The KNON Free Film Festival is Again Bringing Music and Hope to the Big Screen

As a long-standing local pillar of the arts, KNON proudly proclaims itself to be the “Voice of the People” in Dallas, and this year’s KNON Free Film Festival gives the radio station another opportunity to engage and build a sense of community with its listeners. The festival returns for its fifth outing on Sunday, July 20, at the Texas Theatre.

True to form, KNON is highlighting films focused on music and community for this year's lineup.

The event will kick off with a screening of Union, a film about the effort to unionize an Amazon warehouse. Pusherman: Frank Lucas & The True Story of American Gangster will follow, examining the influence of Frank Lucas on “the drug trade and NYC culture.” A Guitar Story: The Dallas International Guitar Festival will then chronicle the history of one of the largest and longest-running guitar festivals in the United States. The final film programmed, Viva Kenny, is about the recovery efforts of a Dallas firefighter who was struck by a drunk driver.

“We had seen lots of films that were covering the music genres that KNON plays,” says Dave Chaos, KNON’s station manager. “And then I started to become aware of films about radio stations, so we started doing it as kind of an extension.”

When first conceptualizing the festival, the team wanted films that engagingly told the stories of the music they played on KNON. The film festival provided an avenue for that.

Chaos says Barak Epstein, co-owner of the Texas Theatre, has been a “guiding light” in helping them navigate the logistics of hosting these screenings.

“KNON and the Texas Theatre have similar missions – to let the local community support the film and music they want to see and hear,” Epstein said in a statement about the festival. “So it’s symbiotic to continue to offer them space for film screenings and live performances.”

Three of this year’s films will be followed by panels. After the screening of Union, KNON DJ Bonnie Mathias will host a discussion with members of the North Texas labor movement to discuss rights and dignity in the workplace. Following A Guitar Story, Jimmy Wallace, founder of the Dallas International Guitar Festival, and members of the filmmaking team will take the stage. After Viva Kenny, the titular Kenny and director David Weimer will be on hand for an audience Q&A

The festival, like the operation of the station itself, is a labor of love for Chaos and his team. As the name implies, there is no cost to attend screenings; you can "preorder" them from the KNON website or have the KNON app downloaded and show it at the door to gain entry. There will also be KNON merchandise for sale, as well as an opportunity to donate money to the station.

“We’re on our own,” says Chaos. “We’ve done it for 40-plus years, one $50 pledge at a time.”

KNON relies on donations, as the station does not receive government funding or grants from local foundations.

“We started out with the intention of serving the low- to moderate-income community in Dallas,” Chaos explains. “That’s not a community with a big voice. That’s not a community that … maybe the wealthy people who support all these other foundations and charitable efforts want to recognize, and Dallas, historically, never really has.”

Whether you want to catch an inspirational story, dive deeper into stories about music, or just spend some time fellowshipping at the bar, the KNON Free Film Festival is set to be a worthwhile way to spend a Sunday afternoon at the Texas Theatre. And if you need another reason to go, Chaos has that covered.

“We always do [the festival] in July, because we figure a hot Texas afternoon ... perfect place to be is an air-conditioned theater. Especially the one they got Lee Harvey Oswald at!”

For details and showtimes, check out KNON's full festival schedule here.