Arts in Context director Mario Troncoso (left) and Fantastic Fest cofounder Tim League

We love us some KLRU, and so, too, does the Lone Star chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences: Nine different KLRU programs or contributors are up for Lone Star Emmy statues at this Saturday’s ceremony at Cowboy Stadium.

Among the nominees are Arts In Context‘s producer Lauren Burton and producer/editor/videographer Mario Troncoso, who was profiled in the Chronicle last spring for his Cannes-bound short “Clowns Never Lie.” The pair were nominated for a segment on local theatre company Trouble Puppet. The new season of Arts in Context debuted last week with a Mother Falcon piece and is being distributed nationally to various PBS affiliates. Cinephiles set your DVR: Arts in Context‘s upcoming episode devoted to Fantastic Fest, “All My Friends Are Vampires,” airs Nov. 29 at 7:30pm. (Scroll down for trailer.)

KLRU CEO and General Manager Bill Stotesbery has this to say about Arts in Context and Troncoso, who was recently named series producer and director:

“Arts In Context is an important part of KLRU’s commitment to reflect life in Central Texas.  We strive to highlight the creative community bringing art and artists into people’s homes. Opening these aspects of Austin’s culture to a broader audience is key to the mission of public broadcasting.

“Now in its third season, we are thrilled that Mario Troncoso has taken the reins of Arts In Context.  Mario brings extensive agency and production company experience to KLRU including having his latest film ‘Clowns Never Lie’ screen at several showcases including Cannes. His focus on exploring the process of creation through collaboration mirrors the spirit of this city.”
 

Arts In Context airs Thursdays on KLRU and is available everywhere on the PBS iPhone app (pbs.org/pbsiphone) and iPad (pbs.org/pbsipad).

All My Friends Are Vampires Trailer from KLRU-TV on Vimeo.

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KLRU interview show Overheard With Evan Smith – which itself nabbed two Lone Star Emmy nominations – will launch its third season with an interview with legendary wit (if reluctant writer) Fran Lebowitz. You can RSVP to attend the (free) taping on Nov. 14 here. That same day, Lebowitz will appear at the Bass Concert Hall on the UT campus with Frank Rich for what’s being billed as a “state of the union conversation.” Tickets for the talk are available here; and watch this space – we’ll be running an interview with Lebowitz early next week.

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The Cine Las Americas International Film Festival is now accepting submissions for its 16th annual festival, which will run April 16-21, 2013. Entry rules and deadlines and all that jazz can be found here.

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UTIL, an Austin-based socially progressive design collaborative that’s all about conservation and alternative energy, is producing a feature-length doc, Awe, about “the making and flying of MOTHRA1, a 3000 sq. ft. prototype kite farm, against the backdrop of Wind Energy Politics and the challenges presented by tapping this vast and powerful resource of upper wind.” As part of the East Austin Studio Tour, they’ll debut a 15-minute first look at the film at the UTIL studio/lab on Nov. 11 and Nov. 18, 7pm on both days. For an even shorter peek, see below.

Youtube video

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Alamo Drafthouse CEO and founder Tim League will serve as a judge for the first-ever “The Friskies,” where internet cat video awards meet inspired product placement (how very… frisky of them). The awards will be live-streamed next Wednesday, Nov. 14, 5pm at www.TheFriskies.com, which happens to be the same site you can go to now to vote for audience favorites. The more you vote, the more Friskies donates food to needy kitty bellies. League will be joined in the judges’ chambers by other “industry experts” artist Wayne White, comic author and performer Michael Showalter, and Karen Nichols, managing editor of Mousebreath, a “lifestyle magazine by cats for cats and cat lovers” … and I’m going to have to stop typing now before I say something to earn me the endless ire of cat fanciers everywhere. But seriously: There’s charity involved – up to 250,000 cans of cat food for rescue organizations, provided you vote enough – and considering cat videos form the bedrock of the Internet, it’s the least we can all do.


Contact Film Flam, avowed dog person, here: filmflam@austinchronicle.com.

A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austin’s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands.

A graduate of the Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas, Kimberley has written about film, books, and pop culture for The Austin Chronicle since 2000. She was named Editor of the Chronicle in 2016; she previously served as the paper’s Managing Editor, Screens Editor, Books Editor, and proofreader. Her work has been awarded by the Association of Alternative Newsmedia for excellence in arts criticism, team reporting, and special section (Best of Austin). The Austin Alliance for Women...