Austin Film Society

The next Essential Cinema lineup from Austin Film Society starts Tuesday night, with a focus on Welsh cinema. For those of us whose Welsh pop-culture exposure is currently limited to episodes of Gavin & Stacey and Torchwood, this late fall lineup gives us a chance to experience a little more of the country's cinematic culture. SXSW programmer Jim Kolmar is the guest curator for this series.

From November 13 through December 18, the movies in "Music in the Blood, Poetry in the Soul: Wales on Screen" will screen each Tuesday night at Alamo Drafthouse on South Lamar. Tickets are free for AFS members at the LOVE level, $5 for members at the WATCH or MAKE level, and $8 for general admission.

Here's the lineup:

Patagonia (2010)
Tuesday, Nov. 13, 7 pm
This film pairs the stories of a couple journeying to a Welsh settlement in Argentine Patagonia and an elderly Welsh-Argentine woman traveling to Wales. The movie is filmed in both Welsh and Spanish languages (and has English subtitles).

There are so many reasons to love October in Austin. The weather can be lovely, you can bring out long sleeves and perhaps even jackets, there are film festivals galore, and at the end you get Halloween. For me, every year I look forward to the Austin Film Society's Essential Cinema series in October. If you've read Slackerwood for awhile you know this article has nothing to do with our relationship with AFS ... I really do get giddy about the series every year around this time. This year, with a title like "Late I Have Loved Thee: Latter Lubitsch," you know I'm bouncing around the room.

Why? Because AFS brings out a bunch of glorious classic Hollywood movies that I've been longing to see, or see again, or see in a theater since my only experience with them has been on a worn-out VHS tape. The selections often include great films from William Wyler or Preston Sturges or Billy Wilder. I realize these are not as culturally diverse as the many other fine Essential Cinema series that AFS programmer Chale Nafus curates throughout the year, but what can I say? My heart belongs to cynical 1930s screenwriters.

Also, the movies usually screen on Tuesday nights, and I have to say that I prefer watching a delightful witty comedy on Election Night to sitting around frowning at TV commentators while awaiting polling results. If You Could Only Cook was a lovely balm in 2004, and Nothing Sacred was perfect in 2008. This year, Cluny Brown is screening on November 6 -- a movie I haven't seen -- and I look forward to watching it instead of CNN.

By Whitney Pyterek

The Austin Film Society hosts a Moviemaker Dialogue about once a month and from me to Austin filmmakers, you must go! "Short Filmmakers Bridging the Gap to Features" included filmmakers David Zellner, Clay Liford, Kat Candler and Kelly Williams. Moderator Holly Herrick, the AFS Associate Artistic Director, did a fabulous job getting the panelists to talk about their craft.

I am not a filmmaker myself, but I definitely left feeling like it was possible to make it in the industry if I ever got enough courage to jump in. There was a good balance in opinion between the four panelists. However, everyone said that you must make short films if you have any aspiration of making a feature film and you have to put just as much energy into a feature film as you would any short film and vice versa.

By Olivia Calderon-Stucky

Recently at the Alamo Drafthouse on South Lamar, Austin had its first-ever viewing of Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present as part of the Austin Film Society's monthly Doc Nights. The film's Austin premiere featured director Matthew Akers in attendance. He was in Austin to serve on this year's Texas Filmmakers' Production Fund jury.

Beginning with her retrospective show at the MoMA in 2010, Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present intimately captures Abramovic's world from the hectic months leading up to the show to its final bittersweet night. Along the way, audiences glimpse pieces of the artist: from her manifesto delivered to an Italian audience to her past life with fellow artist and collaborator Uwe Laysiepen, who also appeared in the documentary for a sort of engineered once-lovers' reunion. The movie is as fearless and provocative as the artist herself and I left the theatre feeling the full weight of the emotionally charged experience.

"Marina seduces everyone she meets," explains the curator of her MoMA show, and I agreed with the thought. I felt wholly taken with her as a person and as the artist with her aura. For her opus of a show, Abramovic became the exhibit, sitting for more than seven hours every day for three months in the museum. The space looked like a film set and viewers would sit in front of Abramovic, as she held them in her unwavering gaze. Through this process the public became unquestionably, inescapably part of the piece.

