AFCA Announces Local Film Short List
Five Austin films in contention for the annual award
By Richard Whittaker, 10:55PM, Tue. Dec. 11, 2018
The members of the Austin Film Critics Association are busy working on their end-of-year lists, and one of the most important considerations is the prestigious Austin Film Award. Today the association has released its short list of the five finalists for the prize (drum roll please).
The five finalists are:
• 1985 (D: Yen Tan) The AIDS crisis is never explicitly mentioned, but hangs like a cloud over this tragic family reunion drama (read our interiew with director Yen Tan here).
• Call Her Ganda (D: PJ Raval) A searing documentary exploring the murder of Filipina trans woman Jennifer Laude – nicknamed Ganda or beauty by her mother – at the hands of a US Marine (read our interview with director PJ Raval here).
• Damsel (D: David & Nathan Zellner) The Western goes up in flames as the myth of the lonesome cowboy meets toxic masculinity in this rip-roaring social comedy (read our interview with the Zellner Bros. here).
• Run Like the Devil (D: Steve Mims) A unique and rigorously non-partisan exploration of Ted Cruz and Beto O'Rourke, the two men at the front of the most eagerly-watched races of the last election cycle (read our interview with Mims here).
• Support the Girls (D: Andrew Bujalski) A day in the life of the staff and regulars at a breastaurant, caught with comedy and poignancy (read our interview with director Andrew Bujalski here).
The final winner will be announced on Jan. 7 along with the complete AFCA award slate. There will then be a special celebratory screening of the winning film at AFS Cinema on Jan. 13.
Film are classified as eligible for the award if they were either made in Austin, or directed by a filmmaker living in town during production. The short list was assembled by a voting subcommittee comprised of AFCA members, and will now go to all members for final voting. Previous winners have included Before Midnight, Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter, and Tower.
Congratulations to all the short listed nominees, and all the other Austin filmmakers for contributing to the local film scene.
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Richard Whittaker, Jan. 8, 2018
Richard Whittaker, Dec. 31, 2017
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Austin Film Critics Association, AFCA, Damsel, 1985
