If you love something, set it free, right? Well, fans of adopted Austinite Andrew Bujalski’s latest film, Beeswax, might have started to worry where the love went as the homegrown film traveled the world from Berlin to the Big Apple, with only the briefest of stops here in Austin for its U.S. premiere at the South by Southwest Film Festival 2009 (and yes, we were hyping this terrific film even then; see “The Bee’s Knees,” March 13). In any case, the wait’s finally over: Bujalski’s funny and revealing character study of two sisters at individual crossroads opens locally this Friday at the Alamo Drafthouse South.
As for Bujalski’s next move, the writer/director says he has “a half-dozen projects of various sizes and shapes that are kicking around in my head right now, but I don’t know which, if any, will be my next big one.” Beeswax continues its world tour this fall – the film is headed to festivals in London and Vienna this month – and a DVD release is planned for early 2010. (One hopes it will include Bujalski’s cheeky but heartfelt “A Tribute to the Extras,” in which he narrates footage of unpaid extras who didn’t make the final cut, including “this guy who walks by in the coffee shop and squirts, I think, some kind of almond syrup into his beverage … here.”)
But that’s all in the future. In the right here right now, Bujalski says: “My big project is knocking on every door and trying to get the word out about Beeswax playing in Austin. It’s a small film and too easily falls under the radar, but I refuse to take ‘Huh?’ for an answer in the film’s hometown.” Hometown, hop to it.
Beeswax opens at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar this Friday. Cast and crew will be in attendance at the Friday and Saturday night screenings. See Film Listings for review.
This article appears in October 9 • 2009.
