Well kids - it's that time of the year again. Time to get ready for the Austin Film Festival which runs from 10/11-10/18 in our fair city. There are a ton of great films to see as usual and lotsa interesting filmmakers and actors and such due to visit.

What follows is some info put out by AFF about this years festival. For more information and the complete schedule, go to http://www.austinfilmfestival.com.

I'll be there reviewing films, hanging out, taking pictures and dishing the dirt - so be sure and check out filethirteen during the fest to see what's going on day by day.

lodger2001

8th Annual Austin Film Festival Announces 2001 Film Program

The Austin Film Festival and Heart of Film Screenwriters Conference announces the world premieres, U.S. premieres, regional premieres, and advance screenings for the October 11-18 Festival.

The 2001 Festival includes premieres and advance screenings of the following films:

Living in Missouri (USA, 90 min.) World Premiere

Mancha Blanca (USA) World Premiere (Documentary Showcase)

The Medicine Show (USA, 100 min.) World Premiere

Twelve (USA, 82 min) World Premiere

Wrong Numbers (USA, 75 min.) World Premiere

Ding-a-ling-LESS (USA, 81 min.) World Premiere

Century Hotel (Canada, 96 min.) U.S. Premiere

Come Together (Canada, 80 min.) U.S. Premiere

A Passage to Ottawa (Canada, 90 min.) U.S. Premiere

30 Years to Life (USA, 110 min.) Regional Premiere

After The Flood(USA, 81 min.) Regional Premiere

America So Beautiful (USA, 91 min.) Regional Premiere

Big Bad Love (USA, 111 min.) Regional Premiere

Brotherhood of the Wolf (France, 142 min.) Regional Premiere

Business of Strangers (USA, 84 min.) Regional Premiere

Cahoots (USA, 114 min.) Regional Premiere

Christmas in the Clouds (USA, 94 min.) Regional Premiere

Cow Monkey (USA, 88 min.) Regional Premiere

Devil's Backbone (Mexico/Spain, 106 min.) Regional Premiere

Donnie Darko (USA, 120 min.) Regional Premiere

The Duo (USA, 88 min.) Regional Premiere

Grateful Dawg (USA, 81 min.) Regional Premiere (Documentary Showcase)

Green Dragon (USA, 115 min.) Regional Premiere

Gypsy 83 (USA, 92 min.) Regional Premiere

Lethal Force (USA, 75 min.) Regional Premiere

Miserable Comforters (USA, 67 min.) Regional Premiere

Novocaine (USA, 100 min.) Regional Premiere

Riders (USA, 95 min.) Regional Premiere

Seven and a Match (USA, 111 min.) Regional Premiere

Waking Life (USA, 97 min.) Regional Premiere

Way Off Broadway (USA, 84 min.) Regional Premiere

Lakeboat (USA, 98 min.) Advance Screening

The Last Hope (USA, 91 min.) Advance Screening

Liam (U.K., 90 min.) Advance Screening

Lisa Picard Is Famous (USA, 90 min.) Advance Screening

Lonesome (USA, 104 min.) Advance Screening

Pendulum (USA, 95 min.) Advance Screening

The Austin Film Festival is proud to launch a premiere series of films from the U.K. and Ireland. These four very different films, programmed in conjunction with the ukfilmla, offer some exciting new ideas from established and emerging filmmaking talent.

The U.K. Premiere Series features:

Like Father (U.K., 96 min.) U.S. Premiere

Understanding Jane (U.K., 99 min.) U.S. Premiere

My Brother Tom (U.K., 110 min.) Regional Premiere

Peaches (Ireland, 84 min.) Regional Premiere

Living in Missouri (90 min., color, video) WORLD PREMIERE Writer: Connor Ratliff, Director: Shaun Peterson Cast: Connor Ratliff, Ian McConnel, Christina Puzzo A challenging and darkly comic film, Living in Missouri is the story of Ryan, Todd, and Amy, whose humdrum Midwestern lives are starting to come apart at the seams. Ryan and Todd have been best friends since the 7th grade. Ryan, now married to Amy, has two young children and a 9-to-5 job he hates. The sexually frustrated Todd still lives in the basement of his parents' house, works at a video store, and secretly envies Ryan's married life. When Ryan's selfish behavior begins to strain the marriage, Amy turns to Todd for support, and long repressed desires come to the surface.

