Slackery News Tidbits, September 7

Time to catch up on Austin film news after the Labor Day weekend. Here's what we've got -- heavy on Fantastic Fest, but it's a little more than two weeks away at this point:

• Fantastic Fest announced its shorts lineup for 2010. Amid the list of animated and genre shorts, I immediately noticed one from local filmmakers: Nathan and David Zellner are premiering Sasquatch Birth Journal 2 to the fest. I can't wait. If you know of any other local filmmakers whose shorts (or features) are playing the fest, please let us know in the comments.
• If you weren't lucky enough to get a film into Fantastic Fest, you've got another chance -- the fest hs opened up its 2010 bumper competition. Fifteen seconds, must contain the word "Fantastic," and must adhere to this year's theme: "Inappropriate." I'm a bit afraid of what we'll see. Someday I'm going to find the time and creativity to do one of these myself.
• The Austin Chronicle Best of Austin awards include a few local film-related honors. In the Readers Poll, Master Pancake Theater, which is full of mocking humor for many a film, took home the Best Comedian or Comedy Troupe award. Best Composer went to Graham Reynolds, who has scored a number of local films and provided accompaniment to many silent film presentations in town. Cinematographer/filmmaker PJ Raval (Trinidad) was award Best Emergent Local Filmmaker. Alamo Drafthouse was named Best Local Movie Theatre, and Best DVD Selection for Kids was a tie between Vulcan Video and I Luv Video. In the Critics Picks, local composer Brian Satterwhite's "Film Score Focus" show on KVMA won Best Free Course in Film Appreciation, aGLIFF's Oscar party was awarded Most Glam Gay Party, and Gold Class Cinemas was named Most Luxurious Movie Theatre.
• James Franco's documentary Saturday Night, which was quite popular at SXSW this year, has found a distributor. Oscilloscope Pictures will release the movie about Saturday Night Live in theaters starting next February. Oscilloscope is also distributing Howl, starring Franco, which plays aGLIFF this week.
• Finally, over at the Austin Chronicle's Picture in Picture blog, Marjorie Baumgarten is speculating whether Terrence Malick's film The Tree of Life might have an unannounced premiere at Fantastic Fest. Personally, I am skeptical. And I am not saying that because I vowed that this year I will go to interesting "smaller" movies at the same time as the secret screenings, but would simply hate to miss Malick's much-awaited film. I also feel Fantastic Fest is not quite the right venue for this film's premiere. Show Black Swan instead, guys, so I won't feel stressed out and/or left out, only slightly regretful.