Who Made the Best of Fests Possible

Festival de Cine Latino Americano Film Festival is based in Fort Worth and is made up of a group of producers, film scholars, and local actors honoring Latin America’s contributions to the film industry. Their 2020 entry, the 2018 film This too shall pass is directed by Rodrigo Moreno. Running for 19:22 minutes, this short drama film tells the story of a girl who endures an abusive life at the hands of a man she was traded to and forced to care for.

On the same time slot, Fort Worth Independent Film Showcase and Topaz Film Festival were showing 2019 short movies, Breaking Brokenness, a 21-minute film that revolves around the main character Frankie, and her struggle to repair her relationship with her daughter. LaToya, her daughter is unforgiving following Frankie’s release from prison. As soon as the movie ended, Topaz Film and Women Texas Film Festival’s entry, Driving Lessons was shown. the movie shows Bahareh, the female protagonist living in Iran, being accompanied by her chauvinistic and very traditional husband to her driving lessons so she and her instructor will not be alone.

Topaz Film Festival has screened two films, 2019 short films Ribbons by Marcela Cantú Serrano and Topanga by Aycil Yeltan. Both under 15 minutes long, the films were screened at Alamo Drafthouse CEDARS on the festival’s third day.

Ribbons were shot at Saint Joseph’s Academy in Brownsville, Texas over two days. Dreaming to be a student of Sadie Hawkins dance, Lucy has a huge crush with her classmate Thomas. Yet, when she thinks she is clear to finally take the leap, her worst fear comes true.

In the movie Topanga, Gala is a homeless artist who escapes from an abusive man. Aycil Yeltan received three awards for the film: the Merit Award at the Accolade Global Film Competition in La Jolla, California, the Audience Award for Shorts at Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival in Vermont, and the Audience Award at Women in Film-Dallas, Topaz Film Festival.

Aside from aforementioned film festivals, other participating festivals include North Texas Film Festival, 3 Stars Jewish Cinema, Fort Worth Independent Film Showcase, Asian Film Festival of Dallas, Dallas VideoFest, Dallas Jewish Film Festival, Deep in the Heart Film Festival, Denton Black Film Festival, Deep Ellum Film Festival, EarthxFilm, Frame4Frame, Q Cinema, Sons of the Flag Stars and Stripes Film Festival, and Thin Line Film Festival.

The fiscal sponsor of Best of Fests is EarthxFilm, an organization that showcases media and films that explore climate change, conservation, and the environment. Partners and sponsors include EarthX and EarthxFilm, Prekindle, Kinetigraf Entertainment, nonprofit CreditCop, Selig Polyscope, Texas Theatre, Alamo Drafthouse, Dallas Film Commission/Dallas Creative Industries, Visit Dallas, supernatural, Dallas Producers Association, Kelly Kitchens PR and Wildworks PR.