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:

Artie Shaw: Time Is All
You've Got (1985)
New 4k Restoration And Remastered Sound!
7:00pm

Outspoken, Manipulative, Independent Thinking And Oftentimes Controversial, Artie Shaw (1910-2004) Was One Of The Most Popular Stars Of The Swing Era, Who Famously Broke The Color Barrier By Hiring The Legendary Billie Holiday, Hot Lips Page And Roy Eldridge For His Bands. Shaw's Complex Love-Hate Relationship With His Own Celebrity Caused Him To Walk Away From Performing Almost As Many Times As He Walked Away From His Marriages. Winner Of The 1986 Academy Award For Best Documentary Feature, Brigitte Berman's Insightful Documentary Portrays The Restless Life And Five-Decade Career Of The Gifted Bandleader Known As Th "King Of The Clarinet." Anchored By An Incisive Interview Recorded When Shaw Was 72 Years Old, This Entertaining Portrait Is Much More Than A Jazz Film; It Is The Story Of A Brilliant And Complex Individual. The First Film Profile About The Life Of Artie Shaw, The Film Features Interviews With Polly Haynes, John Wexley, Lee Castle, John Best, Helen Forrest, Buddy Rich, Mel Tormé, Mack Pierce, Frederic Morton, And Evelyn Keyes. Co-Presented With Sammons Jazz, D'jam And Sammons Center For The Arts. 116mins. In Attendance: Writer/Director/Producer Brigitte Berman

Reel Owl Cinema Shorts
3:30pm
Join Us For A Collection Of Short Films From Garland High School's International Baccalaureate (Ib) Film Program Students. The Four-Year Curriculum, Based Off Of Smu's Film Program, Teaches Students The Art And Craft Of Narrative Filmmaking Along With Film History And Theory. They Will Celebrate 20 Years In The Garland Isd On May 17, 2025 At Their 20th Annual Reel Owl Cinema Film Festival. 60mins

I Got This
6:30pm
In 1975, Dr. Tony Herring Started Working With Young Children Who Had Amputations Or Were Born Missing Limbs. Not Knowing Anything About Prosthetics, Dr. Herring Was Told "Don't Worry, The Kids Will Teach You Everything You Need To Know"-- And They Did. The Clinic At Scottish Rite For Children Became An Exciting Place For The
Kids And Their Families To Come To Get Help And Meet Other Families In The Same Situation - Making Their Lives Better While Having Fun Along The Way. 30mins. In Attendance: Director Ken Mandel And Dr. Tony Herring.

The Stones Are Speaking
4:00pm
Olive Talley's Fascinating Documentary Tells The Inspiring Story Of How Archaeologist Mike Collins, At Great Risk And Personal Sacrifice, Saved 30 Acres Of Looted Land Deep In The Heart Of Texas And Revealed It As One Of The Most Significant Sites In The Americas. Collins And His Team Changed History When They Found Evidence
Of People Living In Central Texas 20,000 Years Ago. The Film Is More Than A Simple Tale Of Discoveries At The Gault Archaeological Site. It Illustrates The Power Of An Individual To Make A Difference And What People Can Accomplish When They Come Together For The Greater Good. 86mins. In Attendance: Filmmaker Olive Talley.

Sachse High School Shorts
4:45pm
Sachse High School Digital Media Students In Audio/Video Production And Animation Are Part Of The Cte Pathways That Give Students The Ability To Learn A Trade While In School. Students In These Classes Learn How To Create Documentaries, Commercials, Stop Motion, And Cel Animation While Also Learning How To Work As A Team To Create Fun And Impacting Stories. 60mins.

Tonic (Encore Screening)
7:00pm
Sebastian Poe (Billy Blair), A Washed Up Piano Player, Spends His Days And Nights Performing Low Paying Gigs In Jazz Clubs And Dive Bars. Sebastian Is Also In Debt To A Corrupt Police Detective Terry (Jason Coviello), Who He Owes Eight-Thousand Dollars. When Terry Asks For His Debt To Be Paid And Sebastian Can't
Come Up With The Cash, He Tasks Sebastian With Killing Someone That Needs To Be Taken Out. He Gives Him The Rest Of The Night To Complete The Job. Over The Course Of The Night, Sebastian's Plight Plunges Him Into The Dark Streets Of Deep Ellum Where He Comes Across An Odd Assortment Of Characters All While Battling With His
Conscience And His Desire To Just F-Ing Play The Piano. Written And Directed By Derek Presley, The Film Is Produced By Lola Lott And Jason Starne, And Executively Produced By Alex Blackmon. The Film's Cast Also Includes Lori Petty, Richard Riehle, Ed Westwick And Vernon Davis. 104mins. In Attendance: Writer/Director Derek Presley, Editor/Pro-Ducer Jason Starne, Producer Lola Lott And Other Cast/Crew.

Texas Short Films
(In Competition)
7:15pm
Join Us For An Eclectic Program Of New Short Films With Texas Connections Including -- Mark Raso's The Ugly Chickens, Based On A Short Story By Howard Waldrop, Featuring A Professor Who Sets Out On A Cross-Country Expedition After Learning That The Extinct Dodo Bird Might Still Exist; Travis Lee Ratcliff's Documentary
Dynasty And Destiny, A Portrait Of A Mother-Daughter Duo Bound Together By Their Passion For The Rodeo; Justin Wilson's Documentary The Number Thirteen: A Tattoo History Which Follows Dallas-Based Tattoo Artist Oliver Peck As He Explores The Phenomenon Of Shops Tattooing The Number 13 On Friday The 13th As They Race To Achieve A Guinness World Record; In Nicholas Michael Buck's Poem-Based Storage Fees A Young Man Finds Temporary Shelter In A Storage Unit While He Mourns The
Death Of His Mother; And In Hisham Iyad Hajir's Weasel Things Go Horribly Awry For An Inattentive Mother Who Is Captivated By A New High-Tech Device That Instantaneously Sells Anything It Scans. 75mins. Filmmakers In Attendanc