Mancha Blanca (USA) WORLD PREMIERE (Documentary Showcase) Director: S.R. Bindler

The Medicine Show (100 min., color, 35mm) WORLD PREMIERE Writer/Director: Wendell Morris Cast: Jonathan Silverman, Natasha Gregson Wagner, Greg Grunberg Inspired by the director’s own experience, The Medicine Show reflects all the strange horror, emotion, and humor of dealing with cancer. When Taylor Darcy, a cynical young man in the prime of life, is diagnosed with colon cancer, he wants only to be ignored so that he might drink and mock his way through his carcinoma nightmare in peace. While in the hospital, Taylor meets Lynn, a leukemia patient who matches wits with him and forces him to confront the seriousness of his ailment. Together they will laugh, fight, throw food at nurses, and struggle to stay physically and spiritually alive.

Twelve (USA, 82 min) WORLD PREMIERE Writer/Director: Daniel Noah Cast: Diana Ascher, Maurice Carr, Randall Jaynes, Daniel Vespa, Bob Harbaum, Ean Sheehy Zach Taylor wakes up in a strange apartment. He doesn’t know where he is, he can’t remember what he did last night, and he doesn’t even know his name. It might have been that he just partied a bit too hard last night, except that when he looks in a mirror, he can’t even see his face. But he's determined to investigate the secrets of his identity, his baffling physical ailments, and the group of thugs who are after him. Shot entirely from Zach's point of view, Twelve is a baffling sci-fi thriller about much more than a case of simple amnesia.

Wrong Numbers (75 min., color, video) WORLD PREMIERE Writers: Alex Holdridge & Sam Merrick Director: Alex Holdridge Cast: Matt Bearden, Scoot McNairy, Matt Pulliam, Kjerstin Cunnington Take a ride through the bizarre Friday night world of the underage American. Wrong Numbers is a hilarious comedy that follows two 19-year-old kids, James and Russell, as they travel through the streets of Austin, Texas, trying to buy beer. Living in the Bible Belt makes that difficult, however. The seemingly simple task spins out of control and takes the two on an all-night adventure. Cops, parties, sex, drugs, jealousy and exhilaration await as oddball characters crash into the two and eith er set them in motion or latch on to join the ride.

Ding-a-ling-LESS (81 min., color, 35mm) WORLD PREMIERE Writer/Director: Onur Tukel Cast: Kirk Wilson, Robert Longstreet, Mark Robinson, Lydia Toon Fleury With more penis jokes per minute than any film we've ever seen, Ding-a- ling-LESS is a hilarious and touching (seriously!) comedy about Jack Peterson, who was tragically disfigured at birth. Yes, he has no penis, but he has always managed to be content by erecting birdhouses and living vicariously through his womanizing friend Alan. When a pretty girl moves in next door, however, Jack realizes that maybe he’s not so happy after all. When he learns of a medical procedure that can reverse his condition, he’s soon planning for the life he always wanted.

Century Hotel (Canada, 96 min.) U.S. PREMIERE Writer: David Weaver and Bridget Newson Director: David Weaver Cast: Joel Bissonnette, Lindy Booth, Colm Feore, David Hewlett, Sandrine Holt, Janet Kidder, Mia Kirshner, Chantal Kreviazuk, Eugene Lipinski, Raine Maida, Tom McCamus, Earl Pastko, Jeremy Ratchford David Weaver’s feature film debut is a sumptuous tale that tracks the inhabitants of room 720, a seemingly anonymous hotel room, over the course of a century. Witnessing every kind of human drama—an illicit love affair, an unsolved murder, a young woman's first sexual encounter, and the creeping onset of madness—, Century Hotel is a journey through the twentieth century. Beginning with its luxurious origins in the twenties, it sees the Great Depression in the thirties, the sexually liberated sixties, the decadent eighties, until on the eve of the new millennium, a young girl begins to unlock its secrets.

Come Together (80 min., color, video) U.S. PREMIERE Writer/Director: Jeff Macpherson Cast: Tygh Runyan, Eryn Collins, Laura Harris Come Together is a hilarious comedy revolving around Ewan McKinnis, a 27 year-old greeting card writer who is still wallowing after his breakup with Charlotte, his first true love. Not only that, but Charlotte has just invited Ewan to her wedding to another man. (A man with great facial structure and lots of money.) In an attempt to gain some closure, Ewan comes to town for the ceremony and unceremoniously meets Amy Collins, a disarming teenager who quickly falls for him. In the days leading to Charlotte's wedding, Ewan and Amy fumble through a comical and questionable relationship.

