Short Cuts
The third coast heads over to the West Coast for the Sixth Annual University of Texas at Austin Student Film Showcase, and in case you can't afford to fly out for the big shindig, they'll be screening the student works free at the Alamo Drafthouse Downtown. Crafty.
By Marc Savlov, Fri., May 10, 2002
See? I Told You I'd Learn Something Dept.: Being a film student means never having to say "24 fps? Uh, that's 'fast paced sex,' right?" Okay, maybe in first year, sure, but hardly ever after that, wise guy. If you're wondering what's been going on over at the UT Department of Radio/ Television/Film, your chance to catch an eyeful of the next local crop of budding Jodoroskys (death and sex rule student films as surely as they rule Alejandro J.) arrives at the Alamo Drafthouse Downtown (409 Colorado), Saturday, May 11, at 2:30pm. Twelve undergraduate and graduate films will be screened before they're sent off to the Sixth Annual University of Texas at Austin Student Film Showcase in Los Angeles. The filmmakers will be on hand to discuss their work, and admission is free and open to the public. And if you happen to be in the vicinity of L.A.'s Directors Guild of America Theatre on Thursday, May 23, you can check out the West Coast showcase in person. Drop a line to [email protected] for more info on attending the L.A. fête... Time is running out to submit that "Runyanesque" slice o' screenwriting magic of yours to the folks at the Ninth Annual Austin Heart of Film Screenplay Competition (the screenwriting contest held in conjunction with the Austin Film Festival). All submissions must be postmarked by Wednesday, May 15, which, frankly, gives you about six days to polish that sucker to a high gloss and get it in there. As always, the AFF breaks down submissions into one of two categories, namely Adult/Family and Comedy, with winners picking up a cool five Gs cash and, far more importantly, a whole load of networked new friends. Each entry must be accompanied by a submission fee of $40, and winners will be announced during the festival (Oct. 10-17). Downloadable entry forms are available at www.austinfilmfestival.com... The tireless gang over at the Cinemaker Co-op will be hurling some crucial knowledge at your wannabe filmmaker face during their Super-8 Basics Workshop, Saturday, May 18, noon-4pm, location TBA. Longtime Cinemakers Andre Silva and Shannon Owens will be dropping said science, which is slated to include such topical gems as "Where can I get Super-8 film?," "Why use Super-8 film in the first place?," and the ever-popular "Is my camera supposed to be making that grindy noise, or what?" Registration is due by Friday, May 10, and entry fees are $50/general, $35/Cinemaker members. E-mail Shannon Owens at [email protected] to enroll, or check out www.cinemaker.org for more info... And congratulations go to the aforementioned Cinemaker Co-op peeps. Last month, a snafu on the Co-op's 2002-03 Cultural Contracts Application resulted in the Austin Arts Commission denying the Co-op's application for much-needed funding. Hounded by Co-op supporters (and, perhaps haunted with a lingering embarrassment over their not-so-great track record as of late), the Austin Arts Commission reconsidered their position on Friday, May 3, and decided to accept the application after all. Whew. Crisis averted... Congrats also go to UT student filmmakers Laura Dunn (Become the Sky) and Helen Haeyoung Lee (Sophie). Both have been named finalists for Student Academy Awards. Winners will be announced June 9.
