The only environmental film festival in Texas will be putting its green stamp on Dallas’ Oak Cliff neighborhood all this weekend—featuring feature-length documentaries, shorts, live music, food, and storytelling.
The EarthX Film & Music Festival will roll October 20-22 at three Oak Cliff venues: the historic Texas Theater, the restored Arts Mission Oak Cliff, and the Kessler Theater.
Festival Director Hayley Nenadal believes the festival’s films and performances will resonate with a wide range of audiences.
“Environmentalism takes so many forms, and we’ve worked to share expressions that range from urban ecology and food insecurity to climate change to the emotional reactions our planet can evoke,” Nenadal said in a statement. “We want to celebrate the diverse views and perspectives of our amazing world with all of North Texas.”
Friday kickoff at the Texas Theater
The feature-length documentary “Common Ground” explores regenerative farming. It opens the 2023 EarthX Film & Music Festival. [Image: Common Ground]
Things are kicking off Friday at the Texas Theater with a screening of Common Ground, the follow-up film to “Kiss the Ground” from filmmakers Josh and Rebecca Tickell. Doors to the venue will open at 6 p.m., with drinks available at the bar in the theater’s lobby. The program begins at 7 p.m. The feature-length documentary “Common Ground” takes a deep dig into the regenerative farming movement, with narration from Rosario Dawson, Laura Dern, Jason Momoa, and others.
Following the screening, members of the filmmaking team will be joined by local North Texas farmers for further conversation about regenerative farming. The Friday event will also feature a concert by indie music artist Donna Missal. An after-party will take place at vegan Tex-Mex restaurant Casa del Vegano featuring with food, drinks, and DJ tracks.
Saturday will ‘tantalize all the senses’
The festival’s second night on Saturday “is designed to tantalize all the senses,” EarthX says. To be held at Arts Mission Oak Cliff in the heart of Oak Cliff’s Winnetka Heights neighborhood, the night will featuring environmental film, food, music, and storytelling. Things begin at 6 p.m. with a curated menu from Dive Coastal Cuisine, to be presented as guests stroll the garden adjacent to the former church.Projection mapping from Dallas-based Lightware Labs will evoke far-off land and waterscapes, followed by “a thoughtful short film block and conversation centered around the powerful ways in which nature communicates with us.”
Featured short films Saturday will include Walking on Clouds, Soundscape, Light Beams for Helena, and Tempo II: Movement in Jungle. The evening will close with music performances by the Nick Rothouse Trio and cellist and multi-instrumentalist Ben Sollee.
Sunday will be ‘where passion meets purpose’
The closing night evening of the EarthX Film & Music Festival will be held at the Kessler Theater, with the venue opening at 5:30 p.m. for seat selection. Beginning at 6:30 p.m., a series of short films will be screened “that highlight stories of characters that not only find purpose in the outdoors but strive to share that opportunity with others,” EarthX said, adding that “themes of conservation, food sovereignty, and intersectionality will also be discussed both on screen and in thoughtful panel conversations.” Films will include Well Worn Life, The Ghost Rainforest, 4DWN, Miles to Go, and The Mud on Their Hands.
Sunday’s event will also feature an intimate performance by Danielle Ponder, a rising R&B/soul singer who left her career as a New York public defender to pursue her calling in music. The closing night after party will be held at The Wild Detectives, featuring music by DJ Elkin Pautt.
For more information including how to buy tickets, you can go here.
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