Local Film Fests

The Bicycle Film Festival is coming to Austin next month, and could use some help. More from Jillian Lobstein, Volunteer Coordinator for the Austin event:

"Bicycle Film Festival needs volunteers to work between Friday, August 7, and Sunday, August 9, to staff film venue doors, and work alley cat race check points. Volunteers will earn tickets to screenings based on the number of hours they work, but space is limited. If you're interested, send me an e-mail and let me know when you're available. I'll get back to you with more details.

"The festival is comprised mostly of short films. They're generally experimental, often documentary depictions of how bikes figure into people's lives. They're about community and enjoyment, getting personal and getting away from a mainstream culture that's become anonymous and automated.

Last Saturday, I headed over to New Braunfels -- not for tubing or Schlitterbahn, but to watch movies. The Texandance International Film Festival launched this year at the Brauntex Theatre, and I wanted to be there for even a little of the fun. Besides, Chris Holland is always telling me I should go to out-of-town festivals (although I think he meant slightly more out of town than an hour's drive).

Texandance ran from Friday through Sunday, with some Central Texas-shot films in the lineup as well as shorts and features from around the world. Saturday was an especially good day for Texas movies at the fest. We got to the Brauntex as Crawford was playing, a film I enjoyed at SXSW in 2008. The documentary about how the small Texas town was affected by George W. Bush has recently become available on DVD. But the Brauntex, in a historic part of a small Texas town, was an ideal venue for this movie.

I met the film festival's co-founders, Bryce Tumlinson and Vince Koegle, who were very friendly and enthusiastic about the festival and the films they selected to screen:

The first annual "Lights. Camera. Help." film festival, scheduled for July 31 here in Austin, is soliciting entries from non-profit and grassroots organizations. The deadline for entry is June 30, less than a month away.

The event organizers say:

This festival is the first of its kind in the nation and reflects the spirit of Austin, a prominent city in the non-profit, grassroots and activism communities. These organizations, along with filmmakers, will use the festival to spread the word about their cause, develop a community of followers, and expand the film-for-a-cause genre.

In a recent blog post, organizers highlighted some of the submissions received so far. They include a short doc entitled Prostitution: Beyond the Myths, a training video to help cancer patients, and a video showing a day in the life of a Nicaraguan musician.

You can keep an eye on this event at the festival's website, www.lightscamerahelp.com.