Arts Notes: Lone Star Film Festival Cine-Más initative

LSFF

Lone Star Film Festival: Cine-Más

Dates: Nov. 7-11

Screening locations: AMC Palace 9 and Four Day Weekend, both in Sundance Square

Tickets: lonestarfilmfestival.com/festival/tickets/

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Sponsors: Sundance Square, Fort Worth Film Commission, Telemundo 39

The Lone Star Film Festival (LSFF) is partnering with Telemundo 39 to showcase Latin-American full-length features during the 12th Annual Lone Star Film Festival in November.

The initiative is called Cine-Más and will interweave 10 blocks of programming that depict facets of Hispanic and Latino life with themes of familial bonds, strong female leads, music and cultural icons in the festival, LSFF said in a news release.

Films already selected include South by Southwest Audience Award Winner and LSFF showcase film Ruben Blades Is Not My Name, directed by Abner Benaim; international film La Gran Promesa, directed by Jorge Ramírez Suárez; the multi-award-winning Spanish film La Sargento Matacho, directed by William González; and Rich Kids, written by Texans David Saldaña and Laura Somers.

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Lone Star Film Society staff member and Latino filmmaker Gabriel Gutiérrez said he hopes to create a space that unites Latino and Non-Latino audiences to experience stories and impact through the powerful voice of cinema.

“I think this festival is an incredible tribute to a Metroplex that has such a strong and proud Latino heritage,” Gutiérrez said in the news release. “It is important for different cultures to come together to celebrate each other in their achievements and traditions. This festival can become a place where we all can sit together under one roof and learn about each other through a medium that everyone loves.”

The news release said the Cine-Más concept developed after local film director Rusty Weaver captivated audiences at the 2017 festival with his film Ascencion – the story of Mexican-American horse trainer Ascencion Banuelos, who became the first Mexican-American to be inducted into the National Cutting Horse Association Hall of Fame.

– FWBP Staff

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BRIT FEATURES BOTANICAL ART,

CRAFTS AT GALLERY NIGHT

The Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT) will feature art from the natural world of plants during the annual Gallery Night Sept. 8 from 4 to 9 p.m., the organization announced.

Featured will be botanical sculpture by Trailer McQuilkin, botanical paintings by Ann Ekstrom and Symbiosis by Erika Duque.

BRIT will also host two pop-up events in conjunction with the event — a pop-up exhibit by the Fort Worth Art Collective and a pop-up artisan market showing the work of local craftspeople.

“People think of museums and restaurants when they think of this event,” Laura Venhaus, BRIT director of libraries and public engagement, said in a news release.

“But this evening is so much more than that. It’s about the artists and the unique galleries that exist in our community. We love being part of this event and we think that our focus on plants and botanical art adds something unique to the mix. Plus, our pop-up events with local Fort Worth artists add special interest,” she said.

McQuilkin’s website (trailermcquilkin.com) says that he began experimenting with creating metal wildflower sculpture in 1969, working with sheet copper, copper wire, metal primer, oil paints and natural materials. His techniques include cutting, soldering, incising and painting.

Ekstrom’s website (annekstromstudio.blogspot.com) says the Fort Worth painter’s interests range from printmaking to watercolor painting to large-scale oils. Her 72-foot painting Hints of a Life is permanently installed at Tarrant County College’s Southeast Campus. She holds a bachelor of fine arts degree from Texas Christian University and also studied at the University of Texas at Austin and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia.

Duque also is a Fort Worth artist and studied painting in the master of fine arts program at TCU. She has a bachelor of fine arts degree in painting and drawing from The School of The Art Institute of Chicago. She has been featured in solo and group shows in Dallas and Fort Worth, BRIT said.

For the past several years BRIT has participated in the Fort Worth Art Dealers Association Gallery Night, an event designed to highlight the visual arts community in Fort Worth. Gallery Night is free and open to the public.

brit.org

– FWBP Staff

LAURA BUSH HONORARY CHAIR

OF 2019 JUNIOR CLIBURN

The Cliburn has announced that former first lady Laura Bush will serve as honorary chairman of the Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival to be held May 31-June 8 in Dallas. The competition is for 13- to 17-year old pianists.

“Laura Bush’s lifetime commitment to education on the highest level continues in this association with the Cliburn Junior Competition, which is designed to encourage the artistic development of the greatest pianistic talent of tomorrow from around the globe,” Cliburn President and CEO Jacques Marquis said in a news release.

“As the Cliburn hosts a major program in Dallas for the first time ever – the majority of which will be held on the campus of SMU – we are thrilled to have Mrs. Bush, a resident of the city and proud alumna of the university, lend her name. She also held a longtime friendship with our inspiration and namesake, Van Cliburn, making this connection particularly special.”

Members of the international jury are: chairman, pianist Alessio Bax of Italy: Philippe Bianconni of France, Sa Chen of China, Angela Cheng of Canada, Valery Kuleshov of Russia, Lowell Liebermann of the United States and Aviram Reichert of Israel.

The preliminary through semifinal rounds and festival events for the Junior Competition will take place at Southern Methodist University, where participants will also stay, The Cliburn said. The final round will be held at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, where the three finalists will perform full concertos with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Ruth Reinhardt, DSO assistant conductor.

Applications are being accepted until Jan. 10. Competitors and participants will be announced on March 13. Applicants must have been born between June 8, 2002, and May 31, 2006.

The Cliburn will invite 24 pianists from around the world to compete. For the first time, up to 14 additional pianists will be accepted as non-competing festival participants and may take part in master classes, private lessons, workshops and other elective activities, the news release said.

All competition performances will be webcast live at Cliburn.org.

The first-prize winner will receive a cash award of $15,000; second prize is $10,000; and third prize is $5,000. All three top winners will also receive scholarships and community residency and mentorship opportunities with The Cliburn. Other special prizes will be announced in early 2019.

The Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival was established in 2015 and drew 160 applications from 26 countries. Live and on-demand webcast views have topped 250,000 for over 1.7 million minutes watched by viewers in 170 countries.

– FWBP Staff

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