USAFF55 is pleased to be a part of Arts Month! Dallas Arts Month was first launched as Dallas Arts Week in 2013. It is a city-wide celebration of Dallas arts and is held annually in the month of April. Arts Month is designed to build awareness and appreciation for the work of Dallas artists and organizations and foster creative learning and activity throughout the city. Residents and visitors are encouraged to participate in events and programming offered by art and cultural institutions from all disciplines

Schedule of Events:

Opening Night

The World Of Nancy Kwan - A Salute To Nancy Kwan
Program Includes A Film Clip Compilation + On-Stage Conversation + Book Signing

When Nancy Kwan Burst Onto The Scene In The Early 1960s, Asian Characters In Film Were Portrayed By White Actors In Makeup Playing "Yellowface," And
Those Minor Roles Were The Stuff Of Cliché: Shopkeepers, Maids, Prostitutes, Servants. When -- Against All Odds -- Nancy Landed The Lead Role In The Muchanticipated 1960 Film The World Of Suzie Wong, She Became An International Superstar And Was Celebrated For Her Beauty, Grace, Authenticity, And *****: A "Chinese Garbo," The "Asian Bardot." From Hong Kong To London, Hollywood And Beyond, "The World Of Nancy Kwan" Charts Nancy's Journey As A Luminary And Pinnacle Of Representation In Hollywood. What Obstacles Did She Face, What Prejudices Did She Overcome, And How Did Her Success Create Paths For Others? Never Allowing The Fads And Fickleness Of Show Business To Change Her, Kwan Persevered In An Industry Where Everything Was Stacked Against Her, Breaking Through Barriers And Becoming A Beacon Of Hope To Generations Of Asians Who Aspired To Be Seen. "The World Of Nancy Kwan" Is A Multifaceted Personal History Of An Iconic Actress Whose Triumphant Rise And Resilience Illuminates The Broader History Of Hollywood And How The Only Way Forward Is To Stay True To Oneself. The Program Will Feature A Film Clip Compilation Program Of Ms. Kwan's Television And Film Roles (To Date) Followed By An On-Stage Conversation Hosted By Author And Film Historian Foster Hirsch, Followed By A Book Signing.
Reserve Your Copy Of Ms. Kwan's New Memoir "The World Of Nancy Kwan

Memento (2000) 25th Anniversary
6:45pm
A Landmark Film From Acclaimed Director Christopher Nolan, Memento Is A Mind-Bending Thriller Whose Mesmerizing Power Grows With Every Viewing. Guy Pearce Stars As Leonard, A Man With A Bizarre Disorder: The Inability To Form New Memories. Ever Since That Fateful Night When His Wife Was Murdered, Anyone Leonard Has Met, Or Anything He Has Done, Simply Vanishes From His Mind. Who Are His Friends? Who Are His Enemies? What Is The Truth? The Answers Change From Second To Second As Leonard Seeks Vengeance For His Wife's Murder… And Sinks Into An Abyss Of Uncertainty And Danger. The Film Also Stars Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, Mark Boone, Jorja Fox, Harriet Sansom Harris And Stephen Tobolowsky. 113mins. Presented With Our Friends At The Hamon Arts Library And The G. William Jones Film & Video Collection At Smu. In Attendance: Stephen Tobolowsky. We Welcome Our Student Guests And Friends To Meet Visiting Artist Stephen Tobolowsky (Smu Alumnus) To Talk About Playing Sammy Jankis In Nolan's Clever, Enduring Thriller

Hunt For The Oldest Dna
7:00pm
Hunt For The Oldest Dna Tells The Story Of A Maverick Gene Hunter, Whose Single-Minded Pursuit Of An Improbable Scientific Vision Would Tease And Torment Him Before Ending With A Stunning Triumph: A Lost World Recovered From A Spoonful Of Dirt. Two Decades Ago, Eske Willerslev Had A Radical Idea: Could Dna, The Fragile Chemical Code Of Life, Survive Intact In Frozen Sediment For Millennia? Fellow Scientists Called Him Crazy. But The Danish Biologist Set Out To Prove Everybody Wrong, And His Perseverance Paid Off With A Landmark Breakthrough -- With Massive Implications For How We Understand The Deep Past. After Many Years Of Failure, Willerslev Recovered The Genetic Traces Of A Lush Forest Ecosystem From Before The Ice Age, More Than Two Million Years Ago. The Species Identified From Their Dna Lived During The Last Hot Epoch On Earth. Signaling A New Era In Dna Research, Scientists Can Now Use Dna To Travel Back Millions Of Years And Piece Together Vanished Ecosystems. Today, They Are Poised To Harvest The Genetic Secrets Of These

The Last Rodeo
6:30pm
All To Save His Grandson. Facing His Own Painful Past And The Fears Of His Family, He Enters A High-Stakes Bull-Riding Competition As The Oldest Contestant Ever. Along The Way, He Reconciles Old Wounds With His Estranged Daughter And Proves That True Courage Is Found In The Fight For Family. Directed By Jon Avnet And Co-Written By Avnet, Neal Mcdonough And Derek Presley, The Film Stars Neal Mcdonough, Sarah Jones, Mykelti Williamson, Christopher Mcdonald, Ruvé Mcdonough And Daylon Swearingen. The Film Will Be Released By Angel Studios On May 23rd. 118mins In Attendance: Director/Co-Writer/Producer Jon Avnet, Co-Writer/Actor/Producer Neal Mcdonough, Actor Mykelti Williamson, Actor/Producer Ruvé Mcdonough And Co-Writer Derek Presley.