So Many Festivals, So Little Parking Dept.: While the dog-end of the summer studio-blockbuster season engulfs us all in a wave of lazy, high-budget crud, local filmgoers can expect some much-needed artistic relief to arrive later this month as a deuce of legendary local fests arrive simultaneously on Aug. 25. The Austin Film Society‘s QT Quattro: The Fourth Annual Quentin Tarantino Film Festival 2000 kicks off that day as well as the Austin Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival 2000. In the past, there’s been a bit of confusion regarding tickets and passes for the QT fest, so for all you slow learners and/or newcomers out there, here’s the breakdown: Passes are now on sale to AFS members only for $125 for all 10 days, $75 for any five days, and $30 and $20 for weekend and weekday passes, respectively. Your best shot at getting into the Alamo Drafthouse’s 225-seat theater is to join AFS for the low, low price of $20/year if you haven’t already done so. There will be tickets available to the general public on a per-movie basis (15 minutes prior to each screening), but attempting to rely on AFS leftovers has led in the past to more than a few disgruntled souls standing outside on the sidewalk with empty hands. If you’re a regular reader of this column (and even if you’re not), I suggest joining AFS “quick like a bunny” (as my mom would say) ’cause it’s, you know, the right thing to do. (QT Quattro is benefiting the Texas Filmmakers’ Production Fund, by the way.) Need more info? Check out www.austinfilm.org or www.drafthouse.com. Now that we’ve got that covered, aGLIFF 2000 tix will be available starting Aug. 16 from their box office in the lower level of Dobie Mall. Tickets will be offered in a variety of price ranges, but single-film tix will be $5/members and $7/non-members. Again, we urge you to become an aGLIFF member if you’re not already. More info can be found on their Web site at www.agliff.org. Meanwhile, check out this week’s Film Listings section for the Reel Women Presents Reel Stories festival happening at the Millennium Theatre this weekend. Another upcoming AFS event is their benefit premiere of Christopher McQuarrie‘s directorial debut The Way of the Gun, Fri., Aug. 18, 7pm, at General Cinema’s Barton Creek Square location. McQuarrie, who scripted cult-fave The Usual Suspects, will be on hand with actor/star Nicky Katt for Q&A and a post-premiere party. Tickets are $12 for AFS members and $15 for the general public and are available for advance purchase until the day of the show. Proceeds for the benefit premiere will go to, again, the Texas Filmmakers’ Production Fund. Call 322-0145 for more info… The film submission deadline for the Austin Film Festival 2000 is rapidly approaching — Sept. 1 at $50 per film — so if you’re still struggling with that final audio mix, now’s the time to start burning the midnight nitrate. This year’s fest will run Oct. 12-19, and will feature participants such as Shane “Last Action Hero” Black and From Dusk Till Dawn and NFL badass Fred “Hammer” Williamson, among others. More info at 800/310-FEST… Finally, a couple of corrections: Last weeks’ Web addy for the Austin Extras List was incorrect. The right URL is www.egroups.com/group/austinextrainfo, and the Cinemaker Co-op‘s upcoming mini-fest Splice of Life is scheduled for Aug. 21-22 at the Ritz Lounge, and not Aug. 13-14 as noted in this week’s Ritz Lounge advertisement.
This article appears in August 11 • 2000.