A Passage to Ottawa (90 min., color, 35mm) U.S. PREMIERE Writer: Jameel Khaja, Director: Gaurav Seth Cast: Nabil Mehta, Amy Sobol, Jim Codrington, Ivan Smith, Franceen Brodkin In this touching, funny, first feature-length film from writer Jameel Khaja and director Gaurav Seth, A Passage to Ottawa is the story of Omi, a young Indian boy who, due to his mother's illness, has just been sent to Ottawa to live with his uncle. Unaware that his mother is likely to die, Omi believes that he is in Ottawa on a mission to find a superhero that he can take back to India to save his mother. When Omi meets Roland, the captain of a local tour boat, he believes that he has found his hero.

30 Years to Life (USA, 110 min.) Regional Premiere Writer: Vanessa Middleton Director: Vanessa Middleton Cast: Erika Alexander, Melissa De Sousa, Kadeem Hardison, Tracy Morgan, Paula Jai Parker, Allen Payne With a mixture of humor and insight, debut director Vanessa Middleton has created a lively and intelligent comedy tracing twelve months in the lives of a group of friends, the year in which they all reach their 30th birthdays. 30 Years to Life follows six successful, urban, African Americans as they navigate through their adult responsibilities, resulting in a sharp, funny meditation on our hopes and dreams: a beautiful, successful woman finds few prospects for a relationship; a couple must decide to marry or split up; and a stand-up comedian watches all his chances for fame snatched out from under him all as they approach the "big three-oh."

After The Flood (81 min., color, 35mm) Regional Premiere Writer/Director: Robert Saitzyk Cast: Simon Andrews, Ola Metwally, Joseph Chase After The Flood follows a young man’s desperate search for spiritual redemption on the streets. Simon is a street kid turned to dealing guns to survive. When one of the junkies that owes Simon money pays his debt with a young El Salvadorian girl, the relationship between Simon and the girl becomes a provocative character study. The film spirals through a gritty urban neo-realism, then into haunting, surreal images that evoke the loss of innocence and a fractured, vulnerable sexuality. After the Flood paints an impressionistic portrait of a soul hopelessly struggling to escape the prison of the modern city.

America So Beautiful (91 min., color, 35mm) Regional Premiere Writers: Babak Shokrian & Brian Horiuchi, Director: Babak Shokrian Cast: Mansour, Fariborz David Diaan, Alain DeSatti America So Beautiful follows the odyssey of a group of Iranian immigrants in Los Angeles, trying to find their place in the U.S. amidst the unfolding of the 1979 Iran hostage crisis. Houshang believes that his ticket out of his uncles' Persian market and into American society is to buy into one night's ownership of a glittery disco - if he can just come up with the money. Houshang tries to pull his family into the deal by taking them out for an evening at the disco. They encounter a night of surprise and transformation, filled with disappointment, hilarity, pain, confusion and revelation.

Big Bad Love (USA, 111 min.) Regional Premiere Writer: James Howard and Arliss Howard, based on stories by Larry Brown Director: Arliss Howard Cast: Arliss Howard, Debra Winger, Paul Le Mat, Rosanna Arquette, Angie Dickinson Leon Barlow (also director, Arliss Howard) is a Vietnam vet and a writer whose marriage has fallen apart. Living a solitary life, and sending manuscripts to publishers in vain, Leon struggles to reconcile his all- consuming, self-centered need to write with the life he created for himself. His life includes a son entering adolescence, a daughter with an incurable disease, and an ex-wife, played with dignity by Debra Winger, who deftly suggests the irreconcilable frustration with Leon's lack of ma turity with obvious love for him. All the while, Big Bad Love portrays the elusive experiences of imagination that every writer fights to set down on paper.

Brotherhood of the Wolf (France, 142 min.) Regional Premiere Writer: Stéphane Cabel, Christophe Gans Director: Christophe Gans Cast: Samuel Le Bihan, Mark Dacascos, Emilie Dequenne Parts horror, fantasy, action film and costume drama, Brotherhood of the Wolf is based on actual events that took place in France during the reign of King Louis XV. It's the mid-18th Century and a mysterious beast is slaughtering women and children in the Gévaudan region. The residents think it's a demon from Hell, and the local militia are inclined to agree. The Chevalier de Fronsac, a botanist and libertine, is dispatched to capture the creature, and in doing so he finds much more than he could have imagined, uncovering a mysterious cult and treacherous political duplicity.

