Slackery Non-SXSW News Tidbits

Why does this entry include a photo of Brendan Fraser from the Texas Film Hall of Fame Awards, you might ask? The answer is that I have no idea. I didn't feel like digging around for something more relevant, and at least this photo is funny. And no, this is not part of a covert plot to feature a Hot Dudes of SXSW photo gallery on Slackerwood. Although, since someone did suggest such a thing ...

Ahem. Anyway. Onto the latest Austin film-related news:

• If you missed Bradley Beesley and/or his doc Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo at SXSW this year, you can say hi to him and hear about his film on Wednesday afternoon. He's visiting Ellen Spiro's documentary class at UT from 6 to 8 pm, and visitors are welcome. There may even be snacks. The class is in CMB (the brown building at Dean Keaton and Guadalupe), in Studio 4D.
• Congrats to the Alamo Village for getting a spiffy new projector, a Sony 4K digital that can project 3D movies. I wish it had arrived before Coraline was in theaters, since I'm not especially excited about Monsters vs. Aliens. However, this also means that all first-run movies at the Village will now be digitally projected, and that should be pretty cool. Alamo programmer Lars Nilsen says (via Facebook), "It makes all other digital cinema look like a bear pooped on it."
• Austin Film Critics Association gave its Best Foreign-Language Film award to Let the Right One In, which played Fantastic Fest last year. Apparently the subtitles in the theatrical version were significantly different (and better) than the current DVD version, as Icons of Fright demonstrates. This is terribly disappointing news about one of my favorite films from 2008.
• Austin Film Society's Summer Filmmaking Camps still have space available for 12- to 15-year-old aspiring filmmakers.
• Not Austin, but certainly Texas: Marfa Film Festival runs from April 29 through May 3 this year, and the 2009 guest of honor will be Larry McMurtry. He'll introduce a special screening of The Last Picture Show. The full fest schedule isn't up yet but special screenings also include The Red Shoes and Midnight Cowboy. [via Austin Movie Blog]
• Finally, if you don't live in Austin, here's a chance to come visit us during the most fun parts of the year. Okay, or you could visit Dallas instead, but ... AMC TV is holding a contest called the Texas Film Fest Sweepstakes. The grand prize is a trip to your choice of one of three Texas fests: Austin Film Festival, SXSW, or AFI Dallas. (What, no Marfa?) So let your film-loving non-Texan friends know.