First Annual · Official Festival Program

Playhouse West Film Festival — Dallas

Saturday, September 19, 2026

Red Carpet 8:30 AM · Screenings 9:15 AM · Awards 8:00 PM

East Dallas Christian Church · 629 N Peak St, Dallas, TX 75246

$20 All-Day Pass

Online, in advance · Buy before the festival

$30 All-Day Pass

In person · At the door on festival day

Buy Tickets View Full Program (PDF)

Scan for Festival Info

playhousewestdallas.com/film-festival/program

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Films Screening

Screening Blocks

1997

Established in L.A.

1st

Annual Dallas Festival

Welcome to Playhouse West

The Playhouse West Film Festival arrives in Dallas as a celebration of artists who make the work themselves — writing, directing, producing and performing in films shaped by craft, courage and collaboration.

Established in Los Angeles in 1997, the festival has become known for its filmmaker-friendly spirit and in-depth conversations after each screening block. This first Dallas edition brings that tradition to a new community and introduces audiences to emerging film artists from Playhouse West locations across the country.

Thank you to every filmmaker, performer, crew member, volunteer and audience member who made this day possible. Enjoy the films, stay for the conversations, and celebrate the people behind the work.

Festival selections are member-driven: each film includes a Playhouse West student or alumnus in a leading creative or performing role.

Festival Schedule

Saturday, September 19, 2026 · 9:00 AM - 9:00 PM CDT · 26 films across five screening blocks with filmmaker Q&A sessions

8:30 – 9:15 AMRed Carpet
9:15 – 10:15 AMFirst Block
- Let's Go!
- Don't Pass Me By
- LOUsely Based
- Results
- Nehemiah
- Parallel Circuit
- Smalltown Outsiders
10:15 – 10:50 AMQ&A
10:50 AM – 12:00 PMSecond Block
- Whenever You're Ready
- For Your Ears Only
- Lullaby
- Ellie Makes a Friend
12:00 – 12:35 PMQ&A
12:35 – 1:35 PMLunch Break
1:35 – 2:55 PMThird Block
- The Pep Talk
- Not Safe for Work
- From Now
- Bounty
- Rise of the Gingerbread Man – Conversations
- I Promise
- Inevitable Deception – My Animus Valentine
2:55 – 3:30 PMQ&A
3:30 – 4:50 PMFourth Block
- Unremarkable
- Corruption
- The Freeze
- A Quart of Salt
- Pillow
- Promises
4:50 – 5:25 PMQ&A
5:25 – 6:25 PMDinner Break
6:25 – 7:25 PMFifth Block
- Whale of a Tale
- Between Peaks
7:25 – 8:00 PMQ&A
8:00 PMAwards Ceremony

Schedule subject to change.

The Films

Official selection, in screening order.

First Block

9:15 – 10:15 AM

Let's Go!

5:07 · Comedy

Three roommates find out getting ready for a party isn't always as simple as it seems.

Director: Christian Valentin
Producer: Kasie Sandifer
Screenplay: Kasie Sandifer
Cast: Kasie Sandifer; Janice Luo; Erica Love

Don't Pass Me By

2:44 · Comedy

When a man stops to help a damsel in distress, things do not go as planned.

Director: Craig Chapman
Producers: ShaunPaul Costello; Christian Liatos; Joe Hough; Robert Boyd; Ron Calhoun; Athena Vas
Screenplay: ShaunPaul Costello; Athena Vas
Cast: ShaunPaul Costello; Athena Vas

LOUsely Based

14:08 · Drama

A young man balances family expectations, personal struggles, and the drive to forge his own path.

Director: Eric A. Eisenstein
Producers: Eric A. Eisenstein; Joeseph Paul Mascaro; Ryan J. Irving; Julianne Lea
Screenplay: Eric A. Eisenstein; Joeseph Paul Mascaro; Louis Renaldo
Cast: Louis Renaldo; Gerard DeBenedetto; Michelle Marlowe; Hunter Earls; Joeseph Paul Mascaro; Jordan Hurley; Mariana Leone

Results

4:41 · Drama

Strangers connect and offer support in a waiting room.

Director: Michelle Reale-Opalesky
Producers: Michelle Reale-Opalesky; Sarah Morrison-Cleary; Jack Savant
Screenplay: Michelle Reale-Opalesky
Cast: Michelle Reale-Opalesky; Sarah Morrison-Cleary; Kate Holt

Nehemiah

18:33 · Drama

After the loss of their young son, a grieving married couple must decide whether their unfinished life together is worth rebuilding, one painful piece at a time.

Directors: Britton Adams; Kayla McCallum
Producers: Britton Adams; Kayla McCallum
Screenplay: Britton Adams; Kayla McCallum
Cast: Kaci Nichole; Britton Adams; Caleb Hudson

Parallel Circuit

8:06 · Drama

Back home for winter break, Avery and Jonah find their bond shifting as long-buried feelings rise to the surface, forcing them to confront the desire and deep connection they've always tried to hide.