Business of Strangers (USA, 84 min.) Regional Premiere Writer/Director: Patrick Stettner  Cast: Stockard Channing, Julia Stiles, Frederick Weller Patrick Stettner’s film jumps quickly out of the gate, following Julie (Stockard Channing) on her brisk, calculated walk through an anonymous airport landscape. This predatory executive is having a bad day. When she finds out she may be downsized, Julie exercises her wrath on Paula, a darkly enigmatic new assistant, sacking her at their first meeting. When the two are stranded and meet a second time at the hotel bar that night, a dangerous and seductive dance begins. Perfectly cast and employing a fluid visual style and murkily luscious soundtrack, Business of Strangers is a gripping battle of wills between a pair of unlikely adversaries.

Cahoots (114 min., color, 35mm) Regional Premiere Writer/Director: Dirk Benedict Cast: Keith Carradine, David Keith, Wendie Malick, Janet Gunn Cahoots is a fiercely dark comedy that takes male bonding to the extremes. It is the story of two men who grew up together as best friends and reconnect after years apart. In this deliberately crude and politically incorrect buddy film, Keith Carradine plays Matt, a hell raiser who comes to Los Angeles to shake up the life of his old friend Harley, who now has a stable life (complete with trophy wife and a struggling architecture business). Matt's arrival will turn Harley’s life upside down in a blistering, unsentimental journey into the shadowy recesses of the male psyche.

Christmas in the Clouds (94 min., color, 35mm) Regional Premiere Writer/Director: Kate Montgomery Cast: Tim Vahle, Sam Vlahos, MariAnaTosca, M. Emmet Walsh, Graham Greene, Sheila Tousey Premiering at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, Christmas in the Clouds is a unique portrayal of contemporary Native people that recalls the screwball comedies of Howard Hawks and Frank Capra. The film is a heartwarming tale of tribal enterprise, romance, and mistaken identity that takes place at Sky Mountain, a ski resort owned and operated by a Native American tribe. When Ray Clouds on Fire returns from the big city to manage the resort, he gets more than he bargained for when he finds out that a representative from the prestigious Worthington Travel Guide is coming to evaluate them.

Cow Monkey (88 min., color, video) Regional Premiere Writers: James Reichmuth, John Reichmuth, & Gabe Weisert, Director: Gabe Weisert Cast: John Reichmuth, James Reichmuth, Bridget Schwartz, Dan Klein Real life twins John and James Reichmuth star in this hilariously deadpan comedy about two dimwitted brothers in search of Bigfoot in the backwoods of a wilderness preserve. They've got good reasons for wanting to kill the big guy. "We've got a score to settle. It peeled our dog like a banana." It won't be easy for the two brothers, especially since there are other folks who are also hot on the trail of the elusive Bigfoot, including Cindy, an anthropology student researching her Bigfoot thesis paper, and Grover, the preserve’s custodian, who claims to have had a recent "sighting."

Devil's Backbone (Mexico/Spain, 106 min.) Regional Premiere Writer: Guillermo Del Toro, Antonio Trashorras, David Muñoz Director: Guillermo Del Toro Cast: Eduardo Noriega, Marisa Paredes, Federico Luppi, Irene Visedo, Iñigo Garcés, Fernando Tielve >From director Guillermo Del Toro (Cronos, Mimic) comes Devil's Backbone, a strange and unpredictable ghost story. Set in Santa Lucia School, a Catholic orphanage in the middle of the Spanish Civil War, the film orbits around the teachers and their charges, the orphans of the Republican militia, as they hide from a war raging outside the school walls. But inside the orphanage something far more sinister is about to be revealed. Ten-year-old Carlos (Fernando Tielve) has run-ins with the steely hea dmistress (Marisa Paredes), the aggressive caretaker (Eduardo Noriega, Open Your Eyes), and an unseen force, determined to make the school's inhabitants pay.

