Shots from Double Wide Reading

If you couldn't make it to last night's live script reading of Anne Rapp's DOUBLE WIDE, here are a few snap shots from the event at Cap City Comedy Club...

Narrator Ray Benson from the band Asleep at the Wheel
Actress Dana Wheeler-Nicholson (Fast Food Nation, Tombstone, Fletch)

Stacey Mead (Safety First), Johnny Hardwick (King of the Hill) and Matt Bearden (Wrong Numbers)

Dale Dudley (KLBJ Morning Show, Spy Kids 2)

Austin Film Festival Screening Series... TRADING PLACES

The Austin Film Festival is proud to announce a new monthly screening series at the Alamo Drafthouse Lake Creek. Each month the series will feature either an audience favorite from the festival, local premieres, shorts collections or retrospectives of great films.

We kicking the whole think off with John Landis' 80s comedy classic, Trading Places starring Academy Award nominees Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy with screenwriter Herchel Weingrod in attendance!

Herchel will introduce an archival 35mm print of the film on Thursday, Feb. 8th at 7:30 PM.

Check the AFF website in the following days for more details!

About the Film: Louis Winthorpe III (Dan Aykroyd) is a successful Philadelphia commodity broker with mansion, manservant and girlfriend to match. Billy Ray Valentine (Eddie Murphy) is a hustling beggar. Winthorpe's employers, the elderly Duke brothers, make a bet that by switching the lifestyle of the two Billy Ray will make good and their man will take to a life of crime. Suddenly Louis finds himself uncomprehendingly with no job, no home and only a new acquaintance, glamorous hooker Ophelia (Jamie Lee Curtis), prepared to help him. So at least in one way things could actually be worse.

Released in 1983 and directed by John Landis (National Lampoon's Animal House, The Blues Brothers, Coming To America).

About the Screenwriter: Herchel Weingrod has been a professional screenwriter for over 20 years, writing such films as Trading Places, Twins, Kindergarten Cop, Brewster's Millions, Space Jam and more. He also produced Falling Down starring Michael Douglas.

Interns Wanted

The Austin Film Festival and Conference is looking for interns for Spring 2007!

The following departments are looking for interns: Conference, Film, Screenplay Competition, Development, Office Management and Young Filmmakers Program. For intern descriptions please visit the website at www.austinfilmfestival.com/new/internship.

The 14^th Annual Austin Film Festival will take place October 11^th through the 18^th.

For more information please feel free to contact the Austin Film Festival at 512.478.4795 or at 1.800.310.FEST

Conference Intern

Description: The Conference Department celebrates writers' contributions to film & television. During four days of panels, screenwriters & filmmakers network & learn the tricks of the trade -- the art, craft & business of screenwriting & filmmaking - from the masters themselves, leading Hollywood writers, directors, producers, agents, managers and production company executives. Intern will assist the Conference Director in coordinating these numerous panels and arrange travel and accommodations for our distinguished guests.

Requirements: People skills are a must. You must be comfortable on the phone, able to multitask, and highly organized. It is preferred that you have an interest in film and film-related events. Examples of duties include: assisting in mail outs, arranging travel itineraries, putting together press packets, research contact information w/agencies and/or panelists, marketing, and overseeing volunteers during Conference.

Contact Conference Director, Linnea Toney- Linnea@austinfilmfestival.com

Austin Film Festival – Development Internship

Development Intern: Assistant to the Development Director. A typical day will include negotiating festival promotion for food trade with local restaurants, digging up any info you can on a potential sponsorship target, writing a marketing proposal for a local business, with time in there somewhere for vetting venues for one of our late night festival parties and updating our sponsorship database.

Job Requirements: People skills and time management skills are a must. Intern must be comfortable on the phone and a creative writer. Marketing/Sales Background Preferred, but not required.

Film Department Intern

Job Description: Assist programmers with competition film entries as well as in researching and marketing/outreach to filmmakers, students and film goers. Help with mail outs and maintaining entries. Assist with obtaining and marketing screenings before and during the festival. Also support staff with screenings, events, and promotions during the festival and throughout the year.

