Properties as distinct

documentary film. Then in grad school, at NYU, I learned about dramatic films. I was a music-video critic, and I was even syndicated for a year and a half. I would call up video stores to find out what are the top five home videos in rentals and sales, and I would have these top-five lists.

You must have watched a lot of bad music videos.

Style was so important. Haircuts were so critical. The way they looked was so important. One thing MTV did, which we don’t even think about now, is that it was national. So if you lived in Charleston, W.V., and they didn’t play Devo on the radio there, you could hear it on MTV, and that was really important to culture. You could also see what these people were wearing and emulate that.

It seems like there are lots of talented video artists in Dallas, right?

There are all kinds of people who do video art in Dallas. There are people who get shown around the world who make videos here. UNT teaches it, UTA, TCU and then Centraltrak, the UTD program in Expo Park. So there are schools teaching it.

Why is the festival still relevant after 25 years?

The basic point of why there should be a festival about video is that we all spend too much time in front of screens. We’re obsessed with digital images. Ninety percent of those experiences are less than fulfilling. When was the last time you turned off a TV and said, “Wow, that was really great”? Usually, you say, “Wow, I just wasted an hour of my life.” The problem is we settle for mediocrity. Video has a way to make our lives better. That’s why our tagline is “Better living through video.” Video can be inspiring, and it is clearly the medium of our generation. My hope is you come and get excited about the possibilities. Then you go home Monday, and you sit down at your computer, and you don’t settle. You realize there is work out there that can make your life better.

LEARN MORE at videofest.org

—Rachel Stone

what gives?

Small ways that you can make a big difference for nonprofits

Say happy birthday … to the North Texas Food Bank. The food bank celebrates its 30th anniversary this month. The food bank’s website, ntfb.org, offers several ways for anyone to raise money for food to support the 48 million households estimated to be living with food insecurity in North Texas. The website allows users to hold virtual food drives and offers “Thirty ways to $30,” ideas for saving enough to donate the equivalent of 90 meals to the food bank.

Buy tickets for Cirque du Soleil Kooza … through Promise House, and 100 percent of the $125 ticket price goes to the nonprofit, which supports homeless and at-risk teens. The show is at 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 21 at 500 Memorial in downtown. Tickets are available at promisehouse.org.

Party at Four Corners Brewery … and support public art projects in West Dallas. The brewery opens on Singleton this month, and it is the site of a Sept. 22 fundraiser for Spare Parts, the Fort Worth Avenue Development Group’s public art project. Tickets cost $35. fortworthavenue.org

KNOW OF WAYS that neighbors can spend time, attend an event, or purchase or donate something to benefit a neighborhood nonprofit? Email your suggestion to launch@advocatemag.com.