Slackery News Tidbits, April 14

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Here's the latest Austin movie news:

  • Local movie Five Time Champion was a big winner at the Dallas International Film Festival last weekend, taking home the Texas Filmmaker Award ($20K in cash/goods/services). Read Don's review of the movie from SXSW and you may understand why. In addition, now-Austin filmmaker Clay Liford won a special jury prize for Wuss, the Dallas-shot film that premiered at SXSW last month (my review). For more about Austin movies at Dallas IFF, don't forget to read Peter Martin's column from yesterday.
  • Austin Film Festival has teamed up with KLRU-TV for a dozen episodes of a new series called On Story: Presented by Austin Film Festival. Each episode will include a short film by a Texas filmmaker that has screened at AFF, plus clips of panels, interviews, etc. from past fests. You can watch the show on Saturday nights at 7:30 on KLRU-Q, and the shows will be available online on klru.org. The opening show on Saturday will include the short Frente Noreste as well as footage of Lawrence Kasdan, Shane Black and Randall Wallace.
  • Cannes will have some Central Texas representation this year. Katrina's Son, the short feature from UT alum Ya'Ke Smith, is included in the Short Film Corner (Court Metrage) at Cannes. You may remember that Katrina's Son screened at Austin Film Festival, where it won the Narrative Short Jury Award. Visit the short film's website for more info and a trailer.
  • Austin Movies in the Park has cranked back up again for free screenings in Republic Square Park this month and next. Another series, Eastside Movies in the Park, will run through August at Fiesta Gardens. Austin Movie Blog has the details.
  • Next Wednesday night at Alamo Drafthouse Village, Austin Film Society continues its excellent Best of the Fest series with American: The Bill Hicks Story, which played SXSW last year. You can buy tickets now for this documentary about the late Austin comedian. The filmmakers will hold a Q&A after the screening.
  • Finally, although this does not have a direct Austin tie, I like it so much I can't resist. Thanks to Movieline, we can now all watch part of the awe-inspiring WWI-set action scene that opens Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen, which I first saw at Fantastic Fest 2010 (see! Austin connection!). Oh, that Donnie Yen. Go watch it. Hang on, I'll embed it below. You're welcome.