Screen Dallas is a filmmaker support program from the Dallas Film Commission that annually awards one feature length documentary with a fully sponsored, week-long theatrical release, offering filmmakers a powerful platform to qualify for the Academy Awards and connect with Dallas audiences.
The Dallas Film Commission has partnered with local festival programmers to select a feature-length documentary worthy of Academy recognition.
Any documentary that screens at a Dallas area festival will automatically be considered for the program.
Winner of the Documentary Feature Special Jury Award at SXSW 2026, The Last Critic is the first documentary feature about Robert Christgau, a pioneer of music criticism. The self-proclaimed Dean of American Rock Critics, Christgau helped invent the form in 1967 while covering the Monterey Pop Festival for Esquire, then redefined the form in 1969 with his Consumer Guide at The Village Voice—letter-graded, capsule reviews, 18 thousand of them over more than 50 years, and continuing to this day at Substack, where Christgau has been a best selling author since 2019.
A contributor to Rolling Stone, Creem, Spin, and The New York Times, Christgau made his greatest impact at The Village Voice as both an editor and writer. In the ‘70s, when pop music was defined by Fleetwood Mac and Billy Joel (who disliked Christgau almost as much as Christgau disliked him), he championed not just the punk of CBGB, but the funk of George Clinton and the soul of Al Green. He helped start the careers of generation after generation of gifted writers, among them Greg Tate, Colson Whitehead, Ann Powers, Joe Levy, Chuck Eddy, Nelson George, and Eric Weisbard. Now in his eighties, Bob is still at it, writing with the same vigor, concision and craft. From Thelonius Monk to James Brown, from The Ramones to Sleater-Kinney, from Aretha Franklin to Olivia Rodrigo, from Second Avenue to Soweto, no writer has considered Pop music with the force and flair as Christgau.
Katie Schuck is a film industry veteran with nearly two decades of production experience across feature films, commercials, and nationally syndicated TV shows. She spent eight years with the Savannah Regional Film Commission, where she served as Assistant Director and played a key role in supporting and attracting high-profile productions such as Marvel’s Captain America: Brave New World; Netflix’s May December; Apple TV+’s Manhunt; and Juror #2.
Now serving as the Dallas Film Commissioner, Katie is the primary liaison for filmmakers and industry professionals, working to attract production to the region and establish Dallas as a premier destination for film and television while supporting local economic growth.
Austin Flores is the Location Specialist for the Dallas Film Commission. He has over 10 years of experience in the industry, ranging from freelance, medical, and corporate media production. He is also the Conference Director for the Dallas International Film Festival's Industry Conference.
Austin has worked on numerous commercials and shows in the Dallas area over his career. As a native Texan, he always wanted to work in the film industry. He graduated from TCU with his bachelors in film and SMU with his masters also in film.
He has attended FOCUS Locations Showcase, the Toronto International Film Festival, and numerous other Texas festivals to highlight the strengths and looks of Dallas.
Dr. Rebekah Louisa Smith, also known as The Film Festival Doctor, has secured hundreds of festival screenings around the world for her clients.
Rebekah and her hard-working team are committed to nurturing filmmakers in order to help them secure film festival screenings, win awards, and cultivate a positive recognition within the film industry. Currently, her company has won more than 2,500 awards for their clients and three Oscar success stories. She has secured hundreds of festival screenings around the world for her clients and has supported over 850 international filmmakers, enlightening and inspiring their journey towards achieving their goals and following their filmmaking dreams.
Ashton Campbell is an Emmy award winning documentary director. He’s been in the industry for over 25 years and loves telling stories visually. So much so that he is now the Festival Director of the Oak Cliff Film Festival in addition to being a Partner at the historic Texas Theatre. His passion for improving the film and media community in Dallas has led him to become the Treasurer of the Dallas Producers Association and he occasionally teaches a documentary class at the MediaTech Institute. When he’s not on set or at the theatre, you can probably find him on the field coaching his kids.
Ian Loomer is a native Texan and a creative operational executive with over 20 years of experience in film, broadcast, XR, AI, and the virtual production industry.
Through his company, Modern Creative Ops, he consults with SMB's, enterprise orgs, and creative teams on everything from workflow automation, XR and innovative storytelling, virtual production, and studio design and build.
He serves as the President of the Dallas Producers Association (dallasproducers.org) and Director of Operations for the Texas Media Production Alliance (TXMPA.org).
James Faust likes to rock and watch movies. Not in that order. He began as the festival’s Senior Programmer at our inception back in 2006, when DIFF was called AFI DALLAS. That position followed programming roles with the Asian Film Festival of Dallas, The Austin Film Festival and Texas Black Film Festival.
A die-hard Red Raiders fan, James received Telecommunication and Theatre degrees at Texas Tech University, which he followed up with a degree in Cinema Studies at Southern Methodist University. He has served on juries and panels all over the world speaking about film festival management, programming and marketing.
Named in September 2022 as CEO of Dallas Film Society, Inc. | DIFF Dallas International Film Festival, Wilbins has been affiliated with the organization since its founding as a nonprofit in 2006. Under her leadership, the organization’s signature event, the Dallas International Film Festival, achieved a milestone when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences named DIFF in October 2024 as an Oscar® Qualifying Festival – one of only 59 film festivals in the U.S. and only 181 film festivals worldwide to earn the designation.
In her role as CEO, Wilbins has passionately pursued community-building for film professionals and aficionados by establishing year-round film programs, series, and events through collaborations with diverse arts organizations, nonprofit community partners, businesses, schools, filmmakers, and studios.
Danielle Hawthorne is a seasoned television host, entertainment journalist, and marketing strategist with over a decade of experience in the media and exhibition industries. She is known for her engaging interviews with top talent and creatives across film and television, as well as her thoughtful presence at red carpet premieres and industry events nationwide. Danielle currently serves as the official host for the Dallas International Film Festival.
In addition to her on-camera work, Danielle is the co-founder of Playbook Marketing, a boutique agency specializing in strategy and content for female-led brands. She also serves on the Education Board for the Independent Cinema Alliance (ICA) and is a founding partner of Cinema Lab, where she contributes to reimagining the future of the theatrical experience.
