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:

Mistura
Friday, April 25 7:00pm
Set Against The Rich Cultural Backdrop Of 1960s Lima, Ricardo De Montreuil's Compelling Drama Tells The Story Of Norma Piet, A Woman In Her Mid-30s Whose Life Is Upended When Her Husband Abruptly Abandons Her. Left To Face The Scorn Of High Society And The Burden Of Personal Betrayal, Norma's World Collapses As She
Grapples With Isolation And Self-Doubt. However, Her Story Takes An Unexpected Turn When She Embarks On A Journey Of Self-Discovery Through The Vibrant And Diverse World Of Peruvian Cuisine As She Forges An Unlikely Friendship With The Family's Chauffeur, Oscar. As They Explore Peru's Culinary Heritage Together, Oscar
Helps Norma Rediscover Her Identity And Appreciate The Beauty In The Country's Diversity. Through Food, She Reclaims Her Sense Of Self, Transforming Her Passion Into A Thriving Restaurant Business That Defies Societal Expectations. At Its Core, Mistura Is A Celebration Of Peru's Cultural And Culinary Richness. It Explores Themes Of Identity, Resilience, And The Healing Power Of Food, All While Highlighting The Vibrant Diversity That Makes Peru's Gastronomy Unique. 96mins.

Sharp Corner
7:00pm
Based On The Short Story From Russell Wangersky's Giller Prizenominated Collection "Whirl Away," Sharp Corner Is The Story Of A Man's Spiral As He Tries To Find Greater Purpose In His Life. Josh (Ben Foster), A Hapless Family Man, And His Wife, Rachel (Cobie Smulders), Escape The City For An Idyllic Country Home -- The Perfect
Setting To Raise Their Six-Year-Old Son, Max (Will Kosovic). But On Their First Night, A Fatal Car Accident On The Sharp Corner In Front Of The House Disrupts Their Plans, And Josh Finds Himself Drawn Into Saving The Lives Of The Car Crash Victims. As His Obsession Takes Hold, He Places His Wife And Son In Jeopardy, Setting In Motion A Series Of Events That Threaten To Break His Family Apart. Writer/ Director Jason Buxton's Gripping Film Is Not Only A Psychological Thriller But A Dark Satire That Subtly Critiques The Fragile Nature Of Contemporary Masculinity. 110min

Hancock Park
7:00pm
Fifty-Something Ruby Lewis (Christina Beck) Is An Aging Actress Who Has Spent Years Taking Care Of Her Dying Father, An Alcoholic Who Earned His Living Playing Cowboys In Hollywood Westerns. Forced To Sell The Family's Palatial Pasadena Home, Ruby Putson Her Fraying Designer Gown And Straps On Her Gold Heels. Into Her Louis Vuitton Knockoff Duffle Bag, She Packs A Stack Of Legal Documents, Her Father's Favorite Boots, And A Box From The Crematorium. After A Fruitless Audition For A Role She Is Wrong For, Ruby Arrives In Hancock Park For An Extended Stay With Her Younger Sister, Sara, And Sara's Injured Stuntman Husband, Andy. Hotheaded Andy Is Sure Ruby Is Withholding Their Father's Fortune From Sara, While Sara Tries Her Best To Stay Sober And Keep Everyone Happy. Sara Introduces Her Sister To The Downstairs Neighbor, Jason, A Permanently High, Eye-Patch-Wearing, Telsa-Driving, Reiki-Certified Massage Therapist, Who Takes A Shine To Ruby. While Refusing To Admit She's On The Brink Of Homelessness, Ruby's Theatrical Presence And Blatant Lies Quickly Cause Problems For Everyone In The Hancock Park Apartment Complex. In Survival Mode, Ruby Goes
To Extremes As She Plays The Role Of Her Lifetime, Weaving A Tale Of Woe While She's Secretly Sly As A Fox. 84mins. In Attendance: Writer/Director Christina Beck

Narrative Short Films
9:00pm
Join Us For A Collection Of Comedic And Dramatic Short Films. In André Hayato Saito's Amarela A Japanese-Brazilian Teenager Who Rejects Her Family Traditions Experiences A Violence That Seems Invisible; In Faek Falak's High Spirits Five Friends And Colleagues Experience A Turbulent Night That Tests Their Friendship And Changes Their Lives; In Sebastian Kwidziński's Mother A Woman On Parole Returns To Her Hometown To Meet Her 11-Yearold Son; In Anissa Daoud's Mrs. Faiza & Dr. Love A Mother Pursues A Career That Allows Her To Reconnect With Her Youthful Ambitions And To Be Unafraid Of Transgression; And In Sue Ann Pien's Once More, Like Rain Man Experience A Day In The Life Of An Autistic Actress Who Runs The Gambit Of Stereotypes She Has To Deal With In A Funny, Frustrating, Painful And Sometimes Triumphantly Sarcastic Kind Of Way. 98mins

Student Short Films
9:15pm
Join Us For A Program Of Dramatic And Wildly Creative New U.S. And International Student Works Including Jason Adam Maselle's Punter Which Follows A Young Boy Who Must Navigate The Underbelly Of The Gambling World For His Father; In So Man Tsoi's Mint Condition A Primary School Student Risks Being Modified Into A
Robot If She Fails To Perform To Perfection; In Linus Von Stumberg's Syncope A Dance Ensemble Must Dance For Their Lives; In Max Tullio's All Beauty Queens Have Broken Bones A Young Girl Believes God Has Told Her She Must Break Her Leg (Literally) To Win The Miss Teen Indiana Pageant; In Zhihao (Dino) Zheng's Amphibian A Downtrodden Man Becomes An Axolotl; And In Alexis Bouillé's Outrageous Shaolin Office An Over-Loaded Employee Working Late Faces-Off With The Cleaner Who Gets In The
Way. 93mins.

Whatever It Takes
9:00pm
In The Summer Of 2019, A Seemingly Ordinary Couple Became The Unsuspecting Victims Of A Campaign Of Cyberstalking That Spiraled Out Of Control. Their Quiet Lives Were Shattered By Sinister Threats, Grotesque Deliveries -- Such As A Bloody Pig Mask -- And Mounting Paranoia. As The Terror Escalated, Law Enforcement, Including The Fbi, Traced The Trail Back To An Unthinkable Source: Ebay, The Global Giant Famed For Its Motto That "People Are Basically Good." What They Uncovered Was A Surreal Tale Of Power, Obsession, And Desperation, Driven By Senior Members Of The Company's Security Team, Who Were Attempting To Protect Their Ceo From A Feared Corporate Raider. Jenny Carchman's Jaw-Dropping Documentary Dives Into This Extraordinary True Crime Story, Exploring The Disintegration Of Corporate Ethics, The Unchecked Dysfunction At The Heart Of A Tech Empire, And The Lives Of A Journalist Couple Forever Changed By Their Ordeal. A Timely And Gripping Account Of Scandal In Silicon Valley. 93mins.