Job Requirements: Looking for a problem solver and self-starter who is organized, detail-oriented, knowledgeable, interested in film and film-related events, friendly and
outgoing.

Contact: Film Program Director, Kelly Williams - kelly@austinfilmfestival.com

Screenplay Competition Department

The Austin Film Festival Screenplay and Teleplay Competition recognizes the work of the writer, opens doors, and creates a networking system for new writers to further their career within the industry. Industry professionals recognize the Austin Film Festival as a widely respected and popular writing competition, with representatives from agencies and production companies participating in the judging process. As a Screenplay Competition Director Intern you would help in the process of logging screenplays, developing databases, maintaining filing, and recruiting production companies for judging.

Skills must include: good people skills, attention to detail, and a willingness to work.

A sense of humor is also a definite must.

Contact: Screenplay Competition Director, Mary P Hansell- mary@austinfilmfestival.com

Young Filmmakers Program Intern

Description: Publicizing the Cinema/Television Camp. Research (and contact) schools and various organizations through which we can increase public awareness of the YFP. Research various organizations through which we can get money/sponsorship for the YFP. Brainstorming and putting into practice ways to expand YFP (screenings, increasing publicity for competitions, etc.) Mailings for YFP and Membership. Brainstorming ways to expand membership.

Requirements: Intern must be friendly, outgoing, patient, organized, and like kids!

Contact: Young Filmmakers Program Director, Jesse Trussell-jesse@austinfilmfestival.com

OFFICE ASSISTANT

Job Description: The Office Manager organizes and maintains the Austin Film Festival Office. The Office Manager’s assistants will be involved in Event Planning and Project Coordination as well as maintaining the day to day activities of the office.

Job duties entail: Assisting the Office Manager in answering the phones, creating access/axcel databases to keep records of reservations and checking email. Some other tasks included are helping out at film screenings around Austin, completing out-of-office errands, and getting price quotes for different projects to be completed.

Job Requirements: Must demonstrate friendliness and have good communication skills. Organizational skills and multi-tasking is a must! Exemplary phone etiquette required.

Contact Office Manager, Stephanie Weaver, Stephanie@austinfilmfestival.com

Don't forget! Double Wide reading this Sunday!

Click to enlarge for more information!

Interview with American Stag's Ben Meade

The Nerve Film Lounge at Nerve.com recently posted an interview with filmmaker Ben Meade about his film American Stag. The documentary tells the history of the stag film from the 1920s through the 1960s. The film shows no actual sex scenes and is somewhat unporn in its examination of the cultural phenomenon of the stag film.

The interview was done by friend of the festival Theresa Everline who also conducted interviews with AFF filmmakers for this blog during the festival.

(photo: American Stag director Ben Meade at the 2006 AFF)

Lessons in DIY Distribution

Filmmaker Magazine recently published a series about filmmakers who distributed their own films, one article was by Austin-based producer Stacey Schoolfield about her experience with the film Jumping Off Bridges. If you have a chance to see the film, do not miss it. The feature is a deeply moving follow up to writer/director Kat Candler's first film, Cicadas, which won the Audience Award at the 2000 Austin Film Festival. Plus it stars Michael Emmerson from Lost.

The article by Stacey can be found here.

Beyond the Call airs on PBS

AFF 2006 selection Beyond the Call airs tomorrow night on PBS' Independent Lens. Be sure to check you local listings.

Here is the complete info from the filmmakers:

BEYOND THE CALL on PBS....TOMORROW!

Who: From the brothers who brought you the Academy Award nominated GENGHIS BLUES comes the next great adventure....BEYOND THE CALL.
What: PBS nationwide airing of BEYOND THE CALL on the award winning series INDEPENDENT LENS.
Where: In your home
When: TOMORROW...Tuesday, January 23rd in the evening. Check local listings for exact time in your area.
http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/beyondthecall
Why: Because you will be inspired and entertained.
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDor-ovsKnE

MySpace page with film trailer:
http://www.myspace.com/beyondthecall

Synopsis:
In an Indiana Jones meets Mother Teresa adventure three middle-aged men, former soldiers and modern-day knights travel the world delivering life saving humanitarian aid directly into the hands of civilians and doctors in some of the most dangerous yet beautiful places on Earth, the front lines of war.

