Lone Star Film Fest adds roar of ‘Lion’

Lion, a much-ballyhooed movie starring Dev Patel, Rooney Mara, and Nicole Kidman, is the first announced showcase feature film for this year’s Lone Star Film Festival in Fort Worth.

The film, directed by Garth Davis (who helmed several episodes of the acclaimed New Zealand TV series Top of the Lake), tells the story of an Indian man, adopted by an Australian couple as a boy, who returns to Kolkatta to find his birth parents. Based on Saroo Brierley’s memoir, A Long Way Home, the picture was recently featured at the Toronto International Film Festival where it earned kudos. BBC noted that it was “being talked up as a major awards contender.”

Patel, who first became widely known as the star of Slumdog Millionaire in 2008, has also starred in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Chappie, The Last Airbender, and the TV series The Newsroom.

The Lone Star Film Festival runs Nov. 10-13 at the AMC Palace 9, the Four-Day Weekend Theater, Sundance Plaza Pavilion, and the Worthington Renaissance Hotel.

In addition to Lion, 10 smaller titles have already been announced as part of the festival’s lineup. The entire festival schedule is due for release on Sept. 21.

All-access badges are available for $200 while individual tickets will be available at the door for $10. For more information, go to www.lonestarfilmfestival.com.

This story was originally published September 15, 2016 at 3:16 PM with the headline "Lone Star Film Fest adds roar of ‘Lion’."