Short Cuts

Life Goes on Dept.: The Alamo Drafthouse Dowtown has canceled its UFO conference, set to happen this weekend. They hope to reschedule it for February... It's that time again: South By Southwest Film Festival is accepting film submissions for SXSW 2002, which will run March 8-16. Videocassettes (NTSC only, please) and 50-words-or-less synopses can be sent until the final submission deadline on Dec. 10, 2001 (early deadline is Nov. 16). Processing fee is $20 for shorts, $30 for features. E-mail [email protected] for more info or call 467-7979... According to a press release from the Texas Association of Film/Tape Professionals, "the USA lost $10.3 billion in potential revenue in 1999 from U.S.-developed film and television productions that went abroad, with the majority snared by Canada's" aggressive tax incentives. That's not news to folks in the Austin film community, who, despite the opening of Austin Studios last summer, have missed out on several film productions that ended up heading north instead. To combat film flight, TAFTP is presenting a free program focusing on the issue Tuesday, Sept. 18, 6:30 pm, at the KD Theater at the Trinity River Art Center in Dallas, featuring speakers from various aspects of the Texas film community. More info is available by calling Michael Penn Smith at 214/339-3237... Congratulations to the creative team behind the documentary George Wallace: Settin' the Woods on Fire, who have snagged an Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Research for their work on the film. Dan Carter, Sandra Guardado, Daniel McCabe, Matt McClung, and Paul Stekler received the award last week at the 22nd Annual News and Documentary Awards Ceremony of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in New York... Austin's Cinemaker Co-op will present a lighting workshop on Saturday, Sept. 15, noon-5pm, at the Hideout (617 Congress Ave.). The workshop will cover everything you need to know about lighting your small-gauge film, from diffusion techniques to where to rent gear on a budget. Admission is $45 for Cinemaker members/$60 for the general public. E-mail [email protected] for more info... Austin filmmaker/teacher Steve Mims has had his locally lensed film The Perfect Specimen licensed to cable network Showtime "for 18 months for use on the service's family of premium cable channels." You can catch the next screening this Saturday, Sept. 15, at 10:30am... As part of the Cinematexas Short Film + Video Festival, a Cinemakids' young persons' film festival will be held this weekend with screenings of kid-made films and videos beginning Saturday, Sept. 15, noon-1:15pm at the Millennium Youth Entertainment Complex (1156 Hargrave). After the screenings, a workshop will be held from 1:30-4pm. The next weekend, Saturday, Sept. 22, a third screening and workshop will also be held. More info is available by calling 471-6497 or on the Web at www.cinematexas.org.

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aGLIFF Winners

The Austin Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival has announced their winners for this year's fest. Determined by audience ballots (more than 7,500 of them), the categories and the filmmakers are: Hedwig and the Angry Inch, John Cameron Mitchell, Best Feature Film; Scout's Honor, Tom Shepard, Best Documentary; "4 P.M.,-- Samantha Bakhurst and Lea Moremont, Best Girl's Short Film; "Sexo,-- Rodrigo Bellott, Best Boy's Short Film. Congratulations to all.