Texas-Themed Movies Abound At Austin Film Festival

AUSTIN, TEXAS — The 25th annual Texas Film Festival has drawn thousands of film mavens from across the country getting their fill of independent movies and documentaries by creators from around the world. Yet among the contingent is an robust array of Texas filmmakers.

Austin native Jethro Waters was scheduled to have the world premiere of his film, "F/11 and Be There," on Sunday, with a re-screening on Tuesday, Oct. 30. The documentary is the first to chronicle the life of Burk Uzzle, the youngest photographer ever hired by LIFE magazine at age 23. Uzzle's work then grew into a combination of split-second impressions reflecting the human condition during his tenure as a member of the prestigious international Magnum cooperative founded by one of his mentors Henri Cartier-Bresson, the filmmakers describes. For 15 years, Uzzle was an active contributor to the evolution of the organization and served as its President in 1979 and 1980.

"During the 16 years he was associated with Magnum, he produced some of the most recognizable images we have of Woodstock (album cover and worldwide reproduction of its iconic couple hugging at dawn) to the assassination and funeral of Martin Luther King Jr. to our comprehension for the experience of Cambodian war refugees," according to the description of the film.

Uzzle, one of America's greatest visual poets, is seen in his element―creating museum exhibitions with a local community, traveling America's back roads in search of hidden treasures of Americana and using his vast archive as a guide to confront race, inequality and injustice, the filmmaker said. "F/11 and Be There is not your usual documentary narrative with a beginning, middle and end; it is in itself a parallel work of art where all parts reinforce the whole and serve as a canvas to capture Uzzle as a photographic force majeure."

The documentary is hardly the only Texas-flavored offering. Many Austin Film Festival offerings were created by Texans or are suffused with a Texas theme:

Also Starring Austin

Writer: Mike Blizzard, Laura Colwell, Lala Morgan
Director: Mike Blizzard
Next screening: Mon. Oct 29 @ 6:30 pm | The State Theatre
*** This doc uses scenes from locally shot Austin films as a lens to explore a community’s rapidly changing landscape and unique, enduring culture (From Tobe Hooper's first film Eggshells, to classic films from Richard Linklater and Robert Rodriguez, to underground rarities and star-driven Hollywood fare).

The Iron Orchard

Writer: Gerry De Leon
Director: Ty Roberts
Cast: Lane Garrison, Austin Nichols, Ali Corbin, Lew Temple
Next screening: Tues. Oct 30 @ 7:15pm | The State Theatre
** Set in the oil fields of Texas, The Iron Orchard is a vibrant, brutal story of the men who labored, lusted and gambled their money in search of a prize few were lucky enough to find.

Jules of Light and Dark

Writer/Director: Daniel Laabs
Next screening: Wed. Oct 31 @ 6:00 pm | The State Theatre
** Set against the backdrop of a vibrant Texas Rave Culture

Texas Cotton

Writers: Tyler Russell, Jameel Khaja
Director: Tyler Russell
Next screenings (2): Sunday, Oct 28 @ 3:45pm @ Rollins Theatre and Mon. Oct 29 @ 9:15pm @ The State
**Tyler Russell is an Austin-based writer/director.

Waiting for the Miracle to Come

Writer/Director: Lian Lunson
Cast: Sophie Lowe, Willie Nelson, Charlotte Rampling
Next screening: Mon. Oct 29 @ 7:00 pm
** Set in a magical timeless world with colors reminiscent of an old storybook, and filmed at Willie Nelson’s ranch in Texas.

Here's a list of Texas shorts scheduled to be screened:

TEXAS SHORTS 1

Tuesday, October 30 • 6:15 p.m to 8:15 p.m at The Rollins Theatre

• Atlantic City: (USA, 15 min) Director/Writer: Miguel Alvarez. A drifter sets off to find his estranged mother but finds a new mission when he meets a teenage runaway who needs his help.
• By Dan Jenkins: (USA, 20 min) Directors: Kelly Lipscomb, Matt Tisdale. After a life filled with covering the most prestigious tournaments in the world; renowned golf and football expert Dan Jenkins sheds further light on his beginnings and how the two sports have shaped his life.
• Muerte: (USA, 13 min) Writer/Director: Harold Fisch. On the night he seeks to dive head first into his work, an artist discovers hidden secrets of his lineage and begins to learn his true purpose.
• Goodbye Sirena: (USA, 7 min) Writer: Tracee Beebe. Director: Melissa Dalley. Molly and her mother navigate memory and grief as they find an unexpected way to say goodbye.
• Lovers at Night: (USA, 5 min). Director: Alexander M. Rosales. A man awaits his date, but is met with something else: rejection.
• Tightly Wound: (USA, 10 min) Writer/Director: Shelby Hadden. A woman recounts her experience living with chronic pelvic pain and how health professionals have failed her, men have rejected her, and complex emotions have plagued her body.
• The Wilderness: (USA, 15 min) Writer: Zachary Jones. Director: Agustin Navarro. Three soldiers on the battlefield deal with the raw emotions of taking a life.
• Tempestad: (USA, 16 min) Writer/Director: Daniel E. Garcia. It's opening day of The Tempest at Alex's prestigious high school, but he and his brother must first accomplish a colossal tree service project to keep the family business alive.

TEXAS SHORTS 2

October 30 • 9 p.m to 11 p.m. at The Rollins Theatre

• Nobody Knows: (USA, 20 min) Writer/Director: Nolan Wilson Goff. In the wake of his brother’s death, a quiet high school student navigates his small Texas town, all while knowing he is responsible for the accident.
• My Friend Shokat: (USA, 12 min) Writer/Director: Bita Ghassemi. All a young boy wants to do is save his family's goat, but between his sister's desires and their family’s financial troubles, Shokat may have to go.
• A Lucky Man: (USA, 24 min) Directors: Jared Moossy, Shaul Shwarz, Christina Clusiau. Following a decade and a half of dodging bullets in war zones, a death-defying photojournalist faces his greatest hardship: losing his memory and his life as he knew it.
• Personal Trainer: (USA, 10 min) Writer/Director: Alex Shultz. A young college student takes an eventful trip to the gym and finds himself exposed in more ways than one.
• Clean Break: (USA, 12 min) Writer/Director: Isaac Burns. Nancy goes to her friend to take her mind off a breakup, but his romantic overtures endanger their friendship.
• Pepito: (USA, 15 min) Writer: Isaac Garza. Director: Eman Esfandi. While being lovingly coerced by his mom to go to confession, Pepito is infantilized to the point of suffocation in this bilingual comedy.

For the full Austin Film Festival schedule, click here.

ABOUT AUSTIN FILM FESTIVAL

Austin Film Festival (AFF) is a non-profit organization dedicated to furthering the art, craft and business of writers and filmmakers and recognizing their contributions to film, television and new media. AFF champions the work of aspiring and established writers and filmmakers by providing unique cultural events and services, enhancing public awareness and participation, and encouraging dynamic and long-lasting community partnerships. Austin Film Festival & Writers Conference (AFF) is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, once more this year championing writers’ contributions to film, television, and new media.

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>>> Images courtesy of Austin Film Festival, used with permission