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AFF Updates: TV-Related Events, Film and Food Gala

By Jette Kernion on September 28, 2011 - 9:30am in

Marfa Film Fest 2010

In the middle of one film festival, it's challenging to switch gears and write about another big festival that will engulf my filmgoing life in October. But Austin Film Festival has just announced its television-related programming for this year's fest, and I didn't want to wait to share the info. Several of the TV writers and showrunners who will screen and discuss select episodes of their shows have Austin ties, too. You can get all of the details via the fest's full panel schedule, which has just been published.

Here are the TV screening events announced for AFF:

  • Local writer Kyle Killen (The Beaver) will talk about and show an episode from his new TV series, Awake.
  • Native Texan and Former King of the Hill writer/producer Jim Dauterive will be at the fest with Loren Bouchard to show an episode of the animated show Bob's Burgers, followed by a Q&A.
  • Hart Hanson, who is receiving AFF's Outstanding Television Writer award, will discuss his show Bones as part of a special panel that also will include actor David Boreanaz and producer Barry Josephson.
  • In addition, former Central Texas writers Rob Thomas (Veronica Mars) and Pamela Ribon (Samantha Who) are among a long list of TV writers and showrunners who will participate in panels during the conference.

Now you might wonder what the photo at the top has to do with any of these writers or shows, and the answer is: nothing at all. However, I realized Slackerwood has not yet mentioned this year's honorary co-chairs of the AFF Film and Food Gala: newlyweds Ryan Piers Williams and America Ferrera. Williams is a former AFF staffer and directed The Dry Land, which Ferrera produced and acted in. The photo is from Marfa Film Festival in 2010, where the couple screened the West Texas-set movie.

The Film and Food Gala traditionally takes place the night before Austin Film Festival officially begins -- October 19 this year. It's a fundraiser for AFF's Young Filmmakers Program. I went last year, and nearly an entire floor of the Driskill was chock-full of tables with all kinds of goodies from local restaurants. There are also live and silent auctions, and a number of filmmakers who attend AFF are there and happy to chat with you. You can get tickets through the AFF website.