Austin American-Statesman Sticks It to aGLIFF Filmmakers Dept.: Doesn't the
Austin American-Statesman's editorial department have better things to do than censor the work of local independent filmmakers? Judging from their actions in last Friday's edition, the answer is a resounding no. In a piece previewing this week's
Austin Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival, the paper printed a positive blurb about co-filmmakers
Laura Barton and
Judy Wilder's documentary
Dildo Diaries (read it online at
www.austin360.com/auto_docs/epaper/editions/friday/movies_2.html), but refused to print the film's full title, abbreviating it instead to
Diaries and referring to these apparently taboo objects in the body of the preview as "female sex toys." Not surprisingly, this has infuriated and exasperated co-directors Barton and Wilder, who immediately penned a note to the
Statesman pointing out the irony of the situation given the film's content, which details the legal harassment of various Texas retail outlets that sell these inexplicably controversial marital aids. Adds Executive Producer
Bill Kirkner, "The thing that's really funny to me is that one of the stars of the movie is
Molly Ivins, who is herself a columnist for the
Statesman! When Molly refers to these obscene devices in the film, the word 'dildo' comes trippingly off her tongue." Before you start firebombing
Statesman film editor
Chris Garcia -- whose byline is attached to the offending blurb -- know that the paper's bizarre verbal gymnastics are a result of editorial policy and not indicative of Garcia's personal view.
Statesman Managing Editor
Fred Zipp, in his reply to Barton's letter, says "Governments censor. We edit, and we'll continue to do so when deciding how to deal with calculated provocations, artistic or otherwise." Those interested in finding out what the
Statesman overlords are so reticent about can check out the world premiere of
Dildo Diaries this Friday, Sept. 30, 7:30pm at the Regal Metropolitan (I-35 S. at Stassney)...
And now, the 2002 recipients of the Texas Filmmakers' Production Fund ... "Seven Days," David Barker; "Gretchen," Steve Collins; No Kill, Jason Cortlund & Julia Halperin; Las Mujeres, Heather Courtney; "Forgotten in Rio," Ryan Deussing; "Sideshow," Meghna Haldar; :Thirty Seconds, Sativa January; Dallas Tap Dazzlers: Developing Dreams, Genell Kelso; Wiccans in the Military Project, Susan Kirr; "Relocation," Bennie Klain; Lifers, Mark Mederson; "Neo Geo," Jacqueline Passmore; Os Confederados, Garry Potts; "The Bat Mitzvah of Lizzie Stein," Julie Sagalowsky; A Yeti in the City, T'Chaka Sikelianos; "The Lost Pines," Divya Srinivasan; "Adopted," Linda Stogner; "Dissolve," Aaron Valdez; Dear Pillow, Jacob Vaughan; Variations, Matthew Warren
