Film Flam
Festival fever, plus a big renewal and a bigger loss
By Monica Riese, 11:00AM, Thu. Mar. 27, 2014
Film festivals are endeavoring to dominate your social calendar. Here's the Cliff's Notes version to four, plus two other big headlines from the Texas film scene.
• Just three episodes in to the first season of Robert Rodriguez's From Dusk Till Dawn TV reboot, the El Rey network has renewed the series for a second, 13-episode season. The first series will continue to air Tuesdays at 8pm CT. See our preview of the series in our SXSW coverage, and read our interview with director Eduardo Sanchez here.
• Variety reports that Sony Pictures Entertainment is closing its 15-person office in Dallas, leaving Universal as the only major studio with offices in the state.
• Fantastic Arcade wants you! … to submit your games for the 2014 festival. The event is set to kick off on Sept. 18, and we're sure there'll be plenty more news between now and then. Meanwhile, if you want to read up on last year's happenings, go here.
• Shuffles on the LGBT festival scene; see if you can keep up: Former Polari director Curran Nault has officially launched OUTsider Fest, a "multi-arts LGBTQIA festival based in Austin"; it's not due to launch until February 2015, but look for its official coming-out party to hit Cheer Up Charlie's on May 1 in a "MayDayGayDay event." Meanwhile, Jim Brunzell, formerly of Minnesota Film Arts and the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Film Festival, is taking the reins at Polari, which is changing its name back to aGLIFF (Austin Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival). All straight? Not at all? Good.
• The New Belgium Clips Beer & Film Tour is coming soon, but its deadline approaches still sooner. Submit your beer/advocacy/art short film (keep it under 5 minutes) here, or read more about last year's event here.
• The Alamo Drafthouse announced today that Andy Samberg and his Lonely Island would make a guest appearance at this year's Off-Centered Film Festival, which takes place Thursday-Saturday, April 24-26, at Republic Square Park (422 Guadalupe). For tickets and complete details, visit the Drafthouse website.
• In other festival news, The Attic Film Festival, Austin's local Christian film fest, takes over the Alamo Drafthouse Lakeline location next weekend, April 4-5, with 28 films screening in the event's seventh year. To read about the festival's award winners, see their website, or find information on screenings and tickets here.
Got tips? Email filmflam@austinchronicle.com.
A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austin’s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands.
Richard Whittaker, April 29, 2015
Marjorie Baumgarten, March 27, 2015
Film Flam, Robert Rodriguez, From Dusk Till Dawn, El Rey, Sony, Polari, aGLIFF, Curran Nault, Jim Brunzell, Fantastic Fest, Fantastic Arcade, LGBT, New Belgium Clips Beer & Film Tour, Alamo Drafthouse, Off-Centered Film Fest, Lonely Island