More than five years in the making; nearly a year of theatrical screenings, festival showings, standing ovations and many awards, the time has come for BEYOND THE CALL to have its big TV premiere! We are very excited that BEYOND THE CALL will air nationwide on PBS's award winning series INDEPENDENT LENS this Tuesday, January 23rd in the evening. Please check your local listings for exact time in your area.
http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/beyondthecall

This will be the one-hour version. The language has been cleaned up so young people and those sensitive to naughty language can view safely.

Rumor has it that BEYOND THE CALL will have additional airings on other days and times throughout this opening week (January 22 - 28), but they will be at odd hours. Check local listings.

DOUBLE WIDE Reading - Jan. 28th!

Don't forget to mark you calendars next Sunday, Jan. 28th for the AFF live script reading of Anne Rapp's new comedy, DOUBLE WIDE! Admission is Free! You just can't beat that.




On Sunday January 28th, join us for a script reading of Double Wide, a feature-length comedy by screenwriter Anne Rapp (Cookie's Fortune, Dr. T and the Women). Of the former, Salon raves, “Robert Altman finds his Paul McCartney in screenwriter Anne Rapp,” while Rolling Stone says that she "turns these Southern-fried shenanigans into a sly, Gothic comedy." Actors Johnny Hardwick ("King of the Hill"), Ray Benson (GRAMMY award winning artist, Asleep at the Wheel), Dana Wheeler-Nicholson (Fletch), Matt Bearden (Funniest Person in Austin winner), Kit Gwin (No Country for Old Men, dir. Coen Brothers), Dale Dudley (Spy Kids 2, KLBJ disc jockey), Stacey Mead, Ellen Wroe, Jason Roberts and Jimmy Gonzales will participate in the reading.

The script reading will take place on Sunday, January 28th, at 7:00 PM at Capital City Comedy Club, 8120 Research Boulevard. This event is open to the public and free of charge.

A native Texan, Anne Rapp worked on more than 40 feature films, beginning with Tender Mercies in 1981 and ending with That Thing You Do in 1997. She began writing short stories that led to a job writing for Robert Altman. He directed two of her screenplays, Cookie's Fortune and Dr. T and the Women. The screenplay for Cookie's Fortune earned Anne an Independent Spirit Award nomination in 1999, as well as an Edgar Allen Poe nomination. Anne currently lives in Austin, Texas, where she has twice served as a visiting professor of screenwriting at the Michener Center for Writers, the graduate writing program at the University of Texas.

Milch Discusses his new project

David Milch with presenter and Deadwood star Ian McShane during the festival.

From CNN.com, word on John From Cincinnati the new series from 2006 AFF Outstanding Television Writer Award Recipient David Milch...


"Deadwood" creator David Milch talked up his new drama "John From Cincinnati," which is pegged for a surfing-friendly summertime debut. His appearance at the Ritz-Carlton Huntington Hotel event proved to be something of a surreal experience, with the producer in an unusually chatty, stream-of-consciousness mood while extolling the virtues of "Cincinnati," his paranormal surfing series. It left all who witnessed it feeling bemused and somewhat overwhelmed.

"To my mind, reality is a shifting and elusive condition," Milch said during one of his expansive oral adventures. "It redefines itself constantly. ... When I was saying that this is a story that takes place on the margins of things, the attempt to identify the coordinates of reality is itself a kind of problematic and conditional effort. It's changing all the time. ... As time goes on, you come to realize what seemed to be chasms of difference which cannot be bridged turn out not even to exist."

http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/TV/01/16/television.hbo.reut/index.html

Vote for AFF!

Austin 360.com is holding an Austin Movie Awards and you can vote for AFF as the best festival in Austin! You can vote once every hour, so, don't forget to come back and vote again!

To vote, visit the Austin Movie Awards page here.

Thanks!

