Austin Film Society

Texas Filmmakers' Production Fund Reviewers and Screenings

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The Austin Film Society (AFS) has announced this year's Texas Filmmakers' Production Fund (TFPF) review panel: Oscar nominee Sam Green (The Weather Underground); Independent Spirit Award nominee So Yong Kim (In Between Days, Treeless Mountain); and Mike Plante, Director of Programming of the CineVegas Film Festival.

In August, the TFPF review panel will convene in Austin to review applications and administer awards. AFS will announce the awards on August 17.

During the panelists' visit, the Austin Film Society will present special screenings of their films:

  • August 12, 7 pm - So Yong Kim's Treeless Mountain, Alamo S. Lamar
  • August 12, 9:25 pm - Sam Green's The Weather Underground, Alamo S. Lamar
  • August 13, 7 pm - Docs-in-Progress screening of Mike Plante's Be Like An Ant, Austin Studios Screening Room

Admission is free for both AFS members and nonmembers but reservations are suggested. Tickets can be reserved online via the AFS website.

Austin Film Society Launches Upgraded Website

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Austin Film Society, which is constantly bringing new events to the Austin film community, recently upgraded its website. It's had a complete overhaul over the weekend, and so far, the new site looks much cleaner and more user friendly than the old one. It also means you won't have to keep re-logging in if you navigate around too much, which was an annoyance on the old system.

The minor inconvenience is that you have to create a new login, regardless of an existing login in their website. Once you create your new login, the AFS team will take 1-2 days to link it with your membership.

On the plus side, the administrivia of a complete overhaul and upgrade, Essential Cinema's next program, Love on the Largest Continent: Ten Asian Films, does not start for another week.

And you still have time to sign up for the special Food, Inc. screening and optional four-course organic meal with wine pairings. The movie-only tickets are sold out, but the $60 tickets that include the four-course meal are still available.

KLRU to Air Texas Film Hall of Fame Awards

Thomas Haden Church

This Thursday, May 28, KLRU is going to broadcast highlights from the 2009 Texas Film Hall of Fame Awards from 8 to 9 pm. And if you miss that date, you can catch the broadcast again on KLRU-2 on Wednesday, June 3 at 9 pm. The awards originally took place on March 12, right before SXSW started.

Thomas Haden Church (pictured above) was a wonderfully amusing emcee, and I hope that none of his jokes were considered unsuitable for nighttime public television. More photos from the event are after the jump.

2009 Guide to Austin Summer Film Camps

Son of Rambow

You may think Austin has plenty of filmmakers, actors and crew in town now ... but just you wait another dozen years or so, and we'll be even more packed. That is, if you're judging by the number of summer day camps for kids interested in making movies. The camps cover everything from screenwriting to acting to claymation. At the end of many of them, your children attend a screening of the movie they helped make, or bring home a DVD to hold their own private screening party. All I ever brought home from summer camp were lanyards and painted rocks, so I'm envious.

Here's a list of all the summer movie-related camps and classes in the Austin area that I could find. The descriptions are pretty much verbatim from press releases or websites, since I haven't attended any of these camps personally. Sadly, they're for kids and not adults, although you'll find a couple of options for grownups at the end of the list. At least we can all go to the free summer movies, regardless of age.

No Excuses: Seven Film Events in Austin Tonight

Alamo Ritz by Wiley Wiggins

Tonight is a busy night for film in Austin. If you're looking for something to do, it seems there's something for everyone. So if you want to celebrate getting your taxes done, or need an excuse to put them off one more night, Austin's film scene has plenty of choices for you.

Solar Movie Night at the Texas Capital is a special screening of several shorts about solar power, followed by a panel of legislators about the progress of solar bills at the Capitol. Popcorn and other refreshments will be served. The event is at Texas Capitol, Legislative Conference Center, Capitol Extension, Room E2.002, from 6-7 pm. RSVPs are requested.

'The Toe Tactic' Returns to Austin

The Toe Tactic

One of the more memorable films of SXSW 2008 was The Toe Tactic, which filmmaker (and animator) Emily Hubley is bringing back to Austin for a series of special screenings cosponsored by Austin Film Society.

It's a little film that takes a low concept and does it very, very well, mixing live action and animation, personal myth and emotion. The story is simple; Mona is mourning her father, and trying to find her lost wallet. Anyone who's ever felt there are forces meddling in their lives will sympathize, as Mona has a bunch of poker playing cartoon dogs meddling in her life.

It's a very poetic story; one friend disliked it for that reason, but that's what made me really enjoy this film last year. I highly recommend checking it out, as director Emily Hubley will be in attendance at the 4/5 and 4/6 screenings; it will also screen on 4/13. More information at the Austin Film Society website.

Quick Snaps: Connie Britton at Texas Film Hall of Fame

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Connie Britton

It's been noted that we've been posting lots of photos of the guys lately, and I thought we could use a little balance. Connie Britton is one of the stars of the TV series Friday Night Lights, which is shot in Texas, so it seemed fitting she should appear on the red carpet at the Texas Film Hall of Fame awards. In addition, she's in the film Women in Trouble, which played SXSW this year. I reviewed the film for Cinematical. Britton's character is stuck in an elevator for hours with Carla Gugino's porn star, Elektra Luxx.

Expect more Texas Film Hall of Fame photos here soon -- if you can't wait, there's a photo gallery over at Cinematical.

Quick Snaps: Dennis Quaid on the Red Carpet

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Dennis Quaid

I'm still working on a write-up of the Texas Film Hall of Fame awards ceremony last night, but in the meantime, I will tantalize you with a photo or two. Here we have Dennis Quaid on the red carpet before the awards ceremony. I was very professional and didn't shout out anything like "Ohmygod, you're in one of my favorite movies of all time!" (Breaking Away), just like I didn't say, "We watch you every Christmas. You're a tradition!" to Billy Bob Thornton.

Quaid presented the Tom Mix Honorary Texan award to Billy Bob Thornton -- they co-starred in the movie The Alamo together. I've also got some fabulous photos of Larry Hagman and Linda Gray, Catherine Hardwicke, and Kinky Friedman, so keep an eye out.

Texas Film Hall of Fame Awards: Will You Be There?

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 Dan Rather

In previous years, the Texas Film Hall of Fame Awards took place on the opening night of SXSW, which presented a dilemma for some festgoers. Fortunately, Austin Film Society moved the annual fundraising gala this year to the Thursday night before the SXSW Film Festival begins.

Some other changes are going on with Texas Film Hall of Fame, too. AFS has added "Party in the Red Room," in which attendees can watch the awards as a live simulcast from an "enormous party tent" next to the studio where the award ceremony is held. It sounds like fun and is more affordable than the tables at the in-person awards. The Red Room party (no Shining references, please) is being hosted by Dana Wheeler-Nicholson (Friday Night Lights and fabulous bottle-smasher) and Paul Saucido.

Thomas Haden Church will be the emcee for the actual awards ceremony this year. I've listed the award recipients and presenters after the jump.

Following Austin Film on Twitter

I don't know how many of you are using Twitter, the Web-based application you also can use with your phone's text-messaging service for microblogging, social interaction, and internet whatnot. I may be describing Twitter all wrong. Omar Gallaga has a good article about it here. It's one of those newfangled Web trends the kids are all crazy about. Except that in this case, it's not only "the kids" using Twitter -- lots of Austin film groups, festivals and online publications are sharing interesting bits of info via Twitter.

Here's a list of Twitter accounts (after the jump) that you can follow if you want to keep up with Austin film news and events and gossip. I'm only including publicly accessible accounts, not the private ones. If I missed anyone, please feel free to add your Twitter info in the comments.

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