Slackery News Tidbits

Use this for general news items.

Slackery News Tidbits: June 30, 2014

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Here's the latest Austin and Texas film news.

  • The Austin Film Festival's list of 2014 conference panelists grows with the recent additions of writer Lawrence Kasdan (various Star Wars films), writer/director John Patrick Shanley Doubt), writer Randall Wallace (Braveheart), writer Oren Uziel (22 Jump Street) and Ilysse McKimmie, director of the Sundance Labs feature film program. Badges are still available for the conference and festival, which takes place Oct. 23-30.
  • In more AFF news, the nonprofit's Free Family Film Series presents a screening of Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey Sunday at 3 pm at the Texas Spirit Theater. The 1993 family drama based on the book The Incredible Journey follows two adventurous dogs and a cat as they escape from a ranch to reunite with their owners. Co-screenwriter of Homeward Bound, Caroline Thompson, will be in attendance for a post-screening Q&A.
  • AFF news continues: The nonprofit will co-sponsored the film series "1968's Past, Present, and Future" beginning Tuesday, July 8 until Aug. 12 at the Bullock Texas State History Museum. Screenings of Bandolero!, Rosemary's Baby and 2001: A Space Odyssey will also include Q&As with film historians. This series is free for AFF and Bullock Museum members.
  • The City of Austin's Economic Development Department, in partnership with Mid-America Arts Alliance and the Texas Commission on the Arts, is bringing an Artist INC Live Seminar to Austin. The deadline for artists to apply is tonight at 11:59 pm. The department's Cultural Arts Division will host the eight-week seminar from Oct. 4-Nov. 22. AFF's lead editor for its television series On Story, Roy Rutngamlug, was chosen to be one of six local arts professionals to act as a facilitator and lead a movie training session during the seminar.

Slackery News Tidbits: June 23, 2014

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Here's the latest Austin film news.

  • Austin will be the setting of two upcoming TV series. KUT reports that HBO is developing God Save Texas, about a freshman Texas legislator wooed by energy lobbyists. Writer/co-producer Lawrence Wright is basing the show on his play Sonny's Last Shot. No word yet on whether it will actually be shot in Austin. And per Austin Business Journal, Amazon is producing Hysteria, a series starring Mena Suvari as a psychiatrist at The University of Texas at Austin who's investigating a teen epidemic related to the title. This series might actually shoot locally, considering a recent casting call.
  • Local screenwriter/author/former film critic C. Robert Cargill has his next project lined up: He's co-scripting The Outer Limits with Scott Derrickson, who co-wrote the horror feature Sinister with him too. The movie will be based primarily on an episode of the 1960s anthology show titled "Demon with a Glass Hand," originally written by Harlan Ellison. (via Hollywood Reporter)
  • Cinema Eye Honors, which recognizes documentary filmmaking, announced its shortlist last week for the Nonfiction Film for Television Award. The ten candidates include All About Ann: Governor Richards of the Lone Star State, the HBO documentary about the Texas governor that screened in an earlier incarnation as Ann Richards' Texas at Austin Film Festival 2012 (Debbie's review). Anyone out there seen both, and can comment on the differences?

Slackery News Tidbits: June 16, 2014

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Here's the latest Austin and Texas film news.

  • Austin filmmaker Robert Rodriguez's El Rey Network will have its corporate headquarters and production in Austin, becoming the first general entertainment network to have a formal production home in Texas, Deadline Hollywood reports.
  • The Orchard, a pioneering independent music, film and video distribution company and top-ranked multichannel network, has acquired worldwide rights to acclaimed sports feature No No: A Dockumentary (Caitlin's review), directed by Jeffrey Radice (Caitlin's interview). The documentary premiered at this year's Sundance Film Festival, then screened at SXSW. The feature, which will be available through The Orchard's documentary imprint Opus Docs, takes an in-depth look at the life surrounding baseball legend Dock Ellis.
  • The completely University of Texas at Austin-staffed feature Arlo and Julie (Elizabeth's review) was profiled in the university's yearlong series, "The Creative Campus." The comedy, about a neurotic couple (former Austinites Ashley Spillers and Alex Dobrenko) who become obsessed with a mysterious puzzle, made its world premiere at this year's SXSW and was directed by UT Lecturer Steve Mims.
  • In award news, Austin-based filmmaker Richard Linklater and the Austin-shot feature Intramural recently won fan-favorite awards at this year's Seattle International Film Festival, according to The Seattle Times. Linklater's latest, Boyhood, which chronicles the life of a child from age six to 18 and stars native Texan Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette, won Best Director; fellow Austin filmmaker Andrew Disney's Intramural, about a fifth-year college senior's last-ditch attempt at an intramural football win, won Best Guilty Pleasure.