Director: Jordan Fox
Producers: Mikey Ragusa; Jordan Fox
Screenplay: Mikey Ragusa
Cast: Mikey Ragusa; Benjamin Tanner

Smalltown Outsiders

7:47 · Sci-Fi, Drama, Mystery

In 1988, not much happens in Oakwood, Texas. That is until a supernatural radio frequency prompts Thomas Booker and his friends to uncover a multi-dimensional force plaguing their hometown.

Director: Michael Hill
Producers: Tracy and Bobby Hill
Screenplay: Michael Hill
Cast: Gabriel D. Hill; Spencer Yang; Peyton Elliot; Ethan Melendez; Altranecia Starr

Second Block

10:50 AM – 12:00 PM

Whenever You're Ready

8:08 · Drama

Mia is confronted face to face with her past on her wedding day.

Director: Jack Savant
Producer: Nicole D'Arecca
Screenplay: Nicole D'Arecca; Daniel River
Cast: Nicole D'Arecca; Daniel River

For Your Ears Only

17:31 · Drama

A lonely insomniac falls in love with a poetry podcast and embarks on an adventure to meet the voice behind it.

Director: Cyan Zhong
Producers: Cyan Zhong; Christian Valentin
Screenplay: Cyan Zhong
Cast: Corwynne Peterson; Christian Valentin; Ricardo Serrano-Padial

Lullaby

4:44 · Drama

A young man with newfound responsibilities comes to find that everything might just be okay.

Director: Peyton Carson
Producer: Peyton Carson
Screenplay: Peyton Carson
Cast: Peyton Carson

Ellie Makes a Friend

17:00 · Comedy

A woman calls looking for her ex and has an unexpected phone call with a stranger.

Director: Lauren Zoë
Producer: Lauren Zoë
Screenplay: Lauren Zoë
Cast: Anitaka Knight; Stevie Marceaux

Third Block

1:35 – 2:55 PM

The Pep Talk

2:00 · Comedy

A literary agent gives her struggling, blocked author a Hollywood-style pep talk that is anything but confidence building.

Director: Steve Whelan
Producers: Shannon Avnsoe; Steve Whelan
Screenplay: Shannon Avnsoe
Cast: Shannon Avnsoe; Steve Whelan

Not Safe for Work

13:51 · Dark Comedy

An award-winning filmmaker, adrift at a soulless social video agency and losing her grip on her team, obeys a cruel ultimatum from her boss, disguised as mentorship.

Director: BJ Barretta
Producers: Erica Moody and BJ Barretta
Screenplay: Erica Moody and BJ Barretta
Cast: Erica Moody; Sarah Morrison-Cleary; Jon Owens; Erica Everett; David Piccinetti; Richard Frohman; Amos Quoi; Roben Jaoude

From Now

16:20 · Drama

A young woman, reeling from the sudden loss of her husband, must confront her grief, her past and her future as she hikes through the woods searching for their tree.

Director: Jon Owens
Producer: Maansi Joshi
Screenplay: Jon Owens
Cast: Rachel Poletick; Jon Owens; Chris Valentin

Bounty

13:20 · Drama/Suspense

A detective makes a harrowing discovery while assigned to a detail for Homeland Security.

Director: Peter Anastasiadis
Producers: Robert Boyd; Peter Anastasiadis; Matthias Lojewski; Melitza Iglesias-Colon; Brandon McDowell
Screenplay: Peter Anastasiadis
Cast: Peter Anastasiadis; Matthias Lojewski; Robert Boyd; Ajinkya Dhage; Charles Washington; Andrew Spence

Rise of the Gingerbread Man – Conversations

13:33 · Experimental

As Ambience Brooks sets out to cast her debut feature on cognitive dissonance, she confronts clashing ideologies and the harsh realities of filmmaking.

Director: Phoenix N. Brown
Producer: Phoenix N. Brown
Screenplay: Phoenix N. Brown
Cast: Phoenix N. Brown (Ambience Brooks); Bryan Harris (Brice Wilder); Johnny R. Williams (Danny Calmman); Rose Fogleman (Shelby Tanner); Freddie Noesk (Playhouse Lovercheck); Malia Oldham (girl at the elevator)

I Promise

16:25 · Drama

A promise made from a mother to her son.

Director: Morgan Avery Stizler
Producers: Michelle Reale-Opalesky; Bubacarr Sarge; Christopher Castagna
Screenplay: Michelle Reale-Opalesky; Bubacarr Sarge; Christopher Castagna
Cast: Michelle Reale-Opalesky; Bubacarr Sarge; Christopher Castagna

Inevitable Deception – My Animus Valentine

5:39 · Thriller

A Valentine's Day celebration takes a dark turn when love isn't what it seems.

