Short Cuts

All Movies, All the Time Dept.: For those of you who have yet to register for SXSW Film 2001 (March 9-17), walk-up registration commences Friday, March 9, noon, in Ballroom A of the Austin Convention Center (500 E. Cesar Chavez) and will set you back $255 for that precious, lovely laminate. Of course, if you're only looking to catch one or two screenings and feel that getting up at 9am on a Saturday to discuss the pros and cons of miniDV versus Hi-8 tape is not your cup of tea, individual tickets to films will be made available at the venues 15 minutes prior to each screening if -- and this is a very big if -- seating is still available in the post-badge-holder crush. That $255 may sound like a lot for a flimsy piece of plastic, but once you've missed out on several of your fave screenings, it suddenly doesn't seem like all that much, trust me. One recent addition to the festival is author Peter Biskind (Easy Riders, Raging Bull) who will moderate the Linklater/Rodriguez/Tarantino panel on Tuesday, March 13, 3:30-5pm, at the Convention Center. As for any and all other information on this year's SXSW (including $45 Festival wristband sales), check the Web site at www.sxsw.com… Congratulations to UT RTF Production Head Paul Stekler, whose documentary George Wallace: Settin' the Woods on Fire (co-written with Steve Fayer and Daniel McCabe) snagged the Best Documentary Other Than Current Events Script Award at last Sunday's 53rd annual Writers Guild of America Awards in New York. The film previously won a Special Jury Prize at Sundance 2000 and was broadcast nationally on PBS's The American Experience last April. Clearly a man who has his priorities straight, Stekler was at his mother's birthday in Florida at the time and was unable to attend, but says of the win, "As in all these sorts of things I just hope this gets more people to see the film. I'm just another desperate documentary filmmaker like everybody else. I'm looking for people to actually see the film."… Fans of Timothy "Speed" Levitch (subject of the cult-fave doc The Cruise) will want to head over to the Universal Photographics Studio in the ArtPlex (1705 Guadalupe, Suite 118) to catch the man's spoken-word stylings in the flesh, tonight, Thursday, March 8, at 7pm… Congrats II: Former Dobie Theater owner and longtime Austin Gay & Lesbian Film Festival Creative Director Scott Dinger will be among those honored at the Human Rights Campaign's Black Tie Dinner, Saturday Mar. 17, 7-11pm, at the Four Seasons Hotel. The event "will honor the achievements of some of the outstanding leaders in the struggle for lesbian and gay rights in the Austin area" and will also feature an appearance by Shawn Colvin, HRC spokesperson Corey Johnson, Congressman Lloyd Doggett, and others. Tix to the fete are $150 and all other info is available at www.hrcaustin.org or by calling HRC Co-Chair Stephen Wright at 441-2338… Speaking of aGLIFF, they'll be holding their annual Oscar party at the MACC (600 Red River), Sunday, March 25, at 6pm. A live telecast of the Academy Awards (on "the largest screen available in Austin"), champagne, past Oscar high- and lowlights, and yes, even a red carpet will be the order of the day. Co-sponsored by the Chronicle, Tanqueray, The Texas Triangle, and Chandon Champagne, tix are $15 advance/$20 at the door. Call 302-9889 for more info… Finally, as if you aren't busy enough, the Cinemaker Co-op is screening the results of its third annual Make a Film in a Weekend (MAFIA) event, which is exactly what it sounds like. Winners of the Super-8 micro-fest will have their films screened Monday and Tuesday, March 19 and 20, 7:30 and 9:30 pm, at the Hideout (617 Congress). Sometimes raw is better.