fest):

“From The Dark”
DIR: Cliff McClelland and Tom Zembrod (USA)
The mysterious re-appearance of a girl that survived a massacre at the hands of supernatural forces spells doom for a group of vacationing teens in a cabin.

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“Suddently Last Winter” DIR: Gustav Hofer and Luca Ragazzi (Italy) Documentary profiles the struggle two gay men undertook on behalf of same sex civil unions in Italy. “Torey’s Distraction” (World Premiere) DIR: Tisha Blood (USA) Documentary focus on a girl born with Apert Syndrome, a rare genetic condition that causes skeletal mutation and her subsequent journey through childhood. “Truth in 24” DIR: Keith Cossrow and Bennett Viseltear (USA) Documentary profiles the Audi Sport race team as they attempt to win a fifth straight “24 Hours of LeMans” against Team Peugeot. AFI DALLAS 2009 will run March 26 - April 2, 2009.  For a complete lineup, go here. Login to recommend this article » posted on March 19, 2009 Films to Snag Login to Leave a Comment »