This spring, amid unsubstantiated rumors that MTV's Austin Stories may depart for a Pacific Coast locale, the city of Austin will take on the look of a bustling filmmaking capital. It was announced in the trades this week that
Mike Judge of Beavis and Butt-head and King of the Hill fame, will direct a live-action feature in Austin beginning in April. Based on Judge's original script, the film is called Office Space and represents the feature-length development of an earlier animation work of Judge's titled "Milton," which aired as a short on Comedy Central in 1992 and later as a recurring sketch on Saturday Night Live. The 20th Century Fox film is reportedly a look at the contemporary workplace. Also due to begin shooting in March is
Robert Rodriguez on an as-yet untitled science fiction/horror project for Dimension Films, the genre arm of indie giant Miramax Films. Rodriguez will direct the film, which is based on a script penned by Scream scribe
Kevin Williamson; Rodriguez will also co-produce, with
Elizabeth Avellán. Never one to be left in the dust,
Richard Linklater will debut his 20th Century Fox genre piece, The Newton Boys, in March. (The world premiere is set for the
SXSW Film Festival; stay tuned for more details.) Then in April comes the premiere of another Fox production, Hope Floats, which was also shot recently in these parts. It stars
Sandra Bullock and is directed by
Forest Whitaker and produced by
Lynda Obst. Of course, somewhere in the midst of all this high-powered film frenzy will be the SXSW Film Festival (March 13-21, to be exact) and the
SXSW Interactive Festival (March 14-17). The Interactive Festival is really coming into its own this year with panels geared toward "Digital Hollywood," "Gaming Trends," and "Web Publishing." Another new addition this year is the website competition, the deadline for which has been extended to Jan. 30... which is now. Check out
http://www.sxsw.com for details or call them at 467-7979...
It's good to hear that the Rocky Horror Picture Show has found a new home in Austin. Booted from their longtime home as the weekend midnighter at the Northcross Theatre, a clan of devoted filmgoers has found a new lease on life at the Wells Branch Discount Cinema. This cult film has played an uninterrupted (until now) run in Austin for the past 21 years. Marriages have formed, generations have come and gone, and still Rocky Horror reigns supreme in the hearts of many and provides a distinctly unique diversion for the occasional daytripper. For the Rocky Horror experience is so much more than a night at the movies; it's a whole theatrical dress-up party and interactive audience event. This run is a temporary four-week engagement for midnight shows on Friday and Saturday but everyone hopes that the things manage to continue on for a spell. Beam us up...
Dallas' 28th annual USA Film Festival scheduled for April 16-23 has issued a call for film entries. Films must be under 60 minutes in length and be received by March 2 for consideration. Call 214/821-6300 or write to 2917 Swiss Ave., Dallas, TX, 75204 for entry forms and info...
Also seeking Texas entries is Eye for an I Cinema, Colorado's showcase of independent film and video. These should be no longer than 30 minutes. Call 303/444-5827 for info or write to 3060 29th St., #9, Boulder, CO, 80301...
Also soliciting entries is San Antonio's Golden Shower Video Festival of experimental /narrative/ animation exploitive/ documentary/ stolen/ original works. Submissions must be under 30 minutes in length and all selected entries will receive a T-shirt. Call 210/979-1058 or write to the Southwest Craft Center, c/o Adam Rocha, 300 Augusta, San Antonio, TX, 78205.
