Here’s a quick look at AFI Dallas Film Festival, for those of you who are not glued to the set watching the flooding in Fargo, or the volcano in Alaska.  The Redoubt volcano shot ash 50,000 feet into the air yesterday …

I think there should be an emergency screening of the film “Fargo,” in honor of the city and the way its residents are banding together (and sandbagging) to prepare for the approaching floodwaters — okey dokey?

But anyway … Back to the festival.  Here are some special events coming up, listed below.  The complete schedule is viewable at this link:

http://filmguide.afidallas.com/tixSYS/2009/filmguide/schedule/grid/2009-03-28/

High School Day:

On Tuesday the festival will present a day long symposium of panels, screenings, workshops and pitch sessions to give high school students perspective on what it takes to cut it in the film business. We’ll have presentations from Fresh Films, filmmaker Mark Birnbaum, literary agent David Hale Smith, N:G Docs, Mobile Film School and the Texas Film Commission.

Texas Avery Animation Award:

Henry Selick will accept the Texas Avery Animation Award, presented by Reel FX, on March 31 at The Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas

Rita Hayworth Star Award Presentation:

Rita Hayworth’s daughter, Princess Yasmin Aga Khan, will accept the AFI DALLAS Star Award on her behalf at the screening of Gilda on April 2. The event is in coordination with the Altzheimer’s Association.