Donnie Darko (USA, 120 min.) Regional Premiere Writer/Director: Richard Kelly Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, Drew Barrymore, Patrick Swayze, Noah Wyle, Mary McDonnell A look at a troubled suburban boy’s fantasy life turns into an intricate and imaginative cinematic puzzle in Richard Kelly’s directorial debut, Donnie Darko. Donnie (a brooding Jake Gyllenhaal) is a disturbed teen, prone to visions of a grotesque, monstrous rabbit. Under the apparition's ominous supervision Donnie begins to act in dangerous and antisocial ways. Though they are sinister, the visions are not entirely evil; they teach Donnie to bend the very fabric of his universe. Part thriller, part science fiction, and all mystery, Donnie Darko is as memorable and accessible as it is totally unexpected.

The Duo (88 min., color, video) Regional Premiere Writer: Ryan Wickerham, Director: Tony Hewett Cast: Bill Wise, Ryan Wickerham, Marie Black, Tommy “Tiny” Lister, Jr. Real superheroes. Fighting crime. Battling evil. Living among is in the suburbs sounds more like a comic book than a serious documentary. Unless, that is, failed TV reporter Crystal Parsons is on the case. So get ready to meet America's newest dynamic duo -- Best Man and Buddy Boy, better known in shopping malls and police bulletins as The Terrific Two. Crystal's journey into their world is anything but predictable and it quickly becomes an inescapable collision between reality and fantasy. And when Crystal’s camera captures in crash in vivid color, the truth is no longer black and white.

Grateful Dawg (USA, 81 min.) Documentary Showcase, Regional Premiere Director: Gillian Grisman David Grisman met Jerry Garcia in 1964 in pre-Grateful Dead days when Garcia was an unknown banjo player from San Francisco. Directed by Grisman’s daughter Gillian, Grateful Dawg records the affectionate and intimate musical friendship between the two, tracking both the musical collaborations that produced a best-selling bluegrass album, and a decade- long rift that separated them after business squabbles broke up their band. This enjoyable audio-visual scrapbook is a mix formerly unreleased perf ormances, of home movies, and rare and unique personal moments from the studio, backstage and home-style jam sessions, sure to offer up insights to both new and longtime fans.

Green Dragon (USA, 111 min.) Regional Premiere Writer: Tony Bui, Timothy Linh Bui Director: Timothy Linh Bui Cast: Patrick Swayze, Don Duong, Forest Whitaker, Hiep Thi Le, Billinjer Tran, Long Nguyen It was at the end of the Vietnam War, in 1975, when tens of thousands of Vietnamese refugees were brought into camps throughout the southwestern United States. In resonant and long-lasting images, Green Dragon imagines one camp from the perspective of those who had lost their families, fortunes, and their country, as a result of the war. Timothy Bui (in his directorial debut) and brother Tony Bui (co-writer of Green Dragon, and director of the award-winning Three Seasons) collect a visually arre sting and poignant amalgamation of tales of both Americans and Vietnamese whose human spirit persevered in spite of their miserable surroundings.

Gypsy 83 (USA, 92 min.) Regional Premiere Writer: Tim Kaltenecker and Todd Stephens Director: Todd Stephens Cast: Sara Rue, Kett Turton, Karen Black, Paulo Costanzo, Anson Scoville, John Doe The remarkable velvet corsets, dark eye make-up and crow-feather boas on Todd Stephen’s title character Gypsy Vale (Sara Rue) makes old ladies cower and nuclear families step aside. Gypsy is a latter-day Stevie Nicks wanna- be, and with her goth, barely-out-of-the closet friend Clive (Kett Turton), they feel like freaks in button-downed Sandusky, Ohio. Hearing of "The Night of a 1000 Stevies" look-alike contest in Manhattan, Gypsy and Clive leave town with dreams of a new life. Fueled by a fantastic soundtrack including Siouxsie and the Banshees, the Cure, and Bauhaus, and backed by talent like Karen Black as a washed-up lounge singer, Gypsy 83 is an unflinching and raucous road trip to remember.

Lethal Force (75 min., color, video) Regional Premiere Writer: Alvin Ecarma, Director: Alvin Ecarma Cast: Frank Prather, Andrew Hewitt, Cash Flagg, Jr. Both a tribute to and a satire of those old fashioned, uber-violent B- movies, Lethal Force is the story of Jack Ryan, a gangster whose son has been kidnapped by the evil, wheelchair-bound villain, Mal Locke. In order to get his son back, Carter mustsell out his best friend Savitch. Mal wants revenge on Savitch, but it won't be easy because Savitch himself is a ruthless and fearless assassin. Don't worry about how the story unfolds, just sit back and enjoy the hilarious over-the-top dialogue, the kick-ass, adrenaline-packed action sequences, and of course the brutal, brutal, blood-soaked finale.

