Over the years,
ACTV has provided a berth in the storm to many a budding video and filmmaker. The facility and its equipment have played a critical role in helping to grow Austin as a creative center for film and video artists, and now, as the operation's 25th anniversary rolls around, it's time to show our appreciation of all that it has provided over the years. Currently, there are three particularly film-friendly shows of which I'm aware that air weekly on ACTV. Each show has a different focus but they all share a common appreciation not only for the art of making movies but also the pleasure of watching them and talking about them. The Show With No Name airs every Sunday at 11:30pm on cable channel 10. Host
Charlie Sotelo has a knack for presenting a wide variety of obscure, strange, curious, and rare film and video clips in between taking calls from viewers and chatting with co-hosts. Part of the hour-long show's charm is that you usually don't know in advance precisely what you're going to see, so it's always worth tuning in or setting your VCR. However, this Sunday, June 7, Sotelo promises a "doozie - the Holy Grail of deleted scenes." He's going to be showing the deleted Biggs scene from the beginning of Star Wars, the scene between Luke Skywalker and a childhood friend, Biggs Darkfighter, who has just come home from a stint in the Academy. As Sotelo describes it, "the scene sets up Luke's decision to join the Rebellion and works nicely with the death of Biggs in the final Death Star scene. The scene appeared in the script, comic book, radio play, and picture book published in 1977. The scene was shown as a surprise at last year's San Diego Star Wars convention. The biggest surprise is that they expected the crew filming the convention to turn off their cameras. It's obvious from the bad camerawork that it's being taped on the sly, but it somehow adds to the charm." He also suggests checking out this website with much more info on the clip itself:
http://www.rossiters.com/greg/biggscomment_2.html...
Another favorite of mine is Reel Deal, an hour-long film-review show that airs every Wednesday at 10pm on cable channel 16. It's hosted by the boundlessly energetic Korey Coleman (who also works the controls, moderates the conversation among the forum of four other reviewers who also appear weekly, creates the animated show logos, and there's no telling what else he does). Clips from current movies are shown, tickets to free screenings are occasionally given away, and lively conversation fills the hour - although sometimes too much as the panelists rush to get in their two cents worth and all start talking at once. Yet you can always count on the group's enthusiasm for movies and their thoughtful opinions. You can e-mail them at kcoolman@bga.com to get on their weekly mailing list...
Austin Film Viewpoint is a talk show that airs every Friday at 7:30pm on cable channel 16 and is hosted by the implacable David Dannheim. Dannheim usually devotes the show's entire half-hour to an individual guest with whom he talks at length. Past guests have included representatives from the Texas Film Commission, the Austin Film Alliance, and SXSW Film. Film is alive and well on ACTV...
The 11th annual Austin Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival (aGLIFF) is gearing up for this year's fest which will run from August 27 to September 10. A fundraising co-ed volleyball tournament is scheduled for June 20 and 21 at 'Bout Time. The entry fee is $60 per team and the deadline for entering is Monday, June 8. For more info call 476-2454 or visit http://www.agliff.org. You can also get applications and info about submitting films for this year's fest. Entry deadline is July 17.
