The Austin Film Society has announced this year’s recipients of cash and in-kind for the Texas Filmmakers Production Fund. In all, $95,500 in cash as well as $5,000 in Alpha Cine Labs services and $3,000 in Kodak film stock were awarded to filmmakers with projects based in the Lone Star State. Click here to see who got the goods.
Here’s how it works: every year, the Austin Film Society has a panel of three filmmakers/industry join together to evaluate the applications for the Texas Filmmakers Production Fund. Rather than keep the panel in a clandestine seclusion, AFS typically hosts screening events around the past work of the visiting judges. This year, the panel consists of filmmakers Sean Baker, Cheryl Dunye, and Juan Carlos Zaldivar. And, they will screen their acclaimed films Take Out, The Watermelon Woman, and 90 Miles, respectively, on August 20 and 21 at the Alamo South Lamar. Check out the Austin Movie Blog for details on these free screenings. Worth noting: Baker’s latest film is The Prince of Broadway, a terrific movie I caught at LAFF, where it won the Grand Jury Prize.
This week, I stopped by the final installment of the latest Austin Film Society Essential Cinema Series. This series was “Films of Greater China,” and the final entry was Li Yang’s somber and suspenseful 2003 drama Blind Shaft. Fantastic to see it on the big screen. The next series, which I will sadly miss, is going to lighten things up a bit. The collection will be “Global Comedy,” and begins on June 3 with Alain Resnais’ Private Fears in Public Places. Other international hits in the series will include Stephen Chow’s totally entertaining Kung Fu Hustle (June 10), Michel Hazanavicius’ recent stateside release, OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies (July 22), and Eran Kolirin’s beloved Israeli success, The Band’s Visit (July 29). Click here for details on the entire series.
Hey all you Texas filmmakers: the deadline for this year’s Texas Filmmakers Production Fund (sponsored by the Austin Film Society) is coming up. It’s June 2, in fact, so submit your project today for consideration. Click here for more information.
Just as I’m skipping town for good, a couple of exciting screening events will make their way to Austin, courtesy of the Austin Film Society. Well, just because I’m missing them, doesn’t mean you should! First up, Richard Linklater will host a gala benefit premiere for his new documentary feature, Inning by Inning: A Portrait of a Coach, on June 3 at the Paramount Theatre. Expect this to be a big local attraction, as the subject of the film is legendary UT baseball coach Augie Garrido. Linklater is an avid sports fan and a massive UT baseball fan, so expect this to be a memorable night.
On June 12, Jay & Mark Duplass return to Austin after their successful stop during SXSW 2008, to present their latest film Baghead. Already saw it at SXSW? Well, you should see it again, because AFS and the Alamo are hosting this screening outdoors at Star Hill Ranch. Sticking true to the new film’s forest setting, attendees will be able to watch it under the stars with Jay & Mark in attendance. Special VIP tickets also get you in to a private dinner before the film, catered by the Alamo’s chef John Bullington. No word if the meal will involve brown bags.
Proceeds from both screenings go to the charitable efforts of the Austin Film Society (full disclosure: I’m on the board), and you can keep checking their Web site for details on the events.
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