As a member of the board of the American Film Institute and a previous executive film producer myself, I’m passionate about empowering screenwriters and filmmakers to realize their dreams. I was honored and privileged to have the opportunity to do this on a local level by sponsoring the twelfth annual Dallas International Film Festival.

Hosted by the Dallas Film Society (DFS), a local film nonprofit that provides leadership in screen education and celebrates excellence in film, the eight-day event screened over 110 films from 25 different countries and awarded over $30,000 in prizes to competition participants. The festival also consisted of an exclusive North American premiere of Rob Reiner’s political drama “Shock and Awe,” red carpets, galas, special events and more held at The Magnolia in West Village and select movie theater locations from May 3 to May 10.

The festival’s “see things DIFFerently” tagline combined with a new time of year and a new lineup of unique events enticed over 100,000 attendees and participants. Award categories for this year included Documentary Feature Films, Narrative Feature Films, Short Films and Texas Films and were each judged by ten notable industry professionals.

Read more about the annual event and its awards in Vents Magazine here.