DIFF NEWSREEL | SEPTEMBER 2025

DIFF SEPTEMBER MIXER

Wednesday, September 10, 2025, 5:30 to 8:30 pm

Virgin Hotels Dallas | 1445 Turtle Creek Blvd | Dallas 75207

Join us for the DIFF September Mixer at Virgin Hotels Dallas in the Dallas Design District. No program, no agenda -- just a time to mingle with fellow film enthusiasts and the DIFF community for conversation, camaraderie, and connections!

DIFF INSIDE FILM SCREENING AND TALK SERIES

WITH FILMMAKER THADDEUS MATULA

Wednesday, September 17, 2025, 7:00 pm

Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas Victory Park | 2365 Victory Park Ln | Dallas 75219

Join us for the DIFF INSIDE FILM Screening and Talk Series at Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas Victory Park, featuring a screening of the Peabody Award-winning 2010 ESPN 30 for 30 documentary, PONY EXCESS, which examines the notorious football scandal at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. The film premiered as ESPN's highest-rated documentary debut at the time and was later celebrated by Texas Monthly as one of the "Ten Best Documentaries about Texas".

The screening will be followed by a filmmaker Q&A with director Thaddeus D. Matula (pictured above) in conversation with DIFF Artistic Director James Faust.

NORTH TEXAS GIVING DAY IS ON

Now through September 18, 2025

North Texas Giving Day is underway, and we hope you'll consider a gift to DIFF now through September 18.

You'll be furthering our 20-year mission to:

• Celebrate films and their impact on society
• Honor filmmakers and recognize their achievements and contribution in enhancing the creative community
• Provide educational programs to students to develop better understanding of the role of film in today’s world
• Promote the City of Dallas and its commitment to the art of filmmaking

Thank you from all of us at DIFF | Dallas Film Society, Inc.

DIFF SHORTS 2025 PASSES ARE NOW ON SALE

Friday, October 17 - Sunday, October 19, 2025

Angelika Film Center & Café | 5321 E Mockingbird Ln #230 | Dallas 75206

Get ready for the 2nd Annual DIFF SHORTS Film Festival, October 17 through 19, 2025, at Angelika Film Center & Café in Mockingbird Station. With a goal of elevating short films and celebrating shorts filmmakers, DIFF SHORTS will feature 12 themed film blocks with 85+ films, Q&As, industry panels, daily red carpets, and receptions for filmmakers and sponsors. Get your passes now, and stay tuned for the full schedule.

DALLAS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2026 KEY ART REVEAL

DIFF has revealed its vibrant new key artwork for the 2026 Dallas International Film Festival, a visual celebration of the city’s passion for cinema and its place on the global stage.

Created by long-time festival partner, Dallas branding agency, Commerce House, the artwork bursts with color and motion, depicting a road made of vivid film reels rolling into Dallas before bursting through the skyline in a dazzling display. These bold ribbons, awash in rich textures and painterly brushstrokes, weave through the night sky, infusing the cityscape with energy and light. The imagery serves as a metaphor for DIFF’s transformative effect each spring—when film pulses through the city, bringing with it stories, perspectives, and artistry from across the globe.

Anchoring the piece is the line, “See the World from Here.” This statement speaks to DIFF’s unique role as a cultural crossroads, where audiences can experience films that span continents and genres, from intimate independent features to sweeping international dramas. Each year, the festival celebrates the diversity of world cinema, offering viewers a window into lives, landscapes, and ideas far beyond their own, all without leaving the heart of Texas.

The 2026 Dallas International Film Festival runs April 23–30, 2026, marking its 20th anniversary of championing filmmakers and cinematic storytelling. More than just a week of screenings, DIFF has become a signature Dallas event—one where the magic of film illuminates the city and the world converges on its screens.

Film submissions for the Oscar® Qualifying Dallas International Film Festival are open now on FilmFreeway.com:

DALLAS FILM COMMISSION ANNOUNCES SCREEN DALLAS

DIFF is pleased to be a part of the new Dallas Film Commission initiative: Screen Dallas. This program annually awards one feature-length documentary with a week-long theatrical run, offering filmmakers a cost-free pathway to qualify for the Academy Awards®. In partnership with local film festival programmers, any feature-length documentary that screens at a Dallas area festival in 2026 will automatically be considered for the program.

The inaugural selection is SHUFFLE. Through director Benjamin Flaherty's own recovery, SHUFFLE documents the billion dollar addiction treatment industry, where young people are bought and sold for their insurance policies.

NOIR RETROSPECTIVE: HARDBOILED & HEARTBROKEN

September 4, 14, 28, October 15, 2025

Violet Crown Dallas | 3699 McKinney Ave | Dallas 75204

DIFF is pleased to be a promotional partner with Violet Crown Dallas for the new film series, A Noir Retrospective: HARDBOILED & HEARTBROKEN:

TOUCH OF EVIL, September 4

THE MALTESE FALCON, September 14

SCARLET STREET, September 28

MILDRED PIERCE, October 15

Don't miss this opportunity to experience these gripping noir classics on the big screen.

JOIN US AS A DIFF FILM INSIDER

When you become a DIFF Film Insider, you'll be among the first to receive invitations to advance screenings and events. Every membership fee goes toward furthering the art of film and building community through film year-round, from education to screenings to community partnerships to annual film festivals in North Texas, and more. Join today and gain insider benefits and access to all-things DIFF.

DIFF is dedicated to building community through film. DIFF provides accessible, inclusive, immersive, educational, and entertaining film experiences for all through hosting year-round programs including an educational screening and talk series with industry professionals; free advance screenings of new films for subscribers, volunteers, sponsors, supporters, and the public; film series in collaboration with community partners; and other unique events ranging from film premieres to classic film anniversary celebrations. The signature festivals of DIFF are the Dallas International Film Festival, held annually in the spring, and the DIFF SHORTS Film Festival held annually in the fall. DIFF (also referred to as Dallas Film) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in 2006 as Dallas Film Society, Inc.