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Dallas International Film Festival crowns award winners at Dallas Film Society Honors Gala

After more than a week of screenings, discussions and parties (of course), the Dallas International Film Festival celebrated its award winners at the annual Dallas Film Society Honors Gala. Directors, producers, cast members and movie enthusiasts gathered at Hotel Palomar to honor the filmmakers and their works, and award recipients took home $100,000 in cash and prizes.

A hot topic during the evening was Arthur Benjamin's generous sponsorship, which he dedicated to his beloved friend, the late Larry Hagman. Benjamin also promised to take Decoding Annie Parker worldwide.

Although Steven Bernstein's film didn't win any awards, it certainly resonated with the right crowd. "Annie Parker's story is not just entertaining, moving, funny, heart-wrenching and uplifting, but it is a cinematic achievement that needs to be told to every human on the planet," Benjamin said.

Actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Smashed, Sky High, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Grind House, Live Free or Die Hard) received the Dallas Shining Star award. "I'm a little embarrassed by the riches that you bestowed upon me since I've been here — such great hospitality," she said.

Val Kilmer presented the Dallas Star awards to director William Friedkin (The Exorcist and The French Connection) and former president of 20th Century Fox Sherry Lansing (her big releases included Fatal Attraction, The Accused, Titanic), the Academy Award-winning, husband-and-wife duo.

"They were inspired by film, committed to their own careers and to the art, and now inspire others to do the same," said James Faust, Dallas International Film Festival creative director.

On the award scene with Dallas Film Society chairman Lynn McBee and Dallas Film Society president and CEO Lee Papert and wife Sarah: Sundays Hunt, Michael Cain, John Hersker, Rachel Cocke, Jeremy Williams, Armando Suarez and Lara Ashmore.

Below is the full list of Dallas International Film Festival award winners.

Jury winners

A Teacher, grand jury prize for narrative feature
God Loves Uganda, grand jury prize for documentary feature
Pit Stop, grand jury prize for the Panavision Texas Competition
Tomlinson Hill, Embrey Family Foundation Silver Heart Award
Black Metal, best short film
The First Hope, best student short
Head Over Heels, best short film

Audience award winners

The Kings of Summer, best narrative
The Crash Reel, best documentary
Head Over Heels, best short film

TXU Energy "Light Up the Red Carpet" video contest winners for high schools

Day in, Day out, grand prize; Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts
Positive Vibes, first place; Fossil Ridge High School
The Electricity Between Us, community choice; Wakeland High School

TXU Energy "Light Up the Red Carpet" video contest winners for colleges

The Giants in the Sky, grand prize; Baylor University
The Makeover, first place; Art Institute of Dallas
Spirits, comunity choice; Northlake College

Dallas executive producer Ken Topolsky.

Photo by Jorge Martinez Dallas International Film Festival

Dallas executive producer Ken Topolsky.

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Gala preview

Dallas' most glam fall gala to honor Hollywood superstar Charlize Theron

Universal Pictures Presents "The Odyssey" Paris Premiere

Photo by Pierre Mouton/Getty Images for Universal Pictures

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Hollywood star Charlize Theron will be the guest of honor at one of Dallas' hottest-ticket galas of 2026: She will receive amfAR's Award of Inspiration at the organization's black-tie ball on October 24.

For a second year, the glamorous fall fundraiser will take place at the home of Kathleen and Scott Kirby, a release says. Taking over where Dallas' TWO x TWO gala left off when it ended in 2024, the amFAR gala has quickly become one of Dallas' marquee social events, drawing philanthropists, collectors, and high-profile guests in support of amfAR's mission to end HIV/AIDS.

Theron, who won an Oscar for Monster, is currently on a worldwide press tour ahead of her starring role in one of the summer's biggest movies, The Odyssey, Christopher Nolan's highly anticipated adaptation of the Homer epic (opening July 17).

Beyond her film career, Theron serves as a United Nations Messenger of Peace and founded the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project (CTAOP), which supports organizations focused on youth health, HIV prevention, sexual and reproductive health, and combating gender-based violence across Southern Africa.

"Charlize Theron’s longstanding support of amfAR and HIV/AIDS care and prevention through her own foundation make her an inspiration to us all," said amfAR CEO Kyle Clifford in a statement. "We are grateful to her for her tireless work and are thrilled to be able to recognize her at our event in Dallas this year."

According to amfAR, programs supported by CTAOP have reached more than 4.8 million young people. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Theron and the foundation also launched the Together for Her campaign with CARE and the Entertainment Industry Foundation to address gender-based violence, and later partnered with the Ford Foundation to advocate for global vaccine equity.

Founded in 1985, amfAR has invested more than $950 million in research grants supporting HIV/AIDS and other diseases in which viruses and the immune system play a significant role. Over the past 26 years, supporters in North Texas have raised more than $66.5 million to advance amFAR's ongoing HIV research and global health initiatives, the organization says.

This year's gala will feature cocktails, a seated dinner, musical performances, and a live auction offering luxury goods, travel experiences, and contemporary art. Tickets and table sponsorships are now available, starting at $2,500.

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