It Came From Texas film festival brings classic films rooted in Texas culture to Garland’s Plaza Theatre Sept. 12-14. Festival Director Kelly Kitchens says The Alamo (1960) and Bonnie and Clyde (1967) will join Bernie, Viva Max, The Great Debaters, and other beloved classics at the three-day fest.
Kitchens has also added special guest speakers (authors, historians, and other experts) to the ICFTx 2025 lineup to add context and depth to the fest. The documentary THE REAL GREAT DEBATERS (2008) by Dallas’s AMS Pictures screens as a double feature with 2007’s THE GREAT DEBATERS Saturday.
Secret Screening at ICFTx
“Since I love to laugh, I had to throw in some merriment in this Festival with a Secret Screening of a Larry Buchanan film with live riffing from the Mocky Horror Picture Show comedy troupe on Friday night after BONNIE AND CLYDE. I’m thrilled that we are playing BERNIE and bringing in the screenwriter, Skip Hollandsworth, to talk about how his original article in Texas Monthly Magazine led to his writing the screenplay with director Richard Linklater,” said Kelly Kitchens, festival director.
“And we are ending the Festival on our ALAMO Sunday with the fun, silly comedy, VIVA MAX! from 1969. Yes, I know this one isn’t based on a true story, but can you imagine a Mexican General coming to retake the Alamo in 1969? That premise is just too funny. Come see it with me, and let’s laugh ourselves into the next week,” Kitchens snickered.
Gordon K. Smith Adds Depth to Film Screenings
Film historian Gordon K. Smith, who specializes in movies made in Texas, brings his deep-dive knowledge to this Festival.
“At this year’s IT CAME FROM TEXAS, I’ll be giving you the deep backstory of how BONNIE AND CLYDE, THE ALAMO and the other films came to be made, the Oscars they won (or probably should have won), the previous and subsequent versions of the stories, and how they essentially rewrote history, for better or worse. There will be lots of cool clips, authoritative guest speakers on each of the subjects, and my personal memories of working on the 2004 version of THE ALAMO,” Smith said.
Texas-Made Films ICFTx Schedule
Friday Sept. 12-6:30 p.m.-House Opens. 7 p.m.-Feature ($15 individual tickets) Bonnie and Clyde (1967) Director: Arthur Penn. Filmed in Red Oak, Texas (Bank Robbery); Denton, Texas; Rowlett, Texas; Waxahachie, Texas; Garland, Texas; Midlothian, Texas; Pilot Point, Texas; Trinity River, Texas; Dallas, Texas; Venus, Texas (Bank Robbery); Maypearl, Texas; Lemmon Lake, Texas (Shootout); Ponder, Texas Warner Brothers Burbank Studios; Crandall, Texas, USA (as Arcadia, Louisiana); Lavon, Texas; and Albertson Ranch, Triunfo, California, USA (slow-motion death scene).
This classic, Oscar-winning film depicts the days of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow as they rob banks and evade law enforcement throughout the Depression-era South, in a film that pioneered cinematic techniques and movie violence.
9:30 pm-Comedy troupe live riffs on Campy Classic ($15 individual tickets). Secret Screening with Mocky Horror Picture Show’s live riffing; Director: Larry Buchanan. Mocked live by comedians Danny Gallagher, Liz Barksdale and Albie Robles. This film is to be revealed at the time of showing and will be accompanied by the Mocky Horror Picture Show for a live-riffing movie comedy show.
Bernie Scriptwriter Skip Hollandsworth
Sat., Sept. 13-12 noon-House Opens; 12:30 p.m.-Feature ($15 individual tickets); Bernie (2011)-Director: Richard Linklater. Skip Hollandsworth, a journalist whose story on Bernie Tiede in Texas Monthly magazine turned him into the screenwriter with Richard Linklater, will attend. Filmed in Carthage, Smithville, Austin, and Bastrop, Texas. Likeable, small-town mortician becomes enamored with a wealthy widow in this dark comedy featuring an ensemble cast of screen legends.
3 p.m.-Documentary and Panel ($10 individual tickets). Deep Dive into True Texas Film Footage from the William G Jones Film Archives at the SMU Libraries. Dr. Sean Griffin, a Professor in the SMU Meadows Division of Film and Media Arts, has written numerous books on film and television history. Farris Rookstool III, Academy Award-nominated filmmaker and Emmy & Peabody award winner, who is also a former FBI Analyst. A 4:30 p.m. Meal Break follows.
The Great Debaters Double Feature
6:30 p.m.-Double Feature: Feature Film and Documentary with panel ($20 – individual tickets). The Great Debaters (2007) Director: Denzel Washington. Coach Ernest Mack (Wiley University Debate Coach) in attendance. Filmed in Wiley College – 711 Wiley Avenue, Marshall, Texas; Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts; Mansfield Studios, Mansfield, Louisiana; Palestine, Texas (Texas State Railroad); Shreveport, Louisiana; and Boston, Massachusetts.
Chronicles the travails of the Wiley College debate team in 1935 Texas as they explore the challenges of racial strife and the power of their voices for social change.
After a brief intermission:THE REAL GREAT DEBATERS (2008; Director: Brad Osborne of AMS Pictures in attendance). Filmed in Wiley College – 711 Wiley Avenue, Marshall, Texas; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Los Angeles, California. The story that inspired the film. The achievement that inspired a nation.
The Alamo and Viva Max!
Sunday, September 14; 12:30 p.m.-House Opens. 1 p.m.-Feature with clips and intermission ($15 individual tickets); THE ALAMO (1960) -Director: John Wayne. Anita La Cava Swift (John Wayne’s Granddaughter who makes an appearance in THE ALAMO in attendance. Frank Thompson (historian/author of four books about THE ALAMO films)
Filmed in Alamo Village, Highway 674, Brackettville, Texas (the Alamo); Brackettville, Texas (San Antonio setting); and in various places in Mexico at the start of production shooting. This epic, directorial effort from legendary actor John Wayne portrays the events of the Battle of the Alamo in 1836 and was known not only for its grand scale but also for its immense production cost.
4:30 p.m.-Meal Break; 6:30 p.m.-Feature ($10 individual tickets) VIVA MAX! (1969); Director: Jerry Paris. Frank Thompson (historian/author of four books about THE ALAMO films) in attendance. Filmed in Alamo Village, Highway 674, Brackettville, Texas; San Antonio at the actual Alamo (until they were kicked out); and Rome, Italy (where they finished the film).
Starring Peter Ustinov, Jonathan Winters, Harry Morgan, and Alice Ghostley. A misguided Mexican General leads his troops into Texas to take back the Alamo in 1969, more than 133 years after the original infamous battle for the mission.
It Came From Texas Film Festival 2025
The Third Annual Fest of Films Made in Texas is presented by the City of Garland’s Cultural Arts. Texas-sized True Texas Tales brings Texas-made films back to the Big Screen. Admission – Passes and Tickets: Festival passes available online at http://GarlandArts.com.
Festival Pass Perks: Limited Availability; Early admission; Commemorative Poster; Discounts from participating businesses and restaurants. Tickets for individual film blocks will aLso be available from the same URL. All screenings of ICFTx Film Festivals are held in the Plaza Theatre on the Downtown Garland Square. The It Came From Texas Film Festival is a curated, three-day film experience that ventures to celebrate Texas’s contribution to the cinematic medium through films telling true Texas tales.
