Fort Worth
It’s a big year for the Lone Star Film Festival.
The annual Fort Worth event returns for its 20th edition this year, Nov. 4-13 in the Cultural District. All-access passes and individual tickets are on sale via the festival’s website.
Nearly 100 films are screening at the festival, including over a dozen features and more than 70 short films.
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The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth will host most of the screenings, with additional slots at AMC Palace 9 and the Texas Ballet Theater.
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Two decades of film screenings and conversations is “pretty remarkable,” festival executive director Chad Mathews said.
Mathews, who has been with the festival since 2015, said the longevity is testament to Fort Worth’s creative community. While Cowtown’s film industry is shining now thanks in part to Taylor Sheridan, the festival is proof that locals have been passionate about the art form for some time now.
“It’s wonderful that we’ve been around for 20 years,” Mathews told the Star-Telegram over Zoom. “It’s something to be celebrated.”
KJ Apa as Jimmy Stewart in “Jimmy.” Courtesy of Burns & Co Entertainment
Jimmy Stewart biopic opens Lone Star
A new film about the life of acclaimed actor Jimmy Stewart will open the festival Nov. 4.
“Jimmy” follows Stewart’s service in World War II and how it shaped his role as George Bailey in the 1946 holiday classic “It’s A Wonderful Life.” The biopic stars KJ Apa, Kara Killmer, Neal McDonough, Max Casella, Christopher McDonald, Sarah Drew, Rob Riggle, Julian Works and Jen Lilley.
Stewart served as a celebrity ambassador to Fort Worth during the 1970s and narrated a short film called “Fort Worth: The Unexpected City,” which depicted Cowtown’s cultural heritage.
That Fort Worth connection is why the producers of “Jimmy” wanted to have the screening at the festival, Mathews said. It also happened to be good timing, as the film’s wide release is just days later on Nov. 6.
“We think it’s going to be a really great opening-night film for us and for the city,” Mathews said.
Much of the “Jimmy” cast and crew will attend the opening-night screening.
Texas films and ‘The Debut’
Of the nearly 100 films screening at the festival, about 30% of them are Texas-made.
Most of those Texas films are shorts, including a package from KERA that screens on Nov. 8. Some of the subjects depicted in the films are Dallas artist Antonio Lechuga, Dallas low rider culture, Fort Worth artist Sedrick Huckaby and recent Michelin star honoree Goldee’s Bar-B-Q.
Some of the feature-length Texas films include Austin-filmed dark comedy “Autofiction” on Nov. 6 and El Paso-filmed supernatural thriller “Rumination” on Nov. 10.
“We love to be able to shine the light on Texas-made movies,” Mathews said. “We feel like it’s really important, especially smaller independent films like these.”
To find the full list of Texas films, head to the festival’s website and click on the “Texas Made” tag.
Attendees at the 2024 Lone Star Film Festival in Fort Worth. Manny Pandya Lone Star Film Festival
The biggest mainstream film to screen at the festival is “The Debut,” which has a special out-of-competition screening Nov. 6.
Jesse Eisenberg wrote and directed the musical theater drama, starring Julianne Moore and Paul Giamatti. Lone Star attendees will get to see the film more than a month before its wide release on Dec. 11.
The festival asked distributor A24 about screening a few of its films at the festival and “The Debut” is the one they presented, Mathews said. The two have worked together on “Sing Sing,” which played the festival in 2024 and comes from Fort Worth native Greg Kwedar.
“We hope that partnership continues,” Mathews said.
Student films and industry discussions
Festival-goers will also be able to check out films from Fort Worth students.
Lone Star hosts a filmmaking camp every year in the summer. High school students create their own projects with real film equipment. Students have two weeks to write, direct and edit short films that then screen at the festival.
Mathews is a part of those summer sessions and said students have an “a-ha” moment when they see their work at the festival. It’s sometimes hard to convey that the work they’re doing in July will play on the big screen in November.
“I really feel like it is a wonderful encouragement and inspiration for them to keep making movies,” Mathews said. “Many filmmakers out there in the world don’t ever get to see their movies on the big screen.”
To find the full list of student films, go to the festival’s website and click on the “Student Made” tag.
Filmmakers speak at the 2024 Lone Star Film Festival in Fort Worth. Manny Pandya Lone Star Film Festival
In addition to screenings, the festival also has several film talks with filmmakers and industry folks.
There’s a discussion with law firm Duane Morris on Nov. 5 about entertainment-related topics such as copyright laws and negotiating contracts. On Nov. 8, there’s a conversation about making TV in Texas with some of the people behind North Texas-filmed “The Chosen.”
On Nov. 6, Dallas-based filmmaker Clint Bentley will chat with Austin Film Society’s Holly Herrick about his career. Bentley’s latest film, “Train Dreams,” played Lone Star last year before going on to land four Oscar nominations at the 98th Academy Awards.
The film talks have proven to be popular, so Mathews said they’re trying to meet the demand with more discussions.
“We just have so many people that want to be a part of those things,” he said.
The filmmakers behind “Sing Sing” speak at the 2024 Lone Star Film Festival in Fort Worth. Manny Pandya Lone Star Film Festival
Taylor Sheridan and Lone Star Gala
Over the last few years, Lone Star attendees have gotten an early look at some of Taylor Sheridan’s shows.
In 2023, “Lawmen: Bass Reeves” screened two episodes at the festival before its Paramount+ release. “Landman” screened its series premiere at the fest in 2024 and the series returned last year to premiere Season 2.
Lone Star doesn’t have anything planned around a Sheridan project this year, mainly because there isn’t a show set to release in November as in years past, Mathews said.
The next Sheridan show set to release is the Samuel L. Jackson-led “Frisco King,” which premieres over a month after the festival ends, on Dec. 18. Nevertheless, Mathews is looking forward to working with Sheridan and 101 Studios on bringing future projects to the fest.
“They’ve been incredibly supportive of the festival over the years,” Mathews said.
The cast and crew of “Landman” arrive for a group photo on the red carpet for the premiere event of the second season at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth on Nov. 6, 2025. Chris Torres ctorres@star-telegram.com
The festival will conclude with its annual gala on Nov. 13.
It’s a black-tie event that honors artists for their contributions to film. Actor Sam Elliott and musician Abraham Alexander were honored last year. Past honorees include Billy Bob Thornton, Jeff Bridges and Richard Linklater.
Honorees have yet to be announced for this year’s gala, but Mathews said that will come soon.
“We’re gonna make it happen,” he said.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Brayden Garcia is the entertainment reporter at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, where he mainly writes about how the film and TV industry impacts North Texas, from Taylor Sheridan shows to the Fort Worth Film Commission and everything in between.