Tom Maurstad

Not much more than a month ago, the creation of the AFI Dallas International Film Festival was announced. And on Thursday, Fort Worth had its turn with the Lone Star International Film Festival.

And so, starting in 2007, the area will host two new film festivals, as well as the long-established USA Film Festival. Unlike its Dallas counterparts, which occur early in the year – AFI Dallas in March and USA Film in April – the Lone Star festival will take place Nov. 8-11. Backers of the new festival, the Lone Star Film Society and Fort Worth Sister Cities International, are quick to assure that that won't be the only difference.

"The city itself is the biggest distinction," says Phil Moroneso, who serves on the executive committee of the film society. "With Fort Worth's collection of premier museums and an internationally renowned arts competition in the Cliburn serving as a model, not to mention the city's tradition of supporting the arts, a film festival just makes sense."

Film festivals have become an aspirational touchstone for cities looking to enter the cultural big leagues. How this festival will distinguish itself from others remains to be seen.

"That challenge is at the heart of why we partnered with Fort Worth Sister Cities International," Mr. Moroneso says. "Fort Worth has seven sister cities, five of which already have very successful film festivals [including Reggio Emilia, Italy, and Nagaoka, Japan]. We want to develop a network of connections and exchanges with the film communities in our sister cities.

"But we also want to do something for young, cutting-edge filmmakers here in America. We are working hard to put together a distribution system that we can make available to festival participants. I think if we can do that, it will motivate young filmmakers to get involved with the film scene in North Texas."

While organizers are months away from announcing a lineup of movies or celebrity guests, they have a network of venues set up including the Kimbell Art Museum, the Amon Carter Museum and the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, along with several other cultural centers, among them the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame and Casa Mañana Theatre.

Lone Star festival backers hope the Dallas and Fort Worth events will create a beneficial regional synergy rather than compete.

"We'll see, but my hope is that having multiple festivals in the metroplex will create a communal thing that draws filmmakers to the area and deepens audiences' appreciation of film as a big-screen experience."

That may not just be wishful thinking; when one department store opens near another, it can create more business for both.

E-mail tmaurstad@dallasnews.com