WGAw Award Noms - Film

The WGA Screenwriting Award Nominations...

Original Screenplay

"Babel," Written by Guillermo Arriaga

"Little Miss Sunshine," Written by Michael Arndt

"The Queen," Written by Peter Morgan

"Stranger Than Fiction," Written by Zach Helm

"United 93," Written by Paul Greengrass

Adapted Screenplay

"Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan," Screenplay by Sacha Baron Cohen & Anthony Hines & Peter Baynham & Dan Mazer, Story by Sacha Baron Cohen & Peter Baynham & Anthony Hines & Todd Phillips, Based on a Character Created by Sacha Baron Cohen

"The Departed," Screenplay by William Monahan, Based on the Motion Picture Internal Affairs, Written by Alan Mak and Felix Chong

"The Devil Wears Prada," Screenplay by Aline Brosh McKenna, Based on the Novel by Lauren Weisberger

"Little Children," Screenplay by Todd Field & Tom Perrotta, Based on the Novel by Tom Perrotta

"Thank You For Smoking," Screenplay by Jason Reitman, Based on the Novel by Christopher Buckley

Stephen Frears

Stephen Frears was named head of the Cannes 07 jury. It has turned out to be a big year for the director with the success of his film, The Queen. AFF has actually screened two of Frears' films in the past two years - The Queen in 06 and Mrs. Henderson Presents... in 05 when it won the Audience Award.

Mario's Story at the Library of Congress

AFF 2006 film Mario's Story will screen as part of Legal Film Series at the Library of Congress on Jan. 31st. The film was part of AFF's documentary feature competition. Pictured below, from left: Filmmakers Susan Koch & Jeff Werner and Attorney Ian Graham at the festival.


(Media-Newswire.com) - Legal Film Series Commemorates Law Library’s 175th Anniversary
The award-winning documentary "Mario’s Story" ( 2006 ) will be shown at the Library of Congress at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 31, in the Mary Pickford Theater, located on the third floor of the James Madison Building, 101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington, D.C.

The event, which is sponsored jointly by the Law Library of Congress and Tufts University, is free and open to the public. Seating is limited and advance reservations are required ( contact Alisa Carrel at acar@loc.gov ).

The film screening will be followed by a panel discussion featuring the film’s producer and co-director Susan Koch and criminal justice champion John Terzano. A reception in the foyer of the Pickford Theater will follow the discussion.

Based on true events, "Mario’s Story" follows the 1998 murder conviction of Mario Rocha, a young Latino from East Los Angeles who was sentenced to life in prison despite the lack of physical evidence connecting him to the crime. Filmmakers Susan Koch and Jeff Werner followed Mario for more than seven years and were given unprecedented access to film inside the Calipatria State Prison as well as the behind-the-scenes legal efforts. The film also depicts Mario’s development into a gifted writer, his struggle to prove his innocence and ongoing efforts to win his freedom.

Screened at numerous film festivals this past year, the documentary was a finalist in the Austin Film Festival and the Woodstock Film Festival and received the Audience Award for Best Feature Documentary Film at the Los Angeles Film Festival.


The Legal Film Series is a part of the Law Library’s 175th anniversary celebration in 2007. The series continues with the screening of the highly-acclaimed documentary "Sisters in Law" on April 4, and the Hollywood classic "12 Angry Men" on July 11.

Joseph Stefano - Screenwriting Legend

Script Magazine recently started a new monthly column called Legends of Screenwriting. This month, they profile Joseph Stefano, the writer of Alfred Hitchcock's classic Psycho who passed away last August.



Joseph Stefano was actually at the festival in 1999 and hosted a midnight screening of Psycho at the Paramount Theater. After the film, an informal Q&A broke out with Mr. Stefano in the lobby of the theatre. I actually attend this screening (before I worked at AFF), if you know me, see if you can spot younger me in the crowd.

