Pictured: Still from "Mount Liptak"
The Fort Worth Indie Film Showcase features local and global talent
A former movie theater at Sundance Square is showing films again — for this weekend only.
The Fort Worth Indie Film Showcase began screenings Friday at noon in the historic Norris Conference Center in Sundance Square — a venue that was once an AMC Sundance 11 theater before closing in 2007.
This three-day event will present over 200 films from local, national and international independent filmmakers across three different screens.
Bill Hass, program director and co-founder of the showcase, says the showcase is entering its fifth year and continues to garner more attention.
“[Filmmakers are] coming from all across the world,” Hass says. “This year we have at least one filmmaker who flew in from Europe that we know of. It's being noticed worldwide.”
One of the films presented, “Mount Liptak,” tells the story of World War II veteran Lester Liptak, who forged his birth certificate and joined the Navy at age 15 to provide for his family after his father's murder. While commissioned by the U.S. government to complete Operation Deep Freeze, Liptak's plane crashed in Antartica. He survived and now has a mountain in Antarctica named after him.
“I've always heard this story from my uncle,” director and writer Ryan Allsop says. “This was a story I've come across that I've always felt I needed to tell.”
Allsop says Liptak, who has seen the 15-minute short film, was the film's No. 1 critic.
“This was about him, so I wanted to do him justice and make him happy and proud of the film as well,” Allsop says. “He was very honored that I wanted to make this film about his life story.”
Hass said he has watched each of the films — and has thoroughly enjoyed them.
“The growth I've seen in the filmmaking since we've started has been incredible,” Hass says. “The quality of the filmmaking has been amazing, and I think this is something everyone should want to be a part of.”
Screenings for Saturday begin at 10 a.m. Screenings for Sunday begin at noon, and the award ceremony begins at 5 p.m.
You can purchase tickets online for $45 for the entire weekend and $25 for a single day.
“We're really thankful for all the support we've gotten from the filmmakers and the community,” Hass says. “We're looking forward to doing this in upcoming years for as many years as possible.”This three-day event will present over 200 films from local, national and international independent