What makes a town cool? Austin,
Texas, is consistently ranked as one of the more culturally advanced mid-sized
cities in America along with such places as Athens, Georgia, and Seattle,
Washington. One reason could be location. There isn’t another cool town within
500 miles of Austin. No offense, Dallas and San Antonio. That’s what I was
told.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Another
thing Austin has going for it is writer-director Richard Linklater. He comes
back to his hometown quite often to film and to bring his fellow directors to
the South by Southwest (SXSW) Conferences and Festivals.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย SXSW
started in 1986 as a music and media conference. Film and interactive sections
were added in 1993, and the film festival quickly became one of the most
respected in the country. Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez have visited
in the past, and this year independent film legends Jim Jarmusch and Jonathan
Demme were there.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย I
had the honor of having my short film Lunch in the 2002 SXSW, but I didn’t go. This year they accepted my comedy short Who’s Your Daddy? and I had the time and
money.
About
four hours after my flight arrived, Who’s Your Daddy? and a half-dozen
other comedy shorts were shown at a midnight screening. The program included a
Christopher Walken tribute called Walkentalk,
which featured not just one but four Walken impersonators. Sadly the real
Walken did not make an appearance.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย However,
John Stamos did appear in a movie named after him. I Am Stamos is a fluffy piece about an actor who looks like John
Stamos but only on camera. Mr. Stamos was in the crowd that night, which drew
attention away from the other filmmakers. Also, his wife kept hitting on me. It
was all very unsettling.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย The
screening was held at The Alamo Drafthouse. In front of each row at the Alamo
is a counter where you can order beer and food. You would think a drunk
midnight crowd would be the perfect audience for short comedies. But as soon as
the lights went out I felt the crowd get sleepy. I don’t think many patrons
will remember the Alamo screening that night. The second, Stamos-free,
screening of the same short films on Tuesday morning went a lot better. The
crowd gave a hearty laugh for all the shorts.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย At
SXSW I stayed with two other filmmakers. One of them, Scott Smith, came all the
way from Vancouver. He made a wonderful comedy called Falling Angels based on
Barbara Gowdy’s acclaimed novel.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Falling Angels is the story of a
dysfunctional, borderline psychotic Canadian family in the late ’60s. Miranda
Richardson ably plays Mary Field, the family’s catatonic alcoholic mother, and
Callum Keith Rennie plays Jim Field, the more functionally alcoholic father.
Most of the film’s flashbacks revolve around Jim’s mission to train his family
for nuclear attack by keeping them in the family bomb shelter for two weeks.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Jim’s
three daughters continue to deal with their parent’s bizarre antics throughout
their teenage years. The film could have easily wandered into the syrupy realm,
as is often seen in family dramas. Instead, director Scott Smith was able to
find genuine humor and depth in each of the teenage daughters.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Katharine
Isabelle stands out as Lou Field, the most rebellious of the three daughters.
She is the only one to confront her father, even when he is drunk. She can be
witty and charming even when being a complete brat. Also worth noting is a
wonderfully bizarre appearance by Kids In
The Hall alumni Mark McKinney. I hope Falling
Angels will make it to The Little Theatre. Be sure to catch it if it does.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย The
day before I left for Austin I found out the ambitious fantasy short film Finding
Hermann was accepted into the festival. The film was written and
directed by my friend Eric P. Robinson. Eric’s film follows a peculiar man and
his crew as they restore hope and faith in the lives of the lost and
disenchanted souls that inhabit an alternate reality. The film reminded me of
the otherworldly settings created by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, director of Amelie and TheCity of Lost Children, but
it still managed to create a unique style and mood.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย One
of the actors in Finding Hermann,
John Carlino, was also a co-producer of the feature length documentary (and
Sundance Jury Prize Winner) Farmingville. The film is an intense exploration of the plight of Mexican
migrant workers in Long Island. I’ve seen several documentaries dealing with
immigration issues but they were never set in my home state. Conflict and
violence arises as the workers are mistreated by both the local government and
the reactionary townsfolk.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย The
film gives equal time to the key players on both sides of the issue. We see
city officials who are sympathetic to the plight of the workers as well as
angry citizens holding signs that read, “Use the military to deport illegal
aliens.” The film is most compelling when it interviews the workers and
citizens trapped between the two sides. Look for Farmingville on PBS where it will be a part of their signature
documentary series P.O.V.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย The
vibe at SXSW is very casual and not flooded with film industry phonies. The
film panels were very focused and tried hard not to descend into the usual
theme of “How do I make it in Hollywood?”
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย One
panel was hosted by Chris Gore of Film
Threat magazine. He challenged the panelists to give details and numbers
when discussing film distribution deals. I was happy to hear real examples
backed with actual numbers instead of the vague information that usually comes
out of such panels.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Even
better was a panel dedicated to the late Bill Hicks, one of the most poignant
and aggressive comedians since Lenny Bruce. Friends and biographer Cynthia True
shared stories of Hicks’ life and work, which were cut short by cancer when he
was 32.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย By
the time I left Austin, the town was filling up with musicians. People with
tattoos started to outnumber those without. The SXSW Music Conference draws
over 1,000 bands that play gigs at Austin’s 52 participating music venues.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย I
wish I could have stuck around but I forgot my earplugs. So long for now,
Austin. Keep being weird.
Who’s
Your Daddy? will be screened as part of the Emerging Filmmakers series on
Monday, March 29, at The Little Theatre, 240 East Avenue, at 9:30 p.m. Tix: $5.
See Lunch at www.eggwork.com/lunch.
This article appears in Mar 24-30, 2004.