Director: Erica Howard
Producer: Stacy Okafor
Screenplay: Erica Howard
Cast: Erica Howard; Stacy Okafor; Florida Palmore

Fourth Block

3:30 – 4:50 PM

Unremarkable

33:44 · Drama

Two misfits, unremarkable and overlooked by the world, find each other, and maybe love.

Director: Tony Savant
Producers: Elizabeth Lauryn Reynolds; Tony Savant
Screenplay: Tony Savant
Cast: Rich Frohman; Lucie Paige; David Piccinetti; Chris Valentin; Corwynne Peterson; Kasie Sandifer; Ed Aristone; Michelle Reale-Opalesky; Kate Holt; Timour Triplet; Sarah Morrison-Cleary

Corruption

4:44 · Drama

While on a stakeout, a federal agent receives a call from his wife that will change the course of his life and career forever.

Director: Annie R. Such
Producers: Richard Fiske & Rick Andosca
Screenplay: Richard Fiske
Cast: Richard Fiske as John; Annie R. Such as Wife

The Freeze

8:40 · Comedy

New to town, a woman experiences the legendary Seattle Freeze for the first time.

Director: Caitlyn Cutler
Producer: Hannah Bate Nelson
Screenplay: Hannah Bate Nelson
Cast: Hannah Bate Nelson; Gary Giles; Carolina Pizarro

A Quart of Salt

6:55 · Dark Comedy

A woman's attempt at a romantic dinner derails when her jealous AI assistant sabotages the evening—and her marriage.

Director: BJ Barretta
Producers: BJ Barretta; Erica Moody; Kathryn Sanders
Screenplay: BJ Barretta; Erica Moody; Kathryn Sanders
Cast: Erica Moody; Corwynne Peterson; David Piccinetti; Peyton Carson

Pillow

9:08 · Comedy

A prudish mature woman learns that her friend's dating life is much more adventurous than she expected, and that might not be such a bad thing...

Director: Christian Liatos
Producers: Christian Liatos; Robert Boyd; Matt Hanisch; Connor Johnson; Shaunpaul Costello
Screenplay: Frederick Stroppel
Cast: Holly Gagnier; Jodi Adler

Promises

13:51 · Drama

Struggling to cope with his mother's death and his father's alcoholism, a young baseball player must make a difficult decision: remain loyal to his team to safeguard his sister, or venture into the perilous world of drug dealing.

Director: Christian Liatos
Producers: Christian Liatos; Grant Hall; Matt Hanisch; Heather-Ashley Boyer; Robert Boyd; Shaunpaul Costello
Screenplay: Christian Liatos
Cast: Grant Hall; Defecio Stoglin; Chimechi Oparanozie; Xhaania Wright; Kylia Azevedo-Jones; Roman Mathis; Andre Anthony; Tramall Ferguson; Darian Michael Garey; Cole Wynter; Sabaea Wynter

Fifth Block

6:25 – 7:25 PM

Whale of a Tale

12:55 · Comedy

A widow, restarting her life, takes a job monitoring smart home devices, only to find herself tethered to a paranoid, conspiracy-loving client, leading her to finally use that dusty psychology degree.

Director: Susan Willis
Producers: Susan Willis; Tina Rich
Screenplay: Susan Willis
Cast: Peggy Schott; Emily Giuffré; Suzanne Jennings; Hannah Bate Nelson

Between Peaks

43:44 · Comedy

Milo, after being blindsided by some unfortunate news, goes on a camping trip with a complete stranger.

Director: Jack Savant
Producer: Jack Savant
Screenplay: Jack Savant; Olivia Prado; Richard Frohman; Jacob Cauthron
Cast: Olivia Prado; Richard Frohman; Jacob Cauthron

Grand Jury Awards

Presented at the awards ceremony, 8:00 PM.

Best Picture / Film
Best Director
Best Screenplay
Best Actress & Actor
Best Supporting Actress & Actor

With Gratitude

Festival Directors

Ric Maddox
Tamara Olson

Special Thanks

Phoenix N. BrownFestival Coordinator
Jonathan WomackTechnical Coordinator
Gene Bradley JohnsonGraphic Design Director

Festival Volunteers

Phoenix Brown
Jonathan Womack
Gene Bradley Johnson
Andrew Casey
Cannon Williamson
Emily Thrower
Erica Howard
Gabriel Hill
Jon Billingsley
Keyara Chisolm
Lawrence White
Mason Beauchamp
Ny Love

The festival is sponsored by the Playhouse West Dallas Arts Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiration, education and the development of motion-picture and theatre artists.

Scan for Festival Info

playhousewestdallas.com/film-festival/program

Scan, Share, Come See the Films

26 independent films, five screening blocks and a Q&A after every one of them — all on September 19, 2026 at East Dallas Christian Church. One all-day pass covers all of it: $20 online in advance or $30 in person at the door.

Buy Tickets View Full Program (PDF)

Looking for festival background, venue details and transparency? Visit the main festival page.