Miserable Comforters (67 min., color, video) Regional Premiere Writer/Director: Jonathan Schaech Cast: John Asuncion, Steve Longway, Rob Naples, Alice Barrington, Elise Ballrad, Jeff Lorch In this smart satire, a group of young fanatical Christian film students set out on a mission to film a documentary. Their goal is to find a "less fortunate" soul to save and film it. The group's leader, Barbara Kendoll says "I want to find someo ne who's down on their luck, and help them turn their lives around, someone who has a story to tell." They stumble upon a young couple who are homeless and in need of some prayers. After many heartfelt adventures, however, they find the "less fortunate" are not the ones who need to be saved.

Novocaine (USA, 100 min.) Regional Premiere Writer/Director: David Atkins Cast: Steve Martin, Helena Bonham Carter, Laura Dern, Elias Koteas, Scott Caan Dr. Frank Sangster (Steve Martin) seems to have a picture perfect life: he has a beautiful fiancé (Laura Dern) and a thriving dental practice. That is, at least, until the provocative Susan Ivy (Helena Bonham Carter) comes into the office, needing a root canal and lots of pain killers. No sooner does he write the prescription than he is drawn into a world of sex, drugs and murder, running from the authorities and also from his angry fiance. Boasting expertly timed gags and macabre moments, Novocaine, by first-timer David Atkins, is a highly original genre-bender, merging film noir thriller with riotous comedy.

Riders (95 min., color, video) Regional Premiere Writer/Director: Doug Sadler Cast: Don Harvey, Bodine Alexander, Sarah Stusek, Jane Beard A beautiful and compelling exploration of human frailty and courage, Riders tells the story of Alex Stone, a teenage girl who comes into violent confrontation with Ned, her mother's new boyfriend. When Ned moves into their home, Alex is immediately suspicious of his attention to her younger sister, Sara. In an attempt to protect Sarah, Alex takes her on a trek to New Orleans in search of their estranged father. In a subtle revision of the American Western, Alex's increasingly surreal journey takes her through the wilds of Nashville and New Orleans in a search of salvation.

Seven and a Match (USA, 111 min.) Regional Premiere Writer/Director: Derek Simonds Cast: Eion Bailey, Heather Donahue, Devon Gummersall, Tina Holmes, Adam Scott, Daniel Serafini-Sauli, Petra Wright A reunion weekend takes unexpected turns when seven Yale classmates meet at an isolated summer house in Maine, for possibly the last time. Ellie (Tina Holmes) owns the house, but broke and facing foreclosure, she gathers her friends and proposes that they set fire to the house and provide her with an alibi, so that she may collect the insurance money she needs to stave off bankruptcy. While carefully avoiding the romantic nostalgia that can accompany reunion films, Simonds provides a smart and engaging arena for this gifted ensemble of young actors to play out a conflagration of a different kind, as each character assesses the bonds that tie friends and lovers.

Waking Life (USA, 97 min.) Regional Premiere Writer/Director: Richard Linklater Cast: Wiley Wiggins and an ensemble of 74 other actors Experimental both in terms of format and content, Waking Life by Texas native Richard Linklater (SubUrbia, Before Sunrise) resists any easy description. This head trip of a film was conventionally shot with live actors on handheld digital cameras, edited, and then it was "painted" over by a team of animators, giving the film a fluid, dreamlike texture. But the technique is also carried over into the narrative as well, as Linklater's hero, played by Wiley Wiggins, drifts though a seemingly dream-like narrative, interacting in dialogues on life, existence, consciousness, and dreams. Waking Life is more dreamy than awake, with its saturated hues and surreal images.

Way Off Broadway (84 min., color, 35mm) Regional Premiere Writer/Director: Dan Kay Cast: Brad Beyer, Morena Baccarin, Michael Parducci, Jordan Gelber, Forbes March Way Off Broadway is a smart, charming comedy about the changing relationships between five friends who are struggling to be artists in New York City. Darren, a playwright suffering from writer's block, feels pressured by the support of his father. Jay, a talented musician, has given up playing guitar and hides behind his one-night stands. Mickey and Ethan, both in graduate school, struggle with their own relationship problems. And Rebecca, an aspiring actress who continually battles with anonymous cattle calls and misogynist directors, is the center of the group and the force that holds them all together.

