Meet James Faust | Artistic Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with James Faust and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi James, what habits do you feel helped you succeed?
Keep an open mind. I always like to go into an event planning session or a meeting with a plan, but I am open to new ideas that may enhance what we are trying to do.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.

As Artistic Director for the Dallas International Film Festival, I participate in bringing the world to Dallas via film. It’s amazing to see young and old…people of all nationalities and backgrounds. . .coming together through cinema. It’s been a long, hard, but rewarding road. Starting out as a film electrician on tv shows such as WALKER TEXAS RANGER, working for free at the Deep Ellum Film Festival, and carrying lights and pushing equipment for Mary Kay Cosmetics videos, to now getting to travel the world the last 17 years meeting filmmakers, seeing films, and bringing them back to Dallas. I’ve learned that, with people or people around the globe, like interests can connect us universally and everyone loves a good movie…and hates a bad one.

DIFF celebrates films and their impact on society. A 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, the Dallas International Film Festival recognizes and honors filmmakers for their achievements in enhancing the creative community, provides educational programs to students to develop a better understanding of the role of film in today’s world, promotes the City of Dallas and its commitment to the art of filmmaking, and serves as the region’s most powerful platform for diverse, emerging and underrepresented voices through curation of the broadest range of expression through film.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would spend time taking folks to Lakewood, eat at Mot hai Bai, drinks at the Lakewood Landing afterwards, roll over to White Rock Lake on an afternoon and see the Arboretum, dinner and drinks at Lounge Here, spend some time in Oak Cliff at The Texas Theater, and running around shopping and eating in Bishop Arts (Lockhart’s BBQ is the best). Go Downtown to the AT&T Discovery District and up the street to Deep Ellum for a couple of speakeasys. Wait…we only get a week? Dang…too much to do….

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d say my late mother, Brenda Faust. She never let me settle and always pushed me to be better. She was always in my corner and was one of my biggest champions and supporters.

Website: dallasfilm.org

Instagram: @jamesfaustdallasfilm

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-faust-1079303/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/james.faust.520/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@DallasFilmSociety