Abramovic exhibited her enviable drive and stamina. In Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present, she says an artist "must be a warrior and must conquer new territory ... himself ... his weaknesses ... This is my cross to bear." Certainly she is an iconoclastic figure of late 20th century art. Her performance pieces caused many to question her sanity, as the works often involved graphic and violent bodily threatening acts. Now in her 60s, Abramovic explains that she is tired of being "alternative" and wants respect. As she was trying to make herself and her work accessible to everyone, what better way than Akers' filming to add an extra layer to this endeavor.

Last week the Austin Film Society hosted a special screening of cult favorite El Mariachi as a benefit for the Texas Filmmakers' Production Fund (TFPF), with special guests including a live performance by filmmaker Robert Rodriguez's band Chingon. Antoinette Alfonso Zel, CEO of Rodriguez's general entertainment cable channel El Rey Network -- seen above on the red carpet with Rodriguez -- was in attendance, as well as El Mariachi stars Carlos Gallardo (Desperado, Bandido) and Peter Marquardt.

The event took place the day after the 2012 TFPF recipients were announced, with over $89,000 in cash grants bestowed to 16 projects from emerging Texas filmmakers. I spoke to AFS Executive Director Rebecca Campbell about the significance of the screening as a TFPF fundraiser, and she stated: "Here we are giving out grants to help the next generation of emerging talented Texans, and maybe some of them will go on to have a successful career and keep it in Texas -- just like Robert did." 

Find out more about the special event and see more photos after the jump.

By Charles Ramírez Berg

Robert Rodriguez never expected anyone to see El Mariachi.

He made it for $7,000 and hoped to sell it to the Spanish-language video market for $15,000. It didn't matter if nobody saw it, what mattered was getting the money to make Part 2. Then he'd repeat the process and finish the Mariachi Trilogy. "Those three films," he says now, "were going to be my film school, because the only way you learn to make movies is to make movies."

But his plan failed because El Mariachi was too good. He took it to LA, and showed it to a Spanish-language video company, which was slow to respond. While waiting, he decided to drop off a VHS copy of his nine-minute student film, Bedhead, which contained the two-minute trailer for El Mariachi, at ICM (International Creative Management), one of the world's largest talent agencies. He just walked in off the street and handed the tape to the receptionist, so I imagine he got a variation of the standard "Don't call us, kid, we'll call you" line.

They called him the next day.

They loved Bedhead, and they were really interested in that trailer. Was it for a feature? Was it finished? Could they see it? He immediately delivered a VHS copy of El Mariachi.

"Why didn't you just drop off the complete El Mariachi the first time?" I asked him at the time. "I wanted them to ask me to see it," he said, "instead of me asking them." You see how that changes the dynamic of the relationship, and how savvy this 23-year-old junior in the Radio-TV-Film Department at the University of Texas was -- and still is today. ICM loved El Mariachi and signed Robert, promising him a major studio contract. Studios scrambled to sign him, and Columbia won.

Columbia's first idea was for Robert to remake it in English (eliminating the need for those dreaded subtitles) with a star in the lead. But to get an idea of how the film would play, Columbia sent Robert and El Mariachi (with subtitles) on the festival circuit. Festival audiences ate it up -- subtitles and all. It won the Audience Awards at the Sundance and Deauville Film Festivals, and Columbia decided to release it theatrically just as Robert made it. Receiving glowing reviews by critics (two thumbs up from Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert) and aided by the entertaining appearances Robert made on The Today Show and David Letterman, the movie was a sleeper hit, and Robert's career was off and running.

The latest Essential Cinema series from Austin Film Society is titled, "La fin de l'été: Recent French Cinema." The idea of an end to summer -- and summer heat -- is certainly compelling around here. Starting tonight, AFS brings us five fine French films from the past five years, one of which I've seen already and can recommend.

The movies screen on Tuesday nights at 7 pm from September 4 to October 2 -- all but one at Alamo Drafthouse on South Lamar. You'll have to go to Alamo Village for the Sept. 25 selection, since Lamar will be overrun by Fantastic Fest. Tickets are $8 general admission ... and either free or $5 for AFS members, depending on your membership level. AFS has just rolled out a new membership program with easy-to-remember levels (Make, Watch, Love, and then premiere levels) and Essential Cinema selections are free if you're in the Love or higher levels. 

