The Dallas International Film Festival checklist

The Dallas International Film Festival, the biggest film festival in North Texas, returns Thursday and, as usual, the choices are overwhelming. More than 60 features and 50 shorts are spread over 11 days, and that can mean a lot of hours spent indoors getting a cinematic tan.

To make things easier, here are some recommendations.

The Land: In previous years, DIFF’s opening-night choices often seemed safe. That’s less true this year with the directorial debut from Steven Caple Jr. about a young skateboarder who runs up against local crime lords. Erykah Badu is one of the stars, and it’s produced by the rapper Nas. 7 p.m. Thursday, Dallas City Performance Hall; 4:15 p.m. Friday, Angelika Dallas.

Queen of the South: Quality TV series have been showing up at many film festivals over the last few years. Now, DIFF is no exception as it showcases the shot-in-Dallas show Queen of the South. Alice Braga plays a woman who starts her life over in Texas after her boyfriend is slain in Mexico. 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dallas City Performance Hall.

Labyrinth: This is a free screening under the stars at Klyde Warren Park of the 1986 family fantasy film directed by Jim Henson and starring David Bowie and Jennifer Connelly. Before the screening, there will be a David Bowie look-alike contest. 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Klyde Warren Park.

I Promise You Anarchy: Julio Hernandez Cordon’s chronicle of Mexico City street kids involved in an underground blood trade at first seems as aimless as its protagonists’ meandering lives, which center on skateboarding, casual sex and sniffing glue. But when they cross the wrong cartel, things get complicated and the movie comes into focus. Also, the climax was filmed in Fort Worth. 10:30 p.m. Sunday and 10:45 p.m. Monday at Angelika Dallas.

Occupy, Texas: Gene Gallerano, who went to Booker T. Washington High School in Dallas, has written a film that reflects those roots. He plays a man who returns home to north Dallas after spending several years in New York City, at first as part of the Occupy movement and then as one of the homeless. You can’t go home again, but you sure can try in this charming, low-key film. Texans Peri Gilpin, Janine Turner and Lorelei Linklater (the sister in Boyhood) co-star. 7:30 p.m. Friday and 11:45 a.m. Saturday, Angelika Dallas.

Morris From America: Cultures clash loudly in this clever coming-of-age tale of an African-American 13-year-old who finds himself living with his soccer-coach dad in Germany. Craig Robinson (The Office) plays the father; he won the Special Jury Prize at Sundance. 2 p.m. April 23, Alamo Drafthouse Dallas; 7:30 p.m. April 24, Alamo Drafthouse Dallas.

High-Rise: Tom Hiddleston, Jeremy Irons, Elisabeth Moss, Sienna Miller and Luke Evans star in this adaptation of J.G. Ballard’s novel about a high-rise society threatening to fall apart. 7:30 p.m. April 22, Angelika Dallas.

Transpecos: The Audience Award winner at SXSW is a thriller about three Border Patrol agents whose routine day is seriously disrupted by one car. Clifton Collins Jr., Gabriel Luna, Johnny Simmons and Will Brittain star. 4 p.m. April 20, Angelika Dallas; 7 p.m. April 21, Alamo Drafthouse Dallas.

Sonita: Despite the government’s politics, Iranian films continue to shine a much-needed spotlight on how people live in that part of the world. This documentary follows a female Afghan rapper in Iran as she deals with her society’s expectations and boundaries. 12:15 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday, Angelika Dallas.

Sing Street: Everyone who saw this Irish film at SXSW seemed utterly charmed by it. Set in 1980s Dublin and focused on a 14-year-old boy forming a band, it’s said to be a real crowd-pleaser. 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Angelika Dallas.

A Fat Wreck: Punk-rock and puppets meet in this engaging documentary about the California punk label Fat Wreck Chords and its colorful founder, Fat Mike, from the band NOFX. 10:30 p.m. Friday and 7:15 p.m. Saturday, Angelika Dallas.

Miss Sharon Jones!: Oscar-winning director Barbara Kopple (Shut Up and Sing) profiles R&B singer Sharon Jones, of Dap-Kings fame, just as the singer has to deal with a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Noon April 23 and 5 p.m. April 24, Angelika Dallas.

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial: The classic Steven Spielberg film will be preceded by a salute to the music of John Williams from Dallas Winds. 2 p.m. Saturday, Dallas City Performance Hall.

This story was originally published April 12, 2016 at 3:28 PM with the headline "The Dallas International Film Festival checklist."