Film Flam

The Cannes Do Edition: Former Austinite Kyle Henry checked in last week to let us know his new short, "Fourplay: Tampa," will be premiering at the Directors Fortnight at the Festival de Cannes in May. Henry calls "Tampa" – which is one of four shorts that make up the Fourplay sex-heavy omnibus – a "gang-bang bathroom farce. It's going to be quite divisive and shocking ... in a good way." Sounds tantalizing, no? Well, if you can't fly all the way to France for the premiere, you're in luck: There will be a screening (with Henry in attendance) this Saturday, April 30, 1pm at the Alamo Ritz; proceeds will help defray traveling costs. Henry's not the only filmmaker with local ties to be tapped by the Cannes selection committee: Austinite Sushma Khadepaun-Parmar ("Saranthi") and UT alum Ya'Ke Smith ("Katrina's Son") both have films screening in the Short Film Corner; screenwriter Kyle Killen's The Beaver screens out of competition after its well-received premiere at South by Southwest Film 2011; Jeff Nichols' Take Shelter takes part in the Critics Week Competition (but, frustratingly, there's still no news of a local screening); and Terrence Malick's long-gestating, rabidly anticipated The Tree of Life premieres as an official competition selection before opening in Austin on June 3. June 3? After three years of foot-tapping, we're thisclose to self-diagnosing restless leg syndrome. (Also: Maybe need to lay off the late-night WebMD searches.) Bonne chance, y'all!