The descriptions of the five movies are below, taken verbatim from the AFS website. The last movie on the schedule, Sleepless Night, played Austin at Fantastic Fest last year and I can vouch that it is genuinely thrilling.

Mademoiselle Chambon (pictured above)
Tuesday, September 4, 7 pm
A small town homebuilder, happily married, unexpectedly finds himself falling in love with a shy teacher when she plays a wistful tune on her violin.

By James Pound

On Thursday, August 2, the Austin Film Society hosted a preview screening of Killer Joe, the shocking dark comedy from director William Friedkin (The Exorcist, The French Connection) and starring Matthew McConaughey. (See Debbie's review.) All four screens of the Violet Crown Cinema were sold out and the audience couldn't have been more excited to be there, especially because co-star Thomas Haden Church was there to introduce the movie.

With his booming voice yet laid-back demeanor, Church (or THC, as my friends and I like to call him) was a true crowd-pleaser. He was more than willing to sign autographs on Killer Joe posters as well as merchandise from previous projects ranging from Sideways DVDs to Spider-Man 3 action figures. I'll always remember him for his lovable doofus character Lowell on Wings, though. Church posed for many pictures with fans as well, and gave a great intro to the film, helping to set the mood in each auditorium.

Guests were also treated to some amazingly delicious snacks before the film. Fitting in with the soon-to-be infamous fried chicken scene featured in Killer Joe, patrons got to sample some fried chicken sliders from Ms. P's Electric Cock food trailer that were "out of this world" good. Moviegoers also got to sip on some handcrafted cocktails featuring Cinco Vodka, served up by Violet Crown's accomplished bartenders. I got to sample the Killer Joe Margarita, and I have to say the drink packed just as much punch as the NC-17 movie. Also on tap was a refreshing array of Austin's own Independence Ales that paired quite nicely with the chicken.

City of Austin staff and City Councilmembers have been hard at work over the last several months to create a bond package to fund various local projects. This week, the City Council will decide the details of a bond election set for November 6 -- the first wide-ranging bond election since 2006 -- and will approve ballot language for the bond propositions. The city has until August 20 to determine what will go into the final bond package if it is to make the November ballot. What does this have to do with Austin film? Quite a lot, as it turns out.

According to the Austin American-Statesman, Mayor Lee Leffingwell and Mayor Pro Tem Sheryl Cole support including Austin Studios improvements in the final bond package, based on the positive economic impact of television and film production for Austin.

"Sheryl Cole is recommending Austin Studios for $5.4 million in a reduced bond package of $385 million," stated Rebecca Campbell, executive director of Austin Film Society.

By Gabriela A. Treviño

As an intern, I would not say that I am a jetsetter just yet. Instead of catching planes at Austin Bergstrom this summer, as one may have dreamed, I settled for catching movies at the Alamo Drafthouse. Not too shabby, I'd say, since I was able to visit Gotham City in The Dark Knight Rises, root for love at Camp Ivanhoe in Moonrise Kingdom and sit amidst a south Louisiana storm with Hushpuppy in Beasts of the Southern Wild. It was, indeed, a wonderful summer for film.

In addition to screening great movies like the aforementioned titles this summer, the Alamo Drafthouse on South Lamar hosted the Austin Film Society's Essential Cinema programming on Tuesday nights. "CineSur: Films of Latin America" was the theme for June and July; the lineup included films from México, Peru, Cuba and Argentina. (Read Essential Cinema programmer Chale Nafus' thoughts on Latin-American cinema here.)

On Tuesday, July 31, the film series concluded with a beautiful film called Juventud (Youth), a Mexican film directed by Jaime Humberto Hermosillo, who joined the audience from his home in Guadalajara via Skype for a Q&A session after the screening. Having directed well over 30 films, Hermosillo is one of México's most prolific filmmakers.

Despite having many years of experience and contacts within the industry, for Juventud Hermosillo worked with non-actors, inexperienced crews and students in his hometown of Aguascalientes, in central México. The reason the film was made this way was Hermosillo's intention. As a homage to his hometown, Hermosillo set up a month-long workshop in the city with the mindset of, "Let's teach young people in Aguascalientes how to use digital technology," he said during the Q&A. After the workshop, he shot the film in three weeks with his newly recruited crew.