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Everyone talks about big debuts and sophomore slumps, but when it comes to film festivals, it’s usually the third year that matters the most: By then the fanfare and novelty have worn off and a festival can no longer coast on community goodwill.
The good news about this year’s Lone Star International Film Festival, which kicks off Wednesday with a screening of the indie comedy The Scenesters, and continues through Nov. 15, is that it’s built to last. This third edition lacks the star wattage of the inaugural edition of the festival in 2007, which brought the likes of Martin Sheen, Robert Rodriguez, Fred Durst and Harry Dean Stanton to town. But the festival’s organizers also seem to have moved past the melodrama that plagued the festival last year. (Artistic director Tom Huckabee was unexpectedly removed from his position in late 2007, prompting local favorite Bill Paxton to resign from the festival’s advisory board.) This year’s edition is a well-programmed, modestly scaled five-day event that isn’t trying to be everything to everyone. Lone Star finally seems to be on firm footing, both artistically and financially. "We’re now at the point where it’s about putting on a unique festival," says festival director Dennis Bishop, who took over the reins in early 2008. "We’re just showing movies that we think we need to show." Among the highlights of this year’s festival: Legendary singer and actor Kris Kristofferson is being awarded the inaugural "Steven Bruton Award," named for the famed Fort Worth musician. The award celebrates an artist who has contributed to both the film and music worlds. Following last year’s focus on Russian cinema, this year the programmers turn their attention to Germany, with three titles that have barely screened in the United States. A posthumous lifetime achievement award for playwright and screenwriter Horton Foote (Tender Mercies), to be accepted by his son Horton Foote Jr. These are all smart, intriguing choices that speak to the festival’s determination to focus on quality and enhance Fort Worth’s film culture — instead of just trying to fill seats on the strength of A-list names. "We don’t honor people to raise money," says Bishop. "If we honor someone, it’s because it fits into our agenda and we believe in that person."Few big titlesIf there’s a disappointment with this year’s festival, though, it’s that there aren’t many instantly recognizable movies in the lineup. The organizers have programmed one piece of Oscar bait, the closing night feature The Messenger, starring Ben Foster and Woody Harrelson. But the big guns that have been screening at other regional festivals — Up in the Air starring George Clooney, say, or the adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road — won’t be playing here. Artistic director Alec Jhangiani acknowledges that the festival is still working on developing relationships with the big studios — a process that can take many years for upstart film festivals.
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