Short Cuts

The Morning After Dept.: Best line overheard while standing in line at South by Southwest: "It's a good thing they're having the Fest this week because I bet by next week we'll all be popping anti-radiation pills and cowering in our basements." (You can always tell the out-of-towners by their fleeting references to basements, something precious few Austin homes enjoy.) Now that it's all over but the tallying of numbers -- which, according to festival head Roland Swenson, are up over last year's despite (or possibly because of) prewar anxiety and a moribund economic outlook -- it's clear from talking to what seemed like hundreds of disparate attendees that SXSW Film's 10th-year incarnation was shockingly good. Some of the best events weren't even official SXSW ones, including local Waking Life artists Jason Archer and Paul Beck's doubleheader screenings of their new rotoscoped, anti-Bush animations at SoCo Gallery 1313 and, conveniently right across the street, the previous weekend's minifest at Jo's Hot Coffee, which served as a de facto schmooz-nexus and adjutant to Hotel San José's networking command center next door. Ultimately, though, this year's Film Festival proved that indie filmmaking, frequently reported to be on its deathbed of late, is deliriously alive and well, with the vast majority of Festival standouts falling outside the major studio's purview. Steve James' (Hoop Dreams) devastating documentary Stevie is the sort of film SXSW was made for -- its brutal, unflinching portrayal of a life spun wildly out of control and the collateral damage it inflicts on anyone around it -- is nothing the studios would ever deign to touch. Ditto for Jonas Åkerlund's meth-fueled and exhausting comic hellhole Spun, which does for speed addicts what American Graffiti did for cars (sort of). 'Til next year, then... Back in the real world, we received note over the weekend that Jovita's (1617 S. First) will play host to a benefit dance for Austin actor Mischon Olger, on Sunday, March 23, 2-5pm. Olger is having brain surgery next month, and featured performers at the benefit will include the Tejana Dames, Wendi Slaton, Big Mama and the Furrballs, and Connie Leaverton. Suggested donation is $10. Call 441-3738 for more info or to help out.