Lakeboat (USA, 98 min.) Advance Screening Writer: David Mamet Director: Joe Mantegna Cast: Charles Durning, Peter Falk, Robert Forster, J.J. Johnston, Denis Leary, Tony Mamet, Jack Wallace, George Wendt David Mamet's first play and Joe Mantegna's directorial debut converge in Lakeboat, the film that follows Dale (Tony Mamet), a grad student trying to earn a few bucks, as he boards a steel freighter to work for the summer. This loose narrative tracks the profane, sexist, and homophobic outbursts, but also humorous and poignant exchanges between a mostly middle-aged and all-male crew. When the night cook fails to show up for the ship's departure, the crew churn up outrageous rumors, but all in true bachelor style: it must have been booze, cards, or women to blame.

The Last Hope (USA, 91 min.) Advance Screening Directors: Chris Hrasky & Kurt Volk The Last Hope is a documentary chronicling the rise and near collapse of a makeshift society of people who, for six weeks, lived on the sidewalk in front of Mann's Chinese Theater in Hollywood to await the release of Star Wars: Episode I. The documentary follows the fans who wait in the line, a struggling actor who works at the Mann Theater, and the three founders of Countingdown.com (a website that organized the line as a means to promote their 24-hour-a-day coverage of it). The film documents the increasing hostility of the fans as they begin to feel used by the website promoters.

Liam (U.K., 90 min.) Advance Screening Writer: Jimmy McGovern Director: Stephen Frears Cast: Ian Hart, Claire Hackett, Anthony Burrows Liam by Stephen Frears (Dangerous Liaisons, High Fidelity) is an emotionally charged portrait of a Catholic family in Liverpool, caught in the grips of almost total social and political upheaval. Liam (Anthony Burrows) is the seven-year-old boy who watches as his father (Ian Hart) loses his job at the shipyard. Liam's sister must take a job as a maid for the wealthy Jewish family who laid their father off, fueling their father's anger and driving him to join the local Fascist party. Frears channels all Liam's experiences through his looming first Communion, in all its requisite hellfire and brimstone imagery.

Lisa Picard Is Famous (USA, 90 min.) Advance Screening Writer: Laura Kirk, Nat DeWolf Director: Griffin Dunne Cast: Laura Kirk, Nat DeWolf, Griffin Dunne Lisa Picard (Laura Kirk) and Tate Kelly (Nat DeWolf) are actors and best friends, desperately and hilariously trying to catch their big break. The film's director, Griffin Dunne (Quiz Show), plays a documentarian bent on capturing the very moment when the unknown Lisa becomes famous. He believes she's perpetually on the verge of stardom, or she would be if she could just manage to keep her scenes off the cutting room floor. Every painfully funny moment in her so-called career is captured in this mockumentary, including the humiliation of seeing Tate's one-man play about homophobia get optioned by Spike Lee. Look for cameos by Lee, Charlie Sheen, Carrie Fisher, Sandra Bullock and Mira Sorvino (co-producer), who cannily observe the flip-side to the Hollywood insiders story.

Lonesome (USA, 93 min.) Writers: Sidney Brammer & Elke Rosthal Director: Elke Rosthal Cast: Aleska Palladino, John Pyper-Ferguson, Marisa Berenson, Brian Delate Lily Randolph is a headstrong teenager who is constantly at odds with her parents. Just days before her 18th birthday, Lily is thrown out of her family's car after a heated argument with her political-candidate father. She then hitches a ride with Tom, a down-on-his-luck country-singing cowboy. In dire need of publicity for his campaign, Lily's father goes public with her "disappearance," triggering the FBI to begin an investigation. Pursued by her parents and the authorities, Lily flees wit h Tom to his deserted family home. Lily is then forced to make a decision that will affect her, and everyone around her, forever.