Slackery News Tidbits: June 9, 2014

in

Here's the latest Austin and Texas film news.

  • Austin filmmaker Richard Linklater's latest feature, Boyhood, swept the top three awards categories at the Seattle International Film Festival on Sunday. The movie, shot over a dozen years in the Austin area, won Best Film, Best Director and Best Actress (Patricia Arquette). Boyhood premiered at Sundance (Debbie's review) screened at SXSW and opens in Austin next month.
  • Actor Kevin Corrigan, who appeared in the Austin Film Society's project Slacker 2011 (and most of local filmmaker Bob Byington's features) and can be seen in Austinite Terrence Malick's upcoming Knight of Cups, will discuss his experiences in the industry during AFS's Moviemaker Dialogue on Monday, June 23 at 7:30 pm at the Marchesa Hall. 
  • Matthew Weiner, creator/executive producer/writer/director of AMC's Mad Men, was recently announced as this year's recipient of the Austin Film Festival Outstanding Television Writer Award. Weiner is scheduled to speak at this year's festival, where he will accept the award. 
  • An Alamo Drafthouse Lakeline employee has sued the Austin-based company, claiming the theater chain isn't paying a sufficient minimum wage and is including the wrong employees in tip pools, Austin Business Journal reports. The suit alleges that all of the servers employed with Alamo Lakeline, which opened last summer, are entitled to recover unpaid minimum wages, damages and other fees. 

Slackery News Tidbits: June 2, 2014

in

Here's the latest Austin and Texas film news.

  • The Austin Film Society has teamed up with The Nature Conservancy to present a screening of Hanna Ranch, a documentary about a fourth-generation cattle ranch in Colorado, tonight at 7:30 pm at the Marchesa Hall. 
  • In more AFS news, the nonprofit recently announced the participants of this year's Artist Intensive, a workshop for emerging narrative feature writer-directors in Austin with projects in various stages of development or pre-production. Filmmaking husband/wife team Julia Halperin's and Jason Cortlund's La Barracuda (Jordan's interview), Stephen Belyeu's and Gregory Day's The Father, filmmaker-musicians Karen Skloss's and Jay Tonne Jr.'s The Honor Farm and local filmmaker Clay Liford's Slash (an expansion of his short of the same name; Debbie's interview) were selected by the programming committee of AFS's board of directors. Each writer-director team will be matched with mentors who will provide project feedback later this month. 
  • The Central Texas-shot indie-comedy Cinema Six (Jette's Dallas dispatch), about the hijinks of three longtime small-town movie theater employees, is now available for free on Hulu
  • Bill and Turner Ross's lyrical documentary Tchoupitoulas, which screened at SXSW 2012, is now available to watch for free online at Doc Alliance Films. The film follows three adolescent brothers on a nighttime journey around New Orleans' French Quarter.

Slackery News Tidbits: May 27, 2014

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Here's the latest Austin and Texas film news.

  • Filmmaker Annie Silverstein's student short movie Skunk won the top prize at this year's Cinefondation section of the Cannes Film Festival, according to The Wrap. Along with winning 15,000 Euros, Skunk -- one of 16 films that screened, out of 1,631 student movies submitted worldwide -- gives Silverstein guaranteed entry to the festival for her first feature. She ran a successful crowdfunding campaign last year to finish Skunk, which was her master's thesis movie at The University of Texas at Austin. The movie stars local actress Heather Kafka.
  • Native Texan writer-director Matt Muir's Austin-lensed movie Thank You a Lot, which premiered at this year's SXSW, will have its digital/cable VOD release on June 3. The movie will also screen that night at the Angelika in Dallas (through Tugg) to celebrate its digital release. Thank You a Lot tells the story of a struggling manager whose job is threatened if he doesn't sign his dad, a reclusive Texas country-music singer.
  • Austin-based Mondo Gallery will present "The Art of Ken Taylor," including prints for the movies Children of Men and Little Shop of Horrors, from Friday, May 30 until June 21. The show's kickoff party takes place Friday at 7 pm at the gallery (4115 Guadalupe). Taylor will be in attendance.

Slackery News Tidbits: May 19, 2014

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Here's the latest Austin and Texas film news.