AFF live script reading: Double Wide

AUSTIN FILM FESTIVAL HOSTS SCRIPT READING OF ANNE RAPP'S ‘DOUBLE WIDE’

AUSTIN, Texas --- January 10, 2007 --- Austin Film Festival will be presenting a script reading of Double Wide, a feature-length comedy by screenwriter Anne Rapp (Cookie’s Fortune, Dr. T and the Women). Of the former, Salon raves, “Robert Altman finds his Paul McCartney in screenwriter Anne Rapp,” while Rolling Stone says that she "turns these Southern-fried shenanigans into a sly, Gothic comedy." Actors Johnny Hardwick (“King of the Hill”), Kit Gwin (No Country for Old Men, dir. Coen Brothers), Dale Dudley (Spy Kids 2, KLBJ disc jockey), and Ray Benson (GRAMMY award winning artist, Asleep at the Wheel) will participate in the reading.

The script reading will take place on Sunday, January 28th, at 7:00 PM at Capital City Comedy Club, 8120 Research Boulevard. This event is open to the public and free of charge.

Anne Rapp seen here at the 1998 Austin Film Festival with Lyle Lovett and Robert Altman

A native Texan, Anne Rapp worked on more than 40 feature films, beginning with Tender Mercies in 1981 and ending with That Thing You Do in 1997. She began writing short stories that led to a job writing for Robert Altman. He directed two of her screenplays, Cookie’s Fortune and Dr. T and the Women. The screenplay for Cookie’s Fortune earned Anne an Independent Spirit Award nomination in 1999, as well as an Edgar Allen Poe nomination. Anne currently lives in Austin, Texas, where she has twice served as a visiting professor of screenwriting at the Michener Center for Writers, the graduate writing program at the University of Texas.



(Double Wide drawing artist: Daniel Heimbinder)

Alpha Dog

AFF hosted a membership screening of Nick Cassavettes' new film, Alpha Dog, starring Bruce Willis, Emile Hirsch, Harry Dean Stanton and more last Tuesday. The film is based on the life of Jesse James Hollywood - the youngest person to every make it on the FBI's most wanted list. In the film, Hollywood's name has been changed to Johnny Truelove, but that hasn't stopped his lawyer's from trying to pull the release of the film out of fear the Hollywood would not receive a fair trail. However, the case was denied and the film will open in wide release this Friday.

The highlight of the film is without a doubt the intense performance by Ben Foster, but that seems to be overshadowed by the fact that it is also Justin Timberlake's feature film debut. Foster recently played Angel in X-Men 3, but you might also remember him from Liberty Heights, Six Feet Under and as Eli on Freaks and Geeks.

To find out how you can be a member of AFF, click here.

The Writers behind Borat

Written By magazine recenly published an excellent interview by John Koch with Peter Baynham, Dan Mazer, and Anthony “Ant” Hines - three of writers who worked withSacha Baron Cohen on Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. It is a great glimpse into a very different approach to comedy writing.

If you missed it, you can find it here.

B-Fest

Former AFF marketing director Chris Holland helps with marketing and programming at the annual B-Fest in Chicago. Every year they screen 24 hours of classic b-movies on the campus of Northwestern University. Some films lined-up for this year include the 80s classics Krull, Invasion USA and The Beastmaster, plus Savage Sisters and Plan 9 from Outer Space, to name a few.

The festival is already sold out, but if you live in Chicago, you can try to get tickets on their ticket exchange page found on their website.

B-Fest runs January 26th and 27th.

Dead Birds

You may have heard about the mysterious dead birds (63 total) that were found in downtown Austin early Monday morning (not as bad as this), but you might have missed these very funny and original photos posted by our friends at The Austinist. They were taken by Austin photographer Chris Carter.

It is still unclear what caused the death of so many birds, but it shut down most of downtown for half the day, and even keeping AFF staff from a meeting at the SFA Hotel.

music video by Nick Scown

AFF 2006 filmmaker Nick Scown recently created his own music video for the song "Hope" by Rafter. The clip was done for a YouTube contest to create a video for the song from Rafter's upcoming album, "Music for Total Chickens."

The video is completely different in tone from Nick's AFF 2006 short, The Pitch a.k.a Lebron James vs. the Alien King, but shows Nick's range as a filmmaker.

The video can be found on YouTube here.