Screen Shots
A miscellany of film news and events
By Josh Kupecki, Fri., Oct. 9, 2015
Should you have a full tank of gas and a bit of wanderlust, head west to the Marfa Film Festival, which runs Oct. 14-18. A carefully curated festival which showcases a number of experimental films you might not see otherwise, the MFF is typically a relaxed affair, with outdoor screenings and social events. Highlights include Belgian filmmaker Gust Van den Berghe's Lucifer, shot in a circular Tondoscope format, and repertory screenings of the Texas classic Hud and the beloved Hal Ashby comedy Harold and Maude. Daily passes are $75, or $300 for all five days. Visit www.marfafilmfestival.com for more info.
The Briscoe Center announced last week that it had acquired the archive of UT Radio-Television-Film department chair and award-winning documentary filmmaker Paul Stekler. Stekler has been documenting the landscape of American politics for the last 30 years. The archive includes raw footage and rough cuts of his films, as well as research ephemera. In celebration of the acquisition, the Briscoe Center, along with the Austin Film Society and KLRU, will present "Reel Politics: Paul Stekler on His Films and Career," Thu., Oct. 15, 7pm at the UT campus. Stekler will present an exclusive compilation of his favorite moments from his films. See rtf.utexas.edu for more info.
Ellar Coltrane, who we watched grow up in Richard Linklater's Boyhood, has just landed a role in James Ponsoldt's adaptation of Dave Egger's novel The Circle. Coltrane joins Tom Hanks and Emma Watson in the film, which concerns a massive tech conglomerate (think the G word) and the elusive idea of privacy in the digital age.
The web series #ATown (which recently picked up a "Best of Austin" Readers Poll award for Best Web Series) has just launched their second season. Visit www.atowntheseries.com to view the episodes.