Movies are Back
USA Film Festival to host in-person event in Dallas for 50th annual edition
The USA Film Festival, which had previously postponed its annual event in April, has rescheduled its in-theater program for June 24-28 at Angelika Film Center.
One of the oldest film festivals in the United States, the USA Film Festival is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. The festival will feature 25 separate free programs, including narrative features, documentary features, short film blocks, retrospective screenings, and more.
The coronavirus pandemic has forced most film festivals to cancel, postpone, or stage virtual events. One notable exception is the Telluride Film Festival, which has announced that it will stage an expanded in-person version in September.
“As Dallas theaters begin to reopen, we are so glad to be able to bring our program to the community,” said USAFF Managing Director Ann Alexander in a statement. "With support from our sponsors, this year’s program will be presented as all-free-admission.”
Opening night on June 24 will be themed “Free Dinner and a Movie,” featuring two classic films — Hal Ashby’s Harold and Maude (1971) and a 40th anniversary screening of Airplane! (1980). Also screening will be a new animated family film, 100% Wolf. All screenings that evening will include a free box dinner courtesy of USAFF sponsor Norma’s Café.
“We know that a lot of people are experiencing financial challenges and that people have missed being able to get out to a theater and see a movie," said Alexander in a statement. "We wanted to present an accessible program that offered something for people of all ages.”
Other notable screenings will include Out Stealing Horses starring Stellan Skarsgård; Tesla starring Ethan Hawke as electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla; the documentary Ella Fitzgerald: Just One of Those Things; and the documentary Uncle Tom: An Oral History of the American Black Conservative.
For more details and to view the full schedule, visit usafilmfestival.com. Reservations can be made by calling 214-821-6300.
Special note should be made that the theater will not be open to the public for regular shows during the USA Film Festival. Seating will be limited and no one without an advance reservation will be allowed to enter the Angelika complex (i.e. no “walk-ups” allowed).
Masks will be required, auditoriums will be limited to 1/4 capacity, and social distancing seating protocols will be observed to try to protect all moviegoers.