That Fighting Spirit

Nobody likes to be up against the wall – but, boy, does it make for good drama. In anticipation of the 17th annual Austin Film Festival, which kicks off this Thursday, Oct. 21, the Chronicle spoke with four filmmakers profiling subjects who find themselves in adversity, sometimes comical, sometimes sorrowful. We've also highlighted the deliciously dirty dealings in Sweet Smell of Success; check out Marjorie Baumgarten's interview with Los Angeles Times critic Kenneth Turan, who'll present a special screening of that classic film about a wolfish, Walter Winchell-like gossip columnist, in "A Cookie Full of Arsenic."

Of course, that's just a drop in the bucket of what AFF has to offer. Why not try on for size Centerpiece Film The Company Men, John Wells' feature-length directorial debut about the pink-slipped corporate class (starring Ben Affleck, Chris Cooper, and Tommy Lee Jones)? Or the lo-fi, schlubby charmer New Low, about a loser at war with his own inner sloth? Or the Austin-made doc Echotone, in which local musicians shake a fist at the sound ordinance?

Sure, it may be hell up there on the big screen, but for one week in October, AFF means moviegoing heaven.

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The Austin Film Festival runs Oct. 21-28. See www.austinfilmfestival.com for full lineup and ticket information.