Lone Star Film Festival Gala Honors Sam Elliott and Abraham Alexander at Fort Worth’s Bowie House

At this year’s Lone Star Film Festival Gala, the spotlight wasn’t just on the attending Hollywood stars. Fort Worth itself was a cause célèbre, with Taylor Sheridan reminding guests at the sold-out Silverton Room why Cowtown has become one of the film world’s favorite backdrops.

“Fort Worth is a town of dreamers,” Sheridan told the crowd. “People came here to seek fortune, to stake their fortune on the plains, or dig in the ground in the hopes of finding black gold. I’ve achieved my dream. I’m going to introduce a man who is achieving his dream as we speak, Abraham Alexander.”

Alexander, who received the Stephen Bruton Award, opened his remarks with a poignant account of his family’s journey from Greece to Texas. This journey tragically ended with his mother’s death in a crash caused by a drunk driver just months after their arrival. After that unimaginable loss, Fort Worth, he said, helped close the gap in his heart so he could dream once again.

“This city gave me a stage and a community that believed in me before the world knew my name,” he said in his acceptance speech. “This award doesn’t belong to me. It belongs to every friend, mentor, and fellow musician who helped me carry the weight of my story. To every artist who is dreaming out there, this award is for all of us together.”

An Evening of Legacy, Friendship, and Fort Worth Pride

For 19 years, the Lone Star Film Festival has brought filmmakers, actors, and audiences together to celebrate cinematic storytelling in the heart of Fort Worth. In past years, honorees largely recognized films made in other cities and states. This year, however, the festival — and the red-carpet premiere of Landman: Season 2 — took on a decidedly homegrown feel, thanks to Sheridan’s Landman and Lioness both being filmed in Fort Worth.

During the gala, Fort Worth Film Commissioner Taylor Hardy presented the Pioneer Award to her former boss, Jessica Hill — a mentor she credited with laying the groundwork for the city’s thriving film community. Lone Star Film Society (LSFS) director Chad Mathews highlighted the educational work his nonprofit performs with its annual film camps. Incoming LSFS board chair Angelique De Luca introduced Visionary Award honoree Red Sanders ahead of Billy Bob Thornton and Sam Elliott taking to the stage.

“Sam Elliott, Robert Duvall, Bruce Dern, Jack Nicholson, Gene Hackman — these were the people I studied and watched when I got into this crazy business,” Thornton said. “These were my heroes. I set the bar so high that I never reached it. I’ve known Sam for 35 years. Through the years, he has been such a hero and inspiration to me. This is a man of grace, beauty, talent, and humility. Every day of my life, I wish I were Sam Elliott. I would now like to give the Bill Paxton Award to my friend, my hero, Sam Elliott.”

Elliott opened by noting the “bittersweet” nature of accepting an award named after the Fort Worth actor who died in 2017. Paxton, Elliott said, saw him as a big brother.

“It’s a strange thing in a way for a kid from California to come to Fort Worth and get an award like this from a bunch of Texans,” he said. “My pop always thought I was nuts wanting to pursue a career as an actor. I know my dad would be really proud of my standing up here tonight with this in my arms. This represents how fortunate I’ve been in my life, and I thank the film commission for thinking that I’m worthy to join the other people who have received this. It means a lot to me.”

The memorable evening culminated with a heartfelt performance by Alexander of his Academy Award–nominated song, “Like a Bird.”