Short Cuts

SXSW Film keeps hurtling toward this year's starting gate. One of the most talked-about events at this year's fest is the world premiere of Richard Linklater's new film The Newton Boys. In addition to Linklater, several of the stars (including Ethan Hawke, Matthew McConaughey, Vincent D'Onofrio, and Julianna Margulies) are expected to be on hand. The premiere is Saturday, March 14 at the Paramount Theatre (which is itself featured in the movie). SXSW Film registrants are eligible to purchase tickets to the screening for a special price. Should any tickets remain, they will be made available to the public on the day of the show. Contact SXSW at 467-7979 for ticket info. Additionally, the Austin Film Society is presenting two associated events on the night of the premiere: a pre-screening reception honoring Linklater and the film's stars, and a post-screening party featuring performances by musicians from the film and soundtrack. Tickets to these parties as well as the film premiere are available for a charitable donation of $250 to the Texas Filmmakers' Production Fund. For more info about the parties & premiere, call the Film Society at 322-0145...

Access Austin Arts, a nonprofit organization dedicated to making the arts accessible to people with disabilities, is presenting a live audio description of Titanic at a special screening Sunday, February 22, 3:40pm, at the Barton Creek Cinema. The audio descriptions by a trained volunteer describer will be transmitted via a small unobtrusive FM radio system to patrons in the audience who are blind or visually impaired. For more info and to reserve headsets call 454-9912...

The monthly AIVF Austin Salon (Association of Independent Video and Filmmakers) is scheduled for Monday, February 23, 8pm, at the Electric Lounge. Presented will be a screening of Out of the Loop, a documentary about the dark and noisy underground Chicago music scene by Scott Peterson. Two and a half years in the making, Out of the Loop documents the major-label feeding frenzy that occurred after Billboard magazine dubbed Chicago "cutting edge's new capital." It features exclusive live footage and interviews with The Jesus Lizard, Steve Albini, Veruca Salt, Eleventh Dream Day, and many others. Out of the Loop premiered at the 1997 Chicago Underground Film Fest, where it won second prize for best documentary. For more info contact benway@texas.net...

Women in Film-Austin (WIF-A), a group committed to promoting the careers and enhancing recognition of all professional women in the film and video industries, is looking for new members. This month's meeting is scheduled for Thursday, February 26, 6:30pm, in the board room of the Hancock Bldg. at the LCRA Complex (3701 Lake Austin Boulevard). Women and men are welcome to attend. There is a $5 fee for non-member attendance, though a variety of membership levels are available to anyone wishing to join. Additional gatherings include a monthly networking breakfast and a weekly happy hour. For more info, see http://members.aol.com/rbogucka/WIFAustin.html...

The second annual Conduit Fest seeks submissions of film, video, computer animation, CD-ROM, music video, and video-game demos for their showcase of cutting-edge digital media from around the world which will be held during SXSW. Deadline for submission of VHS previews is Friday, February 27; entry is free. Send to Conduit, Suite 200, 911 Congress, Austin, TX, 78701; call 469-1799; e-mail d9@eden.com; or visit their website at http://www.conduit.eden.com.