Slackery (and Sad) News Tidbits

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The happy news:

  • The Austin Public Library has started a Reel Independents series this summer, with foreign films screening every month at both the St. John and Ruiz libraries. Free movies!
  • The Harry Ransom Center has posted a video showing how they catalogued the new Robert De Niro collection.
  • The Two-week Turnaround Tour filmmaking project will be in Austin from May 15-28 and they're looking for local filmmakers to help. They plan to write, shoot, and screen a short film during their time here.
  • The Least of These will screen in Washington, DC, as part of the Reel Progress series. Speakers at the screening include director Clark Lyda and UT Law professor Barbara Hines. Those of us not in DC can watch this documentary online for free.
  • Austin FilmWorks is publicly screening its Production One projects at the Dobie on Tuesday, May 12 at 7 pm. Admission is $8.00.

The sad news:

Author/screenwriter Bud Shrake has died this morning. Kelly Williams of Austin Film Festival, who posted the news to Twitter, also forwarded a link to video from Shrake's appearance at the Songwriter screening that AFF hosted in April. There's also a good "Texas Monthly Talks" interview with Shrake. I hope we'll be able to see more of his movies on DVD or online soon.

Here's a lovely photo of Shrake and Gov. Ann Richards at her inaugural ball in 1991, courtesy of the Texas State Library. The Austin American-Statesman has posted a slideshow of photos of Shrake throughout the years.