Pendulum (USA, 95 min.) Advance Screening Writer: Jason Kabolati Director: James D. Deck Cast: Rachel Hunter, James Russo, Matt Bataglia When an esteemed professor at Welland Law School is murdered, the deep- rooted Dallas power structure must scramble to find his killer without revealing dark secrets hidden within the prestigious institution, secrets that could destroy the rich tradition of the university. Police detective Amanda Reeve (Rachel Hunter) quickly finds herself drawn into an investigation where the truth would cost powerful men their position and reputation. In Amanda's search for the truth she investigates two enigma tic but beautiful lesbian law students, until her investigation leads to clues that link the District Attorney and her boyfriend (Matt Battaglia) to the mysterious old boy network.

UK PREMIERE SERIES

The Austin Film Festival is proud to launch this premiere series of films from the U.K. and Ireland. Through these four very different films, programmed in conjunction with the ukfilmla, we have endeavored to bring you some exciting new ideas from established and emerging filmmaking talent.

Like Father (U.K., 96 min.) U.S. Premiere Writer/Director: The Amber Collective: Richard Grassick, Ellin Hare, Murray Martin, Pat McCarthy, Lorna Powell, Peter Roberts, Sirkka-Liisa Konttinen  Cast: Joe Armstrong, Ned Kelly, Jonathan Dent, Anna Gascoigne This is the latest offering from the "Amber Collective," a filmmaking group who have been making socially aware films since 1969 using non-professional actors in situations similar to their characters'. Joe Elliot (Joe Armstrong), a club musician and composer in northern England, is torn between three people: His father (Ned Kelly) is being forced out of his home by the developers; his troubled son (Jonathan Dent) is being bullied by cruel schoolmates; and his wife (Anna Gascoigne) has left him over his financial irresponsibility and his fondness for the club. At the heart of their conflict lies an unspoken family tragedy that may lead the way to reconciliation.

Understanding Jane (U.K., 99 min.) U.S. Premiere Writer: Jim Mummery Director: Caleb Lindsay  Cast: Kevin McKidd, John Simm, Amelia Curtis, Louisa Milwood Haigh Elliot (Kevin McKidd, Trainspotting) and Oz (John Simm, Wonderland) unwittingly get involved in a scam when they respond to a personals ad to meet two women. Dallas (Amelia Curtis) and Popeye (Louisa Milwood Haigh) are two street-wise girls who use the ads to scam men out of cash, gifts, and food. One man immediately sees through the ruse, but is he infatuated anyway? The two pairs are complete opposites, never meant to meet or get along, but a drunken night and a blind date can change all that.

My Brother Tom (U.K. 110 min.) Regional Premiere Writer: Alison Beeton-Hilder, Dom Rotheroe  Director: Dom Rotheroe  Cast: Jenna Harrison, Ben Whishaw, Honeysuckle Weeks, Michael Erskine, Adrian Rawlings Two teenagers, Tom and Jessica, meet and enter into a compelling and intimate relationship, one in which no compromise seems possible. When they meet, Jessica is fascinated by Tom’s sinister side and the forests to which he retreats from trouble and misery at home. Theirs is a powerful bond, but one doomed to fail because one person can change, but the other cannot. Using digital hand cameras, director Dom Rotheroe and cinematographer Robby Muller (Dancer in the Dark) record the raw, intense relationship, allowing for improvisation and more complete freedom of movement.

Peaches (Ireland, 84 min.) Regional Premiere Writer/Director: Nick Grosso Cast: Matthew Rhys, Kelly Reilly, Sophie Okenedo Determined not to be upset by failing his final year exams, Frank (Matthew Rhys, Titus) consoles himself by facing an indolent summer, living rent- free, avoiding work, and ogling all the "peaches," or women, London has to offer. But Frank starts to botch things up when a play for a college friend (Kelly Reilly) on a weekend in the country ends in humiliation, his free rent seems to be coming to an end, and his slacker friends start looking for, gasp, work! Writer/Director Nick Grosso's film adapted from his play by the same name, set in London but filmed in Dublin, is a wry, charming view of lad culture.

Daily Variety calls the Austin Film Festival and Heart of Film Screenwriters Conference one of the most well-respected and prestigious events of its kind. Additional information about the Austin Film Festival and Heart of Film Screenwriters Conference can be found at www.austinfilmfestival.com.

The Austin Film Festival is dedicated to the writer as the heart of the creative process of filmmaking.The AFF uncovers outstanding, emerging writers; serves as a creative catalyst for legendary, contemporary, and student writers; and fosters their development through panels, workshops, and master classes conducted by industry professionals.The AFF is a non- profit, 501(c)(3) organization.

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