  • Austin City Council unanimously approved a Creative Content Incentive Program late last week, a decision that's expected to increase Austin's advantage for bringing movie, television and digital media industry projects to the city with the goal of creating more employment opportunities. The program will be incentive based, with $250,000 set aside for this fiscal year.
  • The PBS series Independent Lens will partner with movie and music distribution company The Orchard to distribute the East Texas-shot documentary Little Hope Was Arson (Elizabeth's interview), which played at Austin Film Festival 2013. The series will broadcast the movie this season, and The Orchard will release it theatrically in several markets as well as across all major digital outlets.
  • Acquisition news continues: last year's SXSW world premiere, the dramedy Swim Little Fish Swim (Don's review) has been aquired for distribution in Brazil by Providence Filmes and for distribution in Greece by Mikrokosmos Entertainment. 
  • The University of Texas at Austin's Women In Cinema student organization announced its film festival scholarship winners: Leaves on TreesRonnie Monsters and Stowaway, and the special mention Evidence of Santa. The three winners will receive waived submission fees to several fests, including Sundance. Award-winning filmmakers Lauren Wolkstein (Social Butterfly) and Heather Courtney (Where Soldiers Come From) and Texas Film Commission representative Laura Kincaid served as judges.

Slackery News Tidbits: May 12, 2014

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Here's the latest Austin and Texas film news.

  • The Texas Tribune reports that Bernie Tiede, the Carthage man whose story of shooting the town's richest widow inspired Austin filmmaker Richard Linklater's 2011 movie Bernie, was released from Panola County Jail last week. After nearly two decades behind bars, Tiede was driven away from the jail with Linklater to a home the filmmaker owns in Austin.
  • In festival news, the Los Angeles Film Festival announced its lineup last week and includes several Texas-connected movies: Land Ho!, produced by Austinite David Gordon Green; the Houston documentary Evolution of a Criminal, which premiered at this year's SXSW; and the short movie Molly, from local filmmaker Craig Elrod (The Man from Orlando).
  • Austin's movie industry may take a hit after NBC announced Friday that its hour-long, post-apocalyptic drama Revolution has been cancelled, Austin Business Journal reports. The show wrapped filming its current season last month in Austin.

Slackery News Tidbits: May 5, 2014

in

Here's the latest Austin and Texas film news. 

  • An open casting call for various non-speaking background extras for the feature My All American, chronicling University of Texas football player Freddie Steinmark and the 1969 National Champion Longhorns, will take place on Monday, May 12 from 2-8 pm at Smithville Recreation Center (106 Royston St.) in Smithville. The movie, directed by Angelo Pizzo (Hoosiers and Rudy), will be shooting in Austin and surrounding areas this summer. myallamericantx [at] gmail [dot] com (Email Brock/Allen Casting) for more info.
  • The Austin Latino Film Association will have its soft launch party tonight (May 5) at 7:30 pm at Baby Acapulco (5610 N. IH-35). The nonprofit organization is dedicated to Austin-based Latino filmmakers, Latino-themed movies and local Latino youth. 
  • Join the Austin Film Festival for a conversation with Emmy-nominated actor Robert Walden through the nonprofit's On Story series this Wednesday, May 7 at 7 pm at the Texas Spirit Theater in the Texas History Museum. 
  • Cast members of the notorious 1974 horror film Texas Chain Saw Massacre will reunite at this year's Housecore Horror Film Festival in Austin. The horror and heavy-metal event will celebrate this seminal Central Texas-shot movie's 40th anniversary during the festival from Oct. 23-26.

Slackery News Tidbits: April 28, 2014

in

Here's the latest Austin and Texas film news.

  • Austin filmmaker C. Robert Cargill (Jordan's profile) is co-writing the sequel to 2012's micro-budget horror flick Sinister, which stars native Texan Ethan Hawke, with the original movie's director Scott Derrickson, according to The Wrap. Irish director Ciaran Foy will direct Sinister 2, scheduled to begin production in July.
  • Speaking of Cargill (Rod's interview), the sequel to his debut novel, Dreams and Shadows, will be released by Harper Voyager on May 13. The sequel, Queen of the Dark Things, follows the protagonist six months after the events of the first book as he's forced to turn to aid from forces even darker than those he once battled.
  • The Austin Film Festival's early-bird deadline for film submissions is Wednesday. The deadline to submit to the screenplay and teleplay categories is also Wednesday. Late submissions for the screenplay and teleplay categories is May 31, while film submissions will be accepted until July 15.
  • In more AFF news, the Austin-produced romantic dramedy, For Serious, about a lawyer who decides to make a movie to get closer to his indie-actress crush, will screen on Wednesday at 7 pm at Galaxy Highland as part of the organization's Austin Premieres series.
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