Short Cuts

Mad Scramble Dept.: Both the seventh annual Austin Film Festival and Heart of Film Screenwriters Conference and the Cinematexas 2000 Short Film + Video Festival are approaching at roughly the speed of some Michael Bay-esque, space-borne monstrosity (somewhere around 24fps, we'll assume), both promising to swamp local theatres with frenzied moviegoers, tipsy screenwriters, and wary handlers. It's all too fitting that the rush arrives in October, when everything's just a tad surreal to begin with. A few fest-related events to keep in mind while I've got your attention include AFF's regional premiere of director E. Elias Merhige's highly anticipated Shadow of the Vampire, which will screen Thursday, Oct. 12, 10pm, at the Paramount Theatre. The film recounts the creation of F.W. Murnau's 1922 masterpiece of German Expressionism Nosferatu, with John Malkovich as Murnau and Willem Dafoe biting the hand that feeds him as Max Schreck. Merhige and co-star Cary Elwes will be on hand. Another spooky AFF shindig is the Friday, Oct. 13, "horror night" commencing at 9pm at the Westgate Theatre, which promises a slew of Halloween-flavored grue-fests hosted by -- who else? -- Harry Knowles. And did I mention Jerry Maguire's Jonathan Lipnicki stars in the fest film The Little Vampire? "Show me the bloody!" indeed. AFF passes for these and gobs more film events are still available by calling 800/310-FEST... Speaking of fests, SXSW 2001 (running Mar. 9-17) has its first registration postmark deadline today, Oct. 6. Badges are cheap at $135 for the moment, but will set you back an extra $20 come tomorrow. Get 'em while the getting's hot by checking out www.sxsw.com. Fest submissions must be postmarked by Nov. 15, and while we're at it, today is also the cheap registration cutoff date for SXSW Interactive. Again, hit the site above for all pertinent info... Tuesday, Oct. 10, Alchemy Works is presenting another in its Movie Midwifing series, 7pm at The Hideout (617 Congress). Important Stuff, a short doc from Laura Toups Berland and Justin Jousan will be presented along with a reading of screenwriter Victor Bravo's A View From the Rubble. Admission is $5 and open to the public. More info at 443-8229... What's better than finding an Arriflex 16 SR-3 at your neighbor's garage sale? Why, finding one at the Cinemaker Co-op's garage sale, of course! Scour the detritus of Austin's filmmaking community this Sunday, Oct. 8, 11am-2pm at the ArtPlex (1705 Guadalupe). All proceeds benefit the Co-op, and plenty of Super-8 and 16mm cameras, projectors, splicers, and assorted gew-gaws will be readily available. More info at 236-8877 or e-mail them at [email protected] and if you find that Arri, hand's off -- it's mine... Finally, Sunday, Oct. 15, at 9:30pm, ADV Films will be presenting the big-screen premiere of their feature-length anime film Samurai X: Trust and Betrayal at the Alamo Drafthouse. Most of us are used to watching our Japanimation on the small screen, sure, but this tale of a mid-19th-century assassin during the age of the Shogunate has not only a big-screen buzz but also features a wealth of Austin voice talent, including Shannon Weaver, Joe York, Ken Webster, and more, more, more. Take that, Tetsuo!... Where, oh where, have our theatres gone?: In a cost-cutting move, the General Cinemas theatre chain has decided to close two of their Austin theatres: the Highland Pavilion 10 and the Great Hills 8 -- effective immediately. That leaves the Barton Creek Square mall theatre as the chain's only Austin holdout. With the recent building-and-upgrading sprees of all the national chains now taking their tolls, theatre closings seem to be the order of the day. This may just be a sneak peek at the future of things to come.