The Lone Star Film Festival in Fort Worth, happening November 7-10, takes place during the time of year when Oscar-worthy movies come out nearly every week. For the 2013 edition, organizers have made the festival a part of the Oscar conversation, securing several movies you're sure to hear a lot about during the next six months.
Leading the way is the latest from Oscar-winning writer/director Alexander Payne, Nebraska. The Omaha native often writes stories about his home state, and this one looks like an understated gem. The film was shot in black-and-white and stars Bruce Dern as a possibly senile man who believes $1 million is waiting for him in Nebraska.
Another big showcase film is August: Osage County, an adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning play that stars, well, pretty much everyone in Hollywood. That includes Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Benedict Cumberbatch, Ewan McGregor, Juliette Lewis, Dermot Mulroney, Abigail Breslin, Sam Shepard, Chris Cooper and Julianne Nicholson, among others.
Other notable films in the initial line-up include Philomena, directed by Stephen Frears and starring Judi Dench; Tim's Vermeer, a documentary directed by Teller of Penn & Teller fame; Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, a biopic of the South African hero starring Idris Elba; and re-mastered versions of classic films Contempt by Jean-Luc Godard and Tokyo Story by Yasujiro Ozu.
The festival will also honor Lyle Lovett with with the Stephen Bruton Award for his longtime contribution to film as an actor and musician, and Stephen Murrin, Jr. with the inaugural Visionary Award for his commitment to Fort Worth and the Lone Star Film Society.
The festival will take place at AMC Palace Theater and other locations around downtown Fort Worth.
The starry August: Osage County will play at the Lone Star Film Festival well over a month before its wide release.
