The Dallas International Film Festival is off and running, and going strong. If you’re missing the fun, here’s a short recap of Saturday at DIFF. The festival runs through April 22, and several films will be playing multiple times. For a full schedule of films playing and times, check the official website.
On the second full night of the festival the crowds were overpowering. Between film fans and the normal weekend gathering at the Magnolia complex, it was madness finding a parking spot and a valid path toward the front doors of the cinema.
Due to my schedule, there was only time to see one screening, so I went for what is probably the biggest film of the entire Dallas International Film Festival. That entry is Bringing up Bobby and is the feature directorial debut of Famke Janssen. She is the model and actress of GoldenEye and the X-Men series.
This beautiful woman was in attendance and introduced the film to a packed house in the biggest auditorium at the theater. She was generally excited to show her little independent film to the large audience. Her co-star of the film, Rory Cochrane, was by her side as well as some of the producers.
The story of Bringing up Bobby is of Olivia (Milla Jovovich) and her 10 year-old son Bobby (Spencer List). She is an immigrant from the Ukraine and knows America more from the movies than from real life. She is also a con artist. But, at the end of the day, her love for her son is the strongest bond she has. This is a tale of family love and finding out what is truly best for the ones we love. It is one of the strongest performances given by Milla Jovovich and should have her in the Oscar race for 2012.
According to Famke, the film was to have a feel of both the 1930’s noir and the buddy flicks of the 1970’s. She kept referring to both Bonnie & Clyde and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid as inspirations. After the film, she and Rory Cochrane fielded questions by the audience in a talk hosted by Bigfanboy.com’s own Mark Walters. When the screening was over, I was able to have a quick conversation with Famke Janssen as she posed for pictures and signed autographs of both Bond and X-Men collectibles. There will be a full interview here with Famke closer to the release date of October 12.
Bringing up Bobby plays for a second time on Sunday, April 13 at the Angelika.
