LSIFF: Catch Local Favorites in Fort Worth This Weekend

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Five Time Champion

If you're looking to combine movies and a road trip this weekend, you couldn't do better than head to Fort Worth for the fifth annual Lone Star International Film Festival. The fest kicks off Wednesday night with The Descendants, Alexander Payne's latest movie starring George Clooney (and Austin actor Nick Krause), which recently played Austin Film Festival. The festival runs through Sunday night, November 13.

Austin film-fest regulars might recognize a fair number of titles in the LSIFF lineup. In fact, this is a great way to catch up on selections you missed at AFF and SXSW this year. In addition, the lineup includes a few features that have yet to play Austin, like Rampart, Collaborator, and the Jet Li film Ocean Heaven. One of LSIFF's programmers for 2011 is Austin producer Kelly Williams, who also programmed the excellent Texas Independents category at AFF last month.

Here's a list of movies with Austin or Texas ties that will screen at LSIFF next weekend. I admit when I started this article I expected to list a half-dozen films; to end up with so many is pretty amazing. And I'm not even counting non-Texas films that played local fests, such as The Innkeepers, Butter, The Artist and Shame.

  • "Where I'm From" Texas Shorts -- Elizabeth reviewed the finalists in Texas Monthly's "Where I'm From" short film contests when they played AFF last month. (Thursday 11/10)
  • Mars -- Austin filmmaker Geoff Marslett's animated science-fiction romance stars Mark Duplass, Zoe Simpson and Paul Gordon. Read Jenn's review from SXSW 2010 as well as her interview with the filmmaker. Austinites: Texas Independent Film Network will also screen Mars in the AFS Screening Room on Saturday, Nov. 12 with Marslett in attendance. (Thursday 11/10)
  • Blacktino -- Producer Elizabeth Avellan will be at LSIFF to introduce the debut feature from Austinite Aaron Burns, which had its world premiere at SXSW 2011. Read Chip's review for details. (Thursday 11/10)
  • Five Time Champion (pictured at top) -- This Austin film was probably Don Clinchy's favorite at SXSW 2011, and I predict it'll make his top ten this year. Read his review to find out why. Austinites: You can see this movie on Wednesday, Nov. 16 at Alamo Village as part of the AFS Best of the Fests series.  (Thursday 11/10)
  • Natural Selection -- The most lauded film at SXSW this year was this film from Robbie Pickering, shot primarily in Smithville. Debbie called it "a fun and passionate ride" in her review. (Thursday 11/10)
  • Thief -- What does Michael Mann's first feature, a Chicago-set crime drama from 1981, have to do with Texas? Easy -- it co-stars Willie Nelson, who will attend the LSIFF screening. (Thursday 11/10)
  • Carrie -- Fort Worth native Betty Buckley's first movie role was as gym teacher Miss Collins in the 1976 Brian De Palma film. Buckley (who is also in Five Time Champion) and Piper Laurie will be at this screening. (Friday 11/11)
  • Archer -- Austin filmmaker Erik Mauck (Zombie Girl, Straight to the Bone) is behind this locally shot short film about a man who daily visits his wife's grave, unwilling and perhaps unable to move on. The shorts screens as part of LSIFF's Shorts Block 2. (Saturday 11/12)
  • The Mayor -- This documentary about an elderly man trying to live life to the fullest takes place primarily in a retirement home in the Dallas area. Filmmaker Jared Scheib currently lives in Dallas. (Saturday 11/12)
  • An Ordinary Family -- This drama focuses on a family's reaction when one member returns home with his boyfriend in tow. Mike Akel (Chalk) shot this movie in Austin and Lago Vista. Read Mike's AFF review as well as Jenn's interview with Akel. (Saturday 11/12)
  • Kevin -- Former Austinite Jay Duplass made this short doc about tracking down musician Kevin Gant, who left Austin for California in 1995 and vanished from the music scene. The film premiered at SXSW this year. At LSIFF, it's paired with another music-related documentary, All I Know. (Saturday 11/12)
  • Slacker 2011 -- We wrote so much this year about this re-working of the 1991 Richard Linklater film that I gave it its own category on the site. Don reviewed the film after its Paramount premiere. (Saturday 11/12)
  • Searching for Sonny -- Mike reviewed this Fort Worth-shot movie at AFF and said it was the funniest film he'd seen all year. Check out Jenn's interview with writer/director Andrew Disney. (Saturday 11/12)
  • Thelma & Louise -- Screenwriter Callie Khouri is from San Antonio. She'll be at LSIFF for this screening. (Saturday 11/12)
  • "Texas Show" Shorts -- Among the short films screening in this program are 8, which Don called "poignant and bittersweet" after seeing it at SXSW (where it won the Texas Shorts award); Fatakra, which Debbie reviewed as part of the SXSW Narrative Shorts this year; and Austin short 33 Teeth, which Jenn caught at aGLIFF this year. (Sunday 11/13)
  • Believe You Me -- Corsicana native (and current Austinite) Scott Honea shot this dark comedy in his hometown. (Sunday 11/13)
  • The Bully Project -- This documentary about children badly damaged by school bullying was partially filmed in Fort Worth. Read my review over at Movies.com for details. (Sunday 11/13)

THE MAYOR

Thanks for the mention. As a DFW film and filmmaker through and through, I'm very excited for the North American premiere of THE MAYOR at LSIFF. The Mayor himself will be there, too. If you'd like any more info, feel free to email.

Believe You Me

Thanks for the shout out! I'm extremely thrilled to show my feature "Believe You Me" at this year's LSIFF. For anyone wanting to check out the trailer, it can be viewed here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mb_2v8pk7zA

Scott Honea
Writer/Director, "Believe You Me"

THE FAMILY IS COMING TO TOWN

Thanks so much for the mention of our dramedy, AN ORDINARY FAMILY, and the lovely review. Going to middle and high school in Fort Worth (technically Crowley - go Eagles), I'm so stoked to take this film back to where I 'grew up' and it's really cool to screen in the same theater I used to go watch movies at as a kid! Good luck to all the films, and the filmmakers! It's hard enough to finish a film